Citrix' big conference, Synergy, is this week in Las Vegas. They've been shooting a lot of video, including this one featuring an attendee who talks about how his Citrix certifications have helped him personally and professionally. It's very short, and worth checking out.

Technical certification is far from a U.S.-only interest. Most leading vendors have programs overseas, and that includes (ISC)2, an independent vendor of security certifications like the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP).

To demonstrate that strength, (ISC)2 announced it has awarded its 10,000th certification in the European region. The countries with the most populous security-certified pros: United Kingdom (3165); Netherlands (956); Germany (712); France (466); Switzerland (442); Spain (363); and Sweden (305). (ISC)2 says it hosts 130 certification exams annually.

"Certifications that are recognised both globally and on a national level set an accepted standard and thereby offer that confidence,� John Colley, Managing Director of (ISC)2's European operations, said in the press release.

Microsoft's entertaining and informative "Born to Learn" certification and training blog has found a new Web home.

Formerly part of the TechNet family of sites, it now has its own unique URL.

Update your bookmarks accordingly, since at the end of May, the certification team will no longer post to the old site. Even though it's new, the blog shows a lot of promise. There's solid news and information, and even some videos up already. Nice job, Microsoft Learning team!

When was the last time you heard of a certification test being made shorter instead of longer? Well, Red Hat has done just that.

According to this post, the Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) and Red Hat Certified Technician (RHCT) exams have been cut down, substantially, time-wise. The harder, more in-depth RHCE had two hours lopped off as well as one whole section. It's gone from 5.5 hours to 3.5 hours. The RHCT has also been condensed to one section from the previous two, and reduced from three hours to two.

Red Hat says that "the scope of what's tested is the same." In other words, it won't be any harder (or easier) to pass (or fail) than it was before. The time is just better spent now, the company says. As of May 1, all exams will be given under the new format.

Somehow, I doubt there will be much complaining about the changes to the exams!