SlideShare une entreprise Scribd logo
1  sur  8
Télécharger pour lire hors ligne
How the Role of Certification Impacts Professionalization of
IT and Skills Management
Transcript of a BriefingsDirect podcast from The Open Group Conference in Austin on how
certification programs are aiding IT professionals as well as companies.

Listen to the podcast. Find it on iTunes/iPod and Podcast.com. Sponsor: The Open Group


Dana Gardner: Hi. This is Dana Gardner, Principal Analyst at Interarbor Solutions, and you're
listening to BriefingsDirect.

                Today, we present a sponsored podcast discussion in conjunction with The Open
                Group Conference in Austin, Texas, the week of July 18, 2011.

                 We've assembled a panel to update us on the impact and role of certifications for
                 IT professionals. We'll examine how certification for enterprise architects,
                business architects, and such industry initiatives as ArchiMate are proving
instrumental as IT organizations seek to reinvent themselves.

There are now a lot of shifts in skills and a lot of movement about how organizations should
properly staff themselves. There have been cost pressures and certification issues for regulation
and the adoption of new technologies. We're going to look at how all these are impacting the role
of certification out in the field.

Here to help us better understand how an organization like The Open Group is alleviating the
impact and importance of IT skills and role certification amid this churning change in the IT
organizations is Steve Philp. He is the Marketing Director for Professional Certification at The
Open Group. Welcome, Steve.

Steve Philp: Thank you.

Gardner: We are also here with Andrew Josey. He is Director of Standards at The Open Group.
Welcome, Andrew.

Andrew Josey: Thank you, Dana.

Gardner: And we're here with James de Raeve. He is Vice President of Certification at The
Open Group. Hello, James.

James de Raeve: Thanks, Dana.

Gardner: Let’s start with you. As I said, we're seeing a lot of change about many things in IT,
but certainly how to properly staff, especially as you start to consider outsourcing options and
cloud and software-as-a-service (SaaS) types of options. Organizations are also looking at
consolidation around their applications and infrastructure. So there's quite a bit of change.
Naturally, the people in the "people, processes, and technology" spectrum need to be addressed.

From your perspective, why is there the need for more professionalization, or what are the trends
that are driving the need to reexamine your staff and how to properly certify your IT leadership?

de Raeve: The primary driver here that we're hearing from members and customers is that they
need to get more out of the investments that they're making -- their payroll for their IT staff.
They need to get more productivity. And that has a number of consequences.

Realizing talent

They want to ensure that the people they are employing and that they're staffing their teams with
are effective. They want to be sure that they're not bringing in external experts when they don’t
                 need to. So there is a need to realize the talent that they've actually got in their
                 internal IT community and to develop that talent, nurture it, and exploit it for the
                 benefit of the organization.

                 And professionalism, professionalization, and profession frameworks are all
                 tools that can be used in identifying, measuring, and developing the talents and
                 capabilities of your people. That seems to be the major driver.

Gardner: Steve, any further thoughts on the trends that are driving certification and
professionalization issues?

Philp: Something I have noticed since joining The Open Group is that we’ve got some skills and
experience-based certifications. They seem to be the things that people are particularly interested
               in, because it’s not just a test of your knowledge about a particular vendor or
               product, but how you have applied your skills and experience out there in the
               marketplace. They have proven to be very successful in helping people assess
               where they are and in working towards developing a career path.

                 That’s one of the areas of certification that things are going to move more
                 towards -- more skills and experience-based certification programs in
organizations.

Gardner: Where are we seeing this most in demand? Are there particular types of technology
certification or professional role certification that are in the most demand? Where is this the most
hot or impactful right now?

Philp: Looking at certification in general, you still have areas like Microsoft MCSE, Microsoft
technical specialist, application development, and project management that are in demand, and
things like CCNA from Cisco. But I've also noticed a lot more in the security field. CISSP and
CCSA seem to be the ones that are always getting a lot of attention. In terms of security, the
trends in mobile computing, cloud computing, means that security certification is a big growth
area.

We're just about to put a security track into our Certified IT Specialist Program at The Open
Group, so there will be a skills and experience-based track for security practitioners soon.

Gardner: James, of course we should point out for our listeners that we're not just talking about
certification from vendors and suppliers about the specific products and/or platforms, but we're
really looking at a skill and roles based approach. Maybe you could help us distinguish between
the two and why it’s important to do so?

de Raeve: The difference, as Steve alluded to, is that there is a whole world out there of
technology and product-related certifications that are fulfilling a very important function in
helping people establish and demonstrate their knowledge of those particular products and
technologies.

But there is a need for people too in the building of teams and in the delivering of results to
nurture and grow their people to be team players and team participants and to be able to work
with them to function within the organization as, for want of a better term, "t-shaped people,"
where there are a number of soft and people-related skills and potentially architecture related
skills for the IT specialists, and skills and capabilities enable people to be rounded professionals
within an organization.

T-shaped people

It’s that aspect that differentiates the professionalization and the profession-oriented certification
programs that we're operating here at The Open Group -- The Open Certified Architect, The
Open Certified IT Specialist. Those are t-shaped people and we think that makes a huge
difference. It’s what’s going to enable organizations to be more effective by developing their
people to have that more rounded t-shaped capability.

Gardner: Andrew, with the emphasis on standards and your role there, how does the impact of
certification on the ability to adhere to and exploit standards come together? What’s the
relationship between making sure you have standardization around your people and their skill
sets, but also being able to exploit standardization and even more automation across your
organization?

Josey: We see the certification as being the ultimate drive in the uptake of the standards, and so
              we're able to go from not just having a standard on the shelf to actually seeing it
              being deployed in the field and used. We've actually got some people certification
              programs, such as TOGAF, and we've got some over 20,000 practitioners now.

               We've gone through the certification program and we've been using and
               evangelizing, TOGAF as a standard in the field and then feeding that back to our
               members and, through the association, the feedback improvements to the
standards. So it’s very much part of the end-to-end ecosystem -- developing a standard for
deploying it, and getting people on it, and then getting the feedback in the right way.

Gardner: I suppose that as organizations want to create a level playing field, we're starting to
see calls for this type of certification in requests for proposal (RFPs) around projects. For folks
on the buy side who are seeking either people or the suppliers themselves, a supply chain and
ecosystem of providers, how much is certification playing a role and how they can pick and
choose among each other with some sense of trust and reliability?

Philp: It’s very much an important part of the process now. TOGAF and IT Architect
Certification (ITAC) have appeared in a number of RFPs for government and for major
manufacturing organizations. So it’s important that the suppliers and the buyers recognize these
programs.

Similarly with recruitment, you find that things like TOGAF will appear in most recruitment ads
for architects. Certainly, people want knowledge of it, but more and more you’ll see TOGAF
certification is required as well.

ITAC, which is now Open CA, has also appeared in a number of recruitment ads for members
like Logica, Capgemini, Shell. More recently, organizations like the CBS, EADS, ADGA Group,
Direct Energy have requested it. And the list goes on. It’s a measure of how important the
awareness is for these certifications and that’s something we will continue to drive at The Open
Group.

