12 Best Enterprise Architecture Certifications

If you are planning a career as an enterprise architect (EA), certifications are a great way to prove your EA skills. As an EA, you will be responsible for developing the IT strategy for a business that keeps business goals in line with IT goals. Organizations rely heavily on technology, so IT is now a foundational part of any healthy business strategy. These certifications test your knowledge, skills, and abilities working with EA frameworks, tools, software, and best practices.

1) AWS Certified Solution Architect

The AWS Certified Solution Architect exam covers building an architectural design solution based on client or customer requirements, delivering best practices for implementation and overseeing the long-term management of an EA project. You will need hands-on experience with all the computer, networking, storage, and database AWS services to pass the exam. You will not have to take a course to pass the exam, but Amazon recommends at least 6 months to two years of hands-on experience using AWS before you attempt the exam. You can also get practice exams and materials directly from VMExam.com to help you prepare for the exam.

2) Axelos ITIL Master certification

ITIL is a popular IT management framework used by enterprise architects to help maintain service processes. If you work in an ITSM environment with the ITIL framework, the Axelos ITIL Master certification is helpful for proving your aptitude in service management. To qualify for the ITIL Master, you require at least 5 years of experience in IT service management in leadership, managerial or higher management advisory role. You will also need to obtain the ITIL Expert certification before you can move onto the ITIL Master exam.

3) CISSP Information Systems Security Architecture Professional (CISSIP-ISSAP)

The CISSIP-ISSAP certification is designed for professionals with a CISSIP (Certified Information Systems Security Professionals) certification who want to add a concentration in architecture. You will need to have your CISSP certification in addition to 2 years of experience working with one or more domains in the CISSP-ISSAP CBK. The exam includes identity and access management architecture, security operations architecture, infrastructure security, governance, compliance, security architecture modeling, risk management, and application security.

4) Dell EMC Proven Professional Cloud Architect training and certification

Dell EMC recently rolled all certifications under one master certification, the Dell EMC Proven Professional, but you can pick from a long list of individual courses that are specific to your enterprise architecture career. The EMC Proven Professional Cloud Architect Specialist certification course covers proper gathering requirements and designing cloud services in an ITaaS environment. You will also get a chance to practice your skills through a collaborative cloud services design project. To obtain this certification, you first have to pass one of five associate level exams and earn your cloud architect specialist certification.

5) EC Council Certified Network Defense Architect (CNDA)

The CNDA certification from EC Council is specifically designed for government and military agencies, with a focus on security and compliance. You will need to get your CEH certification and be employed by a military or government agency or be a contracted employee of the government before you can take the CNDA course. It’s related to the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), and it’s intended for individuals who are trusted by their employer to engage an attempt to penetrate networks and computer systems using the same methods as a hacker, according to the EC Council.

6) Google Professional Cloud Architect

The Google Professional Cloud Architect certification shows your abilities working with Google Cloud technologies. To obtain this certification, you need to know how to design and plan cloud solution architecture for security and compliance, manage cloud infrastructure, optimize and analyze business processes and oversee the implementation of cloud architecture. There are no requirements for the exam, but it must be taken in-person at an official testing center location.

7) Professional Cloud Solutions Architect Certification

Offered by the Cloud Credential Council (CCC), the Professional Cloud Solutions Architect certification is designed for technology, system, application, and enterprise architects as well as cloud strategy consultants and senior developers. The certification course covers ITaaS, customer requirements, cloud computing, and service management,  implementing cloud technology and evaluating cloud solution architecture. There are not any requirements to take the exam, but it’s recommended that you get your Cloud Technology Associate and TOGAF 9 certifications first.

8) Red Hat Certified Architect

The Red Hat Certified Architect certification includes the RHCE, RHCEMD and Red Hat Certified JBoss Developer (RHCJD), which is the highest certification tier. To reach each level of certification, you will need to pass a handful of certifications on the systems administrator path or developer path. With the number of certification options, you can customize your certification path for your career by concentrating on specific technologies and skills. The cost of each course varies depending on the subject matter and your location, but they run anywhere from USD 1,500 to around USD 4,000.

9) Salesforce CTA

The Salesforce CTA (Certified Technical Architect) certification proves your knowledge, ability, and skills, to design and build solutions on the Salesforce platform. You will first have to earn your Certified Application Architect or Certified Systems Architect certifications before you can move onto the CTA exam. To obtain your Salesforce CTA certification, you will also have to pass the Technical Architect Review Board exam. You will be provided with hypothetical situations, given customer requirements and then asked to design an architecture solution. You have 2 hours to prepare and then 4 hours to present to the judges, including time for breaks.

10) The Open Group TOGAF 9 Certification

TOGAF is one of the most used frameworks for enterprise architecture, which gives it a useful certification to add to your resume. The TOGAF 9 certification is recognized globally and vendor-neutral certification that will show your skills using the TOGAF framework to manage and implement enterprise technology. It’s offered through The Open Group, and there are two levels of certification the TOGAF 9 Foundation certification and the Level 2 certification, which you can take once you pass the first exam.

11) The Open Group Certified Architect (Open CA)

There are three levels of Open CA certification: Certified, Master and Distinguished. Unlike other certifications, you will not have to take a course or pass an exam to obtain your Open CA certification. Instead, it’s a program that needs applicants to demonstrate experience and skills against a set of conformance requirements through written applications and peer reviews, according to The Open Group. You can use the online self-assessment tool to discover your potential qualifications for the first two levels of certification.

12) Virtualization Council Master Infrastructure Architect certification

The Virtualization Council provides four certifications for popular virtualization products. Although the certifications focus on products from Microsoft, VMWare, Virtual Iron products, and Xen the exams are vendor-neutral. Each exam includes a specific enterprise architecture platform, so you can pick and choose the tools that align best with your career.