Are certifications outdated? That's the conclusion from an analyst who studies the industry. An article on the tech job search site Dice.com quotes David Foote as saying the following:

"We've reached a point in our evolutionary rung that has outdistanced the value of certifications," says David Foote, chief executive and chief research officer for Foote Partners. "It is not that technology is not important, but other skills - especially in customer-facing jobs - are more important."

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Certification, it seems to me, garners a lot more interest among the IT administrator audience than developers. Though there are plenty of certifications available for the programmer crowd, I don't sense the same level of passion that I do among admins.

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A new report by an analyst with Forrester Research indicates that we may be entering a boom period for IT.

The report, highlighted by Redmond magazine, says that the uptick should kick in next quarter, i.e. next January. Actually, says the analyst, the boom started in 2007, but was stalled because of the recession and related financial problems. Here's the money quote from the story:

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Lots of news coming out of Oracle certification these days. This time, it's certification opportunities at Oracle's conference, Oracle OpenWorld 2009.

OpenWorld, which starts Oct. 11 in San Francisco, is making its premier show more certification-friendly than ever. To start with, there's the Oracle Certification Program (OCP) lounge. The lounge is basically an informal networking space that allows attendees to rub elbows with other Oracle credential-holders. One additional perk is free access to  Self Test Software practice exams, to help you prepare for your next cert.

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Oracle has added a management interface to its certification holders that acts as a one-stop shop.

Called CertView, it requires a username and password. Once logged on, a host of information is available, including certification history, certification logos, and a very cool tool that allows you to verify your certification to a third party.

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As I mentioned last month, Oracle has switched vendors for its certification testing. At that time, the new company hadn't been announced.

Now it has. Prometric is out, Pearson VUE is in. Oracle made the change with very little fanfare, no doubt spurred by concerns among cert holders. They should be able to breathe easier, as Pearson is a very well known, well-respected certification testing vendor (as is Prometric).

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A couple of Microsoft certifications pertaining to Windows Server 2008 have received a rare boost -- ANSI accreditation.

The company announced on its Born To Learn blog that the certifications attained that ISO 17024 approval. The certifications are:

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ISC(2) has released its first-ever certification specific to a country, rather than a technology.

The company, an independent security certification vendor,  announced the Japan Government Information Security Professional (JGISP) credential focused on the special requirements of doing security for that nation. ISC(2) worked with the Japan Network Security Association (JNSA) to develop the JGISP.

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Bryan Sullins, who blogs about Microsoft certification for Network World, recently wrote about virtualization, and some of the skills needed to obtain various certifications in this area.

Sullins lists seven areas of concentration; it's a good starting-point list, covering the key concepts that separate virtualization from the world of physical IT. He also said this, which I really like:

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As data professionals, we plan for things. We plan for growth, we have a disaster-recovery plan, we have a plan for consolidation. Those are all good things. But I've seen very few shops that have a good data retention plan.

Birds of a feather flock together, right? If you’re already a member of an established user group or looking for other like-minded technology evangelists, connecting with peers is an important part of being an active voice in the IT community.

I had dinner in Seattle (three words: bacon-wrapped-steak) with the folks that put on "How Microsoft Does IT" (get it? Does "it", "IT"? OK, I'm easily amused) and I wanted to point out this fantastic resource to you - again

You're probably familiar with a Wiki - a document set that anyone can edit. Did you know TechNet (Microsoft's source for technical professionals) has one? And did you know there are lots of folks keeping it up to date?

As most of you know, I tend to spend a little time on social networks like Twitter, FaceBook and LinkedIn. On one of those networks, Ken Simmons sent the following thought: “One hour sessions give you great ideas you can explore; full day sessions give you in depth knowledge you can use.” He was talking about the difference in a one-hour session and an all-day event at the Professional Association of SQL Server (PASS) summit.

At some time, all of us need technical help with something. Whenever you do, make sure you try and frame the question not necessarily in terms of what you want to know, but what you're trying to do. Spending time on thinking through your questions will help you get better answers, and people will appreciate that you're putting some effort into the process, and they are more willing to get help.

I use Extended Properties on databases and their objects all the time. They are a great way to include information about the object – I use them for versioning the database, detailing what a column is used for and so on. They can be a little tricky to set, but it’s really not bad once you learn how.  Ken Simmons, a SQL Server MVP has a fantastic article here that explains more: http://cybersql.blogspot.com/2010/07/extended-property-awesomeness.html

Quest Software is a great partner with Microsoft, and I’m honored to be able to present with Brent Ozar, Kevin Kline and Ari Weil at a day-long event that you can attend for free

I was asked yesterday if it was “OK” to install SQL Server 2008 R2 on a system that already had SQL Server 2008, but without upgrading. In other words, they wanted to keep both versions of SQL Server running at the different levels. That’s supported; and it’s called a “side-by-side” installation. that means you’ll end up with at least one “Named Instance”, one at the first version and the other at the newer version. Everything is kept separate.

Not all data professionals get into the "front end" of the applications that hit their data. But most of us end up having to do a "dashboard" of information, even if it's a dashboard of our system information and performance tracking.

AP - Researchers have uncovered new ways that criminals can spy on Internet users even if they're using secure connections to banks, online retailers or other sensitive Web sites.

AP - Invasion of privacy in the Internet age. Expanding the reach of law enforcement to snoop on e-mail traffic or on Web surfing. Those are among the criticisms being aimed at the FBI as it tries to update a key surveillance law.

AP - Google Inc. triggered a false alarm Thursday by posting a notice that its search engine and several other services had been cut off from mainland China - a key market where the company has been locked in a high-profile battle over online censorship.

Reuters - Research In Motion is not known for its dramatic flair. Like the BlackBerry itself, with its renowned email security, the Canadian smartphone maker seems to put function before form.

AFP - Google has agreed to delete all personal WiFi data gathered by its "Street View" mapping service in Hong Kong, in what the city's privacy commissioner said was a first.