Having Choices Is Always a Plus: IBM Certification Analogues

Of course, the IBM certification program presents many opportunities to train and qualify specialists in various areas. If you turn to the details, but at the moment this accreditation program includes 189 designations and more than 1,700 badges in various technical directions. As you can imagine, such a wide range of certifications and badges in different areas offers candidates a choice of which path to follow. So, it could be cloud, systems, security, Watson, Watson Customer Engagement, Watson Internet of Things.

But we should not forget that in each of these areas there are vendors that can compete very well with the IBM accreditation pathways. And it’s not that anyone is worse or better. It’s that you have even more choice of specialization and development opportunities when you can focus on your capabilities, goals, and desires. Meantime, it’s a chance to back up your knowledge and experience with a relevant official certificate without the long training and preparation for something you might not need in your current job.

So, let’s take a few IBM accreditations and look at similar options from other vendors.

Cloud Certification

Now, with expanded Internet access, global virtualization due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the accelerated digitization of services, many companies are rushing to move their data and systems to the cloud. Therefore, the demand for both cloud technology and specialists capable of managing this technology will grow exponentially. At the same time, the consulting company Gartner claims that cloud technology will account for about 14% of corporate IT spending by 2024. By comparison, at the end of 2020, that share was 9%.

Therefore, it is not necessary to explain why professional growth and skill development in the Cloud is advisable for any motivated IT pros. And here, IBM can offer the IBM Certified Solution Advisor – IBM Cloud Foundations V2 certification. This designation implies that the certificate holder can easily interact with clients who want to develop or choose an IBM Cloud-based solution. At the same time, the accredited Advisor can properly present industry-leading IBM and Open solutions. This qualification involves taking the C1000-083: Foundations of IBM Cloud V2 exam, which costs $200.

It is worth bearing in mind that there are a lot of cloud technology vendors in the IT market. Therefore, depending on the technology used in your company, you can make a choice in favor of one or another vendor for certification. For example, Amazon Web Services (AWS) Solutions Architect – Associate qualification will help prove your competence to manage, deploy and use multiple services in AWS. And by paying just $150, you will have the opportunity to take the appropriate test under the code SAA-C02 to prove your knowledge of AWS services for networking, computing, storage, and key AWS infrastructure.

Cybersecurity Certification

It’s no secret that cybersecurity is an effective practice for protecting networks, computers, and data from loss, damage, theft, and unauthorized access. And now that data is no longer stored on punch cards or in separate archive rooms, cybercrime is one of the most pressing problems of the digital world. What’s more, as information technology evolves, attackers are developing increasingly sophisticated ways to steal, destroy and damage important and costly information. Therefore, it is not surprising if working in the field of information security you will somehow encounter the need to obtain an official certificate.

Especially since the range is quite broad and includes a raft of security specialties and areas. For starters, IBM is known for its free IBM Cybersecurity Analyst Professional Certificate. This is a unique opportunity to advance your career in cybersecurity and prove that you can handle real-world problems. So, by completing the appropriate training and qualifying test you will prove your knowledge of data protection mechanisms, endpoints, network, and system fundamentals, and the threat analysis process.

At the same time, there are accreditation opportunities on the market from security-focused vendors such as (ISC)², ISACA, or CompTIA. Or, for example, the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification offered by the EC-Council will prove you capable of penetration testing as well as attack detection and prevention. And by passing the relevant 312-50 exam, you stand a good chance of proving to your employer that you think like a hacker and have a more proactive approach to cybersecurity.

Data Science Certification

At the moment, data science is a promising technology that offers enormous opportunities and is constantly evolving. Moreover, this is precisely the area where various tools and technologies are applied that the aspiring professional needs to be aware of. Therefore, it is not surprising that in order to meet the market demand and stay relevant, many people rush to get comprehensive training and official certification from well-known vendors.

For example, IBM gives you the opportunity to get the free Data Science Professional Certificate, which will confirm your fundamental knowledge of SQL and Python, key concepts of data science, and machine learning. This track, in addition to the relevant training, includes hands-on projects through which you will understand how to perform data analysis using Pandas and evaluate machine learning models through Scikit.

In the meantime, if you’re more interested in working with data in Azure, the Microsoft Certified Azure Data Scientist Associate is a great fit for you, as it will validate your subject matter expertise in data science and executing machine learning workloads in Azure. By completing the tasks of the DP-100 test, which costs $165, you can confidently claim to be able to plan and effectively create Azure workloads and train predictive models.

Conclusion

As you can see now, the market is saturated with offers of accreditation. Yes, it can be confusing for some people. But just figure out exactly what technologies and directions you’re interested in, what your timeline, budget, and intentions are, and you can find the perfect certification option for you. Take your time and move clearly toward your career goal. Good luck!