Gardner: All right, Steve, thanks for that. As you mentioned, there have been some changes in
terms of the branding around some of these. Let’s take a quick review if we could around what’s
being happening at the Austin Conference, but also what’s new and what’s been going on with
the branding. Let’s look at the TOGAF, ArchiMate, and business architecture certifications.
What's new and interesting there?

In development

Josey: I am speaking up on what we are doing in ArchiMate first, before I talk about TOGAF,
                           and then Steve will tell us what the Business Forum is up to.
                            ArchiMate certification is something new that we’re developing right
                            now. We haven’t deployed a certification program as yet. The
                            previous certification program was under the ArchiMate Foundation,
                            which was the body that developed ArchiMate, before it transferred
                          into The Open Group.

We’re currently working on the new program which will be similar to some aspects of our
TOGAF program, and it’ll be knowledge base certification with an assessment by exam and a
practical assessment in which the candidate can actually do modeling. So this will be people
certification and there will also be accredited training course certification.
And then also what we're going to do there is actually to provide certification for tools. There
will be certifications there.

That’s pretty much what we’re doing in ArchiMate, so we don’t have a firm timeline. So it will
not be available it looks like, probably towards the end of the year would be the earliest, but
possibly early next year.

Gardner: Knowing that we reach a wide audience, could you give a quick overview of what
ArchiMate is for those who might not be familiar.

Josey: ArchiMate is a modeling language for enterprise architecture (EA) in general and
specifically it’s a good fit for TOGAF. It’s a way of communicating and developing models for
TOGAF EA. Originally it was developed by the Telematica Instituut and funded, I think, by the
EU and a number of commercial companies in the Netherlands. It was actually brought into The
Open Group in 2008 by the ArchiMate Foundation and is now managed by the ArchiMate Forum
within The Open Group.

Gardner: Now we’re going to hear an update on TOGAF.

Josey: The latest version of TOGAF is TOGAF 9 for certification. As we mentioned earlier,
there are two types of certification programs, skills and knowledge based. TOGAF falls into the
knowledge based camp. We have two levels. TOGAF 9 Foundation, which is our level one, is for
individuals to assess that they know the terminology and basic concepts of EA in TOGAF.

Level two, which is a superset of level one, in addition assesses analysis and comprehension. The
idea is that some people who are interested in just getting familiar with TOGAF and those people
who work around enterprise architects can go into TOGAF Foundation. And these enterprise
architects themselves should initially start with the TOGAF Certified, the level two, and then
perhaps move on later to Open CA. That will be helpful.

For TOGAF 9 Certification, we introduced that by midyear 2009. We launched TOGAF 9 in
February, and it took a couple of months to just roll out all these certifications through all the
exam channels.

Since then, we’ve gone through 8,000 certifications. We've seen that two-thirds of those were at
the higher level, level two, for EA practitioners and one-third of those are currently at the
foundation level.

Gardner: And lastly, business architecture?

A new area

Philp: Business architecture, is a new area that we've been working on. Let me just to go back
to what we did on the branding, because it ties in with that. We launched The Open Group’s new
website recently and we used that as the opportunity to re-brand ITAC as The Open Group
Certified Architect (Open CA) program. The IT Specialist Certification (ITSC) has now become
The Open Group Certified IT Specialist or Open CITS Program.

We did the rebranding at that time, because we wanted to be it associated with the word “open.”
We wanted to give the skills and experience-based certification a closer linkage to The Open
Group. That’s why we changed from ITAC to Open CA. But, we’ve not changed the actual
program itself. Candidates still have to create a certification package and be interviewed by three
board members, and there are still three levels of certification: Certified, Master, and
Distinguished.

However, what we’re intending to do is have some core requirements that architects need to
meet, and then add some specific specializations for different types of architects. The one that
we’ve been working on the most recently is the Business Architecture Certification. This came
about from an initiative about 18 months ago.

We formed something called the Business Forum with a number of platinum members who got
involved with it --companies like IBM, HP, SAP, Oracle and Capgemini. We’ve been defining
the conformance requirements for the business architecture certification. It's going through the
development process and hopefully will be launched sometime later this year or early next year.

Gardner: I'm interested in how this is making a difference in the field. There's a lot of change
going on this consolidation. There's re-factoring of what's core and what's context in what IT
department should focus on and, therefore, what their skill sets need to be. They’re adopting new
technologies. I wonder if you have any examples of where we’ve seen certification come to play
when an organization is looking to change its workforce. Any thoughts about some organizations
and what the impact has been?

de Raeve: There's a very good example of an organization that had exactly that problem, and
they’ve done a presentation about this in one of our conferences. It's Philips, and they used to
have an IT workforce that was divided among the business units. The different businesses had
their own IT function.

They changed that and went to a single IT function across the organization, providing services to
the businesses. In doing so, they needed to rationalize things like grades, titles, job descriptions,
and they were looking around for a framework within which they could do this and they
evaluated a number of them.

They were working with a partner who wass helping them do this. The partner was an Open
Group member and suggested they look at the Open Group’s IT Specialist Certification, the
CITS Certification Program, as it provides a set of definitions for the capabilities and skills
required for IT professionals. They picked it up and used it, because it covered the areas they
were interested in.

This was sufficient and complete enough to be useful to them, and it was vendor neutral, and an
industry best practice. So they could pick this up and use it with confidence. And that has been
very successful. They initially benchmarked their entire 900 strong IT workforce against The
Open Group definition, so they could get to calibrate themselves, where their people were on
their journey through development as professionals.

They’ve started to embrace the certification programs as a method of not only measuring their
people, but also rewarding them. It’s had a very significant impact in terms of not only enabling
them to get a handle upon their people, but also in terms of their employee engagement. In the
engagement surveys that they do with their staff, some of the comments they got back after they
started doing this process were, “For the first time we feel like management is paying attention to
us.”

It was very positive feedback, and the net result is that they are well on their way to meeting their
goal of no longer having automatically to bring in an external service provider whenever they
were dealing with a new project or a new topic. They know that they’ve got people with
sufficient expertise in-house on their own payroll now. They've been able to recognize that
capability, and the use of it has had a very positive effect. So it’s a very strong good story.

I think that the slides will be available to our members in the conference’s proceedings from the
London conference in April. That will be worth something to look at.

Gardner: Where would you go for more information, if you were a practitioner, a budding
enterprise architect and you wanted to certify yourself and/or if you were in an organization
trying to determine more precisely what certification would mean to you as you're trying to
reengineer, modernize and right-size your organization? Where do you go for more information?

Philp: If you go to the Open Group website, www.opengroup.org/certifications, all of the people
based certifications are there, along with the benefits for individuals, benefits for organizations
and various links to the appropriate literature. There’s also a lot of other useful things, like self-
assessment tests, previous webinars, sample packages, etc. That will give you more of an idea of
what’s required for certification along with the conformance requirements and other program
documentation. There’s a lot of useful information on the website.

Gardner: Very good. We’ve been discussing how the role and impact of IT Certification is
growing and some of the reasons for that. We’ve also looked at how organizations like The Open
Group are elevating the role of certification and providing means to attain it and measure it the
standard.

I’d like to thank our guests for delivering this sponsored podcast discussion in conjunction with
The Open Group Conference in Austin, Texas, the week of July 18, 2011 We’ve been joined by
our panel, Steve Philp, he is the Marketing Director for Professional Certification at the Open
Group. Thank you, Steve.

