V1.

2 | DECEMBER 2019 | TN-2102

CERTIFICATIO N PROGRAM GUIDE

Nutanix Platform
Expert
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Author:
Mark Brunstad – Director, WW Education Services and Delivery

Contributors:
Magnus Andersson – Sr. Staff Solution Architect - Engineering
Richard Arsenian – Sr. Staff Solutions Architect
Michael Berthiaume – Director Systems Engineer
Raymon Epping – Principal Product Manager
Jonathan Kohler – Technical Director - Engineering
Ray Hassan – Staff Solutions Architect - Engineering
Artur Krzywdzinski – Customer Success Enterprise Architect
Lane Leverett – Cloud Architect
Josh Odgers – Principal Solutions Architect - Engineering
Steven Poitras – Principal Solutions Architect
Bas Raayman – Principal Architect, Solutions Engineering
Samir Roshan – Sr. Manager, Systems Engineering Global Accounts
Derek Seaman – Customer Success Enterprise Architect
Michael Webster – Technical Director, Engineering

Disclaimer:
The Nutanix® Platform Expert (NPX®) Design Review Preparation Guide provides an
overview of the knowledge categories that must be mastered to achieve the NPX
credential. Nutanix does not offer any guarantees that this guide will ensure a candi-
date’s acceptance into or success in the NPX Program. All information in this guide is
subject to change at any time at the sole discretion of Nutanix.
1. THE CERTIFICATION............................................................................................................................................................................................................................3
1.1. Purpose of Certification.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................3
1.2. Process Overview...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................3
1.3. Pricing..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................3
1.4. Application and Program Guide.............................................................................................................................................................................................................3
1.5. Application Acceptance......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................3
1.6. Retake Policy.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................3
1.7. Languages..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................3
1.8. Certification Trackes and Prerequisites....................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

2. INTENDED AUDIENCE...................................................................................................................................................................................................................5
2.1. Intended Audience.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................5

3. NPX CERTIFICATION PROCESS..........................................................................................................................................................................5

3.1. Overview......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................5

4. NPX PROGRAM APPLICATION........................................................................................................................................................................... 11

4.1. Overview..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11
4.2. Application Requirements............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 11
4.3. NPX Solution Design judgement Criteria.............................................................................................................................................................................. 11

5. NPX DESIGN OVERVIEW (NDR).................................................................................................................................................................... 12

5.1. Overview.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................12
5.2. NDR Components and Timeline..........................................................................................................................................................................................................12
5.3. Solutio Design Presentation - Judgement Criteria and Objectives.............................................................................................12
5.4. Hands-on Exercise – Judgement Criteria and Objectives..........................................................................................................................12
5.5. Design Exercise – Judgement Criteria and Objectives....................................................................................................................................12

6. THE NUTANIX ADMINISTRATION TRACK AND COURSE

RECOMMENDATIONS)............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 12
6.1. Nutanix Administration Track....................................................................................................................................................................................................................12
6.2. Course Recommendation..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................12

7. RESOURCES.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
7.1. Nutanix Community Edition.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................12
7.2. The Nutanix Next Community.................................................................................................................................................................................................................12
7.3. Frequently Asked Questions and Contact Information..................................................................................................................................12
7.4. Additional Resources............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................12
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1.The Certification
1.1 PURPOSE OF CERTIFICATION
Those who complete the NPX Program will have a very unique set of skills, including the
demonstrated ability to deliver enterprise cloud solutions using multiple hypervisors and
vendor software stacks on the Nutanix platform (VMware® vSphere®, Microsoft® Hy-
per-V®, and AHV). This hypervisor-agnostic certification for Enterprise Architects is a
first in the industry; our groundbreaking approach allows an NPX the freedom to design
cutting-edge solutions for customers based solely on their business needs. The depth
and breadth of the solution design and delivery skills validated through our peer- vetted
program make NPX the new standard for excellence. In accordance with program goals,
every NPX will be a superb technologist, a visionary evangelist for HCI and Cloud, and a
true Enterprise Architect - capable of designing and delivering a wide range of
cutting-edge solutions; custom-built to support the business goals of the Global 2000
and government agencies in every region of the world.

1.2 PROCESS OVERVIEW

NPX certification is a two-stage process; the first stage being a review of a candidate’s
NPX Program Application. If a candidate’s application is accepted, they will be invited to
participate in the NPX Design Review (NDR). The NDR is modeled after an academic
viva voice defense (live, oral exam) and requires candidates to present their solution to,
and answer questions posed to them, by NPX-Certified Examiners (NCE). The NDR also
includes a series of hands-on exercises which must be completed by the candidate.
Successful completion of both stages is required to earn the NPX credential.

