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Robert Williams: Certification Integrity

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Top 20 Most Braindumped Certification Vendors

Would it surprise you to know that a majority of the braindump sites primarily distribute Microsoft and Cisco braindumps? Nah, that's too obvious. Would it be a shock to know that Oracle, Citrix, and Sun are in spots 3, 4, & 5, respectively? Well maybe, but hopefully the information provided below will shed a little light on the seriousness that is plaguing the I.T. industry.

The numbers in the right column represent the number of braindump sites we have found to be distributing, or promoting the distribution of, the intellectual property for each certification vendor.


Rank

Certification Vendor

Braindump Sites*

1 Microsoft 328
2 Cisco Systems 326
3 Oracle 296
4 Citrix Systems 289
5 Sun Microsystems - SAI 286
6 IBM 283
7 CompTIA 281
8 CIW 272
9 CWNP 271
10 Hewlett Packard (HP) 269
11 Novell 269
12 Linux Professional Institute (LPI) 268
13 Apple 267
14 Check Point Software Technologies 266
15 EC-Council 263
16 Juniper Networks 260
17 EMC 259
18 Adobe Systems, Inc. 254
19 Nortel 252
20 Lotus 250

*Information provided by and Copyright of CertGuard, Inc.

It is apparent there is a direct correlation between the popularity of an exam or certification track and the number of braindumps available for each certification vendor. So the following information could also be interpreted as "The 20 Most Popular Certification Vendors", but that wasn't our goal. Since we haven't narrowed our data down to each individual exam or certification track, the information provided is per vendor and each braindump site may include some or all of their exams.

Certification vendors are continuously working to remove their intellectual property from the internet and braindump sites are constantly popping up, so these numbers are guaranteed to change. Starting January 2009, we will be providing an annual Top 20 to keep the industry abreast of the progress each vendor is making on a yearly basis.

Citrix

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Wow, can't believe Citrix is #4! Have you guys considered a monthly list instead of yearly? Hopefully this will awaken the vendors to more action.

RE: Citrix

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Hey Jeff! Thanks!

Yeah, thought about it, but didn't think it would be as interesting as a yearly list. Maybe we can do like a "Top 5" on a monthly basis.

Thoughts from anyone else on that? 

Best Regards,

Robert Williams; Taylor Ripley
CertGuard, Inc.
www.CertGuard.com
http://www.networkworld.com/community/user/4864

Top 20 :List

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Robert,

Can I use this in the next issue of The Cert Times? People may not realize how pervasive the problem is, since there hasn't been any big news for some time about Microsoft chasing the braindumpers down.

Re: Top 20 :List

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I don't see a problem with that Ben. Let me know if there is anything else I can provide you with.

Best Regards,

Robert Williams; Taylor Ripley
CertGuard, Inc.
www.CertGuard.com
http://www.networkworld.com/community/user/4864

With all the money and power

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With all the money and power they have, Cisco could easily shut down the braindumping websites! Unfortunately they don't take any action against braindumping websites. All they care about is money. Their certifications are a joke.

If Cisco cared, they would file a DMCA complaint against each and every host that has a brain dump file hosted, and have the brain dumps removed. Unfortunately Cisco won't ever do that! Until then I'm staying away from Cisco Certs.

Re: With all the money and power

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I can assure you that companies such as Cisco, Microsoft, EMC, Check Point, and dozens of others are very much working on shutting down these braindump sites. I've seen their work first hand and I know for a fact that it is work in progress.

There are a few things you're not taking into account here. 

  1. The DMCA is a United States Copyright Law
  2. Testking (aka Certification Trendz Ltd) is a Pakistan Company
  3. There is no "International Copyright Law" (read below)

There is no such thing as an “international copyright” that will automatically protect an author’s writings throughout the world. Protection against unauthorized use in a particular country basically depends on the national laws of that country. However, most countries offer protection to foreign works under certain conditions that have been greatly simplified by international copyright treaties and conventions. There are two principal international copyright conventions, the Berne Union for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Property (Berne Convention) and the Universal Copyright Convention (UCC).

In order to file such complaints against corporations of foreign countries, there are additional steps that must be followed. Taking the time to make sure those steps are followed properly is also a necessity that cannot be over looked.

