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

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

VCP/VCAP infographics, updates on courses and exams

Where are all the VCPs and VCAPs?

VMware have created 2020 infographics showing the spread of VCP and VCAP holders around the world.

Read this blog post to access the data.

New courses and exams in May 2020

VMware released 8 new courses and 1 new exam last month, check this blog post for details.

Latest VMware Learning Zone content

As mentioned in a previous blog post, the Premium subscription for VMware Learning Zone is now free for 6 months thanks to a special promition.

This blog post from VMware highlights the latest content in VLZ.

Remote Exam Testing for Proctored Exams

VMware have announced that remote testing will be available for "proctored" exams such as the VCP exams from April 20th.

Proctored exams previously HAD to be physically taken at a PearsonVUE testing centre, but with many countries in some state of lockdown due to COVID-19 this change has been made such that you can now take your VCP exam from any location.

This uses the OnVUE functionality, and will be a permanent arrangement - a great benefit to those of you who have always had to travel to a testing centre.

Learn more about this new option here: https://blogs.vmware.com/education/2020/04/16/remote-exam-testing-is-here/

Spring 2019 Update - Exam retirements and non-exam upgrade paths

A couple of updates from VMware for Spring 2019...

Exam Retirements
On April 10th, VMware announced the retirement of 13 exams - all of which will no longer be available to take after August 30th, so if you are working towards them already you should have time to complete your preparations and get them done in time.

The exams themselves relate to a variety VCP and VCAP certifications, based on these older products:

vSphere 6.0
vSphere 6.5
vRealize Automation 6.x
Horizon 6.0
Horizon 7.5

All of the retiring exams already have an equivalent exam/certification based on current software versions.

Check this blog post for the full list of retiring exams.

Upgrades Without Exams
Another recent change was the ability to upgrade an older version certification to a newer version by taking training only - no exams required!

As an example, let's say you took the vSphere 6.5 Install Configure Manage class and passed the 2 exams to achieve the VCP6.5-DCV certification - now if you complete an advanced training class on vSphere 6.7 (such as the Troubleshooting Workshop) you would be awarded the VCP-DCV 2019 certification.

I think this is a nice simple benefit if you were taking the training anyway - it's cheaper to upgrade by passing an exam, but now there might not be a need for you to do that at all.

For further information, have a read of this blog post.

Recertification is GONE!

VMware have removed their recertification policy for VCP, with immediate effect.

The policy had meant that you had to recertify every 2 years (by achieving another VCP or VCAP), or your certifications would expire.

Given the switch at the start of this year to annual certification updates, meaning that VCPs are associated with a calendar year, I think it makes perfect sense to drop recertification.

You demonstrate the relevance of your certification by it's title - which defines which solution area you are skilled in, and in which year you completed the requirements.

Using VCP-DCV 2019 as an example, you know this is someone who has the latest professional certification in the vSphere platform.

If you have had VCPs expire while the recertification policy has been in place, you might have them "un-expired" too.

Check the announcement here, there's also a video and FAQ on this policy change.

Major Update to VMware Certification Naming and Schedule

VMware have announced a major shift in the naming and versioning for all certifications - alignment to the year in which a certification is earned, and a new annual release/update schedule for all VCP, VCAP, and VCDX certifications!

Naming Convention
Using the Data Center Virtualization (DCV) track, here's an example of the the next generation of certification names:

• VCP-DCV 2019
• VCAP-DCV Design 2019
• VCAP-DCV Deploy 2019
• VCDX-DCV 2019

Certifications launched from this month will use this new convention, starting with the release of:

• VMware Certified Professional – Desktop and Mobility 2018 (VCP-DTM 2018)
• VMware Certified Advanced Professional – Data Center Virtualization Deploy 2018 (VCAP-DCV Deploy 2018)
• VMware Certified Advanced Professional – Cloud Management and Automation Deploy 2018 (VCAP- CMA Deploy 2018)

Release Schedule
As you might expect from such a naming convention, there's also a switch to an annual release schedule:

• January 1st: Release and update all VCP certifications
• March 1st: Release and update all VCAP Design certifications
• May 1st: Release and update all VCAP Deploy certifications
• VCDX certification updates will follow VCAP releases

Benefits
These changes give you:

• Better predictability in certification releases
• Stronger relevancy in the market - you can easily communicate your current status
• Clarity of paths and requirements for upgrading and recertification

For further information and an FAQ document please see this blog announcement

Infographics on VCPs, VCAPs, and now VCDXs

VMware have previously released (and updated) infographics on the global distribution of the VCP and VCAP programs, and now they've done the same for VCDX!

You can read their blog post here, or check out the most recent VCP and VCAP stats.

2017 - Where are all the VCPs?

VMware Certification have created a new infographic for 2017, with stats on numbers and locations of VCP holders:

Here's their blog post on the stats.

Don't allow your VCP certification to expire - here's why!

Don't allow your VCP certification to expire - once it's gone, it's gone forever!