1.3 PRICING
The NPX Certification is currently offered free of charge to qualified applicants. Candi-
dates are responsible for travel and other costs related to their pursuit of the credential.

1.4 APPLICATION AND PROGRAM GUIDE

To begin the process of becoming an NPX, you must fill out and submit an application.
To obtain the application as well as a PDF of this guide, click here.
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1.5 APPLICATION ACCEPTANCE

All submitted NPX Program Applications are reviewed and scored by a team of NCE
reviewers. An application must receive a passing score from the majority of reviewers in
order for a candidate to be invited to appear at an NDR.

If a candidate submits an application that does not achieve a score sufficient to pass the
NPX Program Application Review (NPAR) their application will be rejected. Other
reasons for application rejection may include late submission (missed deadline), an
incomplete document set, lack of sufficient detail in the solution design, or any evidence
of plagiarism. Detailed feedback will be provided regarding areas that require improve-
ment.

1.6 RETAKE POLICY

If a candidate’s application is rejected they must wait 6 months from their initial applica-
tion due date before they can reapply. Reapplying candidates will be required to docu-
ment their revisions and show compliance with recommendations made by their NCE
Reviewers. Candidates who fail a second NPAR will be required to submit an entirely
new design for any subsequent attempts. Additionally, they may be required to seek
training and obtain certifications equivalent to those specified in the NPX Program
Readiness Self-Evaluation Matrix before reapplying.

1.7 LANGUAGES
The NDR is conducted in English only at this time.

1.8 CERTIFICATION TRACKS AND PREREQUISITES

The NPX certification is the highest achievement that can be earned in the Nutanix
Administration track. The certification requires that candidates have obtained the
Nutanix Certified Professional (NCP) certification and the Nutanix Certified Advanced
Professional (NCAP) certification once it becomes available.

Also, while it is not required that you attend a course, Nutanix provides training that
covers NPX objectives and the NPAR and NDR components. Details on this course are
provided in section 6.
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2. Intended Audience

2.1 INTENDED AUDIENCE

NPX candidates are expected to have considerable IT industry experience and to be
expert technologists, consultants, and solution architects with portfolios of work reflect-
ing this expertise. A successful NPX applicant will document and demonstrate their
ability to deliver enterprise-scale IT solutions that support applications with service level
agreements specified by business stakeholders.

Success in the NPX Program will require a high level of proficiency in all knowledge areas
specified in this guide. While it is not necessary that a candidate hold specific industry
certifications (beyond the required NCAP) or specific professional or academic creden-
tials, it is highly recommended that the following matrix be used as a benchmark tool to
ensure a candidate is prepared for the rigors of the NPX Program.

Because NPX is unique in requiring expert-level mastery of multiple vendor solution

stacks, it is highly recommended that candidates have skills equivalent to individuals
holding one primary plus one of the secondary certifications used as a skills benchmark.
The matrix is not meant to be exhaustive – equivalent industry certifications, professional
credentials, or academic degrees may also be used as benchmarks for self-assessment
prior to applying for NPX Program acceptance.

Microsoft® MCM, MCSM,

MCA or MCSE-Private Cloud V V V V V V V
+ TOGAF® or Zachman
Cisco® CCAr or CCDE +
TOGAF or Zachman
V V V V V V
Cloud Credential Council®
(CCC) PCSA + TOGAF or V V V V V V
Zachman
Red Hat® RHCA V V V V V V
VMware® VCDX (-DCV, -DT, V V V V V V
or -CMA)
VMware VMware Microsoft Cisco Citrix CCC Red Hat AWS®
VCDX- VCAPs MCSE- CCIE CCIA PCSA RHCA CSA-P
NV or VCIX Private CCDE CCE-V
Cloud

Primary Skill Secondary Skill

Benchmarks Benchmarks
(1 Recommended) (1 Recommended)

Nutanix® Certified Advanced Professional (NCAP) Required

Nutanix® Certified Professional (NCP) Required

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3. NPX Certification
Process

3.1 OVERVIEW
As stated in section 1.2, the NPX Certification is a two-part process consisting of the NPX
Program Application and the NPX Design Review. Successful completion of both stages
is required to earn the NPX credential. These stages are detailed in sections 4 and 5.