Philp: Thank you, Dana.

Gardner: And we are also have been joined by by Andrew Josey, Director of Standards at The
Open Group. Thank you, Andrew.
Josey: Thank you, Dana.

Gardner: And lastly, James de Raeve, he is the Vice President of Certification, once again at The
Open Group. Thanks James.

de Raeve: Thank you, Dana, and thanks to everyone who has listened.

Gardner: Right. This is Dana Gardner, Principal Analyst at Interarbor Solutions. Thanks for
listening and come back next time.

Listen to the podcast. Find it on iTunes/iPod and Podcast.com. Sponsor: The Open Group

Transcript of a BriefingsDirect podcast from The Open Group Conference in Austin on how
certification programs are aiding IT professionals as well as companies. Copyright Interarbor
Solutions, LLC, 2005-2011. All rights reserved.

You may also be interested in:

  •    Enterprise Architects Increasingly Leverage Advanced TOGAF9 for Innovation, Market
       Response, and Governance Benefits
  •    Open Group Cloud Panel Forecasts Cloud s Spurring Useful Transition Phase for
       Enterprise Architecture
  •    The Open Group's Cloud Work Group Advances Understanding of Cloud-Use Benefits
       for Enterprises
  •    Exploring the Role and Impact of the Open Trusted Technology Forum to Ensure Secure
       IT Products in Global Supply Chains

Contenu connexe

Tendances

Abc Consultants - Technology
Abc Consultants - TechnologyAbc Consultants - Technology
Abc Consultants - Technologymanishbhatia128
 
Deloitte Canada - Consulting Practice
Deloitte Canada - Consulting PracticeDeloitte Canada - Consulting Practice
Deloitte Canada - Consulting PracticeRichard Murray
 
16.5.25 technology first - leadership awards
16.5.25   technology first - leadership awards16.5.25   technology first - leadership awards
16.5.25 technology first - leadership awardshmhollingsworth
 
Discover the benefits of Agile - 2015
Discover the benefits of Agile - 2015Discover the benefits of Agile - 2015
Discover the benefits of Agile - 2015Angelo Kallinikos
 
Deloitte canada consulting practice
Deloitte canada   consulting practiceDeloitte canada   consulting practice
Deloitte canada consulting practicemike_puls
 
Embracing EA and TOGAF Aid Companies in Improving Innovation, Market Response...
Embracing EA and TOGAF Aid Companies in Improving Innovation, Market Response...Embracing EA and TOGAF Aid Companies in Improving Innovation, Market Response...
Embracing EA and TOGAF Aid Companies in Improving Innovation, Market Response...Dana Gardner
 
Hsbc linked in kickoff us and emea
Hsbc linked in kickoff us and emeaHsbc linked in kickoff us and emea
Hsbc linked in kickoff us and emeaIsabela Cardoso
 
IT and HR: A Not So Odd Couple
IT and HR: A Not So Odd CoupleIT and HR: A Not So Odd Couple
IT and HR: A Not So Odd CoupleDana Gardner
 
Where Can I Find Good ServiceNow Talent?
Where Can I Find Good ServiceNow Talent?Where Can I Find Good ServiceNow Talent?
Where Can I Find Good ServiceNow Talent?Solugenix
 
Portfolio-Eventus-Faction
Portfolio-Eventus-FactionPortfolio-Eventus-Faction
Portfolio-Eventus-FactionAli Mahboob
 
Corporate brochure Accenture Belgium Luxembourg
Corporate brochure Accenture Belgium LuxembourgCorporate brochure Accenture Belgium Luxembourg
Corporate brochure Accenture Belgium Luxembourgruttens.com
 
8 case study british airways
8 case study  british airways8 case study  british airways
8 case study british airwaysRishi Mathur
 
Velrada public sector services brochure
Velrada public sector services brochureVelrada public sector services brochure
Velrada public sector services brochureVelrada
 
What is the new "normal" in workforce credentials?
What is the new "normal" in workforce credentials?What is the new "normal" in workforce credentials?
What is the new "normal" in workforce credentials?cccschamp
 
December 10th Cleared Job Fair Job Seeker Handbook
December 10th Cleared Job Fair Job Seeker HandbookDecember 10th Cleared Job Fair Job Seeker Handbook
December 10th Cleared Job Fair Job Seeker HandbookClearedJobs.Net
 

Tendances (20)

Abc Consultants - Technology
Abc Consultants - TechnologyAbc Consultants - Technology
Abc Consultants - Technology
 
Deloitte Canada - Consulting Practice
Deloitte Canada - Consulting PracticeDeloitte Canada - Consulting Practice
Deloitte Canada - Consulting Practice
 
16.5.25 technology first - leadership awards
16.5.25   technology first - leadership awards16.5.25   technology first - leadership awards
16.5.25 technology first - leadership awards
 
Consultnet
ConsultnetConsultnet
Consultnet
 
Discover the benefits of Agile - 2015
Discover the benefits of Agile - 2015Discover the benefits of Agile - 2015
Discover the benefits of Agile - 2015
 
Deloitte canada consulting practice
Deloitte canada   consulting practiceDeloitte canada   consulting practice
Deloitte canada consulting practice
 
Moving agile beyond it
Moving agile beyond itMoving agile beyond it
Moving agile beyond it
 
The New Project Leader
The New Project LeaderThe New Project Leader
The New Project Leader
 
Embracing EA and TOGAF Aid Companies in Improving Innovation, Market Response...
Embracing EA and TOGAF Aid Companies in Improving Innovation, Market Response...Embracing EA and TOGAF Aid Companies in Improving Innovation, Market Response...
Embracing EA and TOGAF Aid Companies in Improving Innovation, Market Response...
 
Hsbc linked in kickoff us and emea
Hsbc linked in kickoff us and emeaHsbc linked in kickoff us and emea
Hsbc linked in kickoff us and emea
 
IT and HR: A Not So Odd Couple
IT and HR: A Not So Odd CoupleIT and HR: A Not So Odd Couple
IT and HR: A Not So Odd Couple
 
Where Can I Find Good ServiceNow Talent?
Where Can I Find Good ServiceNow Talent?Where Can I Find Good ServiceNow Talent?
Where Can I Find Good ServiceNow Talent?
 
Portfolio-Eventus-Faction
Portfolio-Eventus-FactionPortfolio-Eventus-Faction
Portfolio-Eventus-Faction
 
Corporate brochure Accenture Belgium Luxembourg
Corporate brochure Accenture Belgium LuxembourgCorporate brochure Accenture Belgium Luxembourg
Corporate brochure Accenture Belgium Luxembourg
 
8 case study british airways
8 case study  british airways8 case study  british airways
8 case study british airways
 
IT Talent Strategy
IT Talent StrategyIT Talent Strategy
IT Talent Strategy
 
Velrada public sector services brochure
Velrada public sector services brochureVelrada public sector services brochure
Velrada public sector services brochure
 
What is the new "normal" in workforce credentials?
What is the new "normal" in workforce credentials?What is the new "normal" in workforce credentials?
What is the new "normal" in workforce credentials?
 