We appreciate your input!

Best Regards,

Robert Williams; Taylor Ripley
CertGuard, Inc.
http://www.certguard.com/
http://www.networkworld.com/community/user/4864

Certs in circles

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So M$ and cisco have the most braindumps? and what? As long as there are computer(only) based certifications there will be braindumps. And when you want to pass any test, you better look at the braindumps, because some (a lot, most?) of the questions are so confusing and cryptolograhic that reading hieroglyphs might be easier.
I know what you are saying: "We have to come up with more difficult questions because of the braindumps." but the result is ...(see above)
BTW Don't think any certification gives you a job! There are enough paper only certified candidates around which got a better score.
Happy certifications

Re: Certs in circles

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We were pretty sure everyone already knew that Microsoft and Cisco had the most dumps out there, but we couldn't just jump to #3 now could we?! ;)

As we discussed in our Two Part Series "A Solution to the Braindump Problem", we don't believe having more difficult questions is a solution to the problem and in fact have found that having more difficult questions only drives exam candidates towards the braindumps.

Although we agree that "Certifications Alone Do Not Make the Pro" you can't seriously be suggesting that the only way anyone is going to pass these exams is with braindumps. The point behind having those "cryptolograhic" questions is to weed out the individuals that have only studied from books and braindumps. If you truly know the technology and have the required experience prior to taking the exam, you should have no problem.

Thanks for taking the time to open up this conversation.

Best Regards,

Robert Williams; Taylor Ripley
CertGuard, Inc.
www.CertGuard.com
http://www.networkworld.com/community/user/4864

Cisco certs

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Cisco devalues their own certs, the braindumpers are just finishing the job.

I call them "high tech trivia quizes". Let's concentrate on memorizing obscure facts about a product that have no benefit in the real world. Until they go 80% performance based, I have no respect for their asinine tests. Performance based tests would be much harder to braindump, but also more expensive to develop. Boo hoo, pity poor Cisco. They rake in a few less $'s profit on their testing operations.

I hold multiple Cisco certs. The only one that is worth 4 letters is my CCIE, because you have to earn it.

Re: Cisco certs

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I hear what you're saying all the time, and it never ceases to amaze even me how wrong you, and all the others, are.

First, you of all people should know why those "obscure facts" are there. If you haven't figured out why, then I would say you haven't earned your CCIE well enough; especially if you're focused on memorizing those obscure facts. Aren't you supposed to be the cream of the crop, the pick of the litter, the BEST of the BEST? Shouldn't you already know those facts? Am I wrong, or is it common for a CCIE to not know them or why they're in place?

Second, if the non-PBT exams are "asinine" and you have no respect for them, then why did you waste your time studying for them? (Or did you?) If you have the most respected acronym dangling after your name, then aren't you considered a Subject Matter Expert? If so, then why aren't you beating down Cisco's door for an opportunity to make their "asinine" exams better?

Third, PBTs can be dumped almost as easily as Q&A. There may be a bit more difficulty added to the mix, but it's still just a group of steps that one needs to follow to reach a common goal. If there are individuals out there that memorize 1000+ questions and answers (in their entirety), then they can surely memorize 400+ steps (that's 80% of 50 questions times an average of 10 steps per goal).

Furthermore, if you think you deserve respect just because you do have those 4 letters after your name, you're sadly mistaken. A Purple Heart deserves unconditional respect, a CCIE must still earn it.

Thanks for your opinion. 

Best Regards,

Robert Williams; Taylor Ripley
CertGuard, Inc.
www.CertGuard.com
http://www.networkworld.com/community/user/4864

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About Robert Williams

Robert Williams is co-founder and CEO of CertGuard. Robert founded CertGuard after an 8-year stint in the U.S Navy, three years of college and five years in IT. While on a quest for more knowledge, Robert decided to work on earning a certification when he noticed the abundance of braindumps and illegal services that plagued the industry. Putting his certifications and further education on hold, Robert decided that it was time for someone to dedicate their time to preventing the spread of these illegal products and services. And CertGuard was born.

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The opinions expressed in this Weblog are those of the writer and may not represent the opinions of Network World.

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