4. NPX Program
Application

4.1 OVERVIEW
The NPX Program Application serves as a content checklist and provides detailed guid-
ance on how to structure the documentation supporting a submitted solution design.
Additionally, the application form provides information on acceptable document for-
mats, the application submission process, and rules pertaining to the submission of
fictitious solutions and solution designs with multiple contributors

4.2 APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

There are specific elements required in the NPX Application pertaining to a candidate’s
qualifications and the document set supporting the solution design. All NPX
Applications must contain the following:
• Candidate’s work history (CV)
• Documentation of relevant Industry certifications (if held)
• 3 professional references
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• An evaluation of emerging technologies related to Enterprise Cloud and DevOps,

and recommendations for incorporating them in Nutanix solutions - authored by the
candidate
• A fully documented enterprise-class infrastructure solution design, built on Nutanix,
architected and delivered successfully by the candidate. The solution design docu-
mentation must contain the following:
1. A current state and operational readiness assessment
2. A Web-scale migration and transition plan
3. Documentation of specific business requirements driving the solution design
4. Documentation of assumptions that impacted the solution design
5. Documentation of design constraints that impacted the design and delivery of
the solution
6. Documentation describing risks identified in the design and delivery of the
solution and how those risks were remediated
7. A solution architecture including a conceptual/logical and physical design
with appropriate diagrams and descriptions of all functional components of
the solution
8. An implementation plan
9. An installation guide
10. A test and validation plan
11. Documentation of operational procedures

4.3 NPX SOLUTION DESIGN JUDGEMENT CRITERIA

The infrastructure solution design included in an NPX candidate’s application will be
judged using the objectives found in sections 2 and 3 on pages 8 and 9 of this guide.

NPX application length or word count is not specified and will vary widely depending on
the documentation practices employed by applicants. Enterprise-class solution designs
may require hundreds of pages in supporting documentation, but candidates should
consider each included item carefully. A good method for avoiding clutter in an NPX
application is to provide links to supporting materials such as generic product
documentation, whitepapers, and KB articles.

Generally, NPX application reviewers are expecting all submitted documentation to be

succinct, well organized, and complete. A wide range of styles and organizational
frameworks are acceptable in solution design documentation, but the over-arching
standard is this: The supporting document set must be logically organized and contain
sufficient detail to allow the solution to be delivered and validated by a reasonably
skilled implementation team without undue assistance from the designer(s).
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5. NPX Design Review

(NDR)

5.1 OVERVIEW
The second part of the NPX certification process is the NDR: a ½-day, in-person, perfor-
mance-based exam modeled after an academic viva voice defense. During the NDR,
candidates should be prepared to present their solution and answer questions about the
following before NPX-Certified Examiners:
• All aspects of their Nutanix-based solution (including all decisions made during the
conceptual, logical, and physical design phases
• Features and benefits of the Nutanix Enterprise Cloud and how it is shaping the
future of datacenter design, IT operations, and application development.

Additionally, candidates will be required to demonstrate expert-level Nutanix knowledge

and advanced troubleshooting skills with multiple Nutanix-based solution sets. This is
accomplished through participation in a hands-on exercise with a live Nutanix environ-
ment and completion of a solution design exercise that includes:
• Creation of a 3-tier-to-Web-scale migration strategy for an existing architecture
• Creation of a conceptual/logical solution design

Both exercises will utilize a second solution stack/hypervisor pre-selected by the candi-
date (e.g., a Hyper-V/Nutanix based cluster and solution design if the candidate’s NPX
application contained a vSphere/Nutanix or AHV/Nutanix solution).

5.2 NDR COMPONENTS AND TIMELINE

The NDR is structured as follows:
• Solution Design Presentation, the Nutanix Enterprise Cloud and technology trends
discussion, and Q&A with NPX-Certified Examiners: 1:30
• Break: 0:10
• Hands-on exercise – focus on resolving an architectural issue in a live Nutanix
environment: 0:30
• Break: 0:10
• Design Exercise – Focus on 3-tier-to-Web-scale migration and 2nd hypervisor/
solution stack: 1:00
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5.3 SOLUTION DESIGN PRESENTATION – JUDGEMENT

CRITERIA AND OBJECTIVES

The NDR solution design presentation is used to verify design authorship and candidate
competency-based on the objectives specified in this guide. In cases where a solution
design has more than one architect, the presentation will also verify that the candidate
before the examiners has the appropriate level of competency in all objective areas; the
performance standard being that any candidate must demonstrate understanding of
every aspect of a submitted solution design and the rationale behind every design
decision, even if certain components of the design (e.g., the backup solution or network
infrastructure) were the primary responsibility of another team member.

