Cisco Systems today announced new training capabilities for IT professionals to address the data analytics and data center skills gap. According to the Cisco Global Cloud Analysis report, data generated by the Internet of Things (IoT) will reach 600 zettabytes a year by 2020, and the data stored in data centers will grow five times its current volume globally by the same year. 

This massive increase in data is transforming business, as the evolution of updated infrastructure and new applications results in the channel focusing on delivering business outcomes rather than simple products or software solutions to their customers. For Cisco, the focus is shifting from connecting devices to leveraging data generated from the IoT, Antonella Corno, Senior Manager with Learning@Cisco told The VAR Guy. 

“The industry shift we are facing today is really the transition towards what is called digital business. You do everything digitally. You purchase stuff digitally. You order your services digitally,” said Corno. And industries such as retail are beginning to move toward digitally-empowered sales and business models, where data informs what choices stores present to individual customers. “That’s the digitization of business, and we are there at Cisco to support the technologies that are needed and, through Learning@Cisco, to train people on the skills that are needed to achieve those goals.” 

To address this shift, Cisco is announced a two-part update to its training capabilities. The new certifications focus on job roles instead of specific Cisco products, said Corno.

First, Cisco announced a brand new Data and Analytics training track designed to certify individuals in big data management skills as we move into the age of IoT, when vast amounts of data will be collected from connected sensors and devices. According to Cisco, the new portfolio includes three major focuses:

Second, the company also updated its Data Center track, first established in 2012, to address emerging technology and changing best practices in that sector. Updates to the track include: