CompTIA and Certification Partners Join Forces to Create New Certification for Convergence Technologies Professionals

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CompTIA, the non-profit trade association for the information technology (IT) industry, announced today it is collaborating with Certification Partners, LLC, owners of the Convergence Technologies Professional (CTP) certification, on a new credential that validates skills and standards-based knowledge in today's convergence technologies.

“We're excited to help CompTIA present a unified convergence education standard”

The new CTP+ certification available Aug. 30 combines elements of the CTP and CompTIA Convergence+ certifications and is designed to address the rapidly changing landscape of new network convergence products and solutions.

Convergence technologies typically refer to solutions that allow data, voice and video to be distributed over a single network. Examples include voice-over-IP (VoIP) telephony, unified messaging and web conferencing. By converging multiple networks into a single network, organizations typically gain more flexibility to manage and administer networks together; boost efficiency; and contain costs by reducing network management costs and local access and long distance phone charges.

“CTP+ fills a void and a need for a single, industry-accepted credential that encompasses the full spectrum of knowledge and skills within the realm of convergence technologies,” said Terry Erdle, senior vice president, skills certification, CompTIA. “We’re pleased to work with Certification Partners in this joint effort to build a workforce with the comprehensive skills necessary to advance the adoption of convergence technology solutions.”

“We're excited to help CompTIA present a unified convergence education standard," said Dr. James Stanger, chief certification architect for CTP+. "Service providers, manufacturers and IT professionals worldwide can now rest assured they are adopting a standard that provides skills for high-demand careers in the convergence industry.”

With the introduction of the new CTP+ certification, CompTIA and Certification Partners also announced today that the current CompTIA Convergence+ and Certification Partners’ CTP 2007 certifications will both be retired on October 31, 2010.

Research by CompTIA and other sources indicates that organizations of all sizes and from various markets are aggressively deploying convergence solutions. For example, the April 2010 CompTIA’s Second Annual SMB Technology Adoption study found that 55 percent of small and mid-sized business (fewer than 500 employees) surveyed currently use or plan to use converged voice and data solutions. That’s up from 39 percent in the 2009 survey.

The CTP+ certification exam validates that an individual has the core knowledge and skills required by equipment manufacturers, their channel partners and end-users to sell and service convergence technologies. The exam covers a wide range of areas in data networking, telephony networking and convergence networking, including:

Planning IP networks
Wireless networking
Voice and telephony services, functions and technologies including codes, ISDN and voice troubleshooting
Identifying requirements for transporting text, voice, video, modem and fax through a converged solution
Troubleshooting convergence protocols and devices

For more information about CTP+ visit http://www.ctpcertified.com/ and www.comptia.org/ctp+.

CompTIA and Certification Partners also intend to broaden their partnership. The two organizations are currently exploring the development of a database certification.

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 on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/comptia.

About Certification Partners

Certification Partners (CP) delivers industry-leading IT certifications and training courses through high schools, online universities, training companies, industry associations and companies. CP owns the CTP+ and CIW certifications. CP also offer the ability to work with industry-leading training for our name-brand partners in IT and Finance credentialing organizations as part of our Select Partners® program.