Endeavour-Corporate Profile
Endeavour-Corporate ProfileEndeavour-Corporate Profile
Endeavour-Corporate Profile
 
December 10th Cleared Job Fair Job Seeker Handbook
December 10th Cleared Job Fair Job Seeker HandbookDecember 10th Cleared Job Fair Job Seeker Handbook
December 10th Cleared Job Fair Job Seeker Handbook
 

En vedette

Afinación del clarinete
Afinación del clarineteAfinación del clarinete
Afinación del clarinetejoansoco
 
Afinacion del clarinete
Afinacion del clarinete Afinacion del clarinete
Afinacion del clarinete joansoco
 
How to think like a startup
How to think like a startupHow to think like a startup
How to think like a startupLoic Le Meur
 
Teaching Students with Emojis, Emoticons, & Textspeak
Teaching Students with Emojis, Emoticons, & TextspeakTeaching Students with Emojis, Emoticons, & Textspeak
Teaching Students with Emojis, Emoticons, & TextspeakShelly Sanchez Terrell
 
32 Ways a Digital Marketing Consultant Can Help Grow Your Business
32 Ways a Digital Marketing Consultant Can Help Grow Your Business32 Ways a Digital Marketing Consultant Can Help Grow Your Business
32 Ways a Digital Marketing Consultant Can Help Grow Your BusinessBarry Feldman
 
Study: The Future of VR, AR and Self-Driving Cars
Study: The Future of VR, AR and Self-Driving CarsStudy: The Future of VR, AR and Self-Driving Cars
Study: The Future of VR, AR and Self-Driving CarsLinkedIn
 
Hype vs. Reality: The AI Explainer
Hype vs. Reality: The AI ExplainerHype vs. Reality: The AI Explainer
Hype vs. Reality: The AI ExplainerLuminary Labs
 

En vedette (8)

Afinación del clarinete
Afinación del clarineteAfinación del clarinete
Afinación del clarinete
 
Afinacion del clarinete
Afinacion del clarinete Afinacion del clarinete
Afinacion del clarinete
 
Inaugural Addresses
Inaugural AddressesInaugural Addresses
Inaugural Addresses
 
How to think like a startup
How to think like a startupHow to think like a startup
How to think like a startup
 
Teaching Students with Emojis, Emoticons, & Textspeak
Teaching Students with Emojis, Emoticons, & TextspeakTeaching Students with Emojis, Emoticons, & Textspeak
Teaching Students with Emojis, Emoticons, & Textspeak
 
32 Ways a Digital Marketing Consultant Can Help Grow Your Business
32 Ways a Digital Marketing Consultant Can Help Grow Your Business32 Ways a Digital Marketing Consultant Can Help Grow Your Business
32 Ways a Digital Marketing Consultant Can Help Grow Your Business
 
Study: The Future of VR, AR and Self-Driving Cars
Study: The Future of VR, AR and Self-Driving CarsStudy: The Future of VR, AR and Self-Driving Cars
Study: The Future of VR, AR and Self-Driving Cars
 
Hype vs. Reality: The AI Explainer
Hype vs. Reality: The AI ExplainerHype vs. Reality: The AI Explainer
Hype vs. Reality: The AI Explainer
 

Similaire à How the Role of Certification Impacts Professionalization of IT and Skills Management

Panel Explores How the IT4IT Reference Architecture Acts as a Digital Busines...
Panel Explores How the IT4IT Reference Architecture Acts as a Digital Busines...Panel Explores How the IT4IT Reference Architecture Acts as a Digital Busines...
Panel Explores How the IT4IT Reference Architecture Acts as a Digital Busines...Dana Gardner
 
How The Open Group Enterprise Architecture Portfolio Approach Enables the Agi...
How The Open Group Enterprise Architecture Portfolio Approach Enables the Agi...How The Open Group Enterprise Architecture Portfolio Approach Enables the Agi...
How The Open Group Enterprise Architecture Portfolio Approach Enables the Agi...Dana Gardner
 
How HPE ‘Moments’ Provide A Proven Critical Approach To Digital Business Tra...
How HPE ‘Moments’ Provide A Proven Critical Approach  To Digital Business Tra...How HPE ‘Moments’ Provide A Proven Critical Approach  To Digital Business Tra...
How HPE ‘Moments’ Provide A Proven Critical Approach To Digital Business Tra...Dana Gardner
 
After Cutting its Big Data Teeth on Wall Street, Vichara Technologies Grows t...
After Cutting its Big Data Teeth on Wall Street, Vichara Technologies Grows t...After Cutting its Big Data Teeth on Wall Street, Vichara Technologies Grows t...
After Cutting its Big Data Teeth on Wall Street, Vichara Technologies Grows t...Dana Gardner
 
Enterprise Architecture Faces Vast Promise -- or Lost Opportunity
Enterprise Architecture Faces Vast Promise -- or Lost OpportunityEnterprise Architecture Faces Vast Promise -- or Lost Opportunity
Enterprise Architecture Faces Vast Promise -- or Lost OpportunityDana Gardner
 
The Open Group Panel Explains How the ArchiMate Modeling Language and The Ope...
The Open Group Panel Explains How the ArchiMate Modeling Language and The Ope...The Open Group Panel Explains How the ArchiMate Modeling Language and The Ope...
The Open Group Panel Explains How the ArchiMate Modeling Language and The Ope...Dana Gardner
 
Survey Says: Investing in IT Distinguishes Industry Leaders from Industry Lag...
Survey Says: Investing in IT Distinguishes Industry Leaders from Industry Lag...Survey Says: Investing in IT Distinguishes Industry Leaders from Industry Lag...
Survey Says: Investing in IT Distinguishes Industry Leaders from Industry Lag...Dana Gardner
 
Technology, Process, and People Combine to Smooth the Path to Enterprise Virt...
Technology, Process, and People Combine to Smooth the Path to Enterprise Virt...Technology, Process, and People Combine to Smooth the Path to Enterprise Virt...
Technology, Process, and People Combine to Smooth the Path to Enterprise Virt...Dana Gardner
 
Mexican ISP Telum Gains Operational Advantages Via Project to Identify and Me...
Mexican ISP Telum Gains Operational Advantages Via Project to Identify and Me...Mexican ISP Telum Gains Operational Advantages Via Project to Identify and Me...
Mexican ISP Telum Gains Operational Advantages Via Project to Identify and Me...Dana Gardner
 
Industry Moves to Fill Gap for Building Trusted Supply Chain Technology Accre...
Industry Moves to Fill Gap for Building Trusted Supply Chain Technology Accre...Industry Moves to Fill Gap for Building Trusted Supply Chain Technology Accre...
Industry Moves to Fill Gap for Building Trusted Supply Chain Technology Accre...Dana Gardner
 
The Open Group Digital Practitioner Effort Provides Guidance to Ease Digital ...
The Open Group Digital Practitioner Effort Provides Guidance to Ease Digital ...The Open Group Digital Practitioner Effort Provides Guidance to Ease Digital ...
The Open Group Digital Practitioner Effort Provides Guidance to Ease Digital ...Dana Gardner
 
Examining the Current State of Enterprise Architecture With The Open Group's ...
Examining the Current State of Enterprise Architecture With The Open Group's ...Examining the Current State of Enterprise Architecture With The Open Group's ...
Examining the Current State of Enterprise Architecture With The Open Group's ...Dana Gardner
 
InfoSec Experience It Not Enough…
InfoSec Experience It Not Enough…InfoSec Experience It Not Enough…
InfoSec Experience It Not Enough…Security Roots Ltd.
 
