The Ship Comes In For Partners Who Invest Wisely
4:51 PM EDT Fri. Aug. 22, 2003
From the August 22, 2003 issue of CRN
| Solution providers are reaping high rewards from their investments in certified personnel, but which certifications provide the highest rates of return largely depends on the size of the solution provider.
Since the MCSD and MCDBA certifications lie in more specialized areas of technology with fewer certified technicians available, one would expect the rate of return for them to be well above that for more basic Microsoft certifications, such as the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE). This is indeed the case (see chart on Page 58). Not surprisingly, security certifications also provide high rates of return to large solution providers. Two Check Point certifications, CCSA with an ROI of 110 percent and CCSE with 104 percent, ranked third and fourth, respectively. These were also in the top five last year. A high percentage of certifications deemed most important by solution providers indicates that ROI is increasing over time, compared with those indicating that ROI is declining. Solution providers cited benefits such as the ability to charge a higher hourly rate as one of the major reasons. Among smaller solution providers with less than $5 million in annual revenue, no single vendor or technology dominated the ROI list. The Check Point CCSA certification edged out Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) for the No. 1 spot with an ROI of 98 percent.
To explore the ROI equation further, CRN took a closer look at certification policies of a dozen vendors that dominated this year's lists of the most important and fastest-rising certifications. Snapshots follow.
Check Point Software Technologies The CCSA title focuses on the vendor's flagship VPN-1/FireWall-1 and is a prerequisite to the CCSE designation, which requires more in-depth training. Those two key titles offer numerous benefits, including a strong foundation in basic firewall and VPN technology, said Jim Lima, senior manager of channel marketing at the Redwood City, Calif.-based vendor. "The more partners invest in Check Point, the more we invest and work with them," he said. All Check Point partners, except small-business partners, are required to have at least one CCSE on staff. More than 25,000 certified professionals hold certifications from Check Point. Training is available at more than 250 Check Point Authorized Training Centers (ATCs) worldwide. Check Point also will provide training to companies that request it, Lima said. "The Check Point certification is good because it gives the student the opportunity to learn in-depth how the product works and, if nothing else, will allow him to leverage the functionality of the product," said Frank Darden, CTO of Mission Critical Systems, a Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.-based security solution provider and ATC.
Certification tests are handled by a third-party testing vendor, Pearson VUE, which has 2,500 locations worldwide. Altogether, the CCSE designation requires about a week out of the office, including the test, Lima said. The cost of CCSE certification varies but averages about $4,000 to $5,000, he said.
Cisco Systems The CCIE designation is still the badge to bear for top-of-the-heap technicians, but back in 1998, Cisco added associate and professional levels. More than 500,000 technicians have earned Cisco certifications, and about 10,000 have earned the CCIE, said Don Field, senior manager for Cisco's Internet Learning Solutions Group. At the highest level, technicians can choose to be a CCIE with an emphasis in routing and switching, security, voice or communications services. The San Jose, Calif.-based networking hardware vendor also offers the Cisco Specialist designation for technologies such as security, wireless, optical, content networking and IP telephony.
To earn certification, technicians must pass proctored exams, which cost $125 each. Associates must pass one to two exams; Professional designations require four to five exams. The CCIE certification requires a $350 written exam and a $1,250 lab exam.
Solution providers in North America must staff a minimum of two to 12 certified professionals to join Citrix's partner program, depending on their partnership level. Citrix, Ft. Lauderdale, offers instructor-led authorized courses worldwide through 320 Citrix Authorized Learning Centers. Courses last one to seven days and can cost $500 per day, Liebman said. Partners can take a portion of their training through eLearning, the vendor's recently introduced online training program. For example, instructor-led training on the Citrix MetaFrame XP application delivery platform stops after Feature Release 2. Training on Feature Release 3, the current version, is available through eLearning, he said. The one-hour, $100 certification exams are offered through Thomson Prometric, Citrix's testing partner. Citrix Certified Administrator (CCA) is a prerequisite for Citrix Certified Enterprise Administrator (CCEA) and Citrix Certified Integration Architect (CCIA) certifications, the latter of which is still being rolled out. Citrix also offers a non-technical certification, Citrix Certified Sales Professional (CCSP) and a certification that enables experts to teach its courseware, Citrix Certified Instructor.
