Roadmap to Success: EMCISA
Roadmap to Success is a series of posts designed to help learners better understand certification pathways, career opportunities associated with those certifications, and next steps beyond certification.
UPDATED: We updated this article on November 1, 2016 to reflect relevant changes to the EMCISA certification curriculum.
The v2 exam that this blog post is written about was retired Dec. 31, 2015. However, this information may still be helpful as a resource to learners interested in learning more about storage.
The EMC Information Storage and Management Associate certification is part of the EMC Proven Professional Program, and serves as a foundation for many EMC certification pathways that address critical topics including information storage technologies, virtualization, cloud computing, and data science/big data analytics.
Storage technologies, in particular, are a rapidly evolving area in IT, making them a high-demand expertise for many organizations. Generally, this certification will qualify learners for roles such as storage area network systems administrator, senior storage engineer, and IT systems engineer.
EMC Information Storage and Management Associate (EMCISA)
The EMC Information Storage and Management Associate certification (version 2 exam E10-001, commonly known as EMCISA) focuses on information storage and management in classic, virtualized, and cloud environments. It includes data center key elements, intelligent storage systems, storage networking technologies, and various business continuity options, along with security and management of a storage infrastructure.
The EMCISA is made up of just one exam, covered by the CBT Nuggets course, EMC Information Storage and Management (EMCISA). Please note that EMC offers free practice exams that learners should use throughout their preparation for the exam.
Typically, learners pursuing this certification should have two or more years of experience in the field. Because the EMCISA certification focuses specifically on storage management, certification is appropriate for current or aspiring storage architects, administrators, managers, and CIOs.
Learn more about the exam from EMC's Education Services exam description. Learn more from EMC's white paper, Managing Information Storage: Trends, challenges, and options (2013-2014).
Exam Details
This exam was retired November 1, 2015. For more information on the current exam, visit the EMC website.
Recertification
EMC technically does not require recertification for Proven Professional certifications, however, they recommend revalidating knowledge and skills within three years of earning a certification. Learn more about EMC's certification update recommendations on the EMC website.
The Next Step
The EMCISA serves as a prerequisite for several EMC Proven Professional tracks:
Cloud Architect (EMCCA)
Outside the EMC universe, learners sometimes consider related storage and data center certifications, including:
VMware VCA (version 6) Data Center (made up of one exam: VCA6-DCV) VMware VCA (version 5) Data Center (made up of one exam: VCA-DCV)
VMware VCP (version 6) Data Center (made up of one exam: VCP6-DCV) VMware VCP (version 5.5) Data Center (made up of one exam: VCP5-DCV)
Cisco CCNA Data Center (made up of two exams: DCICN and DCICT )
Cisco CCNP Data Center (made up of the DCUCI, DCUFI, and DCUCD, DCUFD or DCUCT, DCUFT exams)
Career Considerations
Payscale.com/ provides excellent information that can help learners determine appropriate pay scales for job opportunities associated with the EMCISA certification. Depending on experience, an employee who holds an EMCISA certification can earn anywhere between $49,833 and $147,853. Common roles or titles for those who hold an EMCISA include storage area network (SAN) systems administrator, senior storage engineer, and IT systems engineer.
EMC Proven Professional Certifications
EMC Proven Professional certifications include a variety of specializations, most of which fall within three levels: Associate, Specialist, and Expert. Learners begin with Associate, leading to Specialist designations, and finally, Expert-level certifications. It is important to note that some EMC Proven Professional certifications are not available to all learners. There are several that are only offered to EMC's customers or formal partners.
Certification tracks that are open to all interested parties include:
Cloud Architect (EMCCA)
Certification tracks that are designated for EMC partners and customers include:
Tracks exclusively for EMC partners include:
Associate-level certifications include the Data Science Associate (EMCDSA), Cloud Infrastructure and Services (EMCCIS), Information Storage and Management (EMCISA), Backup Recovery (EMCBA), and Enterprise Content Management (EMCPA).
EMC offers more than 50 specializations, all of which are centered around EMC technologies and products. EMC also offers 12 expert-level certifications which are focused on EMC technologies and products.
Learn more about these certifications and tracks on the EMC Certification Framework site where you can also find purchase vouchers for your exam(s).
Concluding Thoughts
An EMCISA certification is ideal for a seasoned professional in the IT industry who is looking for a way to develop specializations in data storage and management. The certification opens doors and provides real professional advancement opportunities.
Watch. Learn. Conquer the EMCISA!
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