Closing Down...

April 2006: Scott joins Magirus, a VMware Authorised Training Center, as a Technical Trainer

May 2006: Scott achieves his first VCP on ESX 2 / VirtualCenter 1 

June 2006: Scott becomes a VMware Certified Instructor and delivers his first official training course

Some other time in 2006: Scott joins VMware Communities to help other instructors and anyone in the industry who needs guidance on training and certification

March 2009: Scott creates this VMware Training & Certification blog

June 2009: Scott joins Twitter/X as @vmtraining

July 2010: Scott creates the VMware Training & Certification group on LinkedIn

March 2012: Scott stops working as an instructor as he becomes a VMware employee

July 2024: Scott leaves VMware

March 2025: Scott decides to hand over his LinkedIn group (7500+ members) and close off this blog

After 300+ blog posts, it's time for me to say goodbye - I don't follow the VMware training and certification programs now, there are plenty of others who still do and are better placed to get updates from.

Thanks for reading, thanks for liking, thanks for commenting.

New VCPs for VMware vSphere Foundation and VMware Cloud Foundation

Following the simplification of product offerings and SKUs, VMware have now launched 2 new VMware Certified Professional certifications for VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) and VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF)

VMware vSphere Foundation - Administrator

Let's start first with VVF, here's what VMware say about the target profile for this certification:

Learn more about this VCP on the VCP-VVF Administrator page and on this blog article.

VMware Cloud Foundation - Administrator

Moving to VCF, the target profile is the same but for someone working with the full VCF stack:

As above, there is a dedicated VCP-VCF Administrator page and blog article where you can get full details.

A couple of questions came to my mind:

Do these new certifications spell the end of the DataCenter Virtualization (DCV) certifications? Well, not yet, but I expect so come the start of 2025.

Will there be upgrade paths for those with existing VCPs? That concept doesn't really apply any more since there is only an exam requirement for a VCP now, no hard training requirements - to get these new VCPs you pass the exams for them.

VMware Certifications by Broadcom - All Change!

Unless you've been living under a rock or on the moon for the last year or two, you'll be aware that VMware is now part of Broadcom.

There have been a LOT of organisational changes since the close of the acquisition, a LOT of change in terms of product offerings and licensing, and now it's time for a LOT of changes to the VMware training and certification programs!

Here's a high-level summary:

Digital Learning

• Cornerstone OnDemand (CSOD) is the new home for all digital learning
• Free Digital Learning Entitlement for all Strategic customers. VCF customers, partners, and employees
• Content includes courses on VCF, vSphere, NSX, Aria, HCX, SRM, Advanced Load Balancer, SD-WAN, Telco, Cloud Director, and Tanzu solutions
• Previous digital learning subscribers (eg. Success 360 and Premium Learning Subscription) are upgraded in CSOD to the Digital Learning Entitlement until their contract expires, the upgrade adds lecture content from On Demand courses
• Enterprise Learning Subscription (ELS) will continue to be available to purchase, this is the highest-level tier and also includes access to live labs from On Demand courses and VCP vouchers

Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT)

• Strategic customers, VCF customers, and Pinnacle Partners will be entitled to free VILT through CSOD (subject to availability and resources)
• Paid-for Instructor-Led private training will be available for Strategic customers and VCF customers, all other customers will be served by VMware Authorised Learning Partners

Certifications

• No mandatory course prerequisites for any VCP or VCAP within the VCF division product set - vSphere, vSAN, NSX, Aria, and VCF
• All VCTA, VCP, and VCAP exams will have a flat fee of $250 (or local currency price)

I also know that training, exam, and certification history for all has been migrated to Broadcom systems as part of the retirement of myLearn.

Wow! That's a lot to get our heads around...

As someone who first became a VCP in 2006 (!!) the removal of the authorised training requirement is a VERY big deal.

VMware has previously stuck solid to this requirement, the only previous concession being for the NSX-based VCP allowing a bypass for those with Cisco certifications.

