Novell Announces Streamlined CNE, Certificate Program and CompTIA Cert Integration
6/12/2001 -- This week at Novell's Edge 2001 education conference, Director of Certification Jim Greene officially announced major changes for the company's certification program, to be implemented when NetWare 6 is released this fall.
| -- advertisement (story continued below) -- |
|
|
First, the Certified Novell Engineer (CNE) title has been refocused on cross-vendor technology. "Our directory is cross-platform, so we will be teaching directory skills that are cross-platform as well," Greene told CertCities today. "If you look at the [new] CNE, you'll see that 80 percent of the CNE will be generic skills [that will be important] whether you work with Novell platforms or not."
The program has also been streamlined. With CNE 6, Novell will no longer offer electives; instead, everyone will be required to pass the same seven exams. The exams are:
| Exam Name |
Notes |
| eDirectory Administration with NetWare 6 |
Formerly called NetWare Administration. Passing this will earn candidates the Certified Novell Administrator (CNA) certification. |
| Network+ |
This is a vendor-neutral exam from the Computer Technology Industry Association (CompTIA). This exam replaces Novell's previous Networking Technologies test starting with the NetWare 6 CNE. |
| NetWare 6 Advanced Administration |
According to Greene, this is the most Novell-centric of the exams included in the new program, and aside from an updated focus on NetWare 6 technology, will vary little from its predecessors. |
| NDS Design and Implementation |
This exam may be renamed as eDirectory Design and Implementation before the program launches. |
| Service and Support Exam |
Same requirement as previously offered. |
| TCP/IP for Networking Professionals |
Formerly an elective, now a requirement. |
| Desktop Management for ZENworks with Desktops 3 |
Formerly an elective, now a requirement. |
However, for those candidates who might not want to take all of the above exams, Novell is also introducing a Proficiency Certification program, which allows IT professionals to take a training course, pass one exam and receive a stand-alone certificate in that particular specialty.
Four of the above CNE core exams will be offered as certificates: NetWare 6 Advanced Administration, NDS Design and Implementation, TCP/IP for Networking Professionals, and Desktop Management for ZENworks with Desktops 3. Proficiency certificates will also be made available for GroupWise, BorderManager, DirXML integration, Windows NT and eDirectory Integration with Active Directory, and others. According to Greene, these new Proficiency Certifications may be used as stand-alone certificates or in combination with other exams as stepping stones toward Novell certification. "We're the first to offer this kind of program," said Greene. "I believe that others will follow suit."
As for other changes, Novell has announced more integration with CompTIA's vendor-neutral titles. As stated above, starting with NetWare 6 CNEs will be required to pass CompTIA's Network+ certification. For the Master CNE program, Novell has added two more CompTIA exams to its list of requirements: Server+ and IT Project+. Also, Master CNEs upgrading from NetWare 5 will be required to pass IT Project+ as a continuing education requirement. "This is not a money-making opportunity for Novell," said Greene. "We don't deliver the tests, we don't make any money off requiring it. Employers want soft skills, and if IT Project+ will make the program more valuable...[that's] a win situation for Master CNEs as well."
Greene said that the NetWare 5 versions of both the CNE and Master CNE program will be available for quite some time after the NetWare 6 versions are released, giving candidates room to choose between the two tracks. However, Novell will begin offering upgrade exams for NetWare 4 and 5 right away for those interested in upgrading immediately (Note: NetWare 3 and 4 tracks of the CNE have been scheduled to retire in on Dec. 21, 2001).
Complete details on the NetWare 6 versions of these titles will be posted on Novell's Web site shortly. In the meantime, for more information on Novell's certification program as it currently stands, click here. For more on CompTIA and its certifications, click here.  -B.N.
What's you take on Novell's upcoming program changes? Post your comments below!
