2/15/2006 -- Last week The Open Group, a vendor-neutral consortium sponsored by IBM, HP and others, announced that it has added another title to its IT Architect certification program.

The new title, Certified IT Architect, requires candidates to have two years of direct architect experience with supervision or assistance from higher-level architects, as compared to three years of independent experience for the program's Certified Master IT Architect designation. The Master title launched in July.

Both certifications focus on vendor-neutral IT architect skills, and both require passing a peer review board, among other qualifications.

The organization said it decided to add the new title to open the program up to more candidates. "By offering a standard skills- and experience-based certification to a larger pool of IT architects, The Open Group provides organizations with an industry-wide benchmark for selecting highly qualified individuals for their teams, while offering individuals a recognized, portable credential that enables them to choose the best of the available positions," commented Allen Brown, president and CEO of The Open Group.

The cost to become either a Certified IT Architect or Master Certified IT Architect is $1,250 (U.S.), with a $175 annual renewal fee and a $625 recertification fee every three years.

To read the official announcement of the new certification, go here. -Becky Nagel