Google has long struggled to be taken seriously by the big boys – aka, the corporate and government sectors. Earlier this year, Google sued the US government for not allowing it to fairly compete for its business against Microsoft Office BPOS. And while its Android Marketplace and Chrome Web Store have experienced soaring and moderate success, respectively, it now seems like Google will be taking steps to bulk up Google Apps.
The titan of search announced today that it will launch a Google Apps Certification Program. It’s a fully web-based program consisting of an online, $100 exam (not including the $45 for the webcam, which can be used for future exams) that will offer IT professionals the authority to “migrate to, configure, and deploy Google apps.” Here are the requirements, per Google:
“Before taking the exam, it is recommended that a candidate have a minimum of 3-6 years of professional IT experience, and complete at least 3 Google Apps for Business deployments. The deployments should require some technical complexity and significant data integration and migration work. You should be experienced with the use of Google Apps Directory Sync and server side migration tools, such as Google Apps Migration for Microsoft Exchange.”
At the moment, the exam is only offered in English, but will expand to include other languages. Sure, the IT world really didn’t need one more certification program out there, but it’s an important step for Google as it tries to compete with Microsoft for its clients. And hey, passing the test comes with a badge.
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