Peter Durie, services manager, Red Hat Australia and New Zealand, is finding that many enterprises now require IT staff to earn at least RHCT or RHCE certification if they are setting up and managing Linux systems. "And those that have completed the certification find that the skills they acquire are very much in demand," he says. "It's a win-win for the companies and students. Students gain valuable skills and job security, while employers can be sure their staff have the competencies to complete quality work without the guess work."

Employers often find it a less risky option to employ an individual with a certification than one that does not," agrees Mannix Aylward, Volante's national manager of infrastructure solutions. "There is often a higher comfort level that the individual is capable of delivering on expectations. Customers have an expectation and often demand that they are engaging consultants with appropriate levels of certification, which inherently makes individuals with certifications more marketable," he says.

IT certification is a key requisite for Craig Stones, Kaz technology services' Citrix practice manager, who is a Microsoft, Novell and Citrix certified engineer. "If you're going after consulting business today, certification is essential to give you the skills and credibility in the marketplace," Stones says. "Clients get a far better experience if the workforce is trained on the latest technology and has the certifications to back that. As part of their commitment to vendors, companies also have to keep up the levels of their trained staff."

Holding certification is also essential in the quest to maximize opportunities for career advancement. Citrix-certified Robert Wilson, NetOptions' corporate sales and business development manager, believes this is important both for engineering and sales staff, especially where a consultative sales approach has long been the norm.

Wilson points out, however, that certification needs to be undertaken in a discretionary fashion. "Certification means time away from the office, client sites and answering phone calls; if this is with noncore vendors or on nonstrategic technologies this can mean a much larger investment than just the training and certification cost, with little or no return," he explains.