I recently went through the professional certification from Aviatrix. It’s a great way for all IT professionals to expand their knowledge in Cloud Infrastructure and Networking. The certification is valuable for all roles, whether at a systems integrator or partner, end customer, or as a technical role at a Cloud Service Provider (CSP).
In the following I will briefly describe how the certification differs from the architecture certifications of CSPs. I will then go into how the training runs and what content is covered. To round things off, I will give a summary of the certification and some further information.
Aviatrix Certification compared to Cloud Provider Certifications
How do the Aviatrix ACE certifications differentiate from the certifications offered by the major Cloud Providers?
Looking at the contents, expert certifications of the CSPs are similar in many respects:
- Depending on the level, they usually cover the full scope of the services offered by the respective CSP
- In addition to SaaS offerings and Data/AI (and usually much more) the area of Cloud Infrastructure takes up a very large part in each certification
- All aspects of these certifications relate to the specifics of the respective Cloud with its own solutions for networking, security, cloud adoption, governance etc.
Aviatrix certification differs from this scheme. It does not focus on one single Cloud, but on the Aviatrix Networking Platform, which is deployed equally on all major Cloud Platforms. The ACE certification refers to native constructs of the infrastructure area of all large Cloud Providers - and focuses on a standardized architecture with the Multi Cloud Network Architecture (MCNA) of Aviatrix.
Aviatrix takes a new approach and brings exceptional added value. The ACE Pro certification offers the possibility to get deeply familiar with the architectures from a technical point of view. The knowledge from the ACE Pro certification, properly applied in practice, provides great added value in terms of a network architecture that can be deployed across multiple CSPs.
ACE Pro Course Facts
The training consists of a very pleasant mix of presentations, labs and also group discussion on designs. Each participant is assigned a pod to run the labs on. Even during the days after the training, the pods are still available. This is useful for going back to review configurations.
- 3 Day proctored Course with Exam
- Mixture of Lectures, Labs and Design discussions
- One proctored online Exam
Labs included:
- Basics and VNETs/VPCs
- Multi-Cloud Transit Networking
- Multi-Cloud Security
- Role Based Access Control and Integration
- High Performance Encryption
- Egress Traffic Filtering (based on FQDN)
- Firewall Integration (with Palo Alto)
- Overlapping IPs in Enterprise Environment
- Cloud Security with TreatIQ and ThreatGuard
ACE Professional Agenda:
Day1: The day starts with a welcome of the team and logistics, followed by a brief overview of the Aviatrix Platform, Controller and Copilot. The Lectures cover the Aviatrix Multi-Cloud Network Architecture, Transit Networking in general, Segmentation in the Cloud, User Based Access Control as well as User VPN. Day 1 is closed with an overview of ThreatIQ and ThreatGuard. Lab-wise we covered the creation of Virtual Networks using the Aviatrix Platform, creation of Transit Networking, Multi-Cloud Network Segmentation as well as Role Based Access Control and authentication.
Day2: The second day started with a repetition of what was learned in the group. Afterwards, the topics High Performance Encryption, Active Mesh, Security and Firewall use-cases will be covered. The second day is intensive and contains a lot of information. The day is rounded off with a lab on the use-cases of overlapping IP addresses in the enterprise environment.
Day3: The third day again starts with a review and a group discussion. Then it continues with labs on ThreatIQ and ThreatGuard. After a short break, there will be a practical exercise on Aviatrix architecture design. Based on text-based scenarios, small groups will develop and discuss a design. Each group then presents their design, which is then discussed by all participants. This approach is a lot of fun and has a very high learning value. To round out the entire course, there is information, tips and tricks on how to take the exam. The third day ends a little earlier than days one and two.
If the candidate has completed all 3 days and the associated labs, it is possible to register for the exam. It is recommended to take it within 5 days following the 3-day course. The exam is a 60 minute online exam, as we know it already from the industry certifications.
After passing the exam the Aviatrix ACE Pro badge is handed out via acclaim:
Wrap up and additional resources
The course and exam was a great and valuable experience for me. I have both Cisco and CSP certifications and I think the ACE pro gives another boost with the help of the Multi Cloud Network Architecture. We get tools and knowledge that break away from the constructs of a single Cloud Provider. This way everyone can definitely broaden their technical horizon and help with challenges around modern Multi-Cloud architectures.
All this makes the certification valuable for architects and engineers in many different roles. Not only customers, but also system integrators and partners will benefit from no only being up to date but also future-proof with Aviatrix certifications.
For additional information, please also refer to my colleague Umair Hoodbhoy and his video:
TechTalk | Future-Proof Your Career with ACE: Industry’s Only Multi-Cloud Networking Certification https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyOW2fwZOEw&t=1192s
Now it’s time to put into practice what we have learned.