If your VCP certification does expire, it would be like you never gained it in the first place:

• You would have to meet the regular training requirement for any VCP certification you wanted to obtain.
• You would not be able to obtain a higher-level VCAP/VCIX certification without first getting a new VCP certification.
• If you did gain a new VCP certification, your expired VCPs do not become "un-expired" - they would not show as current on your certification transcript.

Remember, you have 2 years from the date that you gained your VCP certification before it expires, and you can recertify by passing a VCP exam or achieving a higher-level certification.

You can view your transcript and expiry dates at any time by logging into your VMware Certification account and clicking the myTranscript link.

VCP recertification deadline extended, VCP6 discount for those who've already recertified

VMware have announced today that the original VCP recertification deadline of March 10th 2015 has now been extended til May 8th 2015.

This has been done for 2 reasons:

1. To allow extra time for partners and customers who have not had sufficient notification to be able to meet the deadline.
2. To reflect a problem with the myLearn system over the weekend that prevented people from gaining authorisation for the VCP550D exam.

This is great news if you haven't yet done your recertification.

The options to recertify have not changed - you can still take a VCP exam in another discipline, a VCAP exam in the same or another discipline, or if you're a VCP in the DCV discipline you can take the "delta" VCP550D exam - this special exam will also now remain available til May 8th.

But what about those who DID meet the original March 10th deadline? (Like me!)

Well there's some great news there too - you'll get 65% off a VCP6 exam from when they become available through to August 31st 2015!

If you want to find out more, check out this blog post on vmware.com:

Common VMware Certification Questions

Have a question about VMware certification?

Well, you could email certification@vmware.com with your question and wait for a response, but in fact you're likely to find the answer via the list of KB articles on this page:

VMware Education & Certification Blog : Common Questions Answered

I created my own Top 5 of the questions I'm asked most often too:

VCP Common Questions

Isn't it great to be able to help yourself instantly?

Recertification policy for VCP level certifications

Well here's a change in policy from VMware - those that hold VCP-level certifications will now have to recertify in order to retain their certification and all the related benefits.

Here's the official announcement on the new policy:

http://mylearn.vmware.com/mgrReg/plan.cfm?plan=46667&ui=www_cert

There are 2 milestones to watch out for:

- If you earned all your VCP level certifications prior to March 10th 2013 you have til March 10th 2015 to recertify
- If you earned your most recent VCP level certification since March 10th 2013 you have 2 years from the date you earned that certification to recertify

You can recertify in any of these ways:

- Pass the current exam for the VCP level certification in the same discipline
- Pass the current VCP level exam in another discipline
- Pass a current VCAP level exam in the same or another discipline

Note: there is no training requirement for recertification - this is a shift in policy as previously individuals would have to take a What's New class (in the case of DCV) or even a full class as part of updating their VCP certification to a new version once a grace period had passed

Today there are 3 disciplines that have VCP certifications - Data Center Virtualisation, Cloud, and Desktop - expect to see VCP for additional disciplines such as Networking Virtualisation added in the future.

If you do not recertify by the relevant milestone your certification will be revoked and you will no longer be entitled to use the certification logo or represent yourself as VMware certified. To regain certified status, you will need to meet all the prerequisites for the specific certification.

At this time there are no recertification policies for VCA, VCAP, or VCDX certifications - but I suspect that will change in the future so watch out for other announcements.

The Circle is Complete

The line-up of VMware certifications is now complete, and standardised across 3 distinct disciplines:

- Data Center Virtualisation (DCV) - focused on vSphere
- Desktop (DT) - focused on View with vSphere
- Cloud - focused on vCloud Director with vSphere

Certification levels
Each discipline has 3 levels of certification:

- VCP - Professional
- VCAP - Advanced Professional
- VCDX - Design Expert

VCAP tracks
The VCAP level for each discipline has 2 standard tracks:

- Administration
- Design

There is a third VCAP certification for the Cloud discipline - Cloud Governance.

Requirements
Now the line-up is complete, VMware have also adopted a new principle for each level in terms of requirements:

- VCP - training requirement in that discipline, or VCP in other disciplines
- VCAP - VCP requirement in any discipline
- VCDX - VCP requirement in any discipline plus the VCAPs in that discipline

Bridging exams for VCP5-DCV holders
Something else that's now standardised for VCP5-DCV holders is the ability to take a "bridging" exam to achieve the VCP in other disciplines:

VCP-Cloud certification 
- VCP5-DCV holders can do the IaaS exam which only tests on vCD 
- Those that don't hold VCP5-DCV must do the VCP-Cloud exam which tests on vSphere and vCD 

VCP-DT certification 
- VCP5-DCV holders can do the View exam which only test on View 
- Those that don't hold VCP5-DCV must do the VCP-Desktop exam which tests on vSphere and View

More information
The full set of requirements for each individual certification and the latest information can be found at http://www.vmware.com/certification