Here's a couple of how to documents related to the above changes:

• Accessing VMware VCF Digital Content
• How To Access Broadcom Support

Here's the VMware Learning blog post about some of the changes above.

Autumn 2023 - new certifications and exams on VCF and VMC on AWS

VMware Learning continue to develop and release exams on the latest technology offerings, here's the detail on exams for two certifications released this month.

VMware Cloud on AWS: Master Specialist 2024

This new exam tests a candidate's ability to deploy, configure, manage and operate a solution based on VMware Cloud on Amazon Web Services (AWS).

It is the required exam of the VMware Certified Master Specialist - VMware Cloud on AWS 2023 certification. As this is a higher-level certification, the bar is set high in terms of other requirements.

The exam itself follows a format which should be familiar to many - full details including the Exam Guide can be found here: EXAM 5V0-33.23 VMware Cloud on AWS: Master Specialist 2024.

VMware Cloud Foundation Deployment Specialist

VMware Cloud Foundation is THE platform for EVERY type of workload - from traditional monolithic apps, modern apps based on Kubernetes, and now LLMs for AI.

This exam tests a candidate's understanding of the capabilities of VMware Cloud Foundation and how to successfully plan, deploy, manage, and operate a VMware Cloud Foundation deployment.

No surprises with the exam format, there's no hands-on lab environment that you have to work in - read the Exam Guide and access other information here: EXAM 5V0-31.23 VMware Cloud Foundation Deployment Specialist.

The exam is a required element of the VMware Certified Specialist - VMware Cloud Foundation Deployment 2024 certification.

New exams for VCAP-DCV Design and VCP-DW

Two more new exams have been released this month, completely unrelated to one another as they are for very different certifications!

Both exams are available to book now - see below for more details, and best of luck if you're considering attempting either of them!

vSphere 8.x Advanced Design

First up is the VMware vSphere 8.x Advanced Design (3V0-21.23) exam which is for the VMware Certified Advanced Professional - Data Center Virtualization Design 2023 (VCAP-DCV Design 2023) certification.

This new exam is based on vSphere 8.x, and until the end of January 2024 it will sit alongside the previous Advanced Design VMware vSphere 7.x (3V0-21.21) exam - giving you the option of passing either the vSphere 7.x exam or vSphere 8.x exam to achieve the same certification, whichever works best for you.

Comparing the exam guide PDFs for the two exams, the new guide has mentions of VMware Cloud Foundation and VMware Validated Solutions, plus a focus on topics such as capacity planning, scalability, lifecycle management, availability, performance, security, and recoverability.

Workspace ONE 22.x Professional

The other new release is the VMware Workspace ONE 22.X Professional (2V0-62.23) exam for the VMware Certified Professional - Digital Workspace 2023 certification.

It's been 2 years since the Professional VMware Workspace ONE 21.X (2V0-62.21) exam was released and it will be retired at the end of September 2023, so unless you're already close to being ready to attempt it I would definitely suggest preparing for the new exam rather than the old one.

The exam guide PDF for the new exam has a different structure to the guide for the previous exam, I don't expect a good candidate would find many surprises when looking through the new guide.

New exam for NSX 4.x

VMware recently released a new exam based on NSX 4.x for the VCP-NV 2023 certification.

The full title is VMware NSX 4.x Professional and the exam code for booking is 2V0-41.23

Until the end of July it sits alongside the previous 3.0 exam, from August 1st only the new 4.x exam will be available to achieve the VCP-NV 2023.

The new exam follows a format which should be familiar to anyone that has taken a Professional exam for a VCP certification:

• 135 minutes
• 70 questions
• 300 scaled passing score
• US$250 (varies in other currencies)
• Proctored - either online or at a testing centre

Learn more about the exam objectives and recommended training and resources on the VMware NSX 4.x Professional page.

Learning platforms for Kubernetes and Tanzu

Want to learn about Kubernetes and/or Tanzu?

