Symantec is always looking for human-interest stories from Symantec Certified Specialists, particularly during a global economic downturn. Let others know If you have a story to tell -- perhaps how certification helped distinguish you from other candidates, or maybe how you received a salary increase once you got Symantec certified. Or, since preparing to be certified and getting certified, have you increased time to efficiency by being able to make full use of the software? Tell us your story and help us improve the program. Thank you, The Symantec Certification Team

A few years ago I was working for a contracting company that won a large contract with the federal government. One of the requirements in the contract was certification of the contractors in the field that they were to be working. I was the NetBackup administrator for two NetBackup environments running NetBackup 4.5 and was in the process of upgrading to NetBackup 5.x. I tested and became certified for data protection for UNIX and also Windows. Although it did not provide additional income for me it did help the contracting company I was working for win the federal contract. I have since then moved on and have not had a need for the certification. Now the certification for NetBackup 5.1 is not of much value as that version is no longer supported by symantec. If Symantec would reward me with NetBackup 6.5 training then I would endeavor to become certified in Netbackup 6.5 :-) .

I was certified on NetBackup v5 a few years ago. At the time, I was managing 2 NetBackup environments for a data center offering Managed Services. The main reason to get the certification was to be able to provide customers with a comfort level that our engineers were certified in the products that we use. Since there were no books that pertained to the NetBackup certification tests, I had to download the testing guide from the NetBackup site. By going through the testing guide I was exposed to several areas of the product that I had not used in detail and I learned about some of the performance tuning and reports that were available. So, while I did not benefit monetarily I did get beneficial information about the product that helped me to do my job better so it was worth it. Joe

but my coworkers insist that I am certifiable. ;-)

Which citification would you recommend for Netbackup newbie and what best resources to read

When starting out on NetBackup it is a lofty piece of software to get used to. But a good one to sink your teeth into. At first it is the initial response/impulse to try and become certified or at least trained officially. At the time we got Netbackup 3.4 back in 2000 that was the reaction. But getting training was hard to get on the product, not many training companies offered it locally then. 9 years have now passed and after a moving all the way through the major releases and updates using NetBackup on several platforms and its several facets of implementation and features it has given us over the years I have those years of experience in my pocket, so wouldn't consider going for certification now. It really depends on your job/career path I would say, and how you want to promote yourself as a Netbackup Administrator. I'm still learning new ways to use the product, or get the best out of it on my own. And sometimes that is more rewarding than a piece of paper. It would be a nice to have though. (Bob I would vote you get recognition/rewarded for your strong community involvement) :-)

Has certification helped you?

rjrumfelt
Level 6
16 years ago
Here in Raleigh, NC, there are several training facilities that offer courses for various segments of the IT industry, including OS certification (Linux, Solaris, Windows) as well as application certifcations (Netbackup, Oracle, MSSQL). Sometimes these courses are taught by facility staff, and sometimes they bring in vendor trainers, such as someone from Symantec to teach a class on Netbackup. Typically, at the end of the course, they allow you to take whatever certification test is required by the vendor, and the cost of the test is usually worked into the cost of the course (which is never cheap). You can also go to these same training facilties to take the test by itself, if you've studied up on your own. You pay the fee that Symantec charges, plus a little on top of that because usually someone from the facility has to proctor the test.
MariusD
Level 6
16 years ago
ok, Thanks
Reagan
Level 5
16 years ago
I first got certified as a Veritas NBU 4.5 Data Protection Profession in 2005. The tests were very hard, but they forced me to read the manuals and to understand the basics of NetBackup and how it works. When Symantec took over, my cert got expired and replaced with the partner STS Cert Exams, which I have passed. Experience is what really matters. I would say if you are first starting off learning NetBackup, go for your certifications as a learning process and have something to offer besides experience.

Forum Discussion

Has certification helped you?

Related Content

SSE+ Certification

Re: Install Failed - installation roll back while in processing

SSL Certificate Settings deleted for Port : 0.0.0.0:50106

How has Symantec Certification helped you?

NDMP help