12/14/2004

The Open Group, a technology- and vendor-neutral organization, announced today that it is establishing a certification program for IT architects, which seeks to provide a standard for skills set and expertise, and create a foundation for trust between suppliers and customers. The Open Group will act as the certification authority.

According to a statement, the Open Group is establishing the program in response to the industry's growing demand for globally recognized, highly experienced strategists with proven competencies across a variety of disciplines and an ability to synthesize and apply information technology expertise to solving complex business problems.

"The IT architects play a critical role in their organizations," said Allen Brown, President and CEO of The Open Group. "They view both the business need and the implementation of the solution. This big picture view allows them to ensure that solutions are aligned with the business' direction, comply with their IT standards, and support the enterprise architecture. Professional certification will standardize the skills of IT architects, provide quality control, and set a framework and a common platform for employers," he said.

"The IT Architect profession continues to grow in importance, stature, and community membership within our industry," said Michael Sylvia, Worldwide IT Architect Profession Executive for IBM. "This initiative from The Open Group is a timely reflection of that maturation. The Open Group's certification program for IT architects and affiliated IT architect certification programs is an important step forward for the quality assurance of the profession, and IBM is delighted to be an active participant in this effort."

"The multi-faceted job of IT architects makes assessment of practitioners difficult for clients," agreed Walter Stahlecker, Director of Industry Initiatives at HP and HP delegate to The Open Group. "Bringing together The Open Group's outstanding record in certification with broad input from architecture practitioners promises to create a valid common benchmark. This will increase clients' trust in an architect's ability and give them confidence when deciding about architecture investments."

Further information on The Open Group can be found at http://www.opengroup.org.