VMware has your needs covered, thanks to KubeAcademy and the new Tanzu Academy.

KubeAcademy is a free, product-agnostic Kubernetes and cloud native technology education program built by a team of expert instructors.

Tanzu Academy has both free and paid tiers for you to learn how to build the right platform for your desired outcomes using the various Tanzu offerings.

Use the links above to learn more about each resource, sign-up, and start your learning journey...

New certifications for VMware Tanzu

With VMware focussing more than ever on being THE platform for applications, and more specifically THE place to host Kubernetes, the Application Modernization family of certifications has two new additions:

VMware Certified Professional - Tanzu for Kubernetes Operations 2023

The latest VCP is on Tanzu for Kubernetes Operations. This certification proves the knowledge of specialists to manage, operate and secure their Kubernetes operations in multi-cloud environments.

As with other VCPs, there are two hard requirements for those who are not already a recent VCP:

• Completion of training
• Passing an exam

The training requirement can be met by completing an authorised course on vSphere with Tanzu, Tanzu Kubernetes Grid, or Tanzu Mission Control, or a broader Kubernetes Fundamentals and Cluster Operations course.

The exam seems typical for a VCP exam - a mix of single and multiple choice questions, it is proctored, and has a scaled passing score of 300.

Learn more about the certification and all requirements here: VCP - Tanzu for Kubernetes Operations 2023

If you obtained a VCP in 2020 or more recently, the training requirement reverts to being "recommended" therefore optional - how you learn the knowledge and skills needed to pass the exam are up to you.

VMware Tanzu Mission Control Specialist

The other new certification is a "specialist" badge, for those who operate and manage Kubernetes clusters using VMware Tanzu Mission Control.

The hard requirements are:

• Hold a VCP in either Application Modernization (2022 or 2023) or Tanzu for Kubernetes Operations (2023)
• Passing an exam

So this badge sits at a level above VCP, while the exam is VCP-like in structure.

Learn more about this badge here: Specialist - Tanzu Mission Control Specialist

New exams for Horizon, vSAN, and Aria

In addition to the new vSphere 8.x exam for the VCP-DCV which I wrote about recently, VMware have also released 3 other new exams already in 2023:

VCP-DTM 2023

The VCP for Desktop Management focuses on VMware Horizon, the latest exam will run in parallel alongside the previous version til the end of July 2023 when the older exam (released in 2021) retires.

It's not immediately obvious how the new exam differs from the previous one, they both relate to Horizon 8.x and the recommended training for both exams is the same class. It's probably best to prepare for the new exam in case it takes you a while and the older exam retires, get the Exam Guide from the exam page below.

VCP-DTM 2023 certification page

Horizon 8.x Professional exam page

vSAN 2023 Specialist Badge

There is a new exam on vSAN 8.x for this badge, available now. The previous vSAN 7.x exam remains available til the end of July 2023.

vSAN 2023 Specialist badge page

vSAN Specialist v2 exam page

VCAP-CMA Design 2023

The higher-level VCAP Design certification for Aria products (formally vRealize) is now available, the older exam was released in 2021 and expires in July 2023.

The Exam Guide on the exam page below refers to Aria Operations 8.6, Aria Automation 8.10, and Aria Suite Lifecycle 8.8.

VCAP-CMA Design 2023 certification page

Cloud Management and Automation Advanced Design exam page

Good luck if you're preparing for these or any other VMware certifications!

New VCP-DCV exam - vSphere 8.x Professional

VMware have just released the vSphere 8.x Professional exam.

This exam is associated with the VCP-DCV 2023 certification, either for those new to VCP certification or for those who already hold the VCP-DCV for a previous year.

Here's what we know about the exam:

• Web page with exam guide: vSphere 8.x Professional
• Duration: 135 minutes
• Number of questions: 70
• Passing score: 300 (scaled)
• Format: Single and Multiple Choice
• Delivery: Proctored - either online or in-person

The previous vSphere 7.x Professional exam remains available, it will retire on January 31st 2024 - so you can still achieve VCP-DCV 2023 via vSphere 7.x training and the vSphere 7.x exam if you wish, as well as now having vSphere 8.x as an option.

