A Complete Citrix Certification Path | A Complete Guide For Beginners [ OverView ]

Last updated on 23rd Dec 2021, Blog, General

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Citrix Certifications have turned out to be the benchmark for marketability, productiveness, effectiveness, and competitiveness among companies and for a flourishing career among the aspiring techies. So, the requirement to pursue certifications is observed in high demand among IT professionals.

• What is Citrix Certification?
• Citrix vs. VMware
• Citrix Digital Workplace Certifications
• Citrix Certified Associate – Virtualization (CCA-V)
• Citrix Networking Certifications
• Citrix Partner Services Certifications
• How Much Does It Cost to Get Citrix Certified?
• Citrix Recertification and Renewal
• Citrix Certification Salary and Career Information
• Citrix Certification Training
• Conclusion

What is Citrix Certification?

• Citrix certification confirms that an IT professional has the proficiency to install, configure and manage relevant Citrix digital workplace or networking products in complex enterprise cloud and networking environments. There are three levels of experience in the basic Citrix certification path: Citrix Certified Associate, Citrix Certified Professional, and Citrix Certified Specialist for Virtualization or Networking.


• The Citrix Authentication Path features credentials for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop on Citrix Cloud or Microsoft’s Azure Cloud Platform, as well as Citrix ShareFile, Citrix Endpoint Management, Citrix XenServer and Citrix SD-WAN. Citrix certification also includes the Citrix Certified Service Delivery Professional certification for IT professionals who work for Citrix solution providers.


• In addition to credentials, which require candidates to pass a certification exam, the Citrix certification program provides a proficiency and skills digital badge, which IT professionals can use on their resumes to demonstrate their familiarity and skills with various Citrix products and solutions. can be displayed. These badges only require the completion of relevant Citrix e-learning courses and assessments.


• All Citrix certification exams are administered through PearsonVue and can be taken at the local Pearson VUE Testing Center. Some Citrix certification exams can be taken at the candidate’s home or office. In any case, the examinations are conducted online and are monitored by an authorised proctor. The cost of the Citrix Certification Exam is $300 for the Citrix Certified Specialist and Citrix Certified Professional exams, and $200 for all other exams. Exam candidates who are U.S. military veterans may be reimbursed for their Citrix certification exam costs under the VA Education and Training Benefits Program.


• Citrix Certification candidates and certified professionals can use the web-based Citrix Certification Manager tool to keep track of their Citrix certification status as well as publish their Citrix certification credentials to authorised third parties. The Citrix Certification Manager also maintains a record of candidate positions in Citrix Certification exams and self-paced online certification courses.

Citrix vs. VMware:

• While VMware is undoubtedly an 800-pound gorilla in the field of virtualization, Citrix has a loyal enterprise. The company claims that 99% of Fortune 500 companies and 100 million users from over 400,000 organisations use Citrix products.


• The Citrix product suite is not as comprehensive as VMware’s and focuses on specific niche areas that take advantage of Citrix’s strengths in connectivity. For example, Citrix has a longstanding relationship with Microsoft, and as such its virtual apps and desktop products work seamlessly across Microsoft’s Azure cloud and Office 365 environments.


• That said, the question of whether to follow the Citrix certification path — or VMware one has to say — depends on your individual circumstances. If you work for — or want to work for — an organisation with a heavy investment in VMware, the Citrix certification probably isn’t for you. However, if your organisation uses, or is considering using, Citrix—especially in conjunction with Azure and Office 365—then Citrix certification is going to be a good option. In that case, as well, you might be wise to consider a combined Microsoft/Citrix certification approach.

Citrix Digital Workplace Certifications:

Credentials covered by the Citrix Digital Workplace Certification include Citrix Virtualization, Citrix Virtual App and Desktop on the Cloud – Citrix Cloud, as well as Microsoft Azure, ShareFile, Endpoint Management and XenServer.

Citrix offers eight digital workplace certifications:

• Citrix Certified Partner – Virtualization (CCA-V)
• Citrix Certified Professional – Virtualization (CCP-V)
• Citrix Certified Specialist – Virtualization (CCE-V)
• Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop Service on Citrix Cloud Certified (CC-VAD-CC)
• Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop Services Integration with Microsoft Azure (CC-VAD-MA)
• Citrix ShareFile Certified (CC-SHAREFILE)
• Citrix Endpoint Management Certified (CC-CEM)
• Citrix XenServer Certified (CC-XENSERVER)
• Citrix virtualization certification is tiered – Associate, Professional and Expert – with each lower tier being a prerequisite for a higher one.

