Press Releases
 
Cisco and Pearson VUE Combat Exam Fraud With Global Test Delivery Enhancements

New Security Measures Underscore Commitment to Protect Certification Integrity and Value

SAN JOSE, CA and BLOOMINGTON, MN--(Marketwire), 22 July 2008 -- Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) and its global testing provider, Pearson VUE, a business of Pearson, today announced a series of security enhancements that will reinforce the integrity and value of the Cisco certification portfolio.

"Cisco certifications are one of the most highly valued credentials available to information technology (IT) professionals, and protecting that reputation is paramount," said Erik Ullanderson, manager of global certifications for . "Proxy testing and other forms of cheating can diminish the value of certifications for individuals and the organizations that employ them. Pearson VUE and Cisco are leading the way in aggressively combating this industry wide issue through the latest advancements in exam development and delivery."

The advanced security enhancements include the use of digital photographs for candidate-identity verification and forensic analysis of testing data. The new measures, to be implemented beginning on Aug. 1, will include:


-- Photo on Score Report and Web -- On completion of a certification exam
at the test center, candidates will receive preliminary score reports
imprinted with their photos and unique authentication codes. The
authentication code can be used to access a candidate's official score
online at Pearson VUE's website http://www.pearsonvue.com/authenticate usually
within 72 hours of the examination. The online score report will also
display the candidate's photo. Candidates may share access to their online
records with employers or other third parties.

-- Forensic Analysis -- Exam results and other testing data will be
continuously analyzed by forensic software to detect aberrant testing
behavior and to flag suspect exams for further investigation. When problems
are identified with the validity of a test result, the candidate's score
will be invalidated. Depending on the exact issue with the flagged exam,
further consequences may range from having to retake the exam to the
imposition of a one-year or lifetime testing ban.

-- Preliminary Score Report -- All paper score reports will be
preliminary, pending the results of forensic analysis, until official exam
scores are posted to the Web within 72 hours of exam completion. Once the
exam scores are official, candidates may use the authentication codes on
their score reports to access the Pearson VUE website for score and photo
verification.

"We looked at alternatives for addressing the issue of proxy testing, the two primary victims of which are employers and those members of the certification community who chose training, hard work and experience as their path to certification," explained Randall Trask, vice president of market development for Pearson VUE. "We determined that adding photos to score reports and providing employers with the ability to authenticate both the exam score and the person achieving it will provide a direct benefit to all."

These new exam security measures are part of Cisco's overall strategy to protect the value and integrity of its certifications. Other measures include simulation-based testing, dynamically generated questions and emulations to help ensure that Cisco certified networking professionals continue to have the knowledge, skills and credentials to perform well on the job.

About Pearson VUE

Pearson VUE (http://www.pearsonvue.com) is the global leader in electronic testing for regulatory and certification boards, providing a full suite of services from test development to test delivery to data management. Pearson VUE offers exams through the world's largest network of test centers in 162 countries, providing testing services for information technology, academic, government and professional clients. Pearson VUE acquired the former Promissor in 2006, thereby extending its leadership in the certification market. The company's innovative technology offers the highest levels of security and program control, while its commitment to service provides clients and individual test takers with an unmatched testing experience.

Pearson VUE is a business of Pearson (NYSE: PSO) (LSE: PSON), the international media company, whose businesses include the Financial Times Group, Pearson Education and the Penguin Group.

# # #


About Cisco:
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com

Cisco, the Cisco logo, and Cisco Systems are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partnership does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. This document is Cisco Public Information.

For direct RSS Feeds of all Cisco news, please visit "News@Cisco" at the following link:

http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/rss.html

Media Contacts:
Press & Analyst Relations:
Cara Sloman
Cisco
831-440-2411


Mary Beth Mohn
Pearson VUE
952-681-3000


Submitted by Asia Release on Tuesday, 22 July 2008 at 8:00 PM
Category: Enterprise Technology
 
Related News

Octasic Provides Echo Cancellation for ZTE Corporation's 3G Wireless Products
Tuesday, 6 Jan 2009

Insular Life Enhances Customer Relations in the Philippines With Cisco Unified Communications System
Tuesday, 6 Jan 2009

Phishing and spam attacks strike Twitter users, Sophos reports
Tuesday, 6 Jan 2009

Rabbit Releases New Family of Wireless Single Board Computers
Wednesday, 24 Dec 2008

China's Largest E-commerce Company, Alibaba.com, Selects NICE Systems for Its VoIP Contact Centers
Wednesday, 24 Dec 2008

Related Events

Search Engine Marketing Conference (Hong Kong)
Thursday, 15 Jan 2009

Asia Pacific Rail 2009
Monday, 9 Mar 2009

Carriers World Asia 2009
Tuesday, 17 Mar 2009

RFID World Asia 2009
Wednesday, 22 Apr 2009

Cards Asia 2009
Wednesday, 22 Apr 2009

Latest News

Mini RFID Reader with USB interface boosts your convenience
Tuesday, 6 Jan 2009

Octasic Provides Echo Cancellation for ZTE Corporation's 3G Wireless Products
Tuesday, 6 Jan 2009

Insular Life Enhances Customer Relations in the Philippines With Cisco Unified Communications System
Tuesday, 6 Jan 2009

Phishing and spam attacks strike Twitter users, Sophos reports
Tuesday, 6 Jan 2009

RFID oem tag:the smallest rfid tag for jewelry
Tuesday, 6 Jan 2009

 
Want to get your press releases, event listings, and job ads on Scoopasia? Register now for a FREE account or login if you already have one!
Scoopasia v1.0b. Copyright © 2009
Today is Tuesday, 6 January 2009

About Scoopasia | FAQ | Privacy Policy | Contact Us

Press Releases
Event Listings
Job Listings
Arts & Entertainment
Architecture & Construction
Automotive & Travel
Business
Consumer Technology
Economy
Education
Enterprise Technology
Food & Fashion
Government & Policy
Health Care & Medical
Legal/Law
News & Media
Others & Oddities
Religion
Science & Research
Sports & Fitness
Login / Register
Get Scoopasia through RSS Feeds & Email Notifications!
Journalist's Toolbox
Hello journalist, welcome to Scoopasia--a powerful online resource for media information in Asia. Scoopasia has press releases and media events for every beat and industry. All content on Scoopasia is 100% FREE. You don't even need to login!

  • Scoop Line
    (Instant Information Request)
    The easiest way to ask questions and request information from the PR community.


  • Advanced Search
    Drill down, dig deep, for media information the way you want it.

  • Journalist's Resources
    Resources and tools you can't do without.

  • PR Tools
    Scoopasia Blog Search
    Search the largest handpicked collection of Asia's most prominent and influential blogs.


    Resources
  • PR Bookmarks
  • Web 2.0 Bookmarks
  • Media Bookmarks

    More Coming Soon...

  • Upcoming Events
  • Fitness@Work
  • No Labels, only Luxury
  • Mother & Child Martial Arts Workshop
  • Aquafit
  • Architectural Conservation & You: Seeing, Understanding and Acting

  • Latest Jobs
  • Authors Required - Full Time (In-house)
  • Work from home!
  • Relationship Manager
  • Account Manager
  • Work at home Virtual Job Directory (World Wide)