You already know about the value of attending HP Discover. Great news: This June, just before HP Discover 2013 kicks off in Las Vegas, you can take advantage of free HP ExpertOne software training and exams, and discounted Vivit Advanced Training courses. Boost your career! Come to Discover 2013 a few days early and reap the benefits of advanced HP Software training.

Here are the top 3 reasons to enhance your HP Discover experience by taking advantage of pre-event training:

1. Save money: Condensed HP ExpertOne courses are free, and Vivit Advanced courses are heavily discounted (only $99). Plus, you can take your certification exam for free, either at the event or with a free exam voucher if you prefer to take it later.
2. Get certified: Take the HP ExpertOne courses to prepare for the free certification exams. It’s a great way to meet your partner requirements or advance your career.
3. Acquire new, career-enhancing skills: HP ExpertOne and Vivit training courses are packed with valuable information, including best practices and real world experience, to keep your IT skills up-to-date.

Don’t gamble on your career (save that for the casinos)—register for HP ExpertOne or Vivit courses today!

This year, HP ETSS (HP ExpertOne Technology and Solutions Summit) will be in Copenhagen from June 25 -28. If you haven’t heard of ETSS before, it’s the EMEA region’s biggest technical conference filled with over 200 breakout sessions, hands-on and demo labs, keynote sessions and exclusive access to the on-site certification testing center.  The event covers the entire HP Enterprise Group portfolio of products, services and solutions. 

We get a lot of questions around performance testing certifications, specifically HP LoadRunner. I hope you find this article informative and answers most if not all of your questions. Why all the attention? HP LoadRunner is a popular load testing software suite and many employers are looking for people with HP LoadRunner experience – it is a great resume or CV enhancer. Even companies that don’t utilize HP LoadRunner use the skill set as a competency gauge.

What does “virtualization” really mean?  According to my Merriam-Webster dictionary mobile app, “virtualization” doesn’t even exist as a word, which I thought was odd.  Granted, the word does exist via more techie reference guides such as Wikipedia or dictionary.com.   But staying true to my mobile appendage’s inventory of words, I went to the heart of the word virtualization, “virtual”, which has the core meaning of “being such in essence or effect though not formally recognized or admitted”.  Could we then define IT “virtualization” as not yet ‘formally recognized or admitted’ – especially for the entire data center of IT resources?

If you’re heading to HP Discover (June 11-13), I invite you to attend an incredible opportunity. Isaac Blake and Russ Wagner will host a roundtable discussion for IT professionals interesting in learning more about our HP ExpertOne Master ASE – Converged Infrastructure Architect certification. There’s been a great deal of interest from IT architects and others looking for the next big trend in IT certifications. In addition, IT certified professionals looking to take their career to the next level will want to hear what Isaac and Russ have to say. They will spend time talking about the training, board review, examination process and education requirements.

You might be surprised. A new IDC Market Spotlight, sponsored by HP, shows that IT teams with certified skills spend less time on routine operations and “break/fix” activities – from high availability to data backup to security. Find out how a little focus on IT skills can leave more time for innovation.

You’ve registered for HP Discover (using the promo code “Expert”), booked your flight and hotel. Now comes the difficult task, filling your time. If you’re a member of the ExpertOne community, (you’ve got your learner ID right?) you have to decide what sessions to attend, when to visit the ExpertOne lounge, set aside free time, and figure out how to spend the rest of your time in Las Vegas. Here’s a list of my top 7 (must do) activities for ExpertOne certified professionals. Everyone is welcome to join me, with the exception of one activity. It’s exclusive for our Master ASEs.

HP Discover is a must-attend event for anyone involved in IT. From CEOs to ExpertOne certified professionals, there’s something for everyone. From the keynote speakers to the Discover Zone, technical sessions, hands-on labs, exams, late night dinners, and pre-event training, it’s a fast paced event with something for everyone.

Often I hear people asking why bother with certifications. What will they do for me? How will they help my career? If I spent the required time necessary to answer every question, this would be a very long article. Instead, I'm focusing on the key points and highlights. HP's ExpertOne certification program is industry leading and world class.

Read on and tell me if you agree or disagree.

Certifications do matter.

For a limited time we are offering a 1 hour Introduction to Cloud training webinar (value $200) to all ExpertOne registered learners.  This is a great 'get started' session to quickly get up to speed on terminology, service models and the future of Cloud and we'll also tell you about some good next steps toward mastering the cloud in your career.

Are you looking to enhance your competency on HP Integrity systems and extend your knowledge to private cloud? Or could you or someone on your team use a server skills refresher?  Learn how to optimize your mission-critical HP Integrity server solutions with training and certifications from HP ExpertOne and find out about our new Master level certification.

If you didn't get the chance to attend this fantatic conference, I've compile a few of the interviews for your viewing pleasure.

Susan Underhill, VP of ExpertOne and Patrick Eitenbichler, director of Americas Marketing talk about the different ways ExpertOne is closing the skills gap, delivering innovative training solutions and enhancing the benefits for certified professionals.