This new vSphere 8.x exam also enables those who had passed the vSphere 7.x exam to update their VCP-DCV 2020 or VCP-DCV 2021 to the 2023 version in order to meet the pre-requisites for VCAP-DCV Deploy 2023 or VCAP-DCV Design 2023.

New VCP on VMware Cloud

VMware recently did a public release of the latest addition to the VCP line-up - the VMware Certified Professional - VMware Cloud (VCP-VMC)

But, what is it about?

Taken from the VCP-VMC page, here's a description of the certification:

"The VMware Certified Professional - VMware Cloud certification validates a learner's ability to identify key components of a VMware Cloud solution, including how to connect and migrate to VMware Cloud (across different hyperscaler partners) and the benefit of VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid. Certification earners have demonstrated a fundamental understanding of storage, networking, security, business continuity and disaster recovery, as well as the ability to monitor and troubleshoot, in a VMware Cloud environment."

I knew this certification had been coming for months now, we have had our pre-sales teams around the globe completing the training and exam - we already have a LOT of VCP-VMC holders internally!

At the time of writing, there are two paths of requirements depending on your current certification status:

• If you hold a recent VCP, the only firm requirement for VCP-VMC is to pass the exam
• If you don't hold a recent VCP, you must also complete training as well as passing the exam

For more details about the exam, visit the VMware Cloud Professional page.

The Designing, Configuring, and Managing the VMware Cloud training is not offered in a traditional instructor-led way, it is online only, and covers technologies from across the VMware portfolio - the SDDC infrastructure platform, workload management and deployment, plus operations and maintenance.

VMware did offer a number of exam vouchers for free, and at the time of writing they are still offering the training at no cost - check the latest status on this blog post.

VMware Certification Infographics

VMware have published infographics about VCP, VCAP, and VCDX for some time now, they recently released the latest versions of all 3 - use the links below to view them:

VMware Certified Professional (VCP)

VMware Certified Advanced Professional (VCAP)

VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX)

A few highlights for me looking through the data:

• Nearly 50 countries have at least 1000 VCPs
• There are more than 100,000 VCPs in the USA
• EMEA has more VCAPs than either of the other two geographies even though it has the fewest VCPs
• Australia features in the Top 6 countries for VCDX but not for VCP or VCAP
• China doesn't yet have a VCDX even though it features in the Top 6 for both VCP and VCAP

New and updated Cloud Management and Automation exams

VMware recently released 2 new exams for different Cloud Management and Automation certifications:

VMware Certified Technical Associate - Cloud Management and Automation 2021 (VCTA-CMA 2021)

This is the new foundation-level certification for VMware's vRealize Cloud Universal offering, and how it can be used within both the data center and the cloud.

There is no "hard" training requirement, but there is a "core technical skills" course which is recommended as it was created specifically for the VCTA-CMA 2021 exam.

The exam tests on a knowledge of a typical VMware cloud architecture, the role of the vRealize Cloud Universal products, plus monitoring and basic administration.

Learn more about the certification and the exam here: VCTA-CMA 2021

VMware Certified Professional - Cloud Management and Automation 2021 (VCP-CMA 2021)

This is not a new certification, but it now has a new exam option based on vRealize Automation 8.3 in addition to the older 8.1 exam.

Learn more about the new 8.3 exam here: Professional VMware vRealize Automation 8.3

NEW: VMware Certified Technical Associate - Application Modernization 2021 (VCTA-AM 2021)

Another new exam and certification from VMware - this time it's the foundation-level certification covering the VMware Tanzu portfolio:

VMware Certified Technical Associate - Application Modernization 2021 (VCTA-AM 2021)

As will all other VCTAs, there is recommended training and a required exam, so a low "barrier to entry" for anyone who wants to earn the certification.