This portion of the NDR will also validate that every NPX candidate can clearly articulate
the benefits of Web-scale and provide clear examples of how solution design is influ-
enced by hyper-convergence and the new technologies and operational models it sup-
ports in the datacenter.

The objectives covered by the Solution Design Presentation include:

Section 1 – Demonstrate Consultation Skills
Objectives
• Discovery of business requirements
• Identification of risks and risk elimination or remediation
• Identification of assumptions and constraints and removal or accommodation
in the solution design
• Incorporation of Web-scale technologies and operational models
• Evaluation of organizational/operational readiness
• Migration and transition planning

Section 2 – Determine Conceptual and Logical Design Elements

Objectives
• Scalability
• Resiliency
• Performance
• Manageability and Control Plane Architecture
• Data Protection and Recoverability
• Compliance and Security
• Virtual Machine Logical Design
• Virtual Networking Design
• Third-party Solution Integration
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Section 3 – Determine Physical Design Elements

Objectives
• Resource Sizing
• Storage Infrastructure
• Platform Selection
• Networking Infrastructure
• Virtual Machine Physical Design
• Management Component Design
• Datacenter Infrastructure (Environmental and Power)

5.4 HANDS-ON EXERCISE – JUDGEMENT CRITERIA

AND OBJECTIVES

The Hands-on Exercise will be used to verify that every NPX candidate has a practical
working knowledge of the Nutanix Enterprise Cloud and how to support application
performance on a Nutanix cluster. In this exercise, candidates will be challenged to
identify and troubleshoot a performance issue that is being caused by a flaw in the
solution architecture. The examiners will choose the application to run on the second
solution stack/hypervisor pre-selected by the candidate. The candidate will be asked to
make recommendations to improve the design if the root problem is identified.

Success with the hands-on exercise will require a well-structured, methodical approach
to troubleshooting (e.g., RCA- based, or Kepner-Tregoe-based), an understanding of
how solution components interact to deliver application services to end-users and the
ability to access components and interpret information collected at all levels of the
solution stack. Completion of the exercise will also require the ability to make corrective
configuration changes to the infrastructure based on the candidate’s interpretation of
the collected data.

Section 4 – Troubleshoot a Design

Objectives
• Application performance
• General troubleshooting methods
• Nutanix platform performance and troubleshooting
• Solution design skills related to application performance
 | 12

5.5 DESIGN EXERCISE – JUDGEMENT CRITERIA AND

OBJECTIVES

The Design Exercise will be in the format of an interactive role-play. The candidate will
be presented with documentation and diagrams describing a traditional, 3-tier datacen-
ter environment supporting a large enterprise. The exercise will require the candidate to
act as a consultant tasked with designing and migrating the customer’s existing business
to an Enterprise Cloud solution built on Nutanix. As stated previously the candidate will
be required to provide a conceptual/logical design for the new customer environment
utilizing a vendor solution different than the one used in the submitted NPX Program
Application (e.g., if the application contains a Hyper-V or AHV-based solution the
Design Exercise will call for vSphere).

Successful candidates will have excellent communication and presentation skills. The
exercise will require whiteboarding and the ability to describe the components and
benefits of an Enterprise Cloud solution clearly and succinctly. Candidates will be re-
quired to demonstrate an efficient, well-structured approach and produce a conceptual/
logical design in the allotted time. The design must address the business needs of the
customer while reducing complexity/costs and offering improvements in operational
efficiency.

Section 5 – Produce a Design Based on Given Requirements

Objectives
• Establish business requirements driving the solution design
• Identify risks and propose ways to eliminate or remediate them
• Recognize constraints and remove or account for them in the solution
• Provide a strategy for migrating the existing environment to a Nutanix
Web-scale infrastructure
• Use the deployment of Web-scale infrastructure to introduce new technologies
and improved operational models (e.g., DevOps)
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6. The Nutanix Adminis-

tration Track and Course
Recommendations

6.1 NUTANIX ADMINISTRATION TRACK

6.2 COURSE RECOMMENDATION

Nutanix offers a course that provides training on the objectives tested for in the exam.
While attendees are responsible for their travel and expense costs, there is no cost for
the actual boot camp itself at this time. The details are as follows:

NPX Enterprise Solution Design Boot Camp

A five-day, extended hours hands-on training course that provide attendees with a
technical deep dive into Nutanix-based solutions and NPX solution design methodology.