The Future Of Collaboration Needs Your Help
The Future Of Collaboration Needs Your HelpThe Future Of Collaboration Needs Your Help
The Future Of Collaboration Needs Your HelpRichard Harbridge
 
A Survey On Technology Industry Association
A Survey On Technology Industry AssociationA Survey On Technology Industry Association
A Survey On Technology Industry AssociationRachel Quintana
 
Optimizing Digital Business Outcomes
Optimizing Digital Business OutcomesOptimizing Digital Business Outcomes
Optimizing Digital Business OutcomesBob Kantor
 
Chatbots in HR: Improving the Employee Experience
Chatbots in HR: Improving the Employee ExperienceChatbots in HR: Improving the Employee Experience
Chatbots in HR: Improving the Employee ExperienceAmy Kong
 
Global Trends Of It Outsourcing.
Global Trends Of It Outsourcing.Global Trends Of It Outsourcing.
Global Trends Of It Outsourcing.sudarshanhandigital
 

Similaire à How the Role of Certification Impacts Professionalization of IT and Skills Management (20)

Panel Explores How the IT4IT Reference Architecture Acts as a Digital Busines...
Panel Explores How the IT4IT Reference Architecture Acts as a Digital Busines...Panel Explores How the IT4IT Reference Architecture Acts as a Digital Busines...
Panel Explores How the IT4IT Reference Architecture Acts as a Digital Busines...
 
How The Open Group Enterprise Architecture Portfolio Approach Enables the Agi...
How The Open Group Enterprise Architecture Portfolio Approach Enables the Agi...How The Open Group Enterprise Architecture Portfolio Approach Enables the Agi...
How The Open Group Enterprise Architecture Portfolio Approach Enables the Agi...
 
How HPE ‘Moments’ Provide A Proven Critical Approach To Digital Business Tra...
How HPE ‘Moments’ Provide A Proven Critical Approach  To Digital Business Tra...How HPE ‘Moments’ Provide A Proven Critical Approach  To Digital Business Tra...
How HPE ‘Moments’ Provide A Proven Critical Approach To Digital Business Tra...
 
After Cutting its Big Data Teeth on Wall Street, Vichara Technologies Grows t...
After Cutting its Big Data Teeth on Wall Street, Vichara Technologies Grows t...After Cutting its Big Data Teeth on Wall Street, Vichara Technologies Grows t...
After Cutting its Big Data Teeth on Wall Street, Vichara Technologies Grows t...
 
Enterprise Architecture Faces Vast Promise -- or Lost Opportunity
Enterprise Architecture Faces Vast Promise -- or Lost OpportunityEnterprise Architecture Faces Vast Promise -- or Lost Opportunity
Enterprise Architecture Faces Vast Promise -- or Lost Opportunity
 
The Open Group Panel Explains How the ArchiMate Modeling Language and The Ope...
The Open Group Panel Explains How the ArchiMate Modeling Language and The Ope...The Open Group Panel Explains How the ArchiMate Modeling Language and The Ope...
The Open Group Panel Explains How the ArchiMate Modeling Language and The Ope...
 
Survey Says: Investing in IT Distinguishes Industry Leaders from Industry Lag...
Survey Says: Investing in IT Distinguishes Industry Leaders from Industry Lag...Survey Says: Investing in IT Distinguishes Industry Leaders from Industry Lag...
Survey Says: Investing in IT Distinguishes Industry Leaders from Industry Lag...
 
Technology, Process, and People Combine to Smooth the Path to Enterprise Virt...
Technology, Process, and People Combine to Smooth the Path to Enterprise Virt...Technology, Process, and People Combine to Smooth the Path to Enterprise Virt...
Technology, Process, and People Combine to Smooth the Path to Enterprise Virt...
 
Mexican ISP Telum Gains Operational Advantages Via Project to Identify and Me...
Mexican ISP Telum Gains Operational Advantages Via Project to Identify and Me...Mexican ISP Telum Gains Operational Advantages Via Project to Identify and Me...
Mexican ISP Telum Gains Operational Advantages Via Project to Identify and Me...
 
Industry Moves to Fill Gap for Building Trusted Supply Chain Technology Accre...
Industry Moves to Fill Gap for Building Trusted Supply Chain Technology Accre...Industry Moves to Fill Gap for Building Trusted Supply Chain Technology Accre...
Industry Moves to Fill Gap for Building Trusted Supply Chain Technology Accre...
 
The Open Group Digital Practitioner Effort Provides Guidance to Ease Digital ...
The Open Group Digital Practitioner Effort Provides Guidance to Ease Digital ...The Open Group Digital Practitioner Effort Provides Guidance to Ease Digital ...
The Open Group Digital Practitioner Effort Provides Guidance to Ease Digital ...
 
Examining the Current State of Enterprise Architecture With The Open Group's ...
Examining the Current State of Enterprise Architecture With The Open Group's ...Examining the Current State of Enterprise Architecture With The Open Group's ...
Examining the Current State of Enterprise Architecture With The Open Group's ...
 
InfoSec Experience It Not Enough…
InfoSec Experience It Not Enough…InfoSec Experience It Not Enough…
InfoSec Experience It Not Enough…
 
The Future Of Collaboration Needs Your Help
The Future Of Collaboration Needs Your HelpThe Future Of Collaboration Needs Your Help
The Future Of Collaboration Needs Your Help
 
Winning the War for Talent
Winning the War for TalentWinning the War for Talent
Winning the War for Talent
 
A Survey On Technology Industry Association
A Survey On Technology Industry AssociationA Survey On Technology Industry Association
A Survey On Technology Industry Association
 
Optimizing Digital Business Outcomes
Optimizing Digital Business OutcomesOptimizing Digital Business Outcomes
Optimizing Digital Business Outcomes
 
Chatbots in HR: Improving the Employee Experience
Chatbots in HR: Improving the Employee ExperienceChatbots in HR: Improving the Employee Experience
Chatbots in HR: Improving the Employee Experience
 
Ppt General 12.11
Ppt General 12.11Ppt General 12.11
Ppt General 12.11
 
Global Trends Of It Outsourcing.
Global Trends Of It Outsourcing.Global Trends Of It Outsourcing.
Global Trends Of It Outsourcing.
 

