Inside the hidden world of IT certification fraud

For the first time ever, companies that develop and administer IT certification exams are working together to combat a problem that has largely been swept under the rug for years: certification fraud.

A group of IT hardware and software vendors, independent certifying agencies, test centers and others have formed the IT Certification Council (ITCC). The goal is to share knowledge and resources to combat and prevent fraud, which is threatening to undermine the value of IT certification.

ITCC chairman Bill Horzempa, who is also director of Global Certification and Partner Education Development for HP, says, "Most of the members of this council have talked privately with one another about the cheating problem. We realized that this isn't just an HP problem, or a Cisco or Microsoft problem. Certification cheating affects the vendors, yes, but it also hurts individual IT professionals and the companies that employ or contract them. In effect, cheating creates a loss of confidence in the ability of the IT profession to solve business problems."