HPE Partner Ready Certification and Learning program
Partner Ready Certification and Learning program is an information technology (IT) professional certification and training program covering the products of Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Certification and Learning helps HPE customers, HPE reseller partners, and HPE employees develop, manage and maintain their IT expertise. The primary components of the program are training, certification, and community.
Certification validates that a person has acquired the knowledge and mastered a specific set of skills in order to perform a job role and to work with specific HPE products or solutions. Validation takes the form of a standard exam or set of exams. Optional training is available to help candidates learn the subject matter and prepare for a certification exam.
Training
Candidates for Partner Ready Certification and Learning program certifications have the option to take HPE certification training, which is available in the form of instructor-led courses, virtual classes and labs, and self-paced online courses. Training is recommended though not required for a candidate who is preparing to take a certification exam.
Certification training classes are taught by HPE Certified Instructors through HPE Authorized Training Centers (ATCs) located throughout the world.
Certification
A certification is acquired by an individual by meeting all of the prerequisites and core requirements of a specific credential. Prerequisites are typically lower level credentials from HPE or third party providers, and core requirements are typically web-based or proctored exams. In some cases, high level HPE certifications may require a face-to-face board review as a core requirement. HPE customers, partners and employees are eligible to take the tests to acquire HPe certifications.
Certification and Learning has two types of certifications. Career certifications are for IT professionals across multiple job roles. They validate that individuals have the knowledge and skills to assess, design, implement, operate, support and maintain a converged IT environment. Affiliate certifications validate that HPE and reseller partner employees in a sales, technical or support role have the knowledge and skills to position, sell, integrate and support HPE solutions in a customer environment.
Career Certifications
Career certifications cover a broad range of skill levels, starting at a foundational level and progressing through the most advanced technical competencies. Each career certification is aligned to a specific job role, including but not limited to architect, implementer, administrator and hardware or software support.
Foundational - HPE Product Certified validates that you can recommend and demonstrate a specific product. It verifies that you know the features and functions of the associated product, and further can perform installation, setup processes and can configure environments. It also shows you that understand the benefits and strengths of the solution area for the associated product.
Professional - Technical certifications that develop the foundational skills needed for the HPE small to medium business and mid-market solutions. Skills include designing HPE solutions, installing and configuring HPE technology, and administrating and supporting the solutions once they are in place. Certifications include storage, server, and networking technologies. The credential brand is HPE Accredited Technical Professional, or HPE ATP. This brand replaces the previous certification brands HP Accredited Integration Specialist (HP AIS); HP Certified Systems Administrator (HP CSA); and HP Certified Systems Engineer (HP CSE).
Expert – Advanced technical certifications that develop deep technical skills focused on complex enterprise HPE technologies and solutions. Skills include designing global solutions, implementing and configuring efficient and effective IT deployments, and administrating and supporting those solutions in a heterogeneous environment. Certifications include but are not limited to Cloud, Converged Infrastructure/advanced data center, Storage, Servers and Networking. The credential brand is HPE Accredited Solutions Expert, or HPE ASE. This brand replaces the previous certification HP Accredited Systems Engineer.
Master – The highest level of certification develops deep technical skills in advanced HPE solutions combined with business acumen in the IT domain. Skills include aligning the IT solution to an organization's financial and business goals, designing and implementing complex solutions from the proposal stage to live implementation using the full breadth of HP technology and portfolio capabilities. Certifications include but are not limited to Cloud, Converged Infrastructure/advanced data center, Storage, and Networking. The credential brand is HPE Master Accredited Solutions Expert, or HPE Master ASE. The brand replaces the previous certification HP Master Accredited Systems Engineer.
Affiliate Certifications
Affiliate certifications are restricted to HPE employees and HPE channel partners who are in sales, technical, or hardware support job roles. Like the Career certifications, the Affiliate certification levels are based on experience and skills.