Dernier

Machine Learning Model Validation (Aijun Zhang 2024).pdf
Machine Learning Model Validation (Aijun Zhang 2024).pdfMachine Learning Model Validation (Aijun Zhang 2024).pdf
Machine Learning Model Validation (Aijun Zhang 2024).pdfAijun Zhang
 
Artificial Intelligence & SEO Trends for 2024
Artificial Intelligence & SEO Trends for 2024Artificial Intelligence & SEO Trends for 2024
Artificial Intelligence & SEO Trends for 2024D Cloud Solutions
 
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6DianaGray10
 
20230202 - Introduction to tis-py
20230202 - Introduction to tis-py20230202 - Introduction to tis-py
20230202 - Introduction to tis-pyJamie (Taka) Wang
 
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 8
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 8UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 8
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 8DianaGray10
 
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just Minutes
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just MinutesAI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just Minutes
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just MinutesMd Hossain Ali
 
Linked Data in Production: Moving Beyond Ontologies
Linked Data in Production: Moving Beyond OntologiesLinked Data in Production: Moving Beyond Ontologies
Linked Data in Production: Moving Beyond OntologiesDavid Newbury
 
Apres-Cyber - The Data Dilemma: Bridging Offensive Operations and Machine Lea...
Apres-Cyber - The Data Dilemma: Bridging Offensive Operations and Machine Lea...Apres-Cyber - The Data Dilemma: Bridging Offensive Operations and Machine Lea...
Apres-Cyber - The Data Dilemma: Bridging Offensive Operations and Machine Lea...Will Schroeder
 
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptx
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptxIntroduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptx
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptxMatsuo Lab
 
COMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a Website
COMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a WebsiteCOMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a Website
COMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a Websitedgelyza
 
How Accurate are Carbon Emissions Projections?
How Accurate are Carbon Emissions Projections?How Accurate are Carbon Emissions Projections?
How Accurate are Carbon Emissions Projections?IES VE
 
UiPath Platform: The Backend Engine Powering Your Automation - Session 1
UiPath Platform: The Backend Engine Powering Your Automation - Session 1UiPath Platform: The Backend Engine Powering Your Automation - Session 1
UiPath Platform: The Backend Engine Powering Your Automation - Session 1DianaGray10
 
Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration Workflows
Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration WorkflowsIgniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration Workflows
Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration WorkflowsSafe Software
 
Connector Corner: Extending LLM automation use cases with UiPath GenAI connec...
Connector Corner: Extending LLM automation use cases with UiPath GenAI connec...Connector Corner: Extending LLM automation use cases with UiPath GenAI connec...
Connector Corner: Extending LLM automation use cases with UiPath GenAI connec...DianaGray10
 
Building Your Own AI Instance (TBLC AI )
Building Your Own AI Instance (TBLC AI )Building Your Own AI Instance (TBLC AI )
Building Your Own AI Instance (TBLC AI )Brian Pichman
 
Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1
Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1
Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1DianaGray10
 
Basic Building Blocks of Internet of Things.
Basic Building Blocks of Internet of Things.Basic Building Blocks of Internet of Things.
Basic Building Blocks of Internet of Things.YounusS2
 
VoIP Service and Marketing using Odoo and Asterisk PBX
VoIP Service and Marketing using Odoo and Asterisk PBXVoIP Service and Marketing using Odoo and Asterisk PBX
VoIP Service and Marketing using Odoo and Asterisk PBXTarek Kalaji
 
Cybersecurity Workshop #1.pptx
Cybersecurity Workshop #1.pptxCybersecurity Workshop #1.pptx
Cybersecurity Workshop #1.pptxGDSC PJATK
 

Dernier (20)

Machine Learning Model Validation (Aijun Zhang 2024).pdf
Machine Learning Model Validation (Aijun Zhang 2024).pdfMachine Learning Model Validation (Aijun Zhang 2024).pdf
Machine Learning Model Validation (Aijun Zhang 2024).pdf
 
Artificial Intelligence & SEO Trends for 2024
Artificial Intelligence & SEO Trends for 2024Artificial Intelligence & SEO Trends for 2024
Artificial Intelligence & SEO Trends for 2024
 
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6
 
20230202 - Introduction to tis-py
20230202 - Introduction to tis-py20230202 - Introduction to tis-py
20230202 - Introduction to tis-py
 
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 8
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 8UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 8
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 8
 
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just Minutes
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just MinutesAI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just Minutes
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just Minutes
 
Linked Data in Production: Moving Beyond Ontologies
Linked Data in Production: Moving Beyond OntologiesLinked Data in Production: Moving Beyond Ontologies
Linked Data in Production: Moving Beyond Ontologies
 
Apres-Cyber - The Data Dilemma: Bridging Offensive Operations and Machine Lea...
Apres-Cyber - The Data Dilemma: Bridging Offensive Operations and Machine Lea...Apres-Cyber - The Data Dilemma: Bridging Offensive Operations and Machine Lea...
Apres-Cyber - The Data Dilemma: Bridging Offensive Operations and Machine Lea...
 
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptx
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptxIntroduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptx
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptx
 
COMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a Website
COMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a WebsiteCOMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a Website
COMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a Website
 
How Accurate are Carbon Emissions Projections?
How Accurate are Carbon Emissions Projections?How Accurate are Carbon Emissions Projections?
How Accurate are Carbon Emissions Projections?
 
20230104 - machine vision
20230104 - machine vision20230104 - machine vision
20230104 - machine vision
 
UiPath Platform: The Backend Engine Powering Your Automation - Session 1
UiPath Platform: The Backend Engine Powering Your Automation - Session 1UiPath Platform: The Backend Engine Powering Your Automation - Session 1
UiPath Platform: The Backend Engine Powering Your Automation - Session 1
 
Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration Workflows
Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration WorkflowsIgniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration Workflows
Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration Workflows
 
Connector Corner: Extending LLM automation use cases with UiPath GenAI connec...
Connector Corner: Extending LLM automation use cases with UiPath GenAI connec...Connector Corner: Extending LLM automation use cases with UiPath GenAI connec...
Connector Corner: Extending LLM automation use cases with UiPath GenAI connec...
 
Building Your Own AI Instance (TBLC AI )
Building Your Own AI Instance (TBLC AI )Building Your Own AI Instance (TBLC AI )
Building Your Own AI Instance (TBLC AI )
 
Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1
Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1
Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1
 
Basic Building Blocks of Internet of Things.
Basic Building Blocks of Internet of Things.Basic Building Blocks of Internet of Things.
Basic Building Blocks of Internet of Things.
 
VoIP Service and Marketing using Odoo and Asterisk PBX
VoIP Service and Marketing using Odoo and Asterisk PBXVoIP Service and Marketing using Odoo and Asterisk PBX
VoIP Service and Marketing using Odoo and Asterisk PBX
 
Cybersecurity Workshop #1.pptx
Cybersecurity Workshop #1.pptxCybersecurity Workshop #1.pptx
Cybersecurity Workshop #1.pptx
 

How the Role of Certification Impacts Professionalization of IT and Skills Management

