ORLANDO, FL -- The Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) and training provider Infinity I/O launched the first vendor-independent storage networking professional certification program yesterday in Orlando, Florida. The launch of the Fibre Channel Storage Area Network (FC-SAN) Certification program coincided with the opening of Storage Networking World(R), the premier storage conference co-produced by the SNIA and Computerworld. "The market needs trained professionals. The FC-SAN Certification program will provide objective credentials that IT managers can use to evaluate potential hires," said Paul Massiglia, Chairman of the SNIA Education Committee, which oversees the SNIA's certification activities. In a press conference today, Massiglia will discuss the evolution of the SNIA Storage Networking Certification Program (SNCP), the overall program of which the FC-SAN Certification is the first module. Deborah Johnson, Infinity I/O's Chief Operating Officer, will give an overview of the FC-SAN Certification exam development process and methodology. Two exams are being offered -- Level 1 -- Fibre Channel Storage Networking Professional which is primarily intended for "non-technical" employees such as marketing and sales professionals, and Level 2 -- Fibre Channel Storage Networking Practitioner, the first level of certification for technical employees. These exams consist of multiple-choice questions and are available at testing locations in major cities worldwide. A more advanced exam -- Level 3 of the FC-SAN Certification -- will be introduced next year and will include both written and real world simulation. Level 4 is currently being designed. "We are impressed with the initial turnout for our beta tests, the results of which are currently being analyzed. Based on inquiries we've received about the FC-SAN exams, there are IT professionals in several countries around the world who are interested in becoming certified through the SNIA program," said Dayne Myers, Chief Executive Officer of Infinity I/O. The FC-SAN Certification exams have been developed using the highest professional standards. The principles and processes employed by Infinity I/O conform to the Standards for Education and Psychological Testing. The Infinity I/O approach has been audited and validated by a team of psychometricians specializing in professional certification methodology, and all the questions on the certification exams have been reviewed and approved by a group of industry storage networking experts working on behalf of the SNIA. More information on the SNIA SNCP and the FC-SAN Certification Program can be found at www.snia.org/sncp or www.infiniyio.com/certification.