Presented by Foundation staff for discussion during the May 30, 2013 board meeting regarding OpenStack training and certifications.

1. Training & Certification Discussion

2. 2
Background: The Foundation & Training
‣ OpenStack Foundation Mission: Protecting, Empowering, and Promoting the
OpenStack software and the community around it, including users, developers, and
the entire ecosystem
‣ Education is a top Foundation priority for 2013, to lower barriers to adoption, create
more OpenStack experts, and grow the community
‣ Jobs: There are 1000+ OpenStack related job openings worldwide
‣ We believe training is one of the best paths to:
§ Grow the community
§ Close the jobs gap
§ Drive adoption
§ Build a common knowledge set that unifies the community’s efforts across
deployments
§ Create new fans all over the world that share our values

3. 3
Background: Training Ecosystem
‣ The OpenStack ecosystem is already delivering dozens of training classes all over the
world today: San Francisco, London, San Antonio, Slovenia, Silicon Valley, France, New
Zealand, Hungary, Hong Kong
‣ The ecosystem has licensed marks under “Built for OpenStack” historically
‣ To explore a more targeted program, we formed a working group of companies currently
administering training and community members to discuss how a new licensing program
might look

4. 4
Background: Certification/Credentials
‣ We also see growing interest in a credentialing program, as Stackers look to
grow their careers
‣ Credentialing programs have traditionally helped technology brands gain
credibility in the enterprise space and create long-term fans amongst engineers
and admins (CCIE, RHCE, MCSE, LPI)
‣ Think “OpenStack Certified Engineer”
‣ The ecosystem is interested in offering credentials

5. 5
Complications & Opportunities
‣ The lack of training-specific requirements in the “Built for OpenStack” license means every
training approach is potentially different
‣ No common baseline will create detrimental knowledge and talent fragmentation
‣ Different OpenStack-powered solutions (distributions, appliances, etc.) also create a need
for solution-specific training
‣ There is value in a common baseline:
§ Improves OpenStack brand meaning, value, growth, and protection
§ A global pool of trained individuals who see the value of an open, interoperable
platform
§ More value in “OpenStack skills” for those that bet careers on it
The Foundation has an opportunity to improve consistency and ensure the meaning of
“OpenStack” and any credentials associated with it have long term value & meaning

6. 6
The Proposed Approach
1. Create a new “OpenStack Training” logo licensing program for training businesses,
with published guidelines & quality assurance measures
2. Develop set of baseline credentials covering universal “OpenStack Fundamentals.”
Implement standard tests in partnership with ecosystem and manage database of
certified professionals
‣ E.g. “OpenStack Certified Engineer”, “OpenStack Certified Administrator”
3. Encourage ecosystem to offer add-on, solution-specific courses and certifications,
above the baseline credentials

7. 7
Proposed Training Licensing Approach
Program Goals & Approach
‣ Generate awareness of the many OpenStack Training options in the ecosystem
by creating a targeted co-marketing/licensing program
‣ Empower 3rd parties to promote OpenStack and spread OpenStack knowledge
globally by licensing the marks for their use, and by making the program as
frictionless as possible. Training represents the bulk of the resource
requirements and revenue opportunity.
‣ Protect the OpenStack Brand by implementing quality control measures
Approach to Quality Control
1. Outline key topics/content courses should cover. Working group has started a
basic outline
2. Foundation administered post-training student surveys and optional auditing
3. Measure % of students who go on to earn credentials (see next slide)

8. 8
Proposed Credentialing Program Approach
Program Goals & Approach
‣ Help Stackers prove their expertise through the use of specific credentials
‣ Close the knowledge gap and help fill jobs by accelerating training toward a
specific achievement
‣ Protect the OpenStack Brand by implementing quality control measures
Approach to Quality Control
1. Develop a common set of baseline credentials to be used across the ecosystem
2. Develop a common set of tests to determine who qualifies for those credentials
with existing training partners and training working group
3. Over time, get feedback from employers to find out if credentialed candidates
come in with necessary skills for the job

9. 9
Next Steps
1. Training logo/marketing program: Implement by Q3 2013
2. Credential program:
‣ Continue to solicit feedback from students, employers, ecosystem
‣ Develop list of credentials (e.g. “OpenStack Certified Engineer” and beyond)
‣ Develop standardized tests in cooperation with ecosystem and established
testing centers
‣ Target dates: Announce program Q3 2013, rollout Q1 2014