Most readers will know that over the past year I have been very busy running CloudU, a broad-based cloud education program that I created with the support of Rackspace.

The program has met with amazing support – the whitepapers have been extensively read, the webinars well patronized and the initial eBook has met with positivity. The natural next step was to try and fill the hole that exists in our industry around the lack of formal qualifications. Which is where the CloudU certificate comes in.

Especially in these times with difficult economic conditions and rapidly changing technology environments, giving IT professionals and business people a certificate that they can use to boost their resume, keep abreast of a developing technology arena and provide a background understanding when talking to other people within their organization is really valuable.

As we see it – the benefits of the certificate include;

  • Demonstration of professional development in the area of Cloud Computing.
  • A technical understanding of the foundations of Cloud Computing as compared to traditional IT.
  • Understanding of how business can integrate Cloud Computing into their IT infrastructure.
  • Ability to create economic value within a business organization through the implementation of Cloud innovations.
  • Understanding of the issues associated with integrating Cloud Computing into an organization’s existing compliance, risk and regulatory framework.

The program itself includes 10 individual lessons, each of which have a quick post-lesson quiz. At the end of that there is an exam, success in which entitles the participant to justifiable announce with pride that they have gained the CloudU certificate.

I’m personally proud of the program, and thankful to the team at Rackspace who have invested in it and resisted any temptation to turn it into a marketing exercise. CloudU really is a vendor neutral program – I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.

Ben Kepes

Ben Kepes is a technology evangelist, an investor, a commentator and a business adviser. Ben covers the convergence of technology, mobile, ubiquity and agility, all enabled by the Cloud. His areas of interest extend to enterprise software, software integration, financial/accounting software, platforms and infrastructure as well as articulating technology simply for everyday users.

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