"Their certification program is excellent," said Greg Still, managing partner at Xioligix, a solution provider in Portland. "They are continuing to make an effort to build the channel with a lot of integrity," he said.
Hewlett-Packard Certifications focus on sales, presales, technical support and systems integration. Under the sales certification, about 50 percent is instructor-led and 50 percent is self-paced. For the remainder of the concentrations, the majority of the training is instructor-led and candidates are given the option to purchase the material for self-study. Candidates also have the opportunity to test out of any certification class, Croes said. Maintaining a total of 15 HP certified personnel enables a solution provider to qualify as a Platinum partner under HP's PartnerOne program. Solution providers with five certified technicians earn Gold status. The certifications can be used in lieu of the annual sales bars for the Platinum and Gold designations, Croes said. Palo Alto, Calif.-based HP's certifications also enable solution providers to qualify for more rebate dollars and warranty reimbursements, among other benefits. In the United States, HP has two in-house training delivery organizations: product and technology training, and services training. About 30 percent of the courses are handled by outside training companies. A sales-only exam takes an hour to an hour and a half to complete. Instructor-led classes are one to two days in length, Croes said. Higher-end systems integration certifications could require two or three exams and a week or more of classroom instruction.
For HP's highest certification, Accredited Systems Engineer, Croes said training could take three weeks.
IBM The vendor offers a broad range of study options, including workshop and in-classroom education, study guides, product reference information, Web sites, online self-study, CD-ROM and e-learning multimedia training. IBM certifications are available worldwide through Thomson Prometric and Pearson VUE. Test times vary depending upon the certification and the number of exams required. If a candidate already possesses the skills, it's simply a matter of taking and passing the test. Certification is important because the Armonk, N.Y.-based vendor passes leads to partners based on appropriate skill levels as evidenced by the certifications they hold. Certification is required to sell certain IBM products, such as iSeries and pSeries solutions.
The average cost of an IBM certification exam is $150. The cost of prep time varies depending on the skill level of the person taking the exam. But IBM noted that study courses are not mandatory to obtain certifications.
Microsoft At Tech Ed 2003, the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant introduced a new security specialization available to MCSEs and MCSAs. The company is exploring other areas of specialization including messaging and architecture/design, said Dan Truax, director of business and product strategy for Microsoft Training and Certifications. "The certifications are not just based on technology but job roles," Truax said. "If a customer needs planning, designing and implementation, they need an MCSE. If they have staff embedded into customers' day-to-day operations, they should pursue an MCSA. Within those job roles, you can get specializations." Since 1992, the company has issued 1.8 million certifications in seven categories to more than 900,000 individuals. The categories include system engineers (MCSEs), administrators (MCSAs), database administrators (MCDBAs), application developers (Microsoft Certified Application Developer), solutions developers (MCSDs) and trainers (Microsoft Certified Trainers). Training courses and exams take place during three-day and five-day programs. Costs vary depending on the certification. Microsoft provides training programs from thousands of authorized Certified Training Education Centers (CTECs) around the world. In the United States, each exam costs $125. Some certifications can require five or more courses and exams.
This fall, the Microsoft Training and Certification group plans to launch its certification program for Windows Server 2003. To cut costs and ease the burden for those who have earned their Windows 2000 stripes and want to move to Windows Server 2003, Microsoft will offer a single-exam upgrade for MCSA holders and two exams for MCSEs to earn their Windows Server 2003 credentials. For those with NT credentials, the process will be more significant, Truax said.
