Aruba certifications are popular among IT specialists around the world for offering extensive knowledge in switching, security, network management, mobility, and WLANs. Therefore, these certificates help candidates consolidate their careers and move forward from Associate to Expert level of expertise in the technological field of interest to them.

Aruba Certification Program

The Aruba certification content warrants that future certified engineers get comprehensive and essential knowledge necessary for their professional growth. Moreover, this globally recognized vendor offers numerous designations in the following categories:

• The group focusing on Mobility includes the Aruba Certified Mobility Associate, Aruba Certified Mobility Professional, and Aruba Mobility Certified Expert validations.

• The certification category regarding ClearPass products consists of the Aruba Certified ClearPass Associate, Aruba Certified ClearPass Professional, and Aruba Certified ClearPass Expert certificates.

• The unit of designation that focuses on Design involves the Aruba Certified Design Associate, Aruba Certified Design Professional, and Aruba Certified Design Expert certifications.

• The category which is centered around Switching includes the Aruba Certified Switching Associate, Aruba Certified Switching Professional, and Aruba Certified Switching Expert designations.

• The Security path is represented by one Aruba Certified Network Security Associate certificate.

• The Edge certification track becomes available as the Aruba Certified Edge Associate, Aruba Certified Edge Professional, and Aruba Certified Edge Expert designations if you have the appropriate level of certification in three and more technical areas offered by Aruba.

• Finally, the Specialist-level Product certifications including the Aruba Location Services Specialist and Aruba Data Center Network Specialist are also available.

As you can see, the choice is huge, so below you will find a detailed description of the most popular Aruba qualifications.

Aruba Certified ClearPass Professional (ACCP) Certification

Usually, the candidates who want to obtain the ACCP certificate are interested in leveraging their skills in integrating and designing networks that work with the ClearPass products. They also want to become skilled at configuring ClearPass features to achieve efficient guest management, profiling, posture, and onboarding. Therefore, this validation is suitable for individuals who already worked in networking, with one or two years of experience in network solutions deployment. Additionally, the target audience has already obtained the Aruba Certified ClearPass Associate (ACCA) certificate. Another recommendation would be to attend the instructor-led training for Implementing Aruba ClearPass or the Aruba ClearPass Essentials. In addition, the main requirement for procuring the certificate is the exam with the code HPE6-A68 that includes 62 questions. The test-takers need to answer as many questions as possible within 70 minutes and attain a passing rate of 75%.

Skills Tested in HPE6-A68 Exam

The candidates who want to get ACCP certified should demonstrate that they are able to:

• Understand the licensing scope and requirements for implementing ClearPass products and features;

• Adjust ClearPass services for business purposes, as well as enforcement policies and profiles;

• Implement external servers with the help of ClearPass products;

• Apply the Access Tracker and Logging & Policy simulation for troubleshooting and monitoring;

• Set up the ClearPass Guest, Insight reporting tool, MAC Caching, and Posture elements;

• Use TACACS+ to set up admin operations with the help of ClearPass features;

• Configure and design multiple-server deployments on ClearPass.

As a result, the professionals who get the ACCP certificate will become trustable team members thanks to their validated skills in implementing and designing policy and authentication enforcement with the help of the Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager. Also, this designation will help them advance in their careers and be recognized as savvy professionals in designing and implementing ClearPass products while working with Mobile First Networking features.

Aruba Certified Mobility Professional (ACMP) Certificate

In brief, the individuals who decide to enroll in the ACMP qualification want to consolidate their expertise in networking. In more detail, they will validate their knowledge of implementing, configuring, and managing an advanced Aruba WLAN connection and deploy it in an enterprise environment. As you understand, this designation targets specialists with solid networking knowledge and at least one to two years of prior expertise in deploying different types of networking solutions. Besides, the applicants have previously obtained the Aruba Certified Mobility Associate (ACMA) certificate. Additionally, the vendor recommends that examinees attend the training class for Implementing Aruba Mobility in advance. After that, candidates have to pass the official test with the code HPE6-A71. So, in the main test, the applicants need to answer 60 inquiries within one hour and a half and receive a cut score of 65%.

Knowledge and Skills Tested in ACMP (HPE6-A71) Exam

The individuals who seek to get ACMP certified should demonstrate that they have solid skills in:

• Using and managing the Mobility Conductor features to configure a consolidated network;

• Understanding the advantages that appear from clustering and using them to improve business processes;

• Avoiding redundancies and obtaining a seamless failover experience for users;

• Using separate and multiple secure networks with the help of MultiZone while using the Access Point;

• Using the Tunneled Node to succeed in configuring the wired switches;

• Using AirWave for monitoring the wireless and wired network health;

• Identifying any flaws of the system and troubleshooting them immediately as they appear;

• Using Aruba Mobile First Networks to provide professional support for users and improving applications’ performance.

Career Opportunities

The individuals who have the ACCP and ACMP certifications in their pocket and resumes become attractive candidates for international recruiters. This is due to the fact that these certificates are clear proof that professional skills have been validated during rigorous qualification exams. What’s more, the successful exam-passers have higher chances to be selected for well-paid positions such as:

• Wireless Network Engineer;
• Network Engineer;
• System Administrator.

And if you look at the figures, according to the information available on PayScale.com, a Wireless Network Engineer can earn an annual salary of $81k. Besides, if you decide to pursue a career as a Network Engineer, you can receive an offer of $75k as an annual payment. Lastly, a System Administrator will be eligible for the median income of almost $63k as given by the benchmark of PayScale.

Certification Path

Obviously, your Aruba certification journey doesn't end there. As a professional with the ACCP certificate, you can move forward to consolidate your skills by obtaining the advanced validation, which is the Aruba Certified ClearPass Expert (ACCX). On the other hand, if you have obtained the ACMP, the next phase is to get the Aruba Certified Mobility Expert (ACMX) designation.