Citrix Certified Associate – Virtualization (CCA-V):

Citrix Certified Associate – Virtualization is designed for early career IT professionals who install, configure and manage Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop 7, either on-premises or in the Citrix Cloud.

The CCA-Virtualization certification validates the candidate’s understanding of these topics and skills:

• Architectural overview
• Site deployment
• Apps and Desktop Images
• Provisioning and distribution of app and desktop resources
• Providing access to app and desktop resources
• User Experience Management
• Published app and desktop presentation and management
• Manage prints for user sessions
• Citrix Profile Management
• management sites
• Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop Basic Security Considerations
• monitoring sites
• Support and troubleshoot Citrix virtual apps and desktops
• Migrating to Citrix Cloud



Required Exams: Earning the CCA-Virtualization Certification requires passing an exam – Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop 7 Administration (1Y0-204).


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prerequisites: none.Recommended Experience: Citrix recommends practical experience installing, configuring, and managing high availability configurations of virtual apps and desktops and other Citrix virtualization and cloud technologies before attempting the Citrix CCA-V exam.

Citrix Networking Certifications:

The Citrix Networking Certification is designed to verify a candidate’s proficiency in using Citrix ADC capabilities – including app and desktop delivery, networking performance and optimization, network security, and implementation of automation and orchestration.




Citrix offers four networking certifications:

• Citrix Certified Affiliates – Networking (CCA-N)
• Citrix Certified Professional – Networking (CCP-N)
• Citrix Certified Specialist – Networking (CCE-N)
• Citrix SD-WAN Certified (CC-SD WAN)
• Citrix Networking certifications are layered – Associate, Professional and Expert. Each lower level is a bet to the higher. In addition to the tiers, there is also the Citrix Networking Certification for the Citrix Software Defined WAN Product.
• Citrix Certified Affiliates – Networking (CCA-N)
• Citrix Certified Associate – The networking certification is designed for network administrators and early career networking professionals such as engineers, systems engineers, sysadmins and cloud administrators. This certification has two tracks that focus on two Citrix products.
• Citrix ADC 12
• Citrix Netscaler 12
• Citrix Certified Associate – Networking (CCA-N): ADC 12
• Citrix Certified Collaborators – The Networking certification is designed for IT professionals who implement and manage Citrix ADCs for traffic management, load balancing, content switching, and SSL offloading.



The CCA-Networking Certification verifies the candidate’s understanding of these topics and skills:

• Basic networking
• Citrix ADC Platform
• High availability
• Load balancing
• SSL offload
• Securing a Citrix ADC
• Troubleshooting
• Classic and Default Policies
• Rewrite, Reply and URL Conversion
• material switching
• Customization
• Global server load balancing



Required Exams: Earning the CCA-CCA-Networking Certification requires passing an exam – Citrix ADC 12 Essentials and Traffic Management (1Y0-240).

prerequisites: While not required, Citrix recommends that candidates complete a training course in preparation for this exam – CNS-220 Citrix ADC 12.x Essentials and Traffic Management.

Recommended Experience: Citrix recommends at least six months of practical experience with basic networking and security, Windows and Linux server administration, and Citrix ADC 12.

Citrix Partner Services Certifications:

The Citrix Partner Services certification path focuses on the skills that are most important to channel partner personnel who manage and execute consulting projects related to Citrix products. Citrix offers a Partner Services Certification — Citrix Certified Services Delivery Professional.

Citrix Certified Service Delivery Professional. The Citrix Certified Service Delivery Professional certification is designed for engineers and consultants who work for Citrix solution providers and consulting companies.




The Citrix Certified Services Delivery Professional certification validates a candidate’s understanding of these topics and skills:

• Communications
• Presentation
• Methodology
• Project execution

How Much Does It Cost to Get Citrix Certified?

The Citrix Certification exam costs $300 for the Citrix Certified Professional and Citrix Certified Specialist level credentials, and $200 for other Citrix certifications, including Citrix Certified Associate. Your total Citrix certification cost includes any fees you pay for related training, self-study and practice.

Note that the Citrix certification exam is included in the VA education benefit, so US military veterans are eligible for reimbursement for some or all of the exam costs associated with Citrix certification.




