CompTIA Storage+ Powered by SNIA Certification Earns ISO Accreditation

Downers Grove, Ill., and San Francisco, August 28, 2012 – CompTIA, the leading provider of vendor-neutral skills certifications for the world’s information technology (IT) workforce, and the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) announced today that their CompTIA Storage+  Powered by SNIA certification has been accredited by the International Organization of Standardization (ISO).

The ISO/IEC 17024 accreditation for CompTIA Storage+  Powered by SNIA is a global benchmark for personnel certification programs. The designation validates that the two organizations operate in a consistent, comparable and reliable manner worldwide, thereby allowing individuals to have skills that translate across international boundaries.

Five CompTIA certifications are ISO accredited: CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, Storage+ and Advanced Security Practitioner.

“Accreditation by an independent body that conducts an impartial review creates an extremely valuable distinction for a personnel certification program,” said Terry Erdle, executive vice president, certification, CompTIA. “This value extends through the service network – from certification body, to certificate holder, to employer, to the public they serve. This status further affirms that CompTIA certifications are the recognized industry benchmark for a broad range of foundation-level IT skills.”

Data storage and backup ranked as the number one or number two priority for organizations of all sizes – micro, small, medium and large – surveyed for CompTIA’s State of the IT Skills Gap study, published in February 2012. The study also found that 92 percent of organizations felt storage and data back-up skills are important or very important to their IT needs.

“Enrolling in a SNIA or CompTIA recognized industry instructor-led training course before taking the ISO accredited CompTIA Storage+  Powered by SNIA exam can update and expand one’s storage administration knowledge through work experience and vendor product training,” said Wayne M. Adams, SNIA Chairman of the Board. “Required skills and knowledge continue to evolve with the changing landscape of enterprise storage, storage networks, cloud storage and big data.”

CompTIA Storage+  Powered by SNIA combines the thought and technical leadership of the SNIA with the global certification development and management capabilities of CompTIA. The result is a credential recognized globally as the standard for validating IT professionals who manage data storage, including storage networking managers, system integrators, product developers, networking systems engineers and technical marketing personnel.

“The exam did a good job covering past, present and future emerging technologies,” said David Lundgren, a senior solutions architect with Iron Bow Technologies, who became CompTIA Storage+  Powered by SNIA certified in 2011. “It definitely challenged my knowledge of data center fabric, storage and backup and recovery.”

The certification is also a differentiator for Lundgren’s employer, a technology solutions provider and value-added reseller serving both government and commercial customers.

“Whenever you’re bidding on projects in the federal sector certifications mean a lot,” Lundgren said. “The Department of Defense already recognizes CompTIA, so when you say in a bid, ‘We have our CompTIA Storage+ under our belts,’ we are looked on a little more favorably than our competitors who don’t.”

The CompTIA Storage+  Powered by SNIA certification exam covers the knowledge and skills required to configure basic networks to include archive, backup and restoration technologies. Additionally, the successful candidate will be able to understand the fundamentals of business continuity, application workload, system integration and storage/system administration, while performing basic troubleshooting on connectivity issues.

Complete exam objectives, sample questions, information on training materials, how to purchase exam vouchers and other information about CompTIA Storage+  Powered by SNIA are available on the CompTIA Certification website.

About CompTIA

CompTIA is the voice of the world’s information technology (IT) industry. Its members are the companies at the forefront of innovation; and the professionals responsible for maximizing the benefits organizations receive from their investments in technology. CompTIA is dedicated to advancing industry growth through its educational programs, market research, networking events, professional certifications, and public policy advocacy. For more information, visit www.comptia.org or follow CompTIA at www.facebook.com/CompTIA and twitter.com/comptia.

About the SNIA

The Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) is a not–for–profit global organization, made up of some 400 member companies spanning virtually the entire storage industry.  SNIA’s mission is to lead the storage industry worldwide in developing and promoting standards, technologies, and educational services to empower organizations in the management of information. To this end, the SNIA is uniquely committed to delivering standards, education, and services that will propel open storage networking solutions into the broader market. For additional information, visit the SNIA web site at http://www.snia.org. For additional information on SNIA Certification training, visit /education/courses/training_tc.

Dan La Russo                                                 

Senior Vice President

Ogilvy PR

303-634-2634

dan.larusso@ogilvy.com