Novell With the Linux-enabled NetWare 6.5 network operating system due to debut this summer, and native Linux support due in a version 7.0 release in 2005, Novell will launch the Novell Certified Linux Engineer (CLE) designation. Novell's fifth certification will be offered along with other popular programs including Certified Novell Engineer (CNE), Master Certified Novell Engineer (MCNE) and Certified Novell Administrator (CNA). Novell's Linux certification will be based on the Linux Professional Institute's rigorous performance-based training and testing. It will also require a thorough knowledge of Novell's traditional file, print and networking services as well as the Linux kernel and Linux networking features, said Ptarmi Kilgore, worldwide training services, marketing and certification manager at Novell. Partners will be required to take a five-day course called Novell Enterprise Linux Services beginning in November that costs between $1,500 and $2,000. It will be offered through Novell's 1,000-plus authorized training partners. Testing will be handled by Pearson VUE and Thomson Prometric.
Novell required all CNEs to be certified on NetWare 6.0 in order to participate in the company's 2003 partner program, and it will most likely require certification on the NetWare 6.5 upgrade due this summer to lock into the 2004 program.
Oracle There are about 193,000 Oracle-certified people worldwide, with another 200,000 in the pipeline, Hall said. The rarified masters now number about 50. Oracle, Redwood Shores, Calif., tries to offer the same access to materials and training online as in the classroom, although many people prefer the latter, Hall said. Historically, database professionals could see a 20 percent to 35 percent boost in their salary, based on certain certifications, he said. "Or in today's environment, [certification] might mean they're the last to be fired." Mary Elizabeth McNeely, technical consultant at Thinkspark, a Dallas-based Oracle integration partner, said expertise is at stake more so than money. McNeely, an Oracle Certified Professional-Database Administrator, said the biggest advantage for her is that training forces her to look at aspects of the database she may not already know. The entry-level certification requires two tests, the Oracle Certified Professional designation adds another two tests, and the masters have to come in and strut their stuff for Oracle developers to earn the title, Hall said. Testing for Associates and Professionals is administered by Thomson Prometric. Entry-level tests can be taken online. Costs vary, but Hall estimates the least expensive entry-level online course is about $1,200. A week's worth of education can run $2,500 to $3,000.
Members of the Oracle Partner Network (OPN) get a 35 percent discount and can also participate in the "You Pass, We Pay" program where Oracle subsidizes successful candidates. There are now about 15,000 OPN members, said Julie Tung, vice president of alliances and channels at Oracle. OPN members also get access to training materials through the OPN portal.
Red Hat "It will be very key as Linux moves from the server boom onto departmental servers and workstations," said Peter Childers, vice president of Red Hat's Global Learning Services. The entry-level certification complements the existing Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) certification. Training and testing for RHCT or RHCE must be completed at one of 35 Red Hat training centers in the United States and 65 cities worldwide. The cost ranges from $2,300 to $2,500 for those with two to five years experience in Unix system administration but leaps to $4,300 to train a person with no Unix experience. RHCT requires four days of training and a half-day of testing. The RHCT exam is 100 percent performance-based, requiring testers to configure, install and build several systems over a three-hour period. It costs $349. Considered one of the most difficult certifications to attain, the RHCE,a Level III certification,requires four days of training and a full day of testing. The exam consists of five hours of performance-based testing and one hour of multiple-choice testing. It costs $749. The failure rate for the RHCE title is roughly 45 percent to 50 percent, in line with industry norms, Childers said. Red Hat is considering a higher-level Masters Certification but the existing certifications will meet the needs of channel partners, executives said. "Solution providers need to bear in mind that it's a different kind of preparation," Childers said. "It's focused on real skills and not question-and-answer strategies for multiple choice tests. "
One service provider that has 30 RHCEs on staff agreed. "The RHCE exam is over 80 percent hands-on and does not lend itself to cram-type studying. Even if you've got all the books and have taken all the classes, I still recommend at least six months to one year of Linux desktop and command-line server experience on Red Hat Linux before taking the exam," said Thomas Weeks, head corporate technical trainer at Rackspace, a San Antonio, Texas-based hosting services provider that plans to add another 40 RHCEs.
