The Value of Microsoft Certification
Microsoft Certification Overview
Over the last 17 years, 4 million IT professionals, developers and office
professionals have earned a Microsoft certification, including over 24,000
Microsoft employees.
Microsoft has invested heavily in certification and training because it
is known, from third party and Microsoft's own research, that the
certification process drives satisfaction for individuals as well as
business owners. In fact, Microsoft is so committed to certification,
that each new training course is designed as a preparation tool for a
specific exam and certification.
Microsoft Certification Benefits the Employer
Microsoft certification reflects and validates real-world skills and
experiences while improving the performance of IT professionals, developers
and information workers. It adds value across all stages of an
individual's career path, so it is valuable for job seekers, new and
advanced skill building and upward career growth.
Certified individuals are more valuable team members, they can
troubleshoot better, are more effective and more productive. In the
IDC white paper, overall, individuals with certification were more valuable
to organisations.
Microsoft certification is continually updated and measured for relevance
in the market place, so it remains an effective tool for job satisfaction
and career growth. There is a myth that IT professionals who earn
certification leave the organisation quickly thereafter for better jobs.
In fact, certification leads to higher job satisfaction and better employee
retention, especially in the current economic climate.
Certification training provides skills that professionals can immediately
apply in a work situation. It also improves staff stability, which is
a good criterion for companies to evaluate the return on investment of their
training spend.
Microsoft Certification Benefits the Employee
As individuals advance in their careers, certification develops into a
tool that adds value across all stages of an individual's career path.
Certification is the key driver for staying current on the latest
technologies and being eligible for pay rises and promotions.
A Microsoft study found that nothing replaces experience to prospective
employers - and the best validation is Microsoft certification.
Certified professionals stand to gain more pay as well as being viewed as
more productive and valuable.
One of the key benefits of Microsoft certification for individuals is
access to a professional community of peers. This community enables
the IT professional to take advantage of networking and professional growth
opportunities enjoyed by being a member of a community spawned by Microsoft.
TOP
The Increased Demand for IT Certification
The IT Industry Challenge
Globally, IT is facing some challenges. The aging workforce is a
key trend worrying employers worldwide. As experience leaves a
company, retaining or replacing knowledge will be critical. The effect
of the lack of skilled IT professionals is already being felt.
According to a Gartner study, 40% of operational downtime is due to operator
error - attributable to a significant lack of training on core systems.
A 2008 study commissioned by the Computing Technology Industry
Association that surveyed more than 3,500 IT Managers in 14 countries, found
that there are gaps in several critical technical areas. There is a
wide gap between the IT security skills that organisations want and the
corresponding skills that workers bring to the job.
Among organisations surveyed in nine countries with established IT
industries (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, The
Netherlands, United Kingdom and United States), 73% indentified security,
firewalls and data privacy as the IT skills most important in their
organisations. But just 57% said their employees are proficient in
these security skills.
The Increased Demand for IT Certification
Today, the demand for IT certification has increased dramatically, with
Microsoft alone experiencing a 24% growth over the last year. There
are several studies that suggest there will be a significant gap in the next
five to ten years between the demand for and supply of IT professionals with
the right technical skills. According to Certification Magazine, and
IDC study places that gap at 40%.
IDC forecasts increased global spending on the IT education and training
market through 2012 and increasing demand for IT skills that will drive the
need for more certification.
There is a growing body of research that confirms the positive impact
certification has on IT organisations. A study by IDC looked at 1,200
IT teams, examining the relationship of team performance to the percentage
of the team certified by Microsoft on a variety of technologies. The
study concluded that certification correlated positively to organisational
performance improvements.
TOP
How Next Generation Certifications are Structured
The next generation Microsoft certification program is designed to
emphasize both the primary technology skill set and the job role of the
individual. By focusing on core technical or professional skills,
individuals can work toward a certification that meets their needs.
These certifications work in tandem with current credentials, which will
be recognized for as long as they are in demand. New lifecycle
policies for MCTS, MCITP, and MCPD certifications help ensure that your
Microsoft certification signifies that you have up-to-date, relevant skills
on current Microsoft technologies.
MASTER
SERIES:
Earning a Microsoft Certified Master certification shows that you can
successfully design and implement solutions that solve highly complex
business challenges. The courses are taught by Microsoft experts and
Microsoft global network partners who are experts in their disciplines and
offer advanced technical training.
