Backup Academy: Free data protection training & certification for virtualization

Since I’ve started at Veeam, I’ve had the unique pleasure of working on a number of different projects that engage virtualization technologies with the virtualization community. One of the projects I began working on right from the start was a community educational resource, Backup Academy. This week, we are happy to announce that it is now in session! But what is Backup Academy? Backup Academy has a simple mission:

To meet this goal, Veeam has sponsored the creation of a FREE community resource site that provides training on basic principles of virtualization and data protection. These basic principles are presented in a product-neutral fashion, meaning that there are no specific backup products mentioned. The only time specific products are mentioned is when the hypervisors (VMware ESXi, Hyper-V) are mentioned, as well as specific guest operating systems and applications that we need to protect as IT professionals.

This content will initially be released as eight tracks, each with a specific theme that helps deliver the fundamental principles of data protection for virtual machines. Further, this content is aimed at providing those who are very new to these technologies with what they need to proceed confidently in embracing a virtualized infrastructure and backing up virtual machines.

We’ve worked really hard on this program. I’ve been lucky to have access to a great web technology team, thorough project management, and steadfast executive support for this project as well as an all-star list of contributors for this first wave of content. Speaking of which, here is our list of contributors for the initial release of Backup Academy:

Greg Shields: Greg holds both Microsoft MVP and VMware vExpert status and is a senior partner at Concentrated Technology. Follow Greg on Twitter @ConcentratdGreg.

David Davis: David holds VMware vExpert status as well as Cisco CCIE and VMware VCAP credentials. David is a popular blogger, author and expert in the virtualization community. Follow David on Twitter @DavidMDavis.

Elias Khnaser: Elias holds VMware vExpert status and is the CTO at Sigma Solutions. Elias has authored a number of books on IT certifications and is a popular blogger on a number of websites. Follow Elias on Twitter @EKhnaser.

Eric Siebert: Eric holds VMware vExpert status and a number of IT certifications. Eric has authored several books and is a popular blogger. Follow Eric on Twitter @EricSiebert.

Rick Vanover: Rick holds VMware vExpert status and a number of IT certifications. Rick is a popular blogger and podcaster. Follow Rick on Twitter @RickVanover.

These contributors have produced this first wave of content, and over time, we will add more to the fold. Individuals who go through the first wave of content and pass the exam will become Backup Academy certified. Backup Academy will add content over time, both for VMware and Microsoft platforms, so stay tuned for more information about new material.

So what do we do now? Well, spread the word! Backup Academy is online now at http://www.backupacademy.com and on Twitter at @BckpAcademy.