Increase Your Marketability--Get Solution Certified

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Posted: over 1 year ago by Andy Nelson |

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Today's IT professionals require the skills to design, implement and maintain complex solutions that meet business needs and create a competitive advantage for their companies. For example, to deploy and manage a private cloud solution, you need expertise in at least Windows Server Platform, System Center, and Virtualization. The way that you can prove that you have this expertise to hiring managers is through the Microsoft Certification Program.

Up until now, the Microsoft Certification Program has been predicated on specific technologies. Thus using the earlier example of private cloud expertise you would have to complete three technology specific certification tracks. This would have resulted in you earning at least the MCITP Enterprise Administrator on Windows Server 2008, MCITP Virtualization Administrator on Windows Server 2008 R2, and MCTS Microsoft System Center Operations Manager, Configuration. Even after earning these credentials, you might still have to convince your prospective employer that these demonstrate competency in the technologies pertinent to private cloud solutions.

The new solutions-oriented Microsoft Certification Program, released on the April 11, 2012, aligns competencies with business needs making it much easier for technical and non-technical hiring managers to translate your certifications to their needs. Referring back to the earlier example, now you earn a single certification—Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert: Private Cloud. The improved Microsoft Certification Program is a win-win for you and potential employers. Your skills are more marketable and more easily identifiable, and means you are better positioned to quickly find a rewarding job. The employer wins because they are able to more quickly identify the right candidate and have confidence in their ability to deliver value.

I work for New Signature, an innovative IT consulting firm in the Washington, D.C metro area that has doubled in size in the last year. This growth means that we're constantly evaluating new talent to join our dynamic team of experts. We look for candidates who have demonstrated expertise across an array of related technologies that align with specific solutions. Our experts need to deliver Microsoft solutions in on-premise, public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid environments. We are super excited about the new Microsoft Certification Program, because it supports and reinforces our hiring strategy.

With single-technology certifications it was easy to tell if one was current, because they included the version, e.g., Exchange 2010. With solutions such as private cloud, Office 365, etc., this is more difficult because they lack version numbers. For that reason, the new solutions-focused certifications will require recertification. This is perfect for IT professionals who pride themselves on maintaining knowledge of the latest technologies and great for hiring managers who rely on certifications to demonstrate technical competency.

Check out which solutions already have an associated Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert credential available, and increase your marketability today!

Comments

Erika Cravens
|
26 Apr 2012 5:57 PM

Hi Everyone!

Great feedback and discussion over the two weeks since we announced our new cloud-enabled certifications – Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) and Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE)! I am just coming back from the MMS conference in Las Vegas where I was able to talk to many people who had similar questions to yours and I wanted to make sure I connected with all of you to recap what I am hearing and make sure we have fully addressed your concerns.

First, it seems there is confusion and concern regarding the existing MCITP: Enterprise Administrator and MCITP: Server Administrator certifications and what they mean moving forward in this new program. The MCITP: EA and MCITP: SA are still the certifications to strive for on Windows Server 2008 technology. The MCSA: Windows Server 2008 was created solely as a pre-requisite for the new MCSE: Private Cloud certification.

Those of you that already earned the MCITP: EA were granted the MCSA: Windows Server 2008 certification as a way for us to acknowledge the expertise you already have. They are not considered equivalent certifications.

I think I am also seeing some confusion about that we announced the MCSA: Windows Server 2008 certification, but yet there are no MCSE certifications announced for Windows Server. The MCSA and MCSE certifications based on Windows Server 2012 technology will be announced in the near future. When we announce the MCSA and MCSE certifications based on Windows Server 2012, we will be providing upgrade paths for all of you that have earned the MCITP: SA and/or MCITP: EA certifications, making it easier to transition in to the new program. Eventually (within about a year or so), you will see that the pre-requisite for the MCSE: Private Cloud certification will then require the MCSA on Windows Server 2012 technology.

Finally, a big thank you for alerting us to the issue with the new MCSE and MCSA logos. The issue is now fixed and we apologize for any inconvenience.

I hope this is helpful and if it needs more context and clarification, let me know.

Thanks, All!

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Increase Your Marketability--Get Solution Certified

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