Virtualization technology has become prevalent in datacenters all over the world. It is hard to be in the IT career field today and not have some interaction with the virtualization layer. Whether it is virtual desktops, virtual storage, software defined networking or compute virtualization, you are bound to come across this technology at some point. While VMware seems to have staked their claim as the industry leader in virtualization technologies, other competitors are quickly making up ground and gaining market share. One virtualization vendor that has been around for a long time and has designed very popular virtualization technologies is Citrix.
Citrix started out as a company that specialized in remote access to servers, and eventually evolved into a virtual desktop and virtualization company. Citrix has gained widespread popularity over the years and still competes with other vendors in the virtualization space for market share. Along with the company’s growth, Citrix aslo has grown their certification offerings. There are now over 20 Citrix certifications, and that number is sure to grow in the years to come. For this edition of Cleared & Certified, we will explore the Citrix Certified Professional – Virtualization (CCP-V) certification. Let’s dive in.
Citrix Certified Professional – Virtualization (CCP-V) Certification Overview
The CCP-V certification is an advanced Citrix cert. The entry-level Citrix cert is the CCA-V, an associate level certification that will prepare you for the professional certification. The CCP-V cert is meant to test your skills as an engineer or consultant that manages Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops with Provisioning Services. In order to obtain the CCP-V cert, you must have obtained the CCA-V certification.
Training Available
There are many good training companies that will provide you with the training you need to prepare for and pass this exam. In the case of Citrix, the best training you can get is from Citrix Education. Citrix recommends two different course options in order to prepare for the exam. The first option is the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 Advanced Administration. Here is an explanation of what to expect from this Citrix training:
“Designed to learn how to set up scalability, redundancy and security configurations. You will learn advanced features to optimize management of your app and desktop images by building and combining App Layers and Workspace Environment Management, which can improve logon times, centralize user settings management, optimize the performance of machines running the Virtual Delivery Agent (VDA).
In the advanced troubleshooting section, you will learn techniques to investigate many of the common issues that can affect environment health. You’ll leave this course with a good understanding of how to manage more complex solutions such as multizone environments spanning multiple locations with configurations around StoreFront, the Delivery Controllers, and HDX.”
The other training option is the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7, App Layering, and WEM Administration (Fast-Track). This course is for a more advanced skilled Citrix Administrator as it is a fast-track course. The coursework will move along quickly and is a compressed schedule. Here are some details on this course:
“This accelerated 5-day course is designed for experienced IT professionals to build the foundational administration aspects of installing, configuring and managing a Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 environment.Learn about configuring policies, printing and basic security features as well as more advanced topics including Workspace Environment Management (WEM) and App Layering.
Gain an understanding of the solution architecture and communications, and the factors that contribute to a successful deployment. Also, learn how to monitor and troubleshoot the environment with Citrix Director and Citrix Analytics.”
Exam Details
The cert exam required to obtain the CCP-V cert is the 1Y0-311 exam and it consists of multiple choice questions. You will have 90 minutes to complete the exam and the results are provided instantly. Here is a list of what topics you can expect on the exam:
- Implement Redundancy and Scalability
- Manage a Virtual Apps and Desktops Environment with Multiple Locations
- Implement Backups and Disaster Recovery
- Implement Advanced Authentication Methods
- Improve App and Data Security
- Secure Machines Running the Virtual Delivery Agent
- Advanced Troubleshooting
- App Layering and Creating the Layers
- Deploy a Layered Image using Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops
- Explore Layer Priority and Maintain an App Layering Environment
- Workspace Environment Management (WEM) Administration
- Use WEM to Centralize Environment Management, Optimize Performance and Secure Environments.
- Migrate and Upgrade WEM
Again, this is an advanced exam and will require a decent amount of study time and practice.
What’s Next
The next step in the Citrix certification roadmap is the Citrix Certified Expert – Virtualization (CCE-V) cert. The CCE-V certification validates the skills needed to be a Citrix architect, engineer or consultant.
Is it For Me?
This certification is for you if you have Citrix experience or if your company has requested that you obtain this certification. There seems to be a clear cut line between Citrix and other virtualization certifications and they don’t seem to mingle well. Most shops are either all Citrix or another virtualization vendor. As a newcomer to IT, it isn’t a bad idea to go after the associate level cert. However, as a seasoned IT vet, I would focus on Hyper-V or VMware for virtualization certifications.