Sun Microsystems These certifications are tailored to sales representatives, systems engineers or professional services teams. Under technology and hardware, there are three levels of certification: Workgroup, Enterprise and Elite. Workgroup is the least-intensive level, and Elite is the highest. Partners become certified on various Sun servers and related technologies and services at each level. In addition, partners can choose whether to participate in a specialty, such as clustering, storage management software, Sun ONE or grid, Cate said. And there are specialty certifications, such as Sun's Storage Elite, that bundle a group of technology specialties for a partner that wants a more clearly defined focus. At the software level, partners can become certified as Foundation, Premier or Elite partners, Cate said. Usually, partners opting for these designations are software-only. Sun's services certifications are spread out among the related hardware and software certifications. Sun offers Web-based and classroom instruction, as well as CDs for self-paced training, Cate said. Training time varies from as little as four and a half hours to as much as 15 days. Most certification costs are refundable through SunFunds, which provides with monetary resources for training, Cate said. However, sometimes SunFunds are not available to partners, he said. A solution provider can give up a minimum of about $1,200 in billing per consultant, per day when engineers undergo training, said Marc Maselli, president of Boston-based solution provider Back Bay Technologies.
Another solution provider, who requested anonymity, said his company paid about $16,000 for 10 certifications. That price included the cost of the training, as well as a test-taking fee of $150 for each certification test.
Symantec The overhaul eliminated the Symantec Product Specialist certification and phased out product-specific exams in favor of tests in broader security areas. Also, the program now recognizes vendor-neutral certifications. The Cupertino, Calif. -based vendor offers instructor-led training, online virtual classroom, technology-based training CDs and on-demand Web-based courses. Certification exams are available through Thomson Prometric Testing Centers worldwide and take 60 to 90 minutes. Symantec certifications provide partners with additional leads and enhanced margins, said Allyson Seelinger, vice president of enterprise and consumer channels at Symantec. "We believe partners who are certified also will realize new business and revenue opportunities, larger deals and an overall competitive advantage," she said. Symantec Enterprise Security Partners are required to have two SCSEs on staff, and Symantec Enterprise Solutions Partners are required to have one SCSE on staff. Certification costs vary. Instructor-led training costs $800 per day and classes last one to three days. Web-based and technology-based training CDs allow partners to study for exams on their own time, Seelinger said. Symantec now offers training free to its Enterprise Security and Enterprise Solutions Partners.
Gary Cannon, president of Advanced Internet Security, Colorado Springs, Colo., said Symantec's new program makes it easier for partners to achieve the highest level. But he said it's unclear how the program changes will affect his company, a longtime Symantec partner. "It's confusing right now. We're still trying to figure out what it really means to us," he said.
3Com 3Com offers three levels of certification. The 3Com Solutions Associate level is targeted at salespeople; 3Com Solutions Expert is for technical salespeople. And for technicians, 3Com offers four technology specializations: network telephony voice, wireless, security and a new LAN core designation. About 13,500 individuals hold 3Com certifications, Bilton said. Most courses and training materials are available on Partner Access, 3Com's partner Web site, Bilton said. The technology specialization also requires instructor-led training courses. The LAN core training, which will bring technicians up to speed on 3Com's new modular enterprise switches, is offered in a three-day fast track course for students with previous 3Com certification. Students with no prior certification must take a five-day course. 3Com certification testing is available over the Web for most courses, but the new LAN core training will be certified with a proctored exam, Bilton said.
There is no fee for either the Associate or Expert levels. Instructor-led training for the wireless specialization costs $500; the network telephony voice specialization costs $1,200; the security specialization is $1,500. The LAN core specialization costs $650 for a fast track course or $1,500 for standard LAN core. |
The 2003 CRN Certification Study found that for large solution providers with at least $5 million in annual revenue, two relatively new Microsoft certifications provided the biggest bang for the buck. The Microsoft Certified Solution Developer for Microsoft .Net (MCSD) topped the list by a wide margin, providing a strong 170 percent return on investment (ROI). The Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA) was a solid No. 2 with an ROI of 122 percent.
Published for the Week Of August 25, 2003
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