MEF SDN/NFV certification is the first certification for SDN and NFV built to international standards; five MEF training providers are set to offer training and certification testing
The industry association MEF is pleased to announce the production release of its MEF SDN/NFV professional certification. Following a successful beta-exam review period, the MEF-SDN/NFV exam now provides the first industry-wide certification that validates professionals’ knowledge, skills, and abilities in the domains of software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV). MEF also announced that five training companies that are members of the prestigious MEF Accredited Training Provider (MEF-ATP) program are qualified to deliver approved training for this certification. Incentives for IT/telecom professionals to earn this credential were also announced by MEF.
“We are delighted that MEF has created yet another skills certification in software-centric networking technologies, adding to its world-renowned Carrier Ethernet Certified Professional (MEF-CECP) credential,” said Nan Chen, president of MEF. “Given the rising deployment of SDN and NFV solutions globally, and the tremendous potential for telecom and enterprise IT organizations to leverage SDN and NFV, we are confident that this certification will open new doors, new jobs, and new horizons for the networking workforce. Organizations that encourage their IT professionals to train for and earn this credential will signal their commitment to excellence in their workforce. Already we have received inquiries from companies wanting to get their engineers, operators and technical architects certified.”
Exam Built to Exacting Standards
With the help of SDN and NFV subject matter experts around the world, MEF built the certification exam to exacting ISO 17024 quality specifications for accuracy and reliability. “This is the first certification of its kind in the exploding field of virtualized networking,” said Rick Bauer, certification director at MEF. “We’re grateful to have so many companies and organizations collaborating and providing their expertise, and we look forward to broad industry acceptance of this credential.”
MEF also announced that five of its Accredited Training Providers (MEF-ATPs) are already prepared to deliver training in preparation for taking the MEF-SDN/NFV certification exam and will be offering classes in the weeks ahead. Those organizations are Carrier Ethernet Academy, Criterion Networks, Perpetual Solutions, SDN Essentials, and Tech2000.
The MEF-SDN/NFV certification exam is built around the key themes of “Design,” Deploy, and Manage, and details and references are contained in the newly released examination blueprint. Professionals seeking to validate their competencies must be able to demonstrate their abilities in various design, installation, and security scenarios involving SDN, NFV, and instances when virtualized objects such as VNFs (virtualized network functions) are deployed into SDN architectures.
The value of skills certifications continues to grow, especially in networking. A recent study[1] revealed that 91 percent of employers use IT certification as a reliable indicator of a good candidate in the hiring process and that certified IT staff routinely earn higher salaries than their noncertified counterparts.
New webinar to discuss trends in SDN and NFV
MEF also announced the second of its webinars on the BrightTALK platform is scheduled for 10 July 2018. Titled “SDN & NFV: Executive Perspectives on Organizational Readiness” (register here), the webinar features experts Dan Pitt, vice president of MEF (and Vishal Sharma, analyst with Metanoia, Inc.), in a wide-ranging discussion about the future trends for SDN and NFV. These experts will also discuss the challenge of upskilling the existing workforce to be more proficient in these technologies.
MEF now offers three certifications as part of its comprehensive Professional Certification Framework. These include the MEF-SDN/NFV Certified Professional, MEF Carrier Ethernet Certified Professional (MEF-CECP), and MEF Network Foundations (MEF-NF) certifications. Individuals who obtain all three of these certifications qualify for the coveted MEF Network Expert certification.
Industry professionals may register here for the MEF SDN/NFV, MEF-CECP, and MEF-NF certification exams. The MEF-SDN/NFV exam is available for an introductory price of US$320 for a very limited time this summer (expires 15 September 2019). Any exam purchased during this introductory period is valid for use for one year from the purchase date.
For questions, contact Rick Bauer at rick@MEF.net.
About MEF
An industry association of 200 plus member companies, MEF recently introduced the MEF 3.0 transformational global services framework for defining, delivering, and certifying agile, assured, and orchestrated services over a global ecosystem of automated networks. MEF 3.0 services are designed to provide an on-demand, cloud-centric experience with user- and application-directed control over network resources and service capabilities. MEF 3.0 services are delivered over automated, virtualized, and interconnected networks powered by LSO, SDN, and NFV. MEF produces service specifications, LSO frameworks, open LSO APIs, software-driven reference implementations, and certification programs. MEF 3.0 work will enable automated delivery of standardized Layer 1, Carrier Ethernet, IP, SD-WAN, and Layer 4-7 services across multiple provider networks. For more information: https://www.mef.net.
[1] 2017 IT Skills and Salary Report, published by Global Knowledge. Download report at https://www.globalknowledge.com/us-en/content/salary-report/it-skills-and-salary-report/
