This is part one (Part Two, Part Three and Part Four) of a multiple part series exposing the inner workings of the cheating industry that is devaluing IT certifications.
Robert Williams, the founder of CertGuard.com has been leading the fight against this cheating industry.
 "CertGuard was conceived with the notion that individuals in the IT industry should have a working knowledge of the systems and/or software they are certifying on, prior to obtaining certification," according to its founder, Robert Williams. |
This notion falls true for all aspects of the industry from the most basic certifications created by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), to some of the most stringent certifications created by Microsoft and Cisco.
CertGuard’s mission is the education of individuals in the IT industry, regardless of experience, on the repercussions of cheating on certification exams, using braindumps, and paying someone else to take exams.
Directing individuals to proper, and approved, training materials is a central theme to CertGuard's work.
CertGuard is focused on informing individuals about the repercussions of using braindumps and soliciting the services of gunmen; as well as the potential hazards of hiring people that turn to braindumps and/or gunmen to acquire their certifications.
 CertGuard is actively, and aggressively, seeking out websites that host, transfer, advertise, or produce braindumps or study guides that violate Exam Security Policies (also known as Non-Disclosure Agreements, or NDAs), as set forth by the Certification vendors, and report those individuals accordingly. |
You can learn more information regarding NDAs on Michael Alligood’s Blogsite.
Non-Disclosure Agreements (or NDAs, as they are commonly referred) are agreements set forth by the Certification vendors that protects their confidential and trade secret information.
This is generally the page that shows up almost immediately before a candidate starts the certification exam.
All candidates are required to "sign" them by clicking either the "Yes" button or the "I agree" button and no exam can be administered without that acceptance.
Therefore, everyone that has a certification is legally bound by this agreement.
Here are the links to Cisco’s "Certification Exam Policies" and Microsoft’s "Non-Disclosure Agreement" as well as the link to the page on CertGuard where other Exam Policy Agreements can be found.
In our next installment part two, we will be discussing braindumps; what they are, where they can be found, and how to avoid them; we’ll also provide you with some statistics about the information we have compiled that may shock you; and we will tell you which forums to visit if you’re in search of some good, honest advice for your next exam.
Related article: Would you cheat to get an IT credential?
Subsequent parts in this series will include information on the cheaters amongst you and the hired gunmen that CertGuard is working diligently to shut down, one by one.
Do you think cheating is devaluing IT certifications?
Brad Reese cofounded BradReese.Com Cisco Refurbished, which enables affordable Cisco networks globally by assuring customer satisfaction with guaranteed one year warranties on both Cisco Repair as well as Refurbished Cisco.
Don't be shy, contact Brad Reese online or call him Toll Free:
866-864-0506
International callers may wish to call Brad by dialing:
850-364-4115
The Leader in Network Knowledge
IT vendors fight back
I'm looking forward to your next posts on this topic, Brad. I've been exploring certification cheating as well. Since you pointed out some policies from various vendors, I thought I'd add EMC's document to the list. You can find EMC's exam security document at http://education.emc.com/main/common/documents/h2117_proven_security.pdf.