Citrix® has redesigned its highly ranked certification program to support IT professionals’ needs to demonstrate specialised knowledge in key server, desktop and application virtualisation technologies.

The new certification structure, developed in collaboration with Citrix customers, consists of three levels of certification:

Administrator Series

• Citrix Certified Administrator™ (CCA)


• Citrix Certified Advanced Administrator™ (CCAA)
Engineer Series

• Citrix Certified Enterprise Engineer™ (CCEE)
Architect Series

• Citrix Certified Integration Architect™ (CCIA)

The program is structured into tracks aligned around four distinct solution paths, enabling IT professionals to achieve specific credentials for application virtualisation, server virtualisation, application networking, and desktop virtualisation.

“The new certification structure is a result of Citrix responding to changes in the IT landscape, including technologies, job roles and the needs of our customers and partners,” said Julieann Scalisi, managing director of Citrix Education.  “In order to stay competitive in an IT market where virtualisation is playing such a crucial role, professionals need new skill sets they did not need a few years ago, and we are committed to ensuring that proven Citrix knowledge continues to set our customers and partners apart across the board.”

Administrator Series: depth and breadth
Under the new structure, customers can fine-tune their Citrix credentials to more closely represent their current skill level and technology focus. When considering advancement beyond the entry-level Enterprise Edition CCA, customers may choose to demonstrate breadth of knowledge across an end-to-end Citrix solution with the new Platinum Edition CCA, or validate in-depth knowledge with a CCAA.

Engineer and Architect Series: streamlined requirements, higher value
The engineer-level CCEE and architect-level CCIA have been redefined to provide streamlined requirements for seasoned IT professionals and for existing certification holders to advance further.

The CCEE designation will, over time, replace the currently available Citrix Certified Enterprise Administrator™ (CCEA). The certification, renamed to more accurately describe its association to the engineer-level job role, allows candidates the ability to be recognised as a successful generalist from datacentre to user, and product specialist in at least one Platinum product.

The CCIA allows architect-level IT professionals to focus on honing real-world skills with a range of technologies to design strategic approaches to application and workload delivery. A key feature of the updated CCIA program is the addition of an experience requirement. This change is a result of customer feedback and trends indicating that hiring managers are valuing the combination of certifications and experience more than ever before.

CCEE and CCIA application virtualisation tracks are in development with further details to be announced during the first half of 2009.

Simplified update paths
With the release of the next-generation certification programs, update paths to the newest CCEE and CCIA certifications will be available for individuals holding the current CCEA and CCIA certifications.  These update paths will reduce requirements significantly, allowing seasoned IT experts to demonstrate an understanding of the features and technologies that are most critical, in order to keep their designations current. More information on update opportunities and requirements will be available closer to their respective announcements during the first half of 2009.

“The certification update paths have been requested by our customers through research and feedback, and I am pleased that we were able to develop a program to meet that need,” Scalisi concluded.

For more information on the next generation certification structure, please visit Citrix Education

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