Sales Certified – Product and technology sales certifications that develop product and solution positioning and selling skills at a foundational level. Skills include identifying target markets and customers, understanding and positioning product features and benefits, and identifying up-sell and cross-sell opportunities. These certifications are restricted to HPE Employees and Partners. The credential brand is HPE Sales Certified, and it replaces the previous certification HP Accredited Sales Professional (HPE ASP).
Advanced Sales Certified – Solutions-focused sales certifications that develop advanced selling skills which include understanding key products for a particular solution, and how to competitively position and sell that solution. The consultative selling techniques allow the sales individual to identify customer business problems and determine how to meet their specific business objectives using HP products and solutions. These certifications are designed for experienced sales professionals and are restricted to HP Employees and Partners. The credential brand is HPE Advanced Sales Certified, and it replaces the previous certification HP Accredited Sales Consultant (HPE ASC).
Technical Certified I – Technical certifications that develop design, installation/startup, and support skills. These certifications focus on HPE SMB and mid-market products, technology and solutions. These certifications are restricted to HPE Employees and Partners. The credential brand is HPE Technical Certified I and it replaces the previous certification HP Accredited Presales Professional (HP APP).
Technical Certified II – Technical certifications that develop design, installation/startup, and support skills. These certifications focus on HPE Enterprise and advanced products, technology and solutions. These certifications are restricted to HPE Employees and Partners. The credential brand is HPE Technical Certified II and it replaces the previous certification HPE Accredited Presales Consultant (HP APC).
Support Certified – Technical certifications that develop hardware and break/fix support skills on HPE volume products. These certifications are restricted to HPE Employees and Partners and can be used to authorize warranty service deliveries. The credential brand is HPE Support Certified and it replaces the previous certification HP Accredited Platform Specialist.
HPE Flagship certification
The Master ASE – Data Center and Cloud Architect certification is the highest level of the HPE Partner Ready Certification and Learning program certifications. This certification validates that the IT professional has the broad knowledge and skills necessary to develop a data center architecture based on Data Center and Cloud products and technologies. The ideal candidate possesses cross-domain product knowledge that spans servers, storage, networking, power and cooling, systems management and other data center elements. The candidate must understand how to deploy solution blocks such as ERP/CRM and messaging and collaboration based on the Converged Infrastructure core architecture. In addition, the candidate for this certification must be able to articulate the business value proposition of the Converged Infrastructure, data center, and HPE Helion strategies and the solutions that he/she develops.
The Master ASE – Data Center and Cloud Architect certification uses a board review in the knowledge validation process. The candidate must submit an application to request a board review. HPE assigns a business case scenario to the candidate, and he/she must design an appropriate solution using HPE Converged Infrastructure, data center, and HPE Helion strategies, technologies, and products. In addition to taking a proctored exam, the candidate must present his/her design to the board and justify the solution from both a technology and a return-on-investment position.
In addition to the board review, there is one proctored exam that covers data center fundamentals, networking, storage, elements of ITIL, and more. The candidate is able to build on certifications he/she has attained from Cisco, Microsoft and other third party agencies.
Community
The HPE Certification and Learning Community is organized around three primary sets of offerings: Knowledge, Connections and Marketplace.
Knowledge – This element of the Partner Ready Certification and Learning program is focused on the expert technical knowledge that IT professionals want and need to perform their jobs better. The My Learning portal allows community members to get access to critical information, tools, software downloads, and reference architectures provided by HPE and other industry experts.
Connections – The Partner Ready Certification and Learning Community facilitates the connections and relationships among people who need help and who can help each other. The connections take place in many modes and forms, including (but not limited to) private and public forums, blogs, webinars presented by HPE experts followed by interactive discussions, non-disclosure briefings and feedback, and more. These connections allow a community member to reach out to others and get expert answers and advice when it is needed to solve a challenge. The HPE Certification and Learning community members from around the world can connect with each other and with subject matter experts within HPE via the online forums.
Marketplace – The Partner Ready Certification and Learning Community Marketplace is a future offering that will be a virtual meeting place where members can offer or source expertise.
References
External links
HPE Certification and Learning