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ABOUT THE iSAQB®

The Associ­ation

The Inter­na­tional Software Architecture Quali­fi­cation Board (iSAQB®) brings together profes­sional software architecture experts from industry, consulting, training, academia, and other organizations.

About the iSAQB®

iSAQB® in Numbers

Past & Present

About the iSAQB®

The iSAQB® promotes inter­na­tional standards in software architecture

The Inter­na­tional Software Architecture Quali­fi­cation Board (iSAQB) is an associ­ation comprised of leading industry experts, consulting firms, and educa­tional thought leaders. As a non-profit organi­zation, the iSAQB develops techno­logical standards and certi­fi­ca­tions in the field of software architecture. The main goal of the iSAQB is the standard­ization and continuous improvement and growth of the knowledge of software archi­tects on a global scale.

CPSA® – Inter­na­tionally recog­nized education and training program
of the iSAQB®

As holder of the inter­na­tional certification system Certified Profes­sional for Software Architecture (CPSA®), the iSAQB itself does not conduct any training courses or exami­na­tions. It does, however, establish training and exami­nation regula­tions, accredits training organi­za­tions as well as independent certification bodies and defines the necessary processes.

The iSAQB follows the DIN EN ISO/IEC 17024 standard and therefore does not perform CPSA® certi­fi­ca­tions itself. The respon­si­bility for this lies solely with the licensed certification partners that conduct and evaluate tests as well as the issuing of certifi­cates for successful partic­i­pants. This ensures that all CPSA® certi­fi­ca­tions are always performed neutrally and independently.

The CPSA® program is aimed at all those who work on solution struc­tures in IT projects: primarily software archi­tects, devel­opers, and quality assurance specialists, but also systems analysts who would like to improve the commu­ni­cation with their developers.

The iSAQB® in Numbers

founded in

0

as the German Software Architecture Board
more than

0

CPSA® Certified Professionals
over

0

Members & Member Companies

Ever since the iSAQB was founded, more than 30,000 CPSA® certified profes­sionals worldwide have success­fully completed at least one of the two CPSA® levels – the Foundation Level (CPSA‑F®) and the Advanced Level (CPSA‑A®). An Expert Level (CPSA‑E®) will soon be added as a further and highest certification level. Over 150 members and member companies are part of the iSAQB. They promote the work of the board or actively partic­ipate in the working groups of the association.

Past & Present

History of the iSAQB®

The prede­cessor organi­zation of the iSAQB was founded in 2001 as the German Software Architecture Board. The first CPSA® training took place the following year. In 2008 the organi­zation was renamed, and thus the Inter­na­tional Software Architecture Quali­fi­cation Board e. V. (iSAQB e. V.) was founded. In the meantime, the iSAQB has developed into a globally recog­nized expert associ­ation for the personal certification of software architecture professionals.

Organi­zation of the iSAQB®

The iSAQB e. V. is the central organi­zation and origin of the iSAQB. The association’s area of respon­si­bility lies primarily in the defin­ition and mainte­nance of the exami­nation regula­tions as well as the new and further devel­opment of the content of all CPSA® curricula. The strategic direction of the entire certification and training program is deter­mined primarily by the Strategy Council.

The iSAQB GmbH was founded in 2018 as operating company of the iSAQB e. V. It is a reliable service partner for all CPSA® certified and inter­ested parties, training providers, certification bodies, univer­sities, and cooper­ating organi­za­tions. The tasks of the iSAQB GmbH include a large part of the economic and admin­is­trative activ­ities as well as marketing activ­ities of the iSAQB. Like the associ­ation, the GmbH also works without the intention of making a profit. The management of the GmbH reports to the advisory board of the association.

Additional Information

Frequently Asked Questions

How can you become a member of the iSAQB?

You can apply for membership or sponsorship at any time (a corre­sponding appli­cation form is available here). As an active member, you should spend approx­i­mately ten days a year working for the iSAQB — in one or more working groups of your choice. Preference will be given to new members who have experience in training software architects.

Which different types of membership are there at the iSAQB?

All iSAQB members work on a voluntary basis. There are different types of membership at the Inter­na­tional Software Architecture Quali­fi­cation Board:

Active Board Members

Active members are elected by the general meeting and have a right to vote on all important decisions within the associ­ation. An active member can be an individual or a repre­sen­tative of a sponsoring company. In order to receive the status of an active member, one has to have worked actively and produc­tively in one or more iSAQB working groups for a longer period of time.

Supporting Board Members

Supporting members are usually individuals. They can have the status of an active or passive member. Supporting members do not pay a membership fee.

Sponsoring Board Members

Sponsoring members are usually companies that wish to support the iSAQB and its goals with their membership fees. These can be training providers, but also end users or software devel­opment and consulting companies.

Who are the people behind the associ­ation, and what are its aims?

The associ­ation was founded in 2008 by about 20 volun­teers. The iSAQB e. V. brings together various software architecture experts. Its members include profes­sionals from industry, consulting, training, academia, and other organi­za­tions or associ­a­tions. The purpose of the associ­ation is to standardize the training of software archi­tects internationally.

 

Why become a finan­cially supporting (sponsoring) member of the iSAQB?

We take care of the devel­opment and admin­is­tration of standard curricula for software archi­tects (CPSA Certified Profes­sional for Software Architecture®). This includes the defin­ition of exams for certification based on the CPSA curricula as well as guaran­teeing the profes­sional quality of further training for software archi­tects. The iSAQB e. V. (regis­tered non-profit associ­ation) itself does not provide trainings or exams, but deter­mines exami­nation rules and regula­tions, grants licenses to training course providers and certification bodies, and defines and super­vises the necessary processes. All activ­ities of the iSAQB e. V. are based on voluntary work – the active members do not receive any earnings or fees for their contribution.

As finan­cially supporting member you become part of a broad network of experi­enced software archi­tects. You benefit from the know-how of the members, who are often also training course providers. Make new contacts with industry experts and maybe even find new employees over the network.

Finan­cially supporting members are presented on the iSAQB website. You can be presented with your company’s logo there, and show your membership of our well-respected association!

Finan­cially supporting members are allowed to dispatch a member, who can contribute to the association’s working groups. Thus, own demands on the curricula can be introduced.

Downloads

Appli­cation for iSAQB e. V. Associate Membership

With this document an appli­cation for an iSAQB e. V. membership can be made.

English Version [pdf]

Deutsche Version [pdf]

Articles of Associ­ation

Articles of Associ­ation of the Inter­na­tional Software Architecture Quali­fi­cation Board (iSAQB) e. V. with details concerning name, regis­tered seat, purpose, bodies, board, working groups, and information on membership.

English Version [pdf]

Deutsche Version [pdf]

Industry Excellence

All CPSA® training courses are conducted by iSAQB® Accredited Trainers and Training Providers. Profit from these excellent iSAQB partners!

Recognized iSAQB® Trainingsprovider - CALLEN Software Consulting and Training
HVDSOFT_Logo
New Recognized iSAQB® Trainingsprovider -Expandior
Logo of OpenValue - iSAQB Accredited Training Provider
Gustavo_Marquez_Sosa_logo
Logo Training Provider Alexander Lorz
Logo_Arif-Chughtai
Recognized iSAQB® Trainingsprovider - Arabilis (Silberrücken AG)
Method Park by UL_Logo
Heise Medien Logo
CMAcademy-Logo
Verity Software logo
New Recognized iSAQB® Trainingsprovider - Dr. Faith
New Recognized iSAQB® Trainingsprovider - ETC – Enterprise Training Center GmbH
embarc logo
Logo of Technikum Wien - iSAQB Accredited Training Provider

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