The New Microsoft Certifications (MCTS, MCITP, MCM, and MCA)

The New Microsoft Certifications (MCTS,
MCITP, MCM, and MCA)



There are now four levels of “new” certifications: The Microsoft Certified
Architect, Microsoft Certified Master Series, Microsoft Certified
Information Technology Professional and the Microsoft Certified
Technology Specialist.






Architect Series: The Certified Architect program makes it easy for companies to
identify experienced IT architects who have completed a rigorous peer review
process Master Series: Master certifications identify individuals with the
deepest technical skills available on a particular Microsoft product.



Technology Series: Specialist certifications train IT professionals in
implementation, building, troubleshooting, and debugging of a specific Microsoft
technology.



Professional Series: Professional credentials validate the skill set required
for a particular job.



The Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA) is not a certification many will
achieve as it is not designed as

such. There are only 198 MCAs (as of 9 July 2008) worldwide, and they go through
a rigorous evaluation process (exam and board review).



Then there is the recently announced Microsoft Certified Masters Program (MCM).
There are currently

three tracks available: Exchange 2007, SQL 2008, and Windows Server 2008, with
two more coming out

soon: Office Communication Server 2007 and SharePoint 2007. You will have to
have your certified

Masters Certificate to apply for any of the MCA technical tracks. The Certified
Master shows that you have a very deep understanding as an expert on a specific
product. If you earn this certification, it demonstrates that you can design and
implement highly complex business solutions.



The Microsoft Certified Information Technology Professional (MCITP)
demonstrates your knowledge and ability to work on a “comprehensive set of
Microsoft technologies”5



The Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS)
is earned by taking a test on a particular product and demonstrates that you
have a deep understanding and knowledge of that product. It is also expected
that you perform day-to-day operations and are involved in short-term planning.



 

The Value and Worth of a Certification Is Validated

The Value and Worth of a Certification Is Validated

Individuals and employers have enough difficulties trying to understand the
value and worth of a certification, and this is made even more difficult when a
major certification vendor changes the entire structure and naming of their
certification program. Microsoft started such a restructuring last year and
continues to do so with the announcement of their new Master Certification and
exams. To give an example, there are some employers

who do not understand or know about the new
MCTS and MCITP certifications and
seek to hire new employees who have their MCSE (Microsoft Certified System
Engineer) on Windows Server 2008 – even though this certification doesn’t and
won’t exist.

Microsoft Certification

The MCSE certification was Microsoft’s premier certification up to 2006 when the
Microsoft Certified Architect
(MCA) was announced. The Microsoft Certified Professional program (MCP) has been
in place since 1992, with more than 2 million people having achieved a Microsoft
Certification worldwide.4 The MCSE
certification itself has been around since the NT3.5 days (mid-‘90s). It is
12+ years old in its current form, and we have developed a certain comfort and
familiarity with it. An entire generation of IT Professionals has “grown up”
knowing exactly where an MCSE fits into the certification scheme, and they also
have a good idea of what is involved in earning the MCSE, as well as the worth
of this certification, both financially and professionally.



This does not mean that there haven’t been additions and other enhancements to
the program over the years. The original MCSE was earned on a specific variant
of the NT system. Let’s say you earned your MCSE on NT 3.51 and then on NT4. You
were certified on those two systems – as a Systems Engineer. This same naming
approach held true for Windows Server 2000 and Server 2003. This meant that you
were an MCSE, MCSA, or an
MCP (this white paper addresses the IT
pros, not database administrators [DBA] and developers).

The New Microsoft IT Pro Certifications and Exams

The New Microsoft IT Pro Certifications and Exams



Introduction

f you have been in the IT field for any length of time, you are more than
aware of the plethora of certification providers and their certifications.
Trying to fathom what each certifications means; the worth of a certification,
and how a certification from one vendor compares to a certification from other
vendor (where applicable, ofcourse – having a certification on MS SQL cannot
readily compare to having a certification with Juniper Networks). One question
that is asked repeatedly by both employers and IT pros is whether there is value
or worth in obtaining a certification. This question comes from a number of
different quarters. To answer the question succinctly: yes, certifications are
valuable, to both employers and for IT pros. This white paper will address why
certifications are valuable. It will also cover the new Microsoft certifications
in general and the MCSA/MCSE Windows
Server 2003 to MCTS/MCITP Windows
Server 2008 upgrade path specifically

Microsoft Certifications

Reasons Why You Should Get Certified

There are a number of valid reasons why an individual should certify, and
why companies should encourage their employees to become certified and hire
certified individuals. Several studies show that companies that hire certified
individuals and encourage their employees to earn certifications do prosper
better than companies that don’t.




Top Ten Reasons To Hire a Microsoft Certified Profession (MCP)



1. Improve Project Deployments

Independent research1 has shown that organizations with a majority of their
teams certified by Microsoft reported significant improvements in delivering
projects on time and within budget.



2. Increase Customer Satisfaction

Certified staff help to increase customer satisfaction through improved
service, higher productivity, and greater self-sufficiency.



3. Improve Support Costs

Independent research2 has shown that organizations with certified staff
experience less network downtime and lower dependency on unplanned support.





4. Validate Vendor Qualifications

When outsourcing projects, certification provides assurance of vendors’
technical qualifications.



5. Gain a Competitive Advantage

Employees who hold Microsoft certifications bring more advanced skill sets
to provide higher levels of service and productivity, giving your business a
competitive advantage.



6. Benefit by Investing in Your Staff

Organizations that invest in certifying internal technicians generally
attain successful revenue results 3. 7. Increase Employee Satisfaction Employee
satisfaction and retention are higher when management facilitates employees'
career goals.



8. Objectively Benchmark Your Staff’s Talent

Certification serves as a reliable benchmark for hiring and promoting staff
employees, and ensures your organization is built on top-quality technical
talent.



9. Reward Employee Expertise

Certification recognizes and rewards productive employees by validating
their expertise. Certification also provides re-training opportunities so
existing employees can work more effectively with new technologies.



10. See Objective Results of Your Training Investments

Certification provides an excellent return on training and certification
investments by providing a standard method of determining training needs and
measuring results.



A November 2006 IDC study found that team performance increases when each new
team member becomes certified—every time.

• For each new team member who becomes a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP),
team performance increases every time.

• The skill level of a team is directly responsible for how an organization
performs in several key IT functional areas.

• When you increase the concentration of Microsoft certified team members on a
team, you directly affect team performance.

• On average, MCPs make up 40 percent to 55 percent of top performing teams.

• Seventy-five percent of managers believe that certifications are important to
team performance.

• Sixty-six percent of managers believe that certifications improve the level of
service and support offered to customers.

• "…for each additional member of a team certified, team performance increases.
Whether the increase is

from 37 percent to 38 percent of the team being certified or from 60 percent to
61 percent of the team, the team performance increases overall." IDC, Value of
Certification: Team Certification and Organizational Performance, November 2009

MCITP Online Training -
MCITP Online Certification -
MCITP Online Exams