Introduction
Hello to all readers of the blog about IT Architecture and Learning!
In the previous article of the “VMware Training and Certification. Year 2025” series, we reviewed the structure of VMware Authorized Training, the main learning domains, and the role of certification paths in professional development.
Today, we will focus on the Authorized Training: Datacenter Virtualization learning domain, which forms the foundation of enterprise VMware infrastructure.
The Datacenter Virtualization training direction includes educational programs covering VMware vSphere technologies, such as ESXi, vCenter Server, resource management, availability, scalability, and operational best practices
The number of training programs within this domain is quite extensive. Therefore, in this article we will concentrate specifically on VMware vSphere 8, highlighting their training structure, learning objectives, and certification alignment..
VMware vSphere 8
New version of VMware vSphere 8 is the enterprise workload platform that brings the benefits of cloud to on-premises workloads. It supercharges performance with DPU and GPU based acceleration, enhances operational efficiency through the VMware Cloud Console, seamlessly integrates with add-on hybrid cloud services, and accelerates innovation with an enterprise-ready integrated Kubernetes runtime that runs containers alongside VMs.
The main current training programs for vSphere 8 technologies are:
● VMware vSphere: What’s New [V8]
- Course code: VSWN8.
- Duration: 2 days.
- Level of difficulty: Intermediate (L300).
- Target audience: System architects, system administrators, IT managers, VMware partners, and individuals responsible for implementing and managing vSphere architectures who want to deploy vSphere 8.0 into their existing vSphere environment.
- Prerequisites: This course requires completion of one the following courses or equivalent knowledge and administration experience with ESXi and vCenter Server:
- VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage
- VMware vSphere: Optimize and Scale
- VMware vSphere: Fast Track
- VMware vSphere: Troubleshooting.
In this 2-day course, you will explore the new features and enhancements in VMware vCenter 8.0, VMware ESXi 8.0, and VMware vSphere 8.0. Through use-case scenarios, demonstrations, labs, and simulations, you develop skills to implement and configure vSphere 8.0.
● VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage [V8]
- Course code: VSICM8.
- Duration: 5 days.
- Level of difficulty: Intermediate (L300).
- Target audience: System administrators, System engineers.
- Prerequisites: System administration experience on Microsoft Windows or Linux operating systems.
- Certification: Attending this course meets the training requirement to achieve the following certification: VMware Certified Professional – Data Center Virtualization (VCP-DCV).
This five-day course features intensive hands-on training that focuses on installing, configuring, and managing VMware vSphere 8, which includes VMware ESXi 8 and VMware vCenter 8. This course prepares you to administer a vSphere infrastructure for an organization of any size. This course is the foundation for most VMware technologies in the software-defined data center.
● VMware vSphere: Operate, Scale and Secure [V8]
- Course code: VSOSS8.
- Duration: 5 days.
- Level of difficulty: Intermediate (L300).
- Target audience: Senior Administrators, Implementers and Consultants, Architects.
- Prerequisites: Understanding of concepts presented in the VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage [V8] course, OR Equivalent knowledge and administration experience with ESXi and vCenter, Experience with working at the command line is highly recommended.
- Certification: Attending this course meets the training requirement to achieve the following certification: VMware Certified Professional – Data Center Virtualization (VCP-DCV).
This five-day course teaches you advanced skills for configuring and maintaining a highly available and scalable virtual infrastructure. Through a mix of lecture and hands-on labs, you configure and optimize the VMware vSphere 8 features that build a foundation for a truly scalable infrastructure. You also discuss when and where these features have the greatest effect. Attend this course to deepen your understanding of vSphere and learn how its advanced features and controls can benefit your organization.
● VMware vSphere: Troubleshooting [V8]
- Course code: VSTS8.
- Duration: 5 days.
- Level of difficulty: Advanced.
- Target audience: System architects and system administrators.
- Prerequisites: VCP-DCV certification or VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage or VMware vSphere: Operate, Scale and Secure.
This five-day training course provides you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to achieve competence in troubleshooting the VMware vSphere 8 environment. This course increases your skill level and competence in using the command-line interface, VMware vSphere Client, log files, and other tools to analyze and solve problems.
● VMware vSphere: Fast Track [V8]
- Course code: VSFT8.
- Duration: 5 days.
- Level of difficulty: Advanced (L400+), Intermediate (L300).
- Target audience: System administrators, System engineers.
- Prerequisites: System administration experience on Microsoft Windows or Linux operating systems.
