OpenStack Foundation Launches Open Source Cloud Certification Program

The OpenStack Foundation wants to make it easier for companies to find experienced cloud admins with the help of a new certification program, which the organization announced this week.

Private companies have offered OpenStack certification programs for several years. Some pair their offerings with training programs, such as Mirantis, which launched “hands-on” OpenStack training and certification in 2013.

Many of these certification programs, however, focus only on certain parts of the OpenStack ecosystem, whose breadth and rapid growth have made comprehensive certification tough. In addition, none of the programs enjoyed the direct backing of the OpenStack Foundation itself, except for temporary training and certification initiatives that the organization has offered in the past.

That changed this week with the announcement that admins can receive official certification of their OpenStack prowess from the OpenStack Foundation by taking a test. The Linux Foundation will help administer the test, and about 20 organizations are expected to offer training courses to help admins prepare for it.

While OpenStack certification is nothing new, a centralized, vendor-agnostic offering should help to standardize cloud administration skills for the OpenStack ecosystem. It should also help admins with OpenStack expertise to find jobs, since it offers employers a new assurance that prospective employees can administer cloud environments effectively.