By Yap Chee Yuen, 5 October 2021

What is Veeam?

Veeam is a software company that was founded in 2006 with a significant growth story. With offices in more than 30 countries and over 200 industry awards, Veeam is unquestionably the leader in data protection across all environments.  Veeam was named a LEADER in Gartner’s 2021 Magic Quadrant for Data Center Backup and Recovery Solutions for the fourth year in a row. Gartner positioned Veeam as the highest for the ability to execute. 

Veeam has become ubiquitous with easy and reliable VMware backup and restore and is widely deployed in companies of all sizes. It has also extended its backup capabilities to Microsoft Hyper-V as well as to physical Windows and Linux servers. In addition, it has extended into the cloud with Backup for Microsoft 365.  As a result, thousands of companies worldwide trust their data protection to the simplicity and affordability of Veeam software.

How to become a Veeam Certified Engineer (VMCE) 2021

Veeam Availability Suite v11 was released on 24 Feb 2021, the Veeam Certified Engineer (VMCE) certification program was overhauled, and now there’s a new Veeam Availability Suite v11: Configuration and Management training course.

The new training course is meant to help system administrators and system engineers responsible for protecting data with Veeam Availability Suite. While Veeam offers easy-to-use and straightforward solutions, customer environments may be a bit more complex. So whether you’re a customer or a partner, understanding how Veeam works in specific deployments is crucial to getting the best out of your Veeam solution.

Veeam certification brings more value to their companies, shows better performance, and reduces costs by being ahead of the curve. So, to help, let’s review the VMCE certification in more detail.

What is the VMCE certification?

The VMCE certification validates your knowledge and skills to perform a wide array of tasks with Veeam solutions. In addition, it confirms that you hold the necessary level of technical expertise to implement, configure and manage Veeam Availability Suite correctly.

To become a Veeam Certified Engineer 2021, please follow the seven steps below.

Step 1: Enroll on a VMCE class

The first step is to attend a three-day class led by a VMCT instructor at one of the Veeam Authorized Education Centers (VMAEC) Infosyte Sdn Bhd is the only centre in Malaysia.  It’s a prerequisite before you are allowed to sit for the exam. The program is a three full-day, instructor-led course and will cover the entire Veeam Availability Suite (Veeam Backup & Replication and Veeam ONE).  During class, you will experience in-depth theory and extensive hands-on labs to help you better handle data with modern protection.  You can find the VMCE course description here

Step 2: Review the official study guide

Your course will include an official study guide and lab guide from Veeam.  For the detailed training content, please refer here

• Describe Veeam Availability Suite components usage scenarios and relevance to your environment.

• Effectively manage data availability in on-site, off-site, cloud and hybrid environments.

• Ensure both Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs) are met.

• Configure Veeam Availability Suite to ensure data is protected effectively.

• Adapt with an organization’s evolving technology and business data protection needs.

• Ensure recovery is possible, effective, efficient, secure and compliant with business requirements.

• Provide visibility of the business data assets, reports and dashboards to monitor performance and risks.

Step3: Review What’s New in V11?

Veeam Backup & Replication™ v11 brings balance to your data protection objectives with a 4-in-1 solution, combining storage snapshots, backup, replication and Continuous Data Protection under a single platform. Protect, manage and unleash your data with V11, with over 200+ new features and updates.  It is important for you to review the new features with so many new features, especially if you are upgrading from VMCE 9 or earlier.

Step 4: Review the user guides

To get more detailed information on Veeam Availability suite, Veeam provides a comprehensive guide available for the public to assess.  The guides are as below.

• User Guide for VMware vSphere
• User Guide for Microsoft Hyper-V
• User Guide for Nutanix AHV 2.1 (AHV not included in training)

Veeam also publishes a series of “How to” video that are really useful for revision.

Step 5: Practice your lab

The training course included practice lab for you to learn.  You must be familiar with the Veeam Backup & Replication v11 user interface and the combination of all the options. One of the main benefits enrolled with VMAEC is you will get the lab environment exactly matching the Veeam lab guide.  The environment is running on virtual, and you can spin up the lab whenever you have time.  Try to complete the lab during the training.  The good news is after the training; you still have additional ten days for you to practice.  Please fully utilize this facility, and you can test the environment using your setting.  Students use the labs to do a lot of ”What-if” scenarios.  You can easily reset the lab as you wish.

Step 6: Practice, practice and more practice

Practice mock exams before you appear for the final one. While you are attempting these tests, they help boost your confidence and overcome mistakes. Here, you are made aware of the test pattern and are also made to experience the strategies for tackling the actual test. Unfortunately, there is no official mock exam for the current version yet from Veeam as of writing. Still, you can assess the earlier version to get a similar experience on the format and the difficulty of the questions. So, please come back, and I will update you once the mock exam is available.

Step 7: The VMCE Exam

Please remember to use this https://www.veeam.com/vmce-certification.html to register for your exam.  If you don’t have the option to register for the exam, then refer below.

• You have not attended the VMCE from VMAEC.  Attending training from an authorized education centre is a prerequisite.
• You have completed the training, but you need to wait a few days before your exam option is available
• Your email or name was wrongly registered with the VMAEC; you must have your English name and email spell correctly.

If your exam option is not due to the above, please write an email to vmce@veeam.com for assistance

This exam must be taken at a Pearson VUE testing facility, and since the pandemic start, there is an option to take the exam at home.  You will see the option on the page if it available to you.   The passing score for your exam is 70%. After passing the final exam, you’ll have your VMCE credentials.  You can use the VMCE 2021 badge and download the digital certificate as below on your VMCE page.

If you’re already certified for VMCE 2020, you may qualify to take the new exam to upgrade your certification. To find out more about your options, you can log into the VMCE certification website.

Are You Looking for VMCE training?

Now that you know the steps you need to take to become a Veeam Certified Engineer, where can you go to get started? As a trusted name in IT education, Infosyte offers VMCE courses taught by award-winning, expert staff members. Contact Infosyte sales@infosyte.com today to learn more about our IT training courses and to take the next step in your career.