- Certification: Attending this course meets the training requirement to achieve the following certification: VMware Certified Professional – Data Center Virtualization (VCP-DCV).
This five-day, extended hour course takes you from introductory to advanced VMware vSphere 8 management skills. Building on the installation and configuration content from our best-selling course, you will also develop advanced skills needed to manage and maintain a highly available and scalable virtual infrastructure. Through a mix of lecture and hands-on labs, you will install, configure, and manage vSphere 8. You will explore the features that build a foundation for a truly scalable infrastructure and discuss when and where these features have the greatest effect. This course prepares you to administer a vSphere infrastructure for an organization of any size using vSphere 8, which includes VMware ESXi 8 and VMware vCenter Server 8.
● VMware vSphere: Design [V8]
- Course code: VSD8.
- Duration: 3 days.
- Level of difficulty: Advanced (L400+).
- Target audience: Experienced system integrators and consultants responsible for designing and deploying vSphere environments.
- Prerequisites: Completion of the VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage [V8] and VMware vSphere: Operate, Scale, and Secure [V8] courses.
- Certification: This course is recommended if you aim to achieve the following certification: VMware Certified Advanced Professional – Data Center Virtualization (VCAP-DCV) Design.
This three-day course equips you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to design a VMware vSphere 8 virtual infrastructure. You follow a proven approach to design a virtualization solution that ensures availability, manageability, performance, recoverability, and security. The approach presented follows VMware best practices. This course discusses the benefits and risks of available design alternatives and provides information to support making sound design decisions.
● VMware vSphere with Tanzu: Deploy, Configure, Manage [V8]
- Course code: VSTDCM8.
- Duration: 3 days.
- Level of difficulty: Intermediate (L300).
- Target audience: vSphere administrators and platform operators who are responsible for deploying and managing workloads and services in vSphere with Tanzu.
- Prerequisites:
- Experience deploying and managing vSphere;
- Understanding of Kubernetes and the Kubernetes cluster architecture;
- Attending one of the following courses is recommended:
- VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage;
- Kubernetes Fundamentals and Cluster Operations.
During this three-day course, you focus on deploying and managing VMware vSphere® with VMware Tanzu in a VMware vSphere 8 environment. You learn how vSphere with Tanzu provides services to deploy and manage virtual machines, vSphere Pods, Supervisor Services, and VMware Tanzu® Kubernetes Grid clusters. You will also gain experience with day 2 operations and life cycle management of a vSphere with Tanzu environment.
● VMware vSphere: Advanced Administration [V8]
- Course code: VSAA8
- Duration: 5 days.
- Level of difficulty: Advanced (L400+).
- Target audience: System administrators, System engineer.
- Prerequisites: This course requires completion of the following prerequisites:
- VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage;
- VMware vSphere: Operate, Scale, and Secure;
- Working knowledge of VMware vSAN™
- System administration experience on Microsoft Windows or Linux operating systems.
- Certification: Attending this course is recommended to achieve the following certification: VMware Certified Advanced Professional – Data Center Virtualization Deploy (VCAP Deploy).
This five-day course provides hands-on training to equip students with a range of skills, from performing routine VMware vSphere 8 administrative tasks to complex vSphere operations and configurations. Through lab-based activities, students are immersed in real-life situations faced by VMBeans, a fictitious company. These situations expose students to real-life scenarios faced by companies that are building and scaling their virtual infrastructure.This course uses scenario-based lab exercises and does not provide guided step-by-step instructions. To complete the scenario-based lab exercises, you are required to analyze the task, research, and deduce the required solution. References and suggested documentation are provided. This course utilizes labs to teach students how to effectively navigate and manage vSphere. The course aligns fully with the VMware Certified Advanced Professional – Data Center Virtualization Deploy exam objectives.
Brief Summary
In the second article of the series “VMware Training and Certification. Year 2025”, we reviewed training programs in Datacenter Virtualization: VMware vSphere 8. The article provided a detailed overview of key courses for administrators and engineers, covering both foundational and advanced training on deployment, configuration, and management of virtualized infrastructure. We also highlighted certification pathways that help professionals validate their skills with vSphere 8 and expand their career opportunities.
The next article will focus on Datacenter Virtualization: VMware vSAN, a modern software-defined storage solution. Readers will learn about training programs and courses that cover deployment, optimization, and management of vSAN, as well as certification preparation to demonstrate competencies in VMware software-defined storage.
Follow the news until the meeting is on air in a few days.
Sincerely, AIRRA.
