Certification Updates for Specialists

What Is Happening?

Symantec Education Services announced phase one of a new Symantec Certification Program in June 2008. The program combines our data protection, high availability, and security credentials into a single program that spans the breadth of Symantec solutions. As we continue to update the program, we will deliver enhancements which enable you to increase and validate your knowledge on Symantec products and solutions including new certification exams, a consistent set of exam preparation materials, and common exam registration and administration procedures.

Although each product varies in complexity and depth, all certification exams are created specifically for customers and cover core elements measuring technical knowledge against factors such as installation, configuration, product administration, day-to-day maintenance, and troubleshooting. To become a Symantec Certified Specialist (SCS), select a specific area of focus based on your area of expertise and complete one exam.

In 2009, Symantec plans to release the following new Symantec Certified Specialist exams:

1. Administration of Symantec Enterprise Vault 8 for Exchange (Released July 17, 2009)
2. Administration of Altiris Client Management Suite 7 (Released September 17, 2009)
3. Administration of Symantec Notification Server 7.0 (Symantec Management Platform) (Released October 19, 2009)

The Symantec Certification Team is also evaluating offering product agnostic credentials for the certification program based on market analysis of industry standards.

Click the links below to view the exam details for the available Symantec Certified Specialist exams:

1. Veritas Storage Foundation 5.0 Administration for UNIX
2. Administration of High Availability Solutions for UNIX using Veritas Cluster Server 5.0
3. Data Protection Administration for UNIX using NetBackup 6.5
4. Data Protection Administration for Windows using NetBackup 6.5
5. Administration of Symantec Endpoint Protection 11.0 for Windows
6. Administration of Veritas Storage Foundation High Availability 5.0 for Windows
7. Administration of Backup Exec 12 for Windows
8. Administration of Enterprise Vault 2007 for Windows

To prepare for certification exams, we encourage you to review the Training Paths and their associated Certification Exams for more information, in addition to review of the exam objectives, sample questions, product documentation, on-the-job experience, and study. If you are interested in providing valuable input for the certification exams, email the Symantec Certification Team to express your interest in participating in beta exams.

Symantec Altiris Certified Specialist Credential

Symantec is creating a new Symantec Certified Specialist credential based on the Altiris product suite developed to test installation, configuration, product administration, day-to-day maintenance, and troubleshooting skills. The new Symantec Certified Specialist credential will be the industry benchmark of competency and experience for Altiris end users. Look for new Altiris certification exams and training in the upcoming months.

The Altiris Client Management Suite 7.0 certification exam was available in beta July 6, 2009 through July 30, 2009 and the final exam was released September 17, 2009. This certification exam is aligned to the Altiris Client Management Suite 7.0 Core Administration (5-day) and Altiris Client Management Suite 7.0: Deployment & Imaging (5-day) courses.

The Symantec Notification Server 7.0 (now part of the Symantec Management Platform) certification exam was available in beta August 5, 2009 through September 2, 2009 and the final exam was released October 19, 2009. This certification exam is aligned to the Altiris Notification Server 7.0 Administration (5-day) course.

Upcoming Exam Releases

Get added to our mailing list and be the first to hear about new exam releases by emailing Customer_Certifications@symantec.com.

Announcing New Electronic Certificates

Click here to read about the upcoming switch from paper to electronic certificates.

Legacy & New Exams

Many of the Symantec Certification exams will be replaced by a newer product version of the exam as technology and trends continue to evolve. Legacy exams will be phased out from our website over time after a newer version of the exam is released. However, legacy exams will still be available on Prometric’s website, as Symantec recognizes that legacy product versions will continue to hold their value in the marketplace as long as there is a demand from the industry.

About Symantec Certification

Symantec Certification is an industry benchmark for customer skills and knowledge measuring technical knowledge against factors such as installation, configuration, product administration, day-to-day maintenance, and troubleshooting.

While Symantec partners may choose to complete customer certification, membership in the Symantec Partner Program entitles them to participate in the Symantec Technical Specialist (STS) Accreditation program. The STS program is available exclusively to Symantec partners and provides validation of technical skills and knowledge of Symantec point products. For more information about STS Accreditation and other partner training options, visit PartnerNet and view this FAQ sheet (PDF).

Stay tuned for additional information regarding Symantec Certified Specialist credentials. Thank you for your continued support and interest in the Symantec Certification program. We look forward to bringing you more information as we continue to update our program and deliver the best in Data Protection, High Availability, and Security certifications. Should you have any questions, please email the Symantec Certification Team.

Contact the Symantec Certification Team

Can't find what you're looking for? If you have questions or need further assistance, send an email to customer_certifications@symantec.com.