Benefits of Citrix Certification:

• With Citrix Certification and Training, you can demonstrate your proficiency in the use of Citrix products and solutions in organisations that have adopted their platforms and applications.
• A Citrix certification is widely recognized throughout the global market, and gives you instant recognition as a Citrix expert.
• Citrix credentials pay one of the highest salaries within the IT domain. In the US, a professional with Citrix credentials earns an average of $95,000 per year.
• You learn the skills needed to use Citrix tools within virtual and desktop apps, endpoints, workspaces, gateways, ADCs and hypervisors.
• New career paths and opportunities open up with Citrix training, as Citrix covers a wide net of job domains such as cloud computing, virtualization, administration and networking.
• Citrix professionals can also apply for jobs in industries and international markets.
• With the entry-level Citrix Training certification, you are eligible for higher certification and, as a result, better opportunities in jobs and careers.
• About 98% of all Fortune 500 organisations implement Citrix solutions. You are eligible to apply with Citrix credentials in any of them.

Citrix Recertification and Renewal:

Citrix certification is valid for three years after passing the relevant Citrix certification exam. The Citrix Recertification Program allows holders to recertify in one of two ways. As long as their Citrix certification has not expired, Citrix certified professionals can renew their Citrix certification by either:



• Completion of a specified instructor-led training course that is relevant to their particular Citrix certification(s).
• Taking and passing the latest version of the Citrix Certification exam associated with each of their current Citrix certifications.
• Individuals whose Citrix certification has expired must re-earn all lower level certifications and pass the relevant exam to receive the certification.
• For example, a person whose Citrix Certified Specialist – Virtualization (CCE – V) certification has expired may pass three levels of the Citrix certification exam – CCA – V, CCP – V, and CCE – V – to recertify them. Must pass.

Citrix Certification Salary and Career Information:

• The search for job openings for certified IT professionals on the Indeed.com/ job site reflects Citrix’s market position relative to VMware and Microsoft. The job opportunities for individuals holding their certification badges are far greater than those for those with Citrix certification. However, it also points to the potential for a relative shortage of Citrix certified professionals—hence a shortage that increases employers’ willingness to pay.


• For example, let’s compare the CCA-V certification with VMware’s VCA starter certificate. There are 10 times more job openings requiring a VCA than those requiring a CCA-V, but the average Citrix certification salary ($81,600 USD) of a CCA-V is 50% higher than the VDA’s $52,800. On a professional level, VMware’s VCPs showed 20 times the number of job openings, but the median salary was about 10% less than the Citrix certification salaries received by CCP-V openings ($82,500 versus $88,400 USD). On the networking side, job openings for Citrix Certified Professional – Networking offered an average of $97,300.


• The outlook is even better on the Citrix Certified Specialist front, where analysis indicated an average Citrix Certification salary of $89,300 for CCE-V and $100,500 for Citrix Certified Specialist – jobs requiring networking.

Citrix Certification Training:

• CBT Nuggets offers several Citrix certification training courses. CBT Nuggets also has certification playlists for in-demand certifications – meaning all the training you need to earn those certifications can be accessed in one place.


• CBT Nuggets membership includes access to Virtual Labs that cover Citrix technologies. Virtual Labs enable learners to gain practical experience with products in a sandbox environment.


• Good luck to you as you start on your Citrix certification path. Our training offerings change from time to time as we support the Citrix certification roadmap. So, make sure to check out CBT Nuggets for new and updated training that is relevant to your personal Citrix career journey.

Conclusion:

• Citrix Systems, Inc. Strongly committed to equal employment opportunity (EEO) and to compliance with all federal, state and local laws prohibiting employment discrimination based on age, race, color, sex, orientation. Gender identity, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship, religion, genetic carrier status, disability, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, marital status, protected veteran status and other protected classifications.


• Citrix Systems is known for its Xen desktop, server and application virtualization products. The suite is an established alternative to VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V, and other enterprise virtualization and cloud offerings.


• Citrix donated its Xen Hypervisor to the Linux Foundation, where it is now the foundation for the open source Xen project. The company has since renamed products in its virtualization suite, added new digital workplace and networking products to its portfolio, and embraced the cloud with its own Citrix cloud platform.


• Like most enterprise software companies, Citrix recognized the value of certification for both its customers and IT professionals. The company supports a comprehensive Citrix certification program with defined Citrix certification paths.


• This guide includes insight into the various Citrix certification badges, recommended Citrix certification paths, the costs associated with obtaining Citrix certification, and job opportunities related to the Citrix certification path.