Earlier this year, HP announced its first Big Data Solutions training and certification program for the HP Vertica Analytics Platform. It is available through the HP ExpertOne program.
“Big Data has become much more of a mainstream topic in the last 12-24 months,” said Chris Selland, Vice President, Marketing, HP Vertica. “As an IT topic, Big Data is not new, but what has changed over this time is that line of business execs are now more interested in it, and they are turning to certified solution providers to help them.”
Analyst reports suggest solution providers with the requisite Big Data skills are in short supply. According to a recent Gartner report, Big Data demand will reach 4.4 million jobs globally by 2015, but only one-third of those jobs will be filled. HP says IT professionals must acquire the skills needed to connect, analyze and manage any type of information, in any location, using any interface, to help organizations fully realize the potential of Big Data.
“There is a large demand for people who are certified on Big Data, which this program will address,” Seiland said.
This new training and certification program is designed for both customers and partners, and is designed to validate the skills and proficiency of HP Vertica system administrators, database analysts and application developers responsible for managing Big Data analytics. Since solution providers have already been selling Vertica without certifications, requiring the certification in order to sell it would be impractical. The advantage for the partner in having the certification is the superior credential they can present to potential customers about their advanced training on Vertica.
“It addresses the demand for them to show their proficiency, to be a better solution provider for the customer, Seiland said. ” Because of this we absolutely see it as a tremendous enabler for the channel.”
Certification is by individual, not by company, and requires extensive training through coursework and real-world, on-the-job experience with the HP Vertica Analytics Platform prior to taking the exam.
“Initially, most of the training is oriented around Vertica, so at this point in time, it is somewhat specialized, but as we go forward and Big Data is used even more broadly it will be more aimed at the general audience,” Seiland said.
HP Vertica Big Data Solutions certification is now available to all worldwide partners and customers. Exam registration is available at www.hp.com/go/ExpertOne.
