7/17/2007 -- Almost immediately after Microsoft announced that its certification testing will soon be limited to Prometric testing centers, Cisco has announced that its testing will now move exclusively to the other major testing provider, Pearson Vue.

With the change, beginning August 1, Cisco exams will only be available for scheduling through Pearson Vue testing centers worldwide. According to Cisco's Web site, candidates who have already scheduled a Cisco exam with a Prometric testing center for August 1 or later will need to cancel that registration and reschedule with Pearson Vue.

Jeanne Dunn, senior director of learning for Cisco, told CertCities.com/TCPmag.com today that the timing of these announcements -- which are major changes in the industry (both Cisco and Microsoft have been offering their exams through both providers for years) -- was pure coincidence. "I can't comment on Microsoft's strategy, but I know for us...it was all about growth and about making changes for the future...and we just found Vue's proposal very compelling and very matched to our future needs, and I'm sure that's what they [Microsoft] did."

Dunn said that by focusing on one provider, Cisco certification could better effect the technology changes it needs down the road, including increased language support, security upgrades such as biometrics, and new testing technology including -- possibly -- proctored online testing (Dunn declined to comment further on this possibility, but did say that, "We're not going to devalue certifications by doing it in a way that's meaningless.").

Another highly desired effect of this move, Dunn said, is that it will allow Cisco to update its exams with more frequency. "We want to change our exams constantly," she explained. "We want that immediacy."

When asked about the possibility that going with one provider could limit the reach of Cisco's certification program -- in conflict with the program's stated goals to expand its program significantly over the next few years worldwide -- she said it was not a problem. "Areas that we did identify were [lacking enough testing locations] we've already signed up new partners," she commented. "It's pretty easy to have a couple of locations to have some back-fill to make that happen."

Dunn declined to say where those holes were because those changes, she said, will be in effect by the time the switch happens.

"It really passes back to the big picture --we're really trying to globally expand, we're making big investments going forward and we're very, very active," she said. "We need to partner up with someone who is aligned with making the investments we need."

For more information on this announcement from Cisco, including a FAQ covering how the agreement will affect candidates, go here. -Becky Nagel