On September 17, Microsoft received ANSI accreditation for two of our biggest Microsoft Certified Professional credentials!
· Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Windows Server 2008 Server Administrator
· Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Administrator
Accreditation for these credentials certifies that they meet the ISO 17024 (Personnel Certification Bodies) requirements. ANSI accreditation is recognized as the highest standard in personnel certification accreditation and is the only accreditation that is recognized by governments around the world.
Why is this so cool?
Accreditation means that you (and your manager/organization) can trust that we’ve applied strict international industry standards and rigor to the process of creating and maintaining these credentials. You can count on high quality, valid, and reliable exams, as required under the ISO 17024 standard.
Additionally, the US Government and other organizations are increasingly using ANSI accreditation to verify the quality of certification programs and to control fraud and misuse. In view of the proliferation of certification programs and the need to help the consumers make informed decisions, government agencies look to ANSI accreditation to differentiate quality programs and improve practices in industry. The ANSI accreditation process is designed to increase the integrity, confidence, and mobility of certified professionals.
Finally, this is a differentiator for Microsoft credentials in comparison to other IT credentials in the market. These two Microsoft credentials are the FIRST two product specific IT certifications to receive the ANSI accreditation under ISO 17024.
Clearly, accreditation is critical to the value of your certification. Because it puts an external stamp of approval on the rigor with which we develop and maintain exams, we plan to put more of our credentials through this process and are currently working on the MCSA--Security Specialization credential, which we hope will be accredited in December 2009. Keep watching this blog for more details.