ONF releases the beta examination blueprints for the ONF-Certified SDN Professional (OCSP) Program.
It’s that time of year when the kids pack up their backpacks and head back to school. Coincidentally, it’s also back-to-school for the networking industry. Many of us traded in our backpacks for switches and controllers years ago. However, with the emergence of SDN, the networking industry has undergone a lot of change – at least since my school days. There is no better time than now to brush up on your SDN skills and learn a few new tricks. I know what you are going to say: “But Rick, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks!” To the contrary, we say!
Last year, with demand for SDN skills at an all-time high, ONF announced the development of the OCSP Program. This program will provide SDN practitioners with an industry-recognized standard by which individual knowledge and skills can be evaluated. Unlike my college days, the program will not require you to pack a lunch or attend classes in person. Thanks to the Internet, all exams can be taken from the comfort of your home, a nearby coffee shop, or even potentially following a training program.
Since announcing the program, we have been working hard to put together exams that will fairly and accurately evaluate candidates in the areas most vital to their SDN skill sets. We are pleased to announce the availability of the beta examination blueprints, the foundational materials for the exam that anyone (ONF member or non-member) can take, starting in September of this year. These blueprints give training programs and potential exam participants an idea of the material that these exams will cover. The beta tests will be free of charge and will only be available for the first 100 completed (and passed) exams for each category. Following the completion of the beta blueprint testing, the OSCP Program will have an unlimited number of exams available for participants. The OCSP Program will begin by offering two certifications, an ONF-Certified SDN Associate (OCSA) and an ONF-Certified SDN Engineer (OCSE):
- ONF-Certified SDN Associate (OCSA) - This certification validates concept-level knowledge of SDN technologies, architectures, and deployment solutions. This certification is designed for entry-level sales and marketing professionals to have a foundational understanding of SDN.
- ONF-Certified SDN Engineer (OCSE) - 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.
We are looking forward to awarding our first certifications as well as building out additional exams that support the changing skills needed in our SDN world. Who knows, maybe you (yes, you) will be the candidate to receive the first skills certification from ONF.
To access the blueprints, please visit: https://opennetworking.org/certification/skills.
- Rick Bauer, Director of Technical Programs
