CACE Technologies, Inc., developer of tools to enhance the Wireshark user experience, along with Wireshark University, announced the rollout of The Wireshark Certification Program. This new program strives to test a candidate's knowledge and ability to troubleshoot, optimize and secure a network based on evidence found by analyzing traffic captured with the world’s most popular and widely-deployed analyzer, Wireshark.

Laura Chappell, Founder of the Protocol Analysis Institute and Wireshark University, states, “There has been tremendous pent-up demand for a certification program for Wireshark. The enormous number of Wireshark users, along with the growing acceptance of open source in the large enterprise has led to this day. Enterprises no longer see the sense in spending large amounts for commercial packet analyzers when they experience the strength and breadth of Wireshark’s feature set for managing their network. Deployment of Wireshark has become so prevalent that a certification program just makes sense. Hundreds of thousands of people use this product and a considerable percentage of that population would like to prove their proficiency and enjoy the recognition that certification brings.”

“This is a natural progression for Wireshark users and a significant event for the Wireshark community,” adds Gerald Combs, Wireshark creator and Director of Open Source Projects for CACE Technologies. “Being certified as a Wireshark expert confirms your understanding of the use of the analyzer and your effectiveness as a network and data analyst. The fact that Laura Chappell designed the program assures its relevance and credibility. Laura’s thorough grasp of Wireshark, network troubleshooting, and network security, have gone into the creation of a certification process that measures true knowledge and skills.”

Wireshark Certification Schedule

The certification process is now in the testing stage, and will be rolled out to the general public in August. You can sign up for information on certification at www.wiresharkU.com/certification.

Wireshark Certification Administration - VLabSource

Wireshark University is collaborating with VLabSource and their virtual lab environment to deliver the certification test. Using PC virtualization technology, VLabSource will enable a Wireshark Certification Program candidate to log into a web-based interactive virtual lab environment and launch a real instance of Wireshark on a virtual network. “Wireshark University’s goal is to ensure that every person certified under the Wireshark Certification Program has the skills they need to troubleshoot and analyze a real network,” said Laura Chappell, principal founder of Wireshark University. “Our partnership with VLabSource will help us achieve that goal by providing web-based tests that provide real life network analysis tasks.”

Preparation for Certification

Four Wireshark University courses in DVD format written by Laura Chappell provide excellent preparation for the certification test, as do classes offered by Wireshark University. Classes include trace files, details on troubleshooting techniques, and case studies, and are delivered by a group of instructors hand-picked by Laura, all with years of packet-level experience. In addition, Laura works closely with Gerald Combs (original creator of Ethereal/Wireshark) and Loris Degioanni (original author of WinPcap) to build the most current and complete educational materials to support Wireshark and those interested in learning how to use the open source tool to best advantage. The training DVDs can be purchased directly from the Wireshark University site at www.wiresharkU.com or from CACE Technologies’ catalog page at www.cacetech.com/products/catalog.

Pricing for the Certification Test

The price for the Wireshark certification test is US $299. Sign up to receive certification test details at www.wiresharkU.com/certification.

About Wireshark University

Founded by recognized network analyst expert Laura Chappell, Wireshark University provides Wireshark-authorized training on network analysis, troubleshooting and security in both self-paced and instructor-led formats. All training curriculum is based on real-world experiences and techniques used to optimize, troubleshoot, and secure networks. For more information on self-paced and instructor-led courses as well as customized and onsite training, visit www.wiresharkU.com.

About VLabSource

VLabSource harnesses the power of PC virtualization to deliver on-demand virtual labs that put training, certification, software test and product evaluations at your fingertips. Discover how VLabSource’s Virtually Hosted Infrastructure can reduce hardware and software costs, minimize training time and costs and increase sales force effectiveness.

About CACE Technologies

CACE Technologies is an innovative group of product designers and engineers specialized in networking solutions that enhance the Wireshark experience. Experts in Windows and Linux device driver and network monitoring tools development, CACE's core engineering team includes the creators of Wireshark and WinPcap, premier open-source tools for packet capture and protocol analysis. For information on our tools and services, visit www.cacetech.com.

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