Brocade Prepares to Launch 16 Gbps BCFD Cert

OK, so once a month I either get together by phone or email with Joe Cannata, Brocade’s Senior Manager of Business Development/Certification, to get the latest and greatest news from that company’s active certification and training program. Although Joe tells me that this time of year “is kind of a quiet period for us,” he also informs me that as of December 8, his company is getting a new version of its Brocade Certified Fabric Designer (BCFD) program underway. This iteration will address the company’s new 16 Gbps Fibre Channel switching and routing fabric technologies, in much the same way that the existing BCFP exam addresses 8 Gbps technologies.

Headline from the BCFP home page

There’s an upcoming beta exam in development that will carry the exam number #142-270. It should become available to interesting candidates in mid-January. Joe also tells me that you’ll be able to find study materials in Brocade’s online Certification Communityabout two weeks before the open beta exam period gets going. He also indicates that one primary exam resource will be the Brocade eBook entitled SAN Design and Best Practices (available for free through the link provided here). In fact, it’s already available for download and reading, and thus also seems like a great way to get started right away if you’re interested in the  upcoming BCFD credential. The beta period is scheduled to start on 1/19/2012 and will run about five weeks, to close on 2/24/2012, with results available in late April. Normally beta exams are available at a deep discount, so this may be a worthwhile venture for those already involved in Brocade certification or looking for a good reason to jump into this arena.

On another note, Joe informs me that Brocade just awarded its fourteenth Brocade Distinguished Architect credential this year. All 14 of these individuals work around the world from Florida to Thailand, and represent the cream of the Brocade certified professional cadre (it’s necessary to pass around 20 exams to earn this highly esteemed pinnacle certification).