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Who's Who in CertificationEmmett Dulaney There are a number of ways you can go about preparing for a certification exam. Undisputedly, the best way is to actually have years of hands-on experience with every topic -- and objective -- on the exam that you are preparing to take. Since that isn't always possible (even in the workplace, you rarely are confronted with every issue that the test writers conjure up), there are a number of other ways to learn the topics. If you are good at self-study, you can research topics on the Internet (for free), purchase books/study guides/training manuals (slightly more expensive), or buy software-based learning aides like practice tests, simulations, and the like. If you are not good at self-study, you can consider short classes, boot camps, or vendor-sponsored/approved training. As a universal rule, the longer the course, or the more tailored it is to a niche topic, generally the more expensive it is. In an attempt to ascertain which vendors are offering what study materials, Sys Admin created a questionnaire and sent it to as many different businesses as possible. The answers and responses to those questionnaires have been compiled into the table that follows. It must also be noted that organizations behind many of the certifications (CompTIA, LPI, etc.) are not included in the list because they do not offer training materials, per se, but focus only on authenticating skills. While every attempt was made to contact as many different vendors as possible, the list may not be complete simply because some vendors did not respond or because their names were inadvertently overlooked in the mailing. If there are any vendors that should be in the list, but are not, please let us know. Emmett Dulaney is the author of several books on Linux, Unix, and certification. He is a former partner in Mercury Technical Solutions, and can be reached at: edulaney@iquest.net. Contact Information Accelerated Learning Center
Advanced Concepts Training Corporation
Batky-Howell, LLC
Black Hat
Computer Security Institute
EDULEARN, Inc.
Fortuitous Technologies, Inc.
Harker Systems
Kaplan IT
The Linux Box Corporation
Linux Certified, Inc.
MIS Training Institute
Netsysco
PCTibbitts LLC
Planetlearn
ProTech Professional Services, Inc.
Red Hat, Inc.
The SANS Institute
SD Conferences
SpiderTools.com
Stonehenge Consulting Services
Suncochin
Sun Microsystems
Themis Training |