No, Broadcom did not just end VMware's flagship VCDX certification program

Sure, it sent an email and FAQ saying it had – but that was a mistake, you see

Broadcom has made an embarrassing mistake: sending an email in which it mistakenly announced the end of its VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX) certification.

The VCDX certification is sometimes likened to a Master's degree or compared to super-high-level certifications like the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE). VCDX candidates are required to design a large-scale, complex, VMware implementation – and must then defend it in a lengthy process that sees them grilled by senior practitioners including fellow VCDXs.

The certification is prized. The Register's virtualization desk often hears vendors and service providers proudly proclaim they have hired VCDXs – or helped their own people to win it – to prove their ability to handle the most complex VMware jobs. Only a few hundred people have earned VCDX status.

News of VCDX's supposed demise went down badly, with social media posts lamenting the end of an unusually rigorous certification and criticizing Broadcom for the change.

Ending VCDX would have been an odd move, given Broadcom's pledge to make the VMware channel more relevant and send more work its way. Even if one considers Broadcom's plans to make VMware software easier to integrate and consume, high-end help would still be welcome to help deliver the kind of large-scale multi-site rigs spanning on-prem and public clouds that CEO Hock Tan sees as Virtzilla's reason for existing.

The Register therefore asked Broadcom to confirm the end of the program, and was sent a screenshot of a second email that reads as follows:

Correction: Disregard Previous Email Sent In Error
An email sent about changes to the VCDX program was sent in error on November 26, 2024. The VCDX program continues as usual. We apologize for any confusion caused.

Well that settles that then, right? Well, no.

The VMware community is confused, because the email announcing the end of VCDX reportedly pointed to an FAQ about what it means for holders of the certification. If VCDX was never going to be ended, why was that document prepared? ®