PROFESSIONAL SERIES:
Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD)
Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP)
The Professional series credential validates a comprehensive set of
job-related skills, such as project management, system design, operations
management, and planning.
TECHNOLOGY SERIES:
Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS)
The Technology series certifications are
designed to validate your ability to implement, build, troubleshoot, and
debug a particular Microsoft technology, such as Windows Server, Microsoft
.NET Framework, or Microsoft SQL Server.
GETTING STARTED:
As illustrated in the picture, the new certifications start at the
Technology Series (MCTS) level, leading into the Professional Series (MCPD
or MCITP) and with further skills and experience to the Master Series.
Above the Master certification, there is the Architect certification (MCA)
which is designed for an industry expert in IT architecture, demonstrating
seven competencies of business acumen and technological skill in front of a
board of peers.
Individuals who upgrade from an existing certification will earn a
Professional series credential, along with the associated Technology series
credential(s) in one or two upgrade exams.
TOP
How Do Next Generation Certifications Compare to the Old
Style?
After 17 years of Microsoft certifications, some of the acronyms have
become common workplace language, such as MCSE, MCSD and MCDBA. At F1,
we are continually being asked how the next generation certifications map to
the older certifications, or we are asked for MCSE in Windows Server 2008
(which exists in the MCITP certification only).
Whilst the older certifications do not lose their validity, newer
technologies like Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2005 and 2008, or .NET
Framework 2.0 and 3.5 are only available as a next generation certification.
Microsoft are improving their communication to the IT industry so that these
next generation certifications are as easily recognised as the older style.
If you want to upgrade your Microsoft certification to prove your
proficiency in newer technologies, you may be confused which next generation
certification maps to your existing credential. We have detailed in
the table below the next generation certifications that are on an equivalent
level of expertise and knowledge to the earlier certifications.
Upgrade paths and exams are available from earlier certifications, and these
are detailed on our certification pages.
It is no longer possible to be newly certified as a MCSD, MCAD, or MCDBA,
although MCSE, MCSA and MCDST certifications can still be obtained in
Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP respectively.
TOP
Why You Should Use F1 for Microsoft Certification
IT professionals and their managers perceive certification to be
confirmation of successful training. They also value the access to
authentic training materials that certification through a Microsoft
Certified Partner for Learning Solutions (CPLS) provides. In a
customer branding survey of 550 IT professionals in 10 countries, when asked
if it were important that a training company be a CPLS, 76% of the
respondents said it was important.
F1 Computing, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, has been a training
company for over 20 years and uses this expertise to ensure that its
training clients have both the theoretical knowledge supplied by Microsoft
Official Curriculum and the practical knowledge that its certified trainers
can give.
F1 Computing Systems Ltd participated in a review and audit by the
Microsoft Quality Assessment Program in 2008 and was found to have met the
requirements for courseware utilization, trainer certification, hardware,
facilities, and customer satisfaction.
When purchasing Microsoft certification packages, we agree that you
should 'shop around' to get the best deal. But, don't just look at the
published price... you should compare the package as well. At F1, we
believe that it's hard enough to get a large training spend authorised in
the first place, without having to go back to the beginning for additional
costs such as exams, so we include everything you need to obtain your
certification in our stated price. All of our certification paths
include the following:
- Microsoft Official Curriculum manual for each course.
- Microsoft Exams stated in the route.
- Award-winning Transcender (Self Test Software) exam preparation
software for all of the exams on the route, where available.
- Ongoing Support from a Microsoft Certified Trainer.
- Free re-sits on any course you have attended.
- 18 months in which to complete your certification, so no 'boot camp'
style training.
- A discount of up to 50% of the retail cost.
- Other benefits such as eLearning may be included, depending on the
certification and route.
Does your training provider include ALL of that in their certification
route price? We will even tailor the route to suit your experience and
knowledge, giving you a price for your specific requirements.
Upgrade Your Training to a Certification
F1 also offers customers the chance to upgrade to a certification.
If you have attended or have paid for a Professional Series certification
course and want to upgrade to a MCPD or MCITP certification, we will offer
you an additional discount on the price of the certification equivalent to
50% of the price of your course.
For example, if you have attended the three day 2541 course at £1050 and
wanted to upgrade to the MCPD: Windows Developer 3.5, we will give you £525
discount on the price of the certification, meaning you pay just £2550!
Call us
on 0800 169 1890 or email
sales@f1comp.co.uk for more details.
TOP
Further Reading on Certification
TOP