6/18/2009 -- Citrix is expanding its top-level administrator certifications to focus more on virtualization. It's a step that makes sense for a company working hard to claw out its space in the virtualization market, and has some very intriguing products.

It's adding the specialization onto its flagship Citrix Certified Enterprise Engineer (CCEE) and Citrix Certified Integration Architect (CCIA) credentials, adding "for Virtualization" onto the title.

The certifications will be available starting in the fall, according to Citrix. Current CCEE and CCIA holders have an upgrade path: CCEEs will need to pass the "A15 -- Engineering a Citrix Virtualization Solution" exam to add the virtualization moniker, while the higher-level CCIA will have to pass that exam and "A16 -- Architecting a Citrix Virtualization Solution."

The upgrade paths expire June 30, 2010. After that time, candidates will need to begin from the beginning.

CCEE is aimed at the engineers and high-level administrators implementing virtualization; the CCIA is targeted more at designers and architects. Keith Ward