DevOps Institute Announces New Certifications, Expanded Lineup of 'Educational Experiences'

I recently had a great Tech Talk with Stephen Walters, Solution Architect at xMatters, which was recently acquired by Everbridge ("DevSecOps: Securely Navigating a Shifting Landscape"). Among his other credentials, Stephen is a DevOps Institute Ambassador, so when I saw that the Institute's lineup for 2022 events and webinars included plans for two new DevOps certifications, I just had to pass along the news.

The DevOps Institute is a professional member association and certification authority "for advancing the human elements of DevOps." Basic membership is free, and there's a fee from Premium membership ($199, aimed at or full or part-time employees working in the DevOps field), Enterprise (based on team size), and Government ($99). Lots of goodies here, even for basic members, who get access to the Assessment of DevOps Capabilities (ADOC), the entire library of SKILbooks, the DevOps Institute Career Center, Perks Marketplace, and a 30% discount on exams.

The institute's goal in 2022, according to the announcement, is "to advance the humans of DevOps through skills, knowledge, ideas, and learning," with is the "SKIL Framework."

"In 2022, DevOps Institute continues to lead the charge toward human transformation with an exciting lineup of new and expanded opportunities for DevOps professionals," said Jayne Groll, CEO of DevOps Institute, in a statement. "As we ramp up our education and certification programs, we aim to empower the global member community with the skills and knowledge they need to further their careers and advance the DevOps initiatives at their organizations."

This, of course, is great news for anyone who believes in the potential of the DevOps model, now about 20 years old, and yet still not as fully (or effectively) embraced as is probably should be. You know that thing that has been making it possible for developers to collaborate with operations to deploy software into production faster and with fewer errors? You know.

The list of new certifications the DevOps Institute announced includes:

• DevSecOps Practitioner is the next level in the DevSecOps certification series. Building on DevSecOps Foundation, the Practitioner certification covers advanced DevSecOps practices and methods, architecture and infrastructure, technical implementation, practical maturity guides, and metrics to deliver better DevSecOps outcomes.
• DevOps Engineering Foundation explains many aspects of DevOps engineering that leaders and practitioners can execute upon. An engineering approach is critical to DevOps journeys. This certification covers the foundations of knowledge, principles and practices needed to engineer a successful DevOps solution.

Learn more about the Institute's certifications here.

Under the category of "educational experiences," the Institute is adding:

• SKILup Educational Experiences: IT professionals have always dealt with change, but never at the speed of the current digital transformation. The humans of DevOps are being asked to learn and implement new technologies at a pace that often outruns their current skill level. Upskilling has never been more important.

"SKILup Educational Experiences" are DevOps-focused events designed to provide what the institute calls "just-in-time insights" and education needed by DevOps pros in a range of disciplines. The Institute "aims to disrupt the typical technical conference format and focus on providing relevant content and learning in a safe and fun environment." These are insights attendees "can immediately put… into practice to meet the demands of business agility.

The list of SKILup Educational Experiences include:

• SKILup Days: One-day virtual micro conferences with a singular, how-to focus. Featuring experts from the industry as well as enterprise DevOps leaders, SKILup Days include all elements of an in-person conference, including virtual sponsor booths, competitions and networking opportunities with other attendees and Speakers.
• SKILup Hours: Educational Webinars for IT Professionals. Each SKILup Hour includes a panel session that is moderated by industry experts; providing discreet buildable how-to knowledge on topics crossing people, process and technology.
• SKILup Festival 2022: A Live DevOps Educational Experience: DevOps Institute is excited to announce that our in-person experiences include high-level content as well as deep-dive technical sessions and workshops with some festival fun and entertainment mixed in. (Dates and locations to be determined.)

The DevOps Institute considers itself "a unifying force of an open and growing professional community of IT practitioners, consultants, talent acquisition and executives helping pave the way to support digital transformation and the New IT."

I do, too.

Posted by John K. Waters on January 20, 2022