The boot camp focuses on designing Nutanix-based multi-hypervisor solutions capable

of supporting enterprise-class applications according to clearly defined service level
agreements. This is not a traditional ILT course. Participants will choose a hypervisor,
divide into teams, and engage in a series of role-play exercises to extract the business
requirements, risks, and constraints that will shape their solutions. The boot camp
includes design presentations and Q&A sessions similar to those required in the NDR.
 | 14

The boot camp covers the following objectives:

• Define a problem statement
• Gather and classify customer requirements
• Based on customer requirements, identify and design constraints
• Based on customer requirements, determine any assumptions
• Determine options and alternatives that meet given requirements
• Make design decisions based on given requirements
• Provide justification for design actions/solutions
• Map business outcomes to technical solutions
• Create enterprise-grade (NPX level) documentation
• Compute sizing requirements for a design
• Determine storage configuration options for a design
• Design a networking solution
• Define security requirements for a design
• Determine disaster recovery solutions for a design
• Determine requirements for business-critical applications including:
o Exchange
o SQL
o Oracle
o Splunk
o SAP
• Determine Virtual Machine requirements
• Determine migration requirements

After the boot camp, attendees will be enrolled in the NPX mentor program with the
expectation that they will certify approximately 6 months upon boot camp completion.
More information on the mentor program can be found in section 7.1.

The boot camp is offered at various times and locations throughout the year. The
schedule of offerings can be found here.

7. Resources

7.1 THE NPX MENTOR PROGRAM

The mentor program provides tailored coaching and advisory services to qualified NPX
candidates. Acceptance into the program is selective and each candidate (or design
team) must submit a resume/CV as well as a proposed solution design for review. Once
accepted into the program candidates will be assigned an NPX-certified Mentor who will
review their design with them and make recommendations for improvement as required.
 | 15

A mentor may also recommend additional study or training based on the initial review.

NPX Mentors commit to regular coaching sessions while conducting reviews and provid-
ing feedback until the applicant’s documentation is ready for submission and peer
review as described in the NPX Design Review Preparation Guide. This process usually
requires a 90-day commitment from the candidate.

If a candidate or design team is invited to defend in pursuit of NPX certification, their

mentor will assist in preparation for the NDR by facilitating a 1/2-day readiness boot
camp. The boot camp session may include other candidates or design teams and covers
best practices for presentation of solution designs, time management, and success with
the live design and troubleshooting scenarios.

7.2 NUTANIX COMMUNITY EDITION

The Nutanix Community Edition is a free product that allows you to deploy a Nutanix
Enterprise Cloud. To download the software and build your own environment for exam
preparation, click here.

You can also take a 2-hour Hyperconverged Test Drive, which utilizes the Nutanix
Community Edition, by clicking here.

7.3 THE NUTANIX NEXT COMMUNITY

The Nutanix Next Community is a social interaction site where professionals can connect
with cloud builders from around the world, learn from IT Pros in the industry and share
experiences. The community maintains an area focused on the NPX that includes a
schedule of NDR offerings with associated NPX application due dates. The forum also
contains the NPX Program FAQ and is the authoritative source for NPX Program infor-
mation and communications. The forum is located here.

7.4 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND CONTACT

INFORMATION
A list of frequently asked questions about the NPX program can be found here.
You can also direct additional questions to [email protected].
 | 16

7.5 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Additional resources include:
• Nutanix Bible: http://stevenpoitras.com/the-nutanix-bible/
• Web-scale 101: http://go.nutanix.com/webscale-101-hyper-converged-infrastruc-
ture-guide.html
• Nutanix on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Nutanix
• Nutanix University on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJupSM-
WQRKQTvkb2CfkW0Eg

Additionally, blogs maintained by the NPX Program Developers are good sources of
information and insight into all things related to Web-scale and emerging technologies:
• Magnus Andersson – Sr. Staff Solutions Architect http://vcdx56.com
• Artur Krzywdzinski – Customer Success Enterprise Architect http://vmwaremine.
com/category/nutanix/#sthash.dpIRFUDB.dpbs
• Josh Odgers – Principal Solutions Architect - Engineering http://www.joshodgers.
com/
• Steven Poitras – Principal Solutions Architect http://stevenpoitras.com/about/
• Bas Raayman – Principal Architect, Solutions Engineering http://basraayman.com
• Samir Roshan – Sr. Manager, Systems Engineering Global Accounts http://thinkin-
gloudoncloud.com/about/
• Derek Seaman – Customer Success Enterprise Architect http://www.derekseaman.
com/
• Michael Webster – Technical Director, Engineering http://longwhiteclouds.com/
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