Meet EMC Proven Professional: Craig Newell

Craig developed a desire for information technology from a young age – recognizing his interest after taking a summer computer course on a TRS-80 with a cassette drive in 5th grade. From that moment, he found his calling.

His 19 year career has taken him up the IT ladder – from his first role at a tier-two help desk, moving into network and database administration, project management, senior management roles, to advisory roles in data center virtualization and cloud computing, Craig has always had a passion to grow his skills to become a leader within the industry.

To support his professional growth, Craig has leaned heavily on training and certifications, either holding or pursing certifications as a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), Project Management Institute Project Management Professional (PMP), Cloud Security Alliance Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK), VMware Certified Professional (VCP), The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF), ITIL v3 Foundation Certification, Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP), LEAN / Six Sigma Yellow Belt, EMC Information Storage Associate (EMCISA), and is the first EMC Proven Professional certified Cloud Architect (EMCCA).

Craig found that pursuing the Cloud Architect certification through EMC was compelling, as EMC and VMware are leaders in the cloud computing space.  The development of a solid, reputable certification on an evolving, game-changing technology platform and business model provides employers, clients and business partners a degree of credibility and confidence in an individual’s skills to aptly lead them down the road to leverage cloud solutions. Craig found this to be a great opportunity to reinforce his knowledge and insight as a leader in this field.

Craig is currently working with the Accelerate team at VMware – an advisory team, working with CIOs, CFOs and IT Directors to develop IT strategy, leveraging virtualization and cloud computing solutions, to meet corporate and IT strategic goals. Additionally, he is working with EMC to develop the IT-as-a-Service expert certification course. When not pursuing professional goals, Craig enjoys spending time with his family, coaching youth basketball, is an avid poker player, and bowling pro.