Career
How I Prepared to Take the ISM V.3 Certification
Right after I started working for Dell Technologies, on March 2regardingwamped with tons of new information in regard to data, storage, hardware, and other IT infrastructure-related content that was way beyond my understanding.
One of the first guidance my manager told e was to study for the Information Storage & Management 3.0 exam (the most recent version is 4).
Test Overview
For those who are asking me where to start when getting into Sales Engineering, I recommend taking this certification. It is a foundation for the fundamental understanding of data center concepts, virtualization, data types, servers, storage, and best practices.
According to Dell’s website, about the exam:
This certification validates the learner’s comprehensive understanding of various storage infrastructure components in traditional, virtualized, and software-defined data center environments. It tests the learner’s knowledge of storage-related technologies in an increasingly complex IT environment, which is fast changing with the adoption of third platform technologies (cloud, Big Data, social, and mobile technologies).
The ISM is a foundational certification and is often a basic requirement for other Dell certifications (some advanced exams require the ISM certification). Take a look here at the Dell Technologies Proven Professional Certification Framework.
The exam is split up as follows:
- Modern Data Center Infrastructure (15%)
- Storage Networking Technologies (20%)
- Storage Systems (26%)
- Backup, Archive, and Replication (24%)
- Security and Management (16%)
The exam has a total of 60 questions and you need to get 60% correct: more than 36 questions must be answe230 dollars. The exam is in English and costs $230 dollars. If you are employed, I recommend that you talk to your leadership and ask them to pay for this certification as part of your professional development.
How I studied for the exam
I had a good amount of time to adapt when I joined Dell. Since my technical knowledge in infrastructure was limited, I studied for about 2 months, around 2–3 hours a day.
Professionals with more experience in the industry would easily be able to study for the test in less time.
Covering all the basics of a data center + data concepts, clouds, Dell EMC products, security, and best practices, you can easily find yourself feeling overwhelmed with so much information.
I also talked a lot with people who had already taken the test to understand the format of the questions.
Besides that, every day, after I studied, I would review the concepts and try to explain to myself what I had learned — mainly through the whiteboard.
“Those who teaches, learn while teaching.” — educator and writer Paulo Freire
I also created Quizlet cards (they helped me a LOT!):
Tips for those who want to take this certification
You don’t need to follow all the tips below, but in the perfect scenario of time, dedication and studies, they can help you a lot:
- Review the description of the certification at Dell’s website
- For those who want to take the certification in 1 month (30 days), I recommend 4 hours a day of study + 30-minute reviews of the concepts to absorb them well
- I studied through the Quizlet cards I left up there — look for others, or create your own! :)
- Take the practice exam available at Dell’s website
- Watch YouTube videos about concepts presented in class. There’s an example here:
- Explain the concepts to an accountability partner or a colleague
- Write short articles on Medium, LinkedIn, or another platform about the concept — in addition to helping to spread knowledge, you can also help yourself to absorb the content better
I hope this content was helpful! Feel free to send me a message if you have any questions!
Good luck and have fun studying!
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