Information Storage and Management v4 (DCA-ISM)
Introduction
Information Storage and Management v4 (DCA-ISM) certification will benefit storage architects, administrators, managers, CIO’s or project managers, or recent additions to information and storage management teams. It will help you learn to make informed decisions about storing, managing, and protecting digital information in the classic, virtualized, and cloud environments. This certification course will help you expand your knowledge and fill the knowledge gap in understanding varied components of information storage infrastructure in classical and virtual environments.
About the exam
This certification substantiates the learner’s compendious understanding of various storage infrastructure components in traditional, virtualized, and software-defined data center environments. It checks the learner’s knowledge of storage-related technology in an increasingly complex IT environment, which is rapidly evolving with the adoption of third platform technologies (cloud, Big data, social, and mobile technologies). Taking up a good understanding of storage technologies and prepare participants for advanced concepts, technologies, and processes.
Who should take the exam?
Candidates who want to build their career in the information storage and management domain can take up this certification. This examination acts as an indicator that verifies the candidate’s fundamental knowledge and proven skills in the area of Information storage and management.
Prerequisites
Individuals with a basic understanding of computer architecture, operating systems, networking, and databases and experience in specific segments of storage infrastructure would also be able to assimilate the course material.
Exam Details
| Exam Name | Dell EMC Certified Associate – Information Storage and Management (DECA-ISM) |
| Exam Code | DEA-1TT4 |
| Exam Price | $230 (USD) |
| Duration | 90 mins |
| Number of Questions | 60 |
| Passing Score | 60% |
| Books / Training | Information Storage Management (ISM) V4 – OnDemand Course (ES131STG00799) Information Storage Management V4 -Classroom (ES111STG00802) |
| Administered by | Pearson VUE |
Steps to register for the exam
- Firstly, to schedule an exam, visit home.pearsonvue.com/dell and create an account.
- However, if you already have one, then sign in and select the test center and time slot.
- Further, after creating an account and signing in follow the steps on the website.
For More Details See – FAQ | Information Storage and Management v4 (DCA-ISM)
Course outline/syllabus
Modern Data Center Infrastructure (15%)
- Firstly, describe the data classification, elements of a data center, key characteristics of a data center, and key technologies driving digital transformation
- Secondly, Explain the cloud characteristics, cloud service models, and cloud deployment, models
- Thirdly, Explain the key characteristics of big data, components of a big data analytics solution, Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI)
- Further, Describe the building blocks of a modern data center
- Lastly, Describe a computer system, storage, connectivity in a data center, application, and options to build a modern data center
Storage Networking Technologies (20%)
- Describe Storage Area Network (SAN), FC architecture, FC topologies, zoning, and virtualization in FC SAN
- Describe TCP/IP, IP SAN, iSCSI protocol, components, connectivity, addressing, discovery domains, and VLAN
- Explain the components and connectivity of FCIP and FCoE
Storage Systems (26%)
- Firstly, Explain the components of an intelligent storage system, RAID, erasure coding, data access methods, scale-up, and scale-out architectures
- Secondly, Describe the components of the block-based storage system, storage provisioning, and storage tiering mechanisms
- Thirdly, Explain the NAS components and architecture, NAS file sharing methods, and file-level virtualization and tiering
- Further, Describe object-based storage device components, functions, operations, and unified storage architecture
- Lastly, Describe software-defined storage attributes, architecture, functions of the control plane, software-defined extensibility, and software-defined networking functionalities
Backup, Archive, and Replication (24%)
- Firstly, Describe the information availability measurements and key fault tolerance techniques
- Secondly, Explain backup granularity, architecture, backup targets, operations, and backup methods
- Thirdly, Describe data deduplication and data archiving solutions architecture
- And lastly, Describe replication uses, and replication and migration techniques
Security and Management (16%)
- Describe the information security goals, terminologies, various security domains, and threats to a storage infrastructure
- Explain key security controls to protect the storage infrastructure
- Describe the storage infrastructure management functions and processes
Preparatory Guide: Information Storage and Management v4 (DCA-ISM)
Clearing an examination requires determination and effort. And to get the best of results, it is important to plan out a proper strategy before starting the preparation. A guide can make a big difference in your approach towards the preparations. You can map the steps beforehand that one needs to take to cover up all the aspects of a particular exam. Therefore, to help you get a clear picture of the preparations for the Information Storage and Management v4 (DCA-ISM) exam, we have created a preparatory guide. This guide covers various phases and steps that you should take to increase your productivity and improve your scores in the exam.
Revise the Exam Objectives
The first and foremost thing to do is thoroughly revise the exam objectives. This will allow you to comprehend the syllabus of the exam. Further, you can pick and choose the topics that you find easy or difficult and then divide your efforts accordingly.
- Firstly, Modern Data Center Infrastructure (15%)
- Secondly, Storage Networking Technologies (20%)
- Thirdly, Storage Systems (26%)
- Further, Backup, Archive, and Replication (24%)
- Lastly, Security and Management (16%)
Study Resources
Once you are familiar with the topics of the exams, the next step is to arrange the resources that you can use to study for the exam. For this, you should visit the official website. This is where you’ll get the authentic stuff that is free from any error and relevant for the exam. You will get all the courses and readings that will cover every aspect of the exam in detail. Therefore, it is advised to stick the content of the official site for the study resources.
Training
The official site recommends two training for this exam. You should complete at least one of them to get well-versed with the exam topics.
- Information Storage Management (ISM) V4 – OnDemand Course – (ES131STG00799)
- Information Storage Management V4 – Classroom – (ES111STG00802)
Practice Tests
Once you are done with all the training and preparations, the last step is to test yourself. Self-evaluation is a vital step in the preparations. It is because the practice tests will help you screen out the weak areas and also let you know about the topics you are comfortable with. You will also get a chance to introspect and make adjustments in your preparation strategies accordingly. Therefore, you should try to attempt multiple practice tests to improve your score in the actual exam.