|
There are 103  user Comments for “Novell Announces Streamlined CNE, Certificate Program and CompTIA Cert Integration”
|
|
Page 2 of 11
|
| 6/24/01: Gunderstone says: |
Doolittle, I have a couple of points to make referring to your comments (which are good). "Where do you think Active Directory comes from? " It comes from the X500 standard, which Novell has many years of experience in. Microsoft has simply decided to either, a)get with the program and follow a standard, b)add one of the last nails in Novell's coffin. You fill in the blank. "I don't think your right in saying that getting Novell certifications is a waste of time. Besides, they have been around making networking software longer than bloatware out there" This comment is also accurate, however, many people thought BANYAN was good too. BANYAN is now history and so are all of the certs that belong to that family. Cisco/MCSE guy Anonymous hit it right on the head: "My point is not to deliberate who is better (I have used / administered them all) but as a career IT consultant for the last 6 years, I don't feel like I can justify my valuable time and money on that which is NOT keeping me marketable and at my peak professionally." I have to agree with him. There are only 36 hours in an IT professional's day, they must spend them wisely. I have a Novell 4 CNA but I am so wrapped up in trying to complete the W2K re-cert, I don't have the time to update my Novell cert. When I complete my W2K at the end of the year and take a little time off from the cert mountain, if it appears that Microsoft is going to back off blowing away the W2K cert for a couple of years, I may start the Novell 6 track. I might go the route of Red Hat. I will have to see who is in second place at the time and what kind of time I can spend. If I jump jobs, the NT4/W2K cert is going to carry more weight by default and that's just the way it is. Now, if Microsoft keeps strong-arming their customers, there may be a shift back to Novell or to Linux. The smart career IT consultant on top of their game is going to see the wave cresting and prepare (Train and certify) for the change in the tide. Today, that wave is still Microsoft. |
| 6/26/01: anonymous says: |
This whole certification thing is getting bastardised. Novell started the certification program as a means to train non-Novell employees to support Netware. The mistake here is to try to make money by selling the certification and not the training. Since then the litany of acronymed certification has proliferated the industry, all proclaiming their certification is better, etc. As an IT professional in the game for the last 10 years, I have seen way to many CNEs, Master CNEs, MCSEs who really have no idea what they are doing and I sometimes wonder how they passed their exams. You've then got to start thinking, is certification really a recognition of ability at all? And I disagree with MCSE/Cisco guy that nearly all enterprises are microsoft or moving to microsoft. This is a self perpetuating blanket statement which many of my clients have used as an arguement to shift to microsoft for no other reason than "why not? everyone is doing it?". It's the ultimate in playground peer pressure! Harsh reality guys, the IT industry is multi-vendor. We can't all be experts in everything. The company I work for are now facing difficulty in recruiting IT professionals that know both Netware and Windows NT/2K. We train our own staff to ensure they get a firm grounding in both product lines to ensure our clients get the support they pay for. |
| 6/26/01: Martin says: |
Novell was declared dead in 1996. Novell is still being declared dead in 2001. I wonder when the prophets of doom will admit they were and are wrong. |
| 6/28/01: anonymous says: |
Novell started certification in 1994, witch was a success. Thousands of people became certified and earned LOTS of money. Since then every IT manufacture just COPIED Novell success. Who says Novell is Broken or is dead, COME ON, Novell is the leader in net services software. Novell is beyond Netware and is the ONLY company that can really integrate all plataforms no matter the OS you are using it. Tell me, who can do that ? Novell does technology, microsoft copies it. In my beleive NOVELL is the greatest Network company, oh i am sorry, is the ONLY network company. Congratulation on the new certification and for netware 6. |
| 7/11/01: Anonymous says: |
When will be next upgrade for current CNE NW5 to NW6.? Anyone (Same thing like MCSE) AGAIN.. |
| 7/19/01: Anonymous says: |
Most of the comments I've seen here are right. Who of us don't remember a time (if you have been in this field for more than 3 years) when we would look at the CNE program with the respect of a CCIE certification? What happend? I remember going to training centers when CNE classes were running every week and now I see "by request only" which means if we get enough people (3 maybe we will run it). I agree with some of the comments about marketing. What is with the fish commercial? A Networking company or an Internet Pet store? Words of advice Novell, people are not going after your certs unless your networking software gets out there and you win back the market that you lost. I too would love to see us go back to the glory days of Big Red!! I would go after your cert but my companys going to the company with the marketing. You remember the commercial Microsoft Where do you want to go today! I'm Out!!!! |
| 8/1/01: Anomyous, CNA, CNE says: |
All I can say is I think Novell is AWESOME and those of you who said MS only follows what Novell does, you are right.....................The only thing I can say that I see wrong with Novell and I hear this from several other people out their is that Novell needs to MARKET there products more. BIG RED............all the way baby! |
| 8/18/01: Ken says: |
I have worked in networking for the last 10 years. My past four jobs were with mixed NT/NetWare/Unix environments. One thing I know for sure. The easiest way to manage a network environment is through NDS. If any of you have experience with ZENWorks, you'll know what I mean. Compare it to SMS, Intellimirror with MSI, LanDesk...any of 'em. They all fall pathetically short! Novell does offer better products than MS. They just never went after the entire market like MS. I think so many people are gung ho over W2K because any moron can walk up to a W2K server and start clicking icons. You actually have to have some level of competancy to work from the NetWare console... |
| 12/23/01: anindya says: |
Novell was , is and will be the BEST NOS free for all OS [CROSS PLATFORM] Anyone accept the RED challenge ? But YES marketing needs to be taught what NOVELL says that they know not how to market TECHNOLOGY let all of us teach them that instead of FISH , ANTS , DUCKS , FIREFLIES they shud concentrate of CUSTOMERS using their NW as NOS which is just not a PRODUCT but a TRANSFORMATION for the eBusiness activities may be for Virgin Trains or Yahoo or cnn come on Novell JUST DO IT and PAINT THE WORLD RED. |
| 2/17/02: SageCapitalist from SomeWhere cold right now says: |
Do the hype certs for the money and listen your feelings for the rest ! MCSE(2KEA) - CNE(5) - MASE(StorageWorks) that's it... But i will update my CNE, even if it's only for me ! |
First Page Previous Page Next Page Last Page
|
|
|
|
