Certified Internet Web (CIW) Programs
The Certified Internet Web (CIW) Professional Program provides a range of vendor-neutral certifications for web developers and other web professionals. These certifications cover the whole range of web skills needed by everyone from a webpage author using a content management tool to an expert enterprise website developer using Java with a relational database.
CIW certifications are well-respected in the industry and desired by managers who are hiring web developers and administrators. IBM and Hewlett Packard have incorporated CIW into their internal training programs and Intel gives preference to vendors and contractors that have CIW-certified employees. Additionally, CIW certifications can be applied towards college credits at some institutions.
Web Developer Certifications Available
CIW Associate
Professional level:
- CIW Site Designer
- CIW E-Commerce Designer
- CIW Server Administrator
- CIW Internetworking Professional
- CIW Security Professional
- CIW Application Developer
- CIW Database Design Specialist
- CIW Enterprise Specialist
Master level:
- Master CIW Designer
- Master CIS Web Site Manager
- Master CIW Enterprise Developer
Specialized Certifications:
- CIW Security Analyst
- CIW Associate Design Specialist
- CIW Database Design Specialist
Preparing for Exams
Training for these exams are available in a number of ways, allowing certificate candidates flexibility to choose the best style of training and the one that best suits their schedule. Classroom and online training can be found at various training centers and colleges around the country. Prices for classroom and online training vary depending on the provider.
In addition, the CIW Store sells self-study training exam preparation kits, internet-based courses, review and exercises downloads and practice exam downloads. Practice exams can be downloaded for under $100 while self-study kits start at about $300 and can cost over $1000, depending on the course.
Exam Content
CIW Associate This certification is earned by passing the Foundations exam which tests basic knowledge of Internet technologies such as web browsers, e-mail, FTP, network infrastructure, webpage authoring using XHTML and project management.
Professional level To earn this level of certification, a person must pass one of eight exams in addition to having already earned the Associate level certificate. The eight exams correspond to job roles as follows:
- CIW Site Designer Validates human-factor principles in designing, implementing and maintaining hypertext-based Web sites using authoring and scripting languages, content creation and management tools, and digital media tools.
- CIW E-Commerce Designer Focuses on standards, technologies and practices for e-commerce models and includes topics such as secure transactions, payment gateways, inventory control and performance testing.
- CIW Server Administrator - Validates knowledge of network administration tasks and tools used to configure, manage and deploy e-business solution servers.
- CIW Internetworking Professional Covers network architecture, infrastructure components, network performance and TCP/IP networks.
- CIW Security Professional Focused on e-business transaction and payment security including identifying threats, developing counter-measures, firewalls and attack-recognition technologies.
- CIW Application Developer Validates knowledge and skills used to build interactive web pages including client-side and server-side web applications, use of Rapid Application Development tools and implementing two-tier database connectivity solutions.
- CIW Database Design Specialist Topics include entity relationship diagrams, normalization to optimize databases, building database client applications, database maintenance and security administration.
- CIW Enterprise Specialist - Validates knowledge and skills to build n-tier database business solutions using Java in conjunction with distributed application architecture technologies such as Enterprise JavaBeans and CORBA.
Master level - Master level certifications require that the Foundations exam have been passed in addition to specific exams for each certification.
- Master CIW Designer Professional level exams which are described above: Site Designer and E-Commerce Designer.
- Master CIW Administrator Professional level exams: Server Administrator, Internetworking Professional and Security Professional.
- Master CIW Web Site Manager Professional level exams: Site Designer and Server Administrator. Language exams: JavaScript Fundamentals and Perl Fundamentals.
- Master CIW Enterprise Developer Professional level exams: Application Developer and Enterprise Specialist. Language exams: JavaScript Fundamentals and Perl Fundamentals. Professional level Database Specialist or Database Design Specialist exam and a Sun Certified Java Programmer exam.
Specialist Certifications
- Security Analyst Security Professional exam and proof of security certification from another provider such as Cisco, (ISC)2, Microsoft or GIAC.
- Associate Design Specialist Site Development Foundations exam and Site Designer exam.