  • 1. How the Role of Certification Impacts Professionalization of IT and Skills Management Transcript of a BriefingsDirect podcast from The Open Group Conference in Austin on how certification programs are aiding IT professionals as well as companies. Listen to the podcast. Find it on iTunes/iPod and Podcast.com. Sponsor: The Open Group Dana Gardner: Hi. This is Dana Gardner, Principal Analyst at Interarbor Solutions, and you're listening to BriefingsDirect. Today, we present a sponsored podcast discussion in conjunction with The Open Group Conference in Austin, Texas, the week of July 18, 2011. We've assembled a panel to update us on the impact and role of certifications for IT professionals. We'll examine how certification for enterprise architects, business architects, and such industry initiatives as ArchiMate are proving instrumental as IT organizations seek to reinvent themselves. There are now a lot of shifts in skills and a lot of movement about how organizations should properly staff themselves. There have been cost pressures and certification issues for regulation and the adoption of new technologies. We're going to look at how all these are impacting the role of certification out in the field. Here to help us better understand how an organization like The Open Group is alleviating the impact and importance of IT skills and role certification amid this churning change in the IT organizations is Steve Philp. He is the Marketing Director for Professional Certification at The Open Group. Welcome, Steve. Steve Philp: Thank you. Gardner: We are also here with Andrew Josey. He is Director of Standards at The Open Group. Welcome, Andrew. Andrew Josey: Thank you, Dana. Gardner: And we're here with James de Raeve. He is Vice President of Certification at The Open Group. Hello, James. James de Raeve: Thanks, Dana. Gardner: Let’s start with you. As I said, we're seeing a lot of change about many things in IT, but certainly how to properly staff, especially as you start to consider outsourcing options and cloud and software-as-a-service (SaaS) types of options. Organizations are also looking at
  • 2. consolidation around their applications and infrastructure. So there's quite a bit of change. Naturally, the people in the "people, processes, and technology" spectrum need to be addressed. From your perspective, why is there the need for more professionalization, or what are the trends that are driving the need to reexamine your staff and how to properly certify your IT leadership? de Raeve: The primary driver here that we're hearing from members and customers is that they need to get more out of the investments that they're making -- their payroll for their IT staff. They need to get more productivity. And that has a number of consequences. Realizing talent They want to ensure that the people they are employing and that they're staffing their teams with are effective. They want to be sure that they're not bringing in external experts when they don’t need to. So there is a need to realize the talent that they've actually got in their internal IT community and to develop that talent, nurture it, and exploit it for the benefit of the organization. And professionalism, professionalization, and profession frameworks are all tools that can be used in identifying, measuring, and developing the talents and capabilities of your people. That seems to be the major driver. Gardner: Steve, any further thoughts on the trends that are driving certification and professionalization issues? Philp: Something I have noticed since joining The Open Group is that we’ve got some skills and experience-based certifications. They seem to be the things that people are particularly interested in, because it’s not just a test of your knowledge about a particular vendor or product, but how you have applied your skills and experience out there in the marketplace. They have proven to be very successful in helping people assess where they are and in working towards developing a career path. That’s one of the areas of certification that things are going to move more towards -- more skills and experience-based certification programs in organizations. Gardner: Where are we seeing this most in demand? Are there particular types of technology certification or professional role certification that are in the most demand? Where is this the most hot or impactful right now? Philp: Looking at certification in general, you still have areas like Microsoft MCSE, Microsoft technical specialist, application development, and project management that are in demand, and things like CCNA from Cisco. But I've also noticed a lot more in the security field. CISSP and CCSA seem to be the ones that are always getting a lot of attention. In terms of security, the
  • 3. trends in mobile computing, cloud computing, means that security certification is a big growth area. We're just about to put a security track into our Certified IT Specialist Program at The Open Group, so there will be a skills and experience-based track for security practitioners soon. Gardner: James, of course we should point out for our listeners that we're not just talking about certification from vendors and suppliers about the specific products and/or platforms, but we're really looking at a skill and roles based approach. Maybe you could help us distinguish between the two and why it’s important to do so? de Raeve: The difference, as Steve alluded to, is that there is a whole world out there of technology and product-related certifications that are fulfilling a very important function in helping people establish and demonstrate their knowledge of those particular products and technologies. But there is a need for people too in the building of teams and in the delivering of results to nurture and grow their people to be team players and team participants and to be able to work with them to function within the organization as, for want of a better term, "t-shaped people," where there are a number of soft and people-related skills and potentially architecture related skills for the IT specialists, and skills and capabilities enable people to be rounded professionals within an organization. T-shaped people It’s that aspect that differentiates the professionalization and the profession-oriented certification programs that we're operating here at The Open Group -- The Open Certified Architect, The Open Certified IT Specialist. Those are t-shaped people and we think that makes a huge difference. It’s what’s going to enable organizations to be more effective by developing their people to have that more rounded t-shaped capability. Gardner: Andrew, with the emphasis on standards and your role there, how does the impact of certification on the ability to adhere to and exploit standards come together? What’s the relationship between making sure you have standardization around your people and their skill sets, but also being able to exploit standardization and even more automation across your organization? Josey: We see the certification as being the ultimate drive in the uptake of the standards, and so we're able to go from not just having a standard on the shelf to actually seeing it being deployed in the field and used. We've actually got some people certification programs, such as TOGAF, and we've got some over 20,000 practitioners now. We've gone through the certification program and we've been using and evangelizing, TOGAF as a standard in the field and then feeding that back to our members and, through the association, the feedback improvements to the
  • 4. standards. So it’s very much part of the end-to-end ecosystem -- developing a standard for deploying it, and getting people on it, and then getting the feedback in the right way. Gardner: I suppose that as organizations want to create a level playing field, we're starting to see calls for this type of certification in requests for proposal (RFPs) around projects. For folks on the buy side who are seeking either people or the suppliers themselves, a supply chain and ecosystem of providers, how much is certification playing a role and how they can pick and choose among each other with some sense of trust and reliability? Philp: It’s very much an important part of the process now. TOGAF and IT Architect Certification (ITAC) have appeared in a number of RFPs for government and for major manufacturing organizations. So it’s important that the suppliers and the buyers recognize these programs. Similarly with recruitment, you find that things like TOGAF will appear in most recruitment ads for architects. Certainly, people want knowledge of it, but more and more you’ll see TOGAF certification is required as well. ITAC, which is now Open CA, has also appeared in a number of recruitment ads for members like Logica, Capgemini, Shell. More recently, organizations like the CBS, EADS, ADGA Group, Direct Energy have requested it. And the list goes on. It’s a measure of how important the awareness is for these certifications and that’s something we will continue to drive at The Open Group. Gardner: All right, Steve, thanks for that. As you mentioned, there have been some changes in terms of the branding around some of these. Let’s take a quick review if we could around what’s being happening at the Austin Conference, but also what’s new and what’s been going on with the branding. Let’s look at the TOGAF, ArchiMate, and business architecture certifications. What's new and interesting there? In development Josey: I am speaking up on what we are doing in ArchiMate first, before I talk about TOGAF, and then Steve will tell us what the Business Forum is up to. ArchiMate certification is something new that we’re developing right now. We haven’t deployed a certification program as yet. The previous certification program was under the ArchiMate Foundation, which was the body that developed ArchiMate, before it transferred into The Open Group. We’re currently working on the new program which will be similar to some aspects of our TOGAF program, and it’ll be knowledge base certification with an assessment by exam and a practical assessment in which the candidate can actually do modeling. So this will be people certification and there will also be accredited training course certification.
