Free Beta Exams Will Be Available in September; Skills Certification Program to Provide Strong Foundation of Credentials in SDN Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
PALO ALTO, Calif., August 18, 2015 – The Open Networking Foundation (ONF), a non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating the adoption of open Software-Defined Networking (SDN), today announced the availability of beta examination blueprints for the ONF-Certified SDN Professional (OCSP) Program certification. The OCSP Program is designed to provide a strong foundation of vendor-neutral, concept and technical-level credentials in open SDN that can integrate with and complement individual vendor certifications in networking technologies or programming languages. The beta exams based on these blueprints will be available in September and will be open to all. The exams will be free of charge for the first 100 participants of each exam. Individuals who receive a passing score on the beta exams will receive an official OCSP certification as either an ONF-Certified SDN Associate (OCSA) or as an ONF-Certified SDN Engineer (OCSE).
“ONF designed the Skills Certification Program because we identified a gap in the industry. While individual vendors frequently offer skills certification training on their solutions, no one was validating engineering professionals’ vendor-neutral knowledge and skills in SDN as a whole,” said Rick Bauer, director of technical programs of the Open Networking Foundation. “We’re making beta OCSP certifications available in September to enable those eager to become certified early exposure to the tests and receive their feedback before it is widely available. The OCSP Program will provide independent validation of both concept-level skills for new entrants as well as technical-level engineering skills for professionals working in SDN development or deployment environments. Additionally, these blueprints now mean that course designers, curriculum developers, trainers and teachers, and training companies can now align their training offerings and curricula to these blueprints. Based on the volume of inquiries we have received since announcing the program, we see a vibrant training market being created from the hard work of ONF’s Skills Certification Working Group.”
The OCSP Program beta examinations were based on best practices illustrated in a variety of independent learning and training programs. ONF membership provided input on the examination blueprints for the tests and finalized them for beta. The tests will be administered online via secure login.
- ONF-Certified SDN Associate (OCSA) - This exam certifies that the successful candidate has vendor-neutral conceptual knowledge of the major domains of networking practices that support the theory and practice of SDN. The associate certification validates concept-level knowledge of SDN technologies, architectures, and deployment solutions. Designed for entry-level sales and marketing professionals, this certification will confirm their foundational understanding of SDN. In order to pass the ONF OCSA exam, a foundational knowledge of computer networking is assumed, with specific familiarity with various conceptual models of networking and technologies is required. Job experience is not mandated, but your familiarity with all the knowledge domains of this certification is essential to succeed. The ONF OCSA exam consists of 40 questions to be answered within 60 minutes.
- ONF-Certified SDN Engineer (OCSE) - This exam certifies that the successful candidate has vendor-neutral technical knowledge, skills, and abilities in the major domains of networking practices that support the theory and practice of SDN. The engineer certification validates technical and engineering-level knowledge of SDN technologies, architectures, and deployment solutions and is designed for entry-level SDN engineering and networking professionals. Considered a mastery-level, this certification will certify technical professionals in the domain of SDN networking. For this exam, a deep technical understanding of computer networking is needed and requires experience with SDN networking. Those with specific hands-on experience with SDN from a technical level should take this exam. The ONF OCSE exam includes 70 questions to be answered within 90 minutes.
Once a candidate has passed an OCSP certification exam, they will receive a certificate and an authorized registration number for their certification, which will be managed through a global online portal available to certification owners and prospective employers. Individuals who pass the beta examinations will receive their certifications once beta testing is complete and the formal program launches later this year. The OCSP Program will evolve alongside the SDN ecosystem. Additional certification categories will be announced as the program expands.
To participate in the OCSP Program beta examinations, or for more information on the program, please visit https://opennetworking.org/certification/skills.
About ONF
Launched in 2011 by Deutsche Telekom, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Verizon, and Yahoo!, the Open Networking Foundation (ONF) is a growing nonprofit organization with more than 140 members whose mission is to accelerate the adoption of open SDN. ONF promotes open SDN and OpenFlow® technologies and standards while fostering a vibrant market of products, services, applications, customers, and users. For further details visit the ONF website at: https://opennetworking.org.
