Allen Houchins
6c18e89e68
Updated the timeline for core workshops and electives, and removed the redundant note about certification opening in August. <!-- Add the related story/sub-task/bug number, like Resolves #123, or remove if NA --> **Related issue:** Resolves # # Checklist for submitter If some of the following don't apply, delete the relevant line. - [ ] Changes file added for user-visible changes in `changes/`, `orbit/changes/` or `ee/fleetd-chrome/changes`. See [Changes files](https://github.com/fleetdm/fleet/blob/main/docs/Contributing/guides/committing-changes.md#changes-files) for more information. - [ ] Input data is properly validated, `SELECT *` is avoided, SQL injection is prevented (using placeholders for values in statements), JS inline code is prevented especially for url redirects, and untrusted data interpolated into shell scripts/commands is validated against shell metacharacters. - [ ] Timeouts are implemented and retries are limited to avoid infinite loops - [ ] If paths of existing endpoints are modified without backwards compatibility, checked the frontend/CLI for any necessary changes ## Testing - [ ] Added/updated automated tests - [ ] Where appropriate, [automated tests simulate multiple hosts and test for host isolation](https://github.com/fleetdm/fleet/blob/main/docs/Contributing/reference/patterns-backend.md#unit-testing) (updates to one hosts's records do not affect another) - [ ] QA'd all new/changed functionality manually For unreleased bug fixes in a release candidate, one of: - [ ] Confirmed that the fix is not expected to adversely impact load test results - [ ] Alerted the release DRI if additional load testing is needed ## Database migrations - [ ] Checked schema for all modified table for columns that will auto-update timestamps during migration. - [ ] Confirmed that updating the timestamps is acceptable, and will not cause unwanted side effects. - [ ] Ensured the correct collation is explicitly set for character columns (`COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci`). ## New Fleet configuration settings - [ ] Setting(s) is/are explicitly excluded from GitOps If you didn't check the box above, follow this checklist for GitOps-enabled settings: - [ ] Verified that the setting is exported via `fleetctl generate-gitops` - [ ] Verified the setting is documented in a separate PR to [the GitOps documentation](https://github.com/fleetdm/fleet/blob/main/docs/Configuration/yaml-files.md#L485) - [ ] Verified that the setting is cleared on the server if it is not supplied in a YAML file (or that it is documented as being optional) - [ ] Verified that any relevant UI is disabled when GitOps mode is enabled ## fleetd/orbit/Fleet Desktop - [ ] Verified compatibility with the latest released version of Fleet (see [Must rule](https://github.com/fleetdm/fleet/blob/main/docs/Contributing/workflows/fleetd-development-and-release-strategy.md)) - [ ] If the change applies to only one platform, confirmed that `runtime.GOOS` is used as needed to isolate changes - [ ] Verified that fleetd runs on macOS, Linux and Windows - [ ] Verified auto-update works from the released version of component to the new version (see [tools/tuf/test](../tools/tuf/test/README.md))
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Make your cross-platform skills official with Fleet certification
This August, the multi-OS work you already do gets a credential to match: Apple, Windows, and Linux, managed as code.
Key takeaways
- Cross-platform skill, on paper. Fleet's updated certification program launches in August with admin credentials for Apple, Windows, and Linux, so the multi-OS work you already do has something official behind it.
- GitOps gets its own track. Two credentials, Fleet GitOps level 1 and Fleet GitOps level 2, cover managing devices declaratively through pull requests instead of console clicks.
- Five credentials unlock the capstone. The three platform certifications and both GitOps levels are prerequisites for Fleet expert, a single exam you can only take once you hold all five.
- The core path is taught in person. Every credential on the road to Fleet expert comes from a hands-on, instructor-led workshop. You learn by doing it live, not by watching a video.
- Electives are self-paced and arrive all year. Tracks like Fleet self-managed and Developing with the Fleet API let you study on your own schedule, then validate the outcome. The list grows alongside the product.
- Workshops begin in August. Dates and details on how to take part will land on the Fleet workshops page.
For years, the most valuable people in device management haven't fit neatly into a single vendor's box. The same admin enrolls a Mac, hardens a Windows laptop, and scripts a Linux server before lunch. The skills are real. A credential that reflects all of them, in one place, hasn't existed.
That changes in August. Fleet is launching its first certification program, built around the way real fleets run: many operating systems, managed as code, from a single control plane. Here's what's coming first.
What launches in August
The program opens with three platform credentials: Fleet-certified Apple admin, Fleet-certified Windows admin, and Fleet-certified Linux admin. Each one covers running that operating system through Fleet end to end: enrolling devices, enforcing configuration and policies, deploying and updating software, and answering questions about your fleet with live queries.
They're separate credentials rather than one blended exam because the day-to-day reality of each platform is different. Earning all three is a statement in itself. You're not an Apple admin who dabbles in Windows, or a Linux person who avoids desktops. You can run the whole floor.
A track for GitOps
Alongside the platform certifications sit two GitOps credentials: Fleet GitOps level 1 and Fleet GitOps level 2. These aren't about a single operating system. They're about the operating model: policies, configuration, and software defined in YAML, reviewed in a pull request, and deployed through CI instead of clicked into a console.
Level 1 establishes the fundamentals of the GitOps workflow. Level 2 goes deeper for the people who own the pipeline. Together, they certify a skill that increasingly separates modern device management teams from legacy ones: treating your fleet's posture as version-controlled, reviewable, reversible code.
The Fleet expert capstone
The five core credentials aren't five things to pick between. They're a path. The three platform admin certifications and both GitOps levels are the prerequisites for the program's capstone: Fleet expert.
Fleet expert is its own exam, and you can only take it once you hold all five core credentials. That gate is the point. The exam isn't a shortcut around the platform and GitOps work. It's proof that you can bring all of it together and operate an entire cross-platform fleet, from enrollment to GitOps pipeline.
Learn it in the room
Every credential on the path to Fleet expert is earned in an in-person workshop. That's a deliberate choice. Running a real fleet is hands-on work, so the training is too: instructor-led, live, and built around doing the task rather than reading about it.
It also means the certification measures something real. You don't pass by memorizing menu paths. You pass by demonstrating, in the room, that you can produce the result in Fleet.
Electives you can add all year
The core path is where Fleet expert lives, but it isn't the whole program. Fleet is also rolling out self-paced elective certifications throughout the year. Each one goes deep on a specific way people run and build on Fleet.
The first two are Fleet self-managed, for teams running Fleet in their own infrastructure rather than the cloud, and Developing with the Fleet API, for the people writing automation and integrations on top of Fleet. Electives work differently from the core workshops: you study on your own schedule, then book time to validate the outcome. That makes them easy to add whenever you're ready, and the list will keep growing.
August is the start, not the finish
The core workshops will be slowly rolling out beginning in August, and the electives follow throughout the year. Keep an eye on the Fleet workshops page for dates and how to sign up.