  • 5. And then also what we're going to do there is actually to provide certification for tools. There will be certifications there. That’s pretty much what we’re doing in ArchiMate, so we don’t have a firm timeline. So it will not be available it looks like, probably towards the end of the year would be the earliest, but possibly early next year. Gardner: Knowing that we reach a wide audience, could you give a quick overview of what ArchiMate is for those who might not be familiar. Josey: ArchiMate is a modeling language for enterprise architecture (EA) in general and specifically it’s a good fit for TOGAF. It’s a way of communicating and developing models for TOGAF EA. Originally it was developed by the Telematica Instituut and funded, I think, by the EU and a number of commercial companies in the Netherlands. It was actually brought into The Open Group in 2008 by the ArchiMate Foundation and is now managed by the ArchiMate Forum within The Open Group. Gardner: Now we’re going to hear an update on TOGAF. Josey: The latest version of TOGAF is TOGAF 9 for certification. As we mentioned earlier, there are two types of certification programs, skills and knowledge based. TOGAF falls into the knowledge based camp. We have two levels. TOGAF 9 Foundation, which is our level one, is for individuals to assess that they know the terminology and basic concepts of EA in TOGAF. Level two, which is a superset of level one, in addition assesses analysis and comprehension. The idea is that some people who are interested in just getting familiar with TOGAF and those people who work around enterprise architects can go into TOGAF Foundation. And these enterprise architects themselves should initially start with the TOGAF Certified, the level two, and then perhaps move on later to Open CA. That will be helpful. For TOGAF 9 Certification, we introduced that by midyear 2009. We launched TOGAF 9 in February, and it took a couple of months to just roll out all these certifications through all the exam channels. Since then, we’ve gone through 8,000 certifications. We've seen that two-thirds of those were at the higher level, level two, for EA practitioners and one-third of those are currently at the foundation level. Gardner: And lastly, business architecture? A new area Philp: Business architecture, is a new area that we've been working on. Let me just to go back to what we did on the branding, because it ties in with that. We launched The Open Group’s new website recently and we used that as the opportunity to re-brand ITAC as The Open Group
  • 6. Certified Architect (Open CA) program. The IT Specialist Certification (ITSC) has now become The Open Group Certified IT Specialist or Open CITS Program. We did the rebranding at that time, because we wanted to be it associated with the word “open.” We wanted to give the skills and experience-based certification a closer linkage to The Open Group. That’s why we changed from ITAC to Open CA. But, we’ve not changed the actual program itself. Candidates still have to create a certification package and be interviewed by three board members, and there are still three levels of certification: Certified, Master, and Distinguished. However, what we’re intending to do is have some core requirements that architects need to meet, and then add some specific specializations for different types of architects. The one that we’ve been working on the most recently is the Business Architecture Certification. This came about from an initiative about 18 months ago. We formed something called the Business Forum with a number of platinum members who got involved with it --companies like IBM, HP, SAP, Oracle and Capgemini. We’ve been defining the conformance requirements for the business architecture certification. It's going through the development process and hopefully will be launched sometime later this year or early next year. Gardner: I'm interested in how this is making a difference in the field. There's a lot of change going on this consolidation. There's re-factoring of what's core and what's context in what IT department should focus on and, therefore, what their skill sets need to be. They’re adopting new technologies. I wonder if you have any examples of where we’ve seen certification come to play when an organization is looking to change its workforce. Any thoughts about some organizations and what the impact has been? de Raeve: There's a very good example of an organization that had exactly that problem, and they’ve done a presentation about this in one of our conferences. It's Philips, and they used to have an IT workforce that was divided among the business units. The different businesses had their own IT function. They changed that and went to a single IT function across the organization, providing services to the businesses. In doing so, they needed to rationalize things like grades, titles, job descriptions, and they were looking around for a framework within which they could do this and they evaluated a number of them. They were working with a partner who wass helping them do this. The partner was an Open Group member and suggested they look at the Open Group’s IT Specialist Certification, the CITS Certification Program, as it provides a set of definitions for the capabilities and skills required for IT professionals. They picked it up and used it, because it covered the areas they were interested in. This was sufficient and complete enough to be useful to them, and it was vendor neutral, and an industry best practice. So they could pick this up and use it with confidence. And that has been very successful. They initially benchmarked their entire 900 strong IT workforce against The
  • 7. Open Group definition, so they could get to calibrate themselves, where their people were on their journey through development as professionals. They’ve started to embrace the certification programs as a method of not only measuring their people, but also rewarding them. It’s had a very significant impact in terms of not only enabling them to get a handle upon their people, but also in terms of their employee engagement. In the engagement surveys that they do with their staff, some of the comments they got back after they started doing this process were, “For the first time we feel like management is paying attention to us.” It was very positive feedback, and the net result is that they are well on their way to meeting their goal of no longer having automatically to bring in an external service provider whenever they were dealing with a new project or a new topic. They know that they’ve got people with sufficient expertise in-house on their own payroll now. They've been able to recognize that capability, and the use of it has had a very positive effect. So it’s a very strong good story. I think that the slides will be available to our members in the conference’s proceedings from the London conference in April. That will be worth something to look at. Gardner: Where would you go for more information, if you were a practitioner, a budding enterprise architect and you wanted to certify yourself and/or if you were in an organization trying to determine more precisely what certification would mean to you as you're trying to reengineer, modernize and right-size your organization? Where do you go for more information? Philp: If you go to the Open Group website, www.opengroup.org/certifications, all of the people based certifications are there, along with the benefits for individuals, benefits for organizations and various links to the appropriate literature. There’s also a lot of other useful things, like self- assessment tests, previous webinars, sample packages, etc. That will give you more of an idea of what’s required for certification along with the conformance requirements and other program documentation. There’s a lot of useful information on the website. Gardner: Very good. We’ve been discussing how the role and impact of IT Certification is growing and some of the reasons for that. We’ve also looked at how organizations like The Open Group are elevating the role of certification and providing means to attain it and measure it the standard. I’d like to thank our guests for delivering this sponsored podcast discussion in conjunction with The Open Group Conference in Austin, Texas, the week of July 18, 2011 We’ve been joined by our panel, Steve Philp, he is the Marketing Director for Professional Certification at the Open Group. Thank you, Steve. Philp: Thank you, Dana. Gardner: And we are also have been joined by by Andrew Josey, Director of Standards at The Open Group. Thank you, Andrew.
  • 8. Josey: Thank you, Dana. Gardner: And lastly, James de Raeve, he is the Vice President of Certification, once again at The Open Group. Thanks James. de Raeve: Thank you, Dana, and thanks to everyone who has listened. Gardner: Right. This is Dana Gardner, Principal Analyst at Interarbor Solutions. Thanks for listening and come back next time. Listen to the podcast. Find it on iTunes/iPod and Podcast.com. Sponsor: The Open Group Transcript of a BriefingsDirect podcast from The Open Group Conference in Austin on how certification programs are aiding IT professionals as well as companies. Copyright Interarbor Solutions, LLC, 2005-2011. All rights reserved. You may also be interested in: • Enterprise Architects Increasingly Leverage Advanced TOGAF9 for Innovation, Market Response, and Governance Benefits • Open Group Cloud Panel Forecasts Cloud s Spurring Useful Transition Phase for Enterprise Architecture • The Open Group's Cloud Work Group Advances Understanding of Cloud-Use Benefits for Enterprises • Exploring the Role and Impact of the Open Trusted Technology Forum to Ensure Secure IT Products in Global Supply Chains