The VCP-AM 2021 was released just a couple of weeks ago, will we also see VCAPs and a new VCDX track on the same technology line?

NEW: Master Specialist - VMware Cloud on AWS 2021

VMware have just released a new version of the Specialist Badge on VMware Cloud on AWS solution for 2021.

This is an ideal certification for VCP-DCV or VCP-NV holders to demonstrate their expertise with VMware Cloud on AWS.

There are 3 required elements to achieve the badge:

• VCP-DCV or VCP-NV obtained either in 2020 or 2021
• Attendance of VMware Cloud on AWS training
• Pass the specialist exam

Learn more about the certification and each of the individual requirements on this Master Specialist - VMware Cloud on AWS 2021 page.

NEW: VCP-AM 2021 (VMware Certified Professional - Application Modernization 2021)

VMware have just released a brand new exam for a brand new certification: VMware Certified Professional - Application Modernization 2021, or VCP-AM 2021 for short!

The exam centres around the technologies included with VMware Tanzu Standard Edition:

• vSphere with Tanzu
• Tanzu Kubernetes Grid
• Tanzu Mission Control

A candidate will also need a good understanding of core cloud native skills:

• Containerization
• Kubernetes
• Application Modernization

As with other VCPs there are two required elements in addition to just knowing your stuff:

• Completion of authorised training
• Passing an exam

Learn more about the certification on this VCP-AM 2021 page.

New exam for VCAP-CMA Design 2021 - proper Cloud Management!

VMware have just released the latest exam for their VCAP-CMA Design 2021 certification.

There is a big shift in the objectives of the new exam compared to the previous version - the older exam focused only on vRealize Automation, the new exam also includes objectives on vRealize Operations as well as other products from the vRealize Suite - so it really is now a "proper" Cloud Management exam and certification.

As you'd expect from any new exam, the latest generation products are also covered - the old exam was based on vRA 7.x while the new exam covers vRA 8.x as well as vROps 8.x.

Learn more about the new exam on this Advanced Design VMware Cloud Management and Automation page, and about the certification more generally on this VMware Certified Advanced Professional - Cloud Management and Automation Design 2021 page.

March 2021 Update

Here's a collection of the latest news from VMware regarding certifications and how their learning content maps to the exams...

New Year, New Options

Some of this news has already been covered on this very blog, but here's a "straight from the horse's mouth" version of updates from VMware: 2021 VMware Certifications

Certification Manager

Here's a brief Certification Insights update: When Will My VMware Certification Appear in Certification Manager?

Certification Tracks

Want a simple view of all current certification tracks from VCTA up to VCDX? Well here you go: VMware Certification Tracks

FAQs

Got a question about exam administration, exam registration, remote proctoring, or about a specific certification level? The chances are it is answered here: VMware Certification FAQ

3 new exams from VMware

 VMware have released 3 new "skills" badges and exams in the last couple of weeks:

• Workspace ONE for MacOS Skills
• SD-WAN Design and Deploy Skills exam (for the SD-WAN Design and Deploy 2021 badge)
• NSX-T Data Center 3.1 Security exam (for the NSX-T Data Center Security 2021 Skills badge)

Each of the links above will take you to the page where you can download the Exam Guide and find out more about how to book the exams.

All 3 exams are "proctored" which means they are either taken at a Pearson VUE testing centre or online using their OnVUE system.

VCPs, VCAPs AND VCDXs around the world - 2021 edition!

UPDATE - March 19th 2021: Added the VCDX version.

For a number of years now, VMware have published infographics about the distribution of VCPs, VCAPs, and VCDXs around the world.

The 2021 versions can be found by clicking on the images:

Some interesting observations:

• There are now more than 100,000 VCPs in the USA, but only an additional 20,000 or so across the rest of the Americas
• Eight countries now have more than 10,000 VCPs!
• Ireland has 761 VCPs per million of the population, more than double that of the USA
• While EMEA has the lowest number of VCPs it has the highest number of VCAPs