Tips for getting your ITAC certificate

ITAC certification is hot. ITAC Level 2 certification (I wrote about it earlier here and here) leads to the title of Master Certified IT Architect. Last yearf I received this title.   

To become ITAC certified one has to create a so-called certification package. The certification package includes up to 50 pages and describes the experience of the architect. Here are some tips for completing the certification package:

  • Take the Open Group "self-assessment test" to make sure you fulfill all conditions.
  • Take your time. As a guideline for completing the certification package approximately 80 hours should be allocated. If this is done in addition to your regular work a lead time of several months is not uncommon.
  • Make certain your costs are covered. By submitting the certification package a fee be paid, otherwise the certification package is not reviewed.
  • Start with reading all questions in the template to get a picture of the amount of work to be done.
  • Make a list of three projects in which most of the required experience is gained. These three projects are described in the certification package and can be referred to. If the project descriptions contain much information, much can be reused to avoid duplications of text in the certification package.
  • Start by describing the three projects (in the last part of the document). Then enter the rest of the information in the document. This helps in getting the right mindset and you can refer to the text already described.
  • Provide the requested credentials. Arrange with the clients at which you have implemented projects to have them send a letter (or an email) to explain that you really have completed the project successfully. Send them a standard text template stating exactly what The Open Group wants to hear and do not let them create their own text.
  • Inform your client that The Open Group could verify the credentials. In my case they called at least 1 of my clients for a reference check!
  • Check the length of your certification package. It's easy to write much and very difficult to limit yourself to 50 pages. Your certification package will not be accepted if it is 51 pages or more!

After completion of the certification package it can be submitted to The Open Group. The process is entirely via web forms. You need a credit card for the payment.

The Open Group certification board reviews your package and provides feedback. You (once) get the opportunity to re-submit your certification package. Use that opportunity to update the document with The Open Group's feedback - even if it only states some spelling errors.

After the final submission the document is reviewed again. When all is well you receive an invitation for the next certification board meeting. In this meeting you will be interviewed by three different people. The interviews (each 1 hour long) is a 1-on-1 interview assessing whether the claims in your certification package are trusted.

If all goes well you receive a notification of your certification. This can take up to 6 weeks after the interview. A few clicks on another web form will make you the next Master Certified IT Architect.


This entry was posted on Sunday 06 June 2010

Earlier articles

Quantum computing

Security at cloud providers not getting better because of government regulation

The cloud is as insecure as its configuration

Infrastructure as code

DevOps for infrastructure

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

(Hyper) Converged Infrastructure

Object storage

Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV)

Software Defined Storage (SDS)

What's the point of using Docker containers?

Identity and Access Management

Using user profiles to determine infrastructure load

Public wireless networks

Supercomputer architecture

Desktop virtualization

Stakeholder management

x86 platform architecture

Midrange systems architecture

Mainframe Architecture

Software Defined Data Center - SDDC

The Virtualization Model

What are concurrent users?

Performance and availability monitoring in levels

UX/UI has no business rules

Technical debt: a time related issue

Solution shaping workshops

Architecture life cycle

Project managers and architects

Using ArchiMate for describing infrastructures

Kruchten’s 4+1 views for solution architecture

The SEI stack of solution architecture frameworks

TOGAF and infrastructure architecture

The Zachman framework

An introduction to architecture frameworks

How to handle a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack

Architecture Principles

Views and viewpoints explained

Stakeholders and their concerns

Skills of a solution architect architect

Solution architects versus enterprise architects

Definition of IT Architecture

What is Big Data?

How to make your IT "Greener"

What is Cloud computing and IaaS?

Purchasing of IT infrastructure technologies and services

IDS/IPS systems

IP Protocol (IPv4) classes and subnets

Infrastructure Architecture - Course materials

Introduction to Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

Fire prevention in the datacenter

Where to build your datacenter

Availability - Fall-back, hot site, warm site

Reliabilty of infrastructure components

Human factors in availability of systems

Business Continuity Management (BCM) and Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP)

Performance - Design for use

Performance concepts - Load balancing

Performance concepts - Scaling

Performance concept - Caching

Perceived performance

Ethical hacking

The first computers

Open group ITAC /Open CA Certification


Recommended links

Ruth Malan
Gaudi site
Esther Barthel's site on virtualization
Eltjo Poort's site on architecture


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The postings on this site are my opinions and do not necessarily represent CGI’s strategies, views or opinions.

 

Copyright Sjaak Laan