It's December and we've got five new certifications. Along with these new certifications, there is a new HP Press title, HP ASE Converged Infrastructure Official Exam Certification Guide (HP0-D20).

On a recent Friday afternoon, I found a room of dedicated HP Networking team members diligently working to complete the final lab for the Implementing & Troubleshooting HP Wireless Networks training. Instead of enjoying both the California sunshine as well as the Fall Festival in the HP Pavilion, our studious HP employees were squeezing the most out of their training experience.

To me, HP Press study guides are more than something I use to study for exams. They are invaluable reference guides filled with basic and advanced concepts, industry best practices, and installation scenarios. They are also great refresher study guides if you sat a class and a couple months ago and need to catch-up before sitting an exam.

After reading the books front to back cover many times (studying for exams), I now see them serving me several ways.

The ExpertOne program continues to grow and evolve, shaping the future of people looking for certification and training in trending, new and emerging areas. Cloud computing, converged infrastructure, and Gen8 server operations are just a few areas we have addressed. Plus, we've got exciting news for upcoming training events and conference announcements.

HP Discover 2012 is a must-attend event for HP ExpertOne certified professionals looking to get their hands on the latest gear, talk to the experts and meet industry peers. Every year, HP brings together the best and brightest minds along with the latest in technology.

written by Paul Telles

HP ExpertONEand its Competency-Based Learning (CBL) initiative shares many of the goals and methods espoused by physicists. By focusing on interactive learning, the CBL courseware will enable you to explore how HP technologies and solutions can help your career and business thrive. Through discussions and peer-to-peer interactions, you’ll exchange information and real-world insights with your fellow IT professionals, returning you to the workplace with fresh ideas and insights.

HP ExpertOne introduces the Fast Track for Storage certification program, enabling eligible EMC and NetApp certified professionals to achieve HP Storage certifications with less than 50% instructor-led training when compared to a new candidate training curriculum.

Upon passing four exams, the EMC and NetApp candidate receives two HP ExpertOne certifications: HP Accredited Integration Specialist (AIS) and HP Accredited Systems Expert (ASE) in StorageWorks Integration.

How does Converged Infrastructure accelerate IT to make your business faster?  Patrick Eitenbichler has some great answers!

When someone asks for a new service, application or website do you answer “yes, I have a bunch of people sitting on the bench ready to jump on that request” or do you answer “we have a backlog of requests, it’s in the queue”?

HP ExpertOne provides an innovative skills and expertise program through flexible certification and training delivery, including the industry-leading HP Master ASE – Converged Infrastructure Architect certification that definitively proves you have the skills to talk tech at the highest level in an organization.

For more information, please visit www.hp.com/go/certification

Over 11,000 attendees participated in today's HP Discover events. All you had to do was look down the corridors and in the Discover Zone to realize just how many people are at this year's event!

The dizzying number of sessions had me running ragged, zipping from session to session. Comfortable shoes were the key to an enjoyable day..

HP Discover doesn’t officially start until Monday afternoon but did you know there are over 80 people attending HP ExpertOne pre-event training? Conference attendees arrived last week in anticipation of two and a half days of technical, hands-on training. HP ExpertOne training delivery partners are holding classes in networking, storage and enterprise solutions.

Yesterday I had the privilege of attending the global launch of the HP Institute Program at the Science Museum in London. The sun was shining, we had our first and probably last day of summer, and I was surrounded by innovation and examples of what we can achieve if we come together as one.

Employability, skills gap, finding the right talent to match an organisation's needs are at the top of everyone's agenda in today's fast moving connected world; and the time is right for IT vendors to connect with governments, trade associations and education establishments to collaborate and make a difference for the good of all.

New HP Networking guest blog by Rebekah Harvey, Director, Learning Product Management (AKA CertDoctor)

It’s a natural progression—our careers (and lives) start with a cloudy focus and a foot-on-the-ground novice perspective.  As we learn and grow, we see the need to adopt wider and deeper perspectives and capabilities.

What do a major city in Austria and an IT-industry certification program have in common?  Besides both playing a role in HP’s Discover 2011, there are some other intriguing similarities.

HP DISCOVER – Vienna is THE place to be, 29 November-1 December.  While you’re there “discovering” HP, discover ExpertONE.

I’m just now getting caught up after my busy week at VMworld 2011. What a great event! I spent much of my time in the HP booth, talking and networking and spreading the word about HP ExpertONE.  I found there were a lot of people who weren’t familiar with the name “ExpertONE.” Oh, sure, they knew about the HP Certified Professional program, but ExpertONE was new to them.

Earlier this week we talked about how the expertise gap ["Don't let an expertise gap hold you back"] is holding some companies back from deriving the highest value from virtualization and, more specifically, a converged infrastructure. In fact, a 2010 IDC survey of CIOs says that a “lack of staff skills” is one of the top challenges to moving to converged computing. HP ExpertONE aims to solve that challenge with a comprehensive training and certification portfolio covering virtualization and the HP Converged Infrastructure.