- Database Design Specialist - Database Design Specialist exam.
Taking Exams
Many of the locations that provide courses are also Certified Testing Centers and can administer the exams in their own classrooms. For those who cannot take the exam at their class location or are using self-study kits, exams can be taken at Pearson Vue and Prometric testing locations located worldwide. Exam fees are typically around $150 and are subject to change.
Maintaining Certifications
CIW certifications do not expire although they are revised periodically to stay current with technology changes. CIW recommends that certificate holders take the newer versions of the exam to obtain the latest version of the certification and to keep their skills current. Some employers require their employees to get re-certified after new versions are released.
Who Should get CIW Certifications?
CIW certifications are valuable to many IT professionals as well as non-technical people who work with web-enabled systems for their jobs. Below are specific guidelines for each certification.
CIW Associate level certification
- CIW Associate This certification is appropriate for anyone who has interaction with web-based systems and technologies and for web professionals who plan to earn higher-level certifications. Those in sales, technical recruiting, advertising, business development or any field where web-enabled applications impact their productivity, would benefit from learning the basics of web technologies.
CIW Professional level certifications
- CIW Site Designer Those who are responsible for creating and maintaining website content using scripting languages, digital media tools and web management tools should consider this certification. Professions may include marketing, public relations, graphic designers, desktop publishers and technical writers.
- CIW E-Commerce Designer This certification should be considered by those who have a role in designing and implementing commerce-driven websites including application developers, system administrators, webmasters, marketing and communication professionals, among others.
- CIW Server Administrator - Network and systems administrators, intranet administrators, internetworking engineers and anyone responsible for configuring and managing infrastructure to support web-based systems, should obtain this certification.
- CIW Internetworking Professional - This is a network infrastructure certification appropriate for network administrators, engineers and architects.
- CIW Security Professional This certification is for network and server administrators, systems administrators, IT security officers and anyone responsible for implementation of e-business security policies and technology.
- CIW Application Developer Webmasters, application software developers and anyone creating client-side/server-side web applications should obtain this certification.
- CIW Database Design Specialist This certification is appropriate for application developers, system architects, database administrators and anyone who designs and creates database schemas or database applications for the web.
- CIW Enterprise Specialist - The exam for this certification targets any developer or administrator who designs, develops and deploys complete software solutions that employ distributed application technologies such as Enterprise JavaBeans and CORBA.
CIW Master level certifications
- Master CIW Designer This certificate is for those who have experience designing, developing and maintaining websites using scripting languages and who create content and digital media.
- Master CIS Web Site Manager - Experienced webmasters responsible for websites for a department or business should consider this certification.
- Master CIW Enterprise Developer This certificate is appropriate for those who develop complex web-based systems using advanced skills in database design, scripting and programming languages and distributed object computing.
Specialist Certifications
- Security Analyst This certification is for network and server administrators, systems administrators, developers and IT security officers who have responsibility for e-business security.
- Associate Design Specialist For those who want to learn all aspects of web site design including HTML and website management and creation tools.
- Database Design Specialist For application developers, database designers and architects and database administrators who want to validate the skills needed to interact with all the major databases.
Evaluating Training Options
Once a person has decided to pursue a CIW certification, the next step is to determine how to gain the knowledge and skills needed to pass the exams. Some factors that should be considered are discussed here.
Level of Experience Certificate candidates who need to learn the skills covered in the exam would probably want to take a classroom or online course. Those who feel they already have the experience necessary to pass the exam may opt to take the practice exam and then buy the self-study kit if needed.
Location and Schedule For busy people, finding the closest location and a convenient time may be the deciding factor when choosing a classroom-based training course.
Method of Training Courses taught online may be the best choice for someone who needs hands-on training but doesnt have easy access to a training location. There are usually more scheduled classes to choose from in this format since location of the training center is not a factor.
About CIW
The Certified Internet Web Professional Program provides industry-recognized curriculum, standards and certifications in the field of Web technology. Many academic and corporate training programs have adopted the CIW curriculum into their web technology courses.
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