4/16/2003 -- Storage software provider Veritas announced today that the company is launching an end-user certification program.

According to Lenny Alugas, vice president of education at Veritas, the company decided to create the program based on customer demand. "We'd been receiving a lot of feedback [from customers] wanting to validate that their organization has the skills to administer our solutions," he explained. "When you look at the data protection world, and you look at the value of the [information]& You really want to be sure that your team has the skills to do the job."

"This program is a commitment from Veritas...to address that need," he continued. "I have no doubt that based on customer demand and the importance of these skills that [this program] will have significant long-term value in the market."

According to Alugas, by the end of this year two multi-tiered tracks will be available to candidates: Data Protection and High Availability. The Data Protection certifications will focus around Vertias' storage solutions, while the High Availability track will certify clustering and other skills using the company's Foundation Suite and Veritas Cluster Server products, among others.

The first title for the program, Veritas Certified Professional Data Protection Administrator (the first level of the Data Protection track), will officially debut May 5 at the company's Veritas Vision conference. To earn the title, candidates can choose between a Unix-specific exam (DP-003X) or a Windows-specific exam (DP-003W). Objectives for the Unix exam are available here (PDF download). Objectives for the Windows exam are available here (PDF download).

Attendees at the Veritas Vision conference can get a 40 percent discount off the price of the Data Protection Administrator exams, or take the exams for free if they attend the accompanying training course. Click here for more information on these promotions.

Although the exams have yet to officially debut, beta versions are currently available for $50 (U.S.) worldwide. More information on participating in these betas can be found on the Pearson Vue Web site here (scroll down to beta section). The betas end May 1.

Exams for the other two levels in this track -- Senior Administrator and Architect -- will debut by the end of the year, Alugas said. The first exams for the High Availability track are scheduled to launch sometime next quarter.

As they go live, exams for Veritas' certification program will be available at Pearson Vue testing centers worldwide for $150 (U.S.). Training is available for the certifications but is not required.

Although this is the first end-user certification program from Veritas, the company has offered a similar program for partners for the past 11 months. So far, 415 "partner individuals" have been certified in this program, the company said.

For more information on Veritas' end-user program, click here. -B.N.