More information on the MCM certification can be found here.

Red Hat Introduces RHCSA Certification
With the release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, Red Hat has created a new certification: RHCSA (Red Hat Certified System Administrator). This replaces the RHCT (Red Hat Certified Technician) certification that existed with previous Enterprise Linux versions (RHCSA will be issued retroactively to those holding RHCT in RHEL 5) and will require passing a hands-on, lab-based exam.

The big change with RHCSA is that it is required for RHCE (Red Hat Certified Engineer), but not a part of the RHCE program (which RHCT was). There are two benefits of this, according to Red Hat:

• "It makes the program simpler for those entering it and programs adopting it. Everyone must earn RHCSA first.
• Under Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and earlier, RHCTs are required to re-test on RHCT elements when they take the RHCE exam. Under Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, those who earn RHCSA will not be tested again on those same skills. They need to only take the RHCE exam. Both exams will typically be available the same day and will be offered frequently, thus giving candidates considerable flexibility in scheduling."

More information on the new RHCSA certification can be found here.

A Reflection: Novell Acquired by Attachmate
I had a melancholy moment last week when reading that Novell had agreed to be acquired by Attachmate Corporation -- a company I think it safe to say that few are familiar with. The glum wasn't due to the fact that they were being acquired (long overdue), or even the company purchasing them (a company with a history of doing necessary streamlining and realigning). The down in the dumps feeling came as I perceived it to be the passing of an era.

There are many who do not realize that the certification industry, if it can be called that, did not always exist in the form that it does today. Certification existed prior to Novell -- it seems as if companies have always had certifications of one type or another -- usually hoops for employees to jump through so they can add something to their personnel file -- but most of the time the world at large didn't care. The certification that John Doe earned in printer servicing for XYZ Printers looked good on his annual report and earned him another 1 percent salary increase at XYZ Printers, but had no value outside the walls of that corporation.

Novell changed that when they created the first IT certification -- CNE -- that had value beyond the company you presently worked for. There was a time when training guides for the CNE used to have banners proclaiming that earning the certification would increase your salary by $5,000 and the audacity of it is that it proved to be true in most cases. Novell popularized the IT certification, the training center and testing as we generally accept it today (including adaptive testing for IT exams).

While Novell lost their prominence many years ago, and the IT certification market has become so crowded just listing the possibilities resembles a White Pages of days gone by, it is still sad to reflect on what has become of a company that once had the potential to rule the IT roost and paved the way for so many that followed.

4 CompTIA Certification Retirements
On Dec. 31 of this year, the Server+ exam SK0-002 will retire; the replacement for this exam, SK0-003, has been available for some time and includes updates reflecting changes in technology. On March 31, the Project+ exam PK0-002 will retire, and its replacement -- PK0-003 -- has also been available for a considerable amount of time.

On Dec. 31, 2011, two certification exams are retiring that do not have replacements associated with them: RFID+ (RF0-001) and CDIA+ (225-030).  The retirement of these exams signifies CompTIA's move toward other technologies and skill sets.

More information about each of the exams/certifications can be found here.