*VCF Exams & Training links at bottom of page*
VMware Certification is in transition right now. That’s putting it mildly and asking for patience.
But you need to update your certification now?
Or you need to show your organization that you are well versed on VMware and want to know which certification you should pursue?
Ok, so I’m putting this quick post out to give you my two cents on the new certs and where are the correct links. Because let’s be honest – the VMware site transition is ongoing and things are not where they should be.
This post won’t age well but it’s just to get you over the hump for now.
First up, some VMware certifications will phase out with time. That’s normal for all certs.
What is different is the naming convention has changed to reflect the focus on how we’ve packaged our products. There’s no guarantee that the naming conventions will stay. We all know VMware loves to change names.
I’ve gotten a lot of questions about which base VMware certifications should you focus on as a result. As always, the answer for each of us is,”It depends.”
The following is MY OWN interpretation of where the VMware certifications lie and what they represent in comparison to the historical VMware certifications. I’m also only going to address the Data Center Virtualization group of certs as that is usually the VMware foundational knowledge that most people are looking for.
The new certifications you see are:
VMware Certified Professional – VMware Cloud Foundation Administrator 2024
VMware Certified Professional – VMware Cloud Foundation Architect 2024
VMware Certified Professional – VMware vSphere Foundation Administrator 2024
All the rest under Data Center Virtualization – Career Certifications have not changed and are still active.
Most often asked question – What’s the difference between the VCP VCF Administrator and VCP VCF Architect since both are VCP’s?
My answer: Yes, they are both VCP’s. However, VCF Administrator is more targeted towards VMware admins who are usually operating the VMware environment and not necessarily making decisions about the VMware infrastructure. I’m talking about admin’s who add or remove datastores, administer VMs, review logs, monitor the VCF environments, etc.
The VCF Architect is the person who is deciding how the VCF environment is going to be framed up. For example, they are deciding how large each datastore may be, how many vmkernel ports will be used, what the HA and DRS settings for each cluster might be, how passwords get rotated, what will be authoritative for the certificate chains, etc. As such, this exam will be more challenging but it will demonstrate ownership, responsibility, and thorough decision making of an entire VCF environment. At least, that’s the intention.
Next most asked question – The VCP Architect sounds like the next level exam from the VCP Administrator. So why is it still only a VCP?
Real answer – I don’t know.
Wipe the WTF off your face. Your sister here doesn’t have all the answers. I’m just the messenger.
The next thing you will ask me is – So what’s the difference between them and which one should I go for since VMware made them look like the equivalent?
Your real question is since VMware has made them the equivalent, which one is easier?
My answer: The VCF Admin is easier.
Then why should I ever consider the VCF Architect?
My answer: I view the VCF Admin as the next generation VMware VCP and the VCF Architect as the next generation VCAP.
Then you will ask me – Is VMware going to change it again and waste my effort in going after one of these certs?
My answer: Probably. The entire field is changing and evolving. The truth is if you have a goal of some kind in 2025 that is related to these exams, then get it done and meet your goal. Many of the IT certs have a 2 year expiration date anyways so we can’t rely it giving us much value past the 2 year mark. We have to refresh the certs and by that time, we have to reassess how the VMware cert landscape has changed.
Where on earth does the VMware Certified Professional – VMware vSphere Foundation Administrator exam come in?
My answer: When you don’t buy the VCF SKU. Yeah, I’m serious. If you only have ESXi hosts, vCenter, and Ops Manager, you should only be tested on those things, right? Well, this exam does the job. We all know VCF is a beast. We at VMware hope to tame that beast but it’s going to take a few years. But why should you climb onto the back of that beastlike test if you’re not going to deploy it?
Here’s more for you to think about – many changes are being made to the VMware portfolio as a whole due to the company evolving. These changes will be reflected in the material the company puts out as well as what the certification material will test on. I foresee the exam material morphing for at least a few years out due to the software changes.
Here are my positive thoughts that I will leave you with:
- It seems a lot of first time VCF Admin test takers are passing on the first try so it might be an easy VCP to achieve.
- VCF as a platform is not as simple as vSphere to bring up. The work you do on the exams will show you how the platform is changing, evolving, consolidating, and improving. That is valuable experience that not everyone has. All exam studying improves your knowledge of a topic. This field is beginning to narrow down so time invested here will allow you to build your knowledge and understanding as the platform further matures.
- I am personally very excited about the changes we are making in the VCF stack. We put out a lot of material saying VCF is this and that in the past and many have criticized us. That criticism is valid and I don’t think the company had the ability to pull together previously to address the criticism. We do now. It’s hard work coordinating across such a large portfolio so it’s going to take us time to get there. But dang, we are doing it.
I can’t yet speak on what’s coming in VCF 9.0 and on, but 9.0 will give you a view into what the VCF stack will evolve to be. The VCF stack will evolve to save you time and make it far easier to administer data centers, as an enterprise IT stack should. As 9.0 launches, I’ll have more to share as a VCF Product Manager so stay tuned!
Good Luck and I hope to address a big room of VCF VCP’s in the near future!
Frances
Where are the links to these exams and how should I study for them?
VCP VCF Administrator Exam Page
Notes: No course pre-req’s. You can take the exam as is and get the cert by passing.
Recommended courseware is the current VMware Cloud Foundation: Deploy, Manage, Configure course.
As of this post, current course material and exam is based on VCF 5.2.
VCP VCF Architect Exam Page
Notes: No course pre-req’s. You can take the exam as is and get the cert by passing.
Recommended courseware is the current VMware Cloud Foundation: Deploy, Manage, Configure & VMware vSphere: Design courses.
As of this post, current course material and exam is based on VCF 5.2.
VCP – VVF Administrator Exam Page
Notes: No course pre-req’s. You can take the exam as is and get the cert by passing.
Recommended courseware is the current VMware Cloud Foundation: Deploy, Manage, Configure course.
As of this post, current exam content is based on VMware vSphere Foundation 5.2
Where did they move the online training to?
How to access online training – you have to log into the Broadcom Support site here: https://support.broadcom.com/
You must have an account to log in – it’s free.
Once logged in, click on the Education Portal Tile
All options from this point on require an ACTIVE VMWARE SUBSCRIPTION.
If you have a current VCF subscription, you should have access to a VCF Entitlement that contains online courses. Ensure your account is set up with the entitlement. Check with your provider and/or VMware account team if you have VCF and need your account set up.
From the new browser window opened, select VMware Digital Entitlement and Entitlement (VCF) from the top red bar
From the VMware Cloud Foundation – Digital Learning Entitlement page, expand the Cloud Foundation (VCF) navigation item
If you have purchased a VMware Learning or a VMware Enterprise Learning Subscription, select them from the top bar under VMware Subscriptions
The VCF courses are also under the collapsed Cloud Foundation (VCF) menu item.