Microsoft Certification – A Proof Of Your Expertise
In today’s highly competitive world, with more and more people claiming themselves to be professionals, an industry standard certification shows up in the priority list of most interviewers.
Microsoft certification is a formal certification program intended for Information Technology professionals who wish to showcase their expertise in any of the Windows server platforms. To meet the increasing security requirements, Microsoft has constantly been adapting to newer technologies and such technologies are being included in the newer versions of the Windows Servers (Microsoft Proprietary Server Platforms). As an endeavor to keep the professional community up-to-date with the technologies, Microsoft also offers certification programs that are intended to prove proficiency in a particular environment.
Microsoft Certification basically consists of a MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) certificate program that focuses on configuring, troubleshooting, managing and maintaining Windows server environment. This industry popular certification is provided separately for different server versions like Windows Server 2003 and Windows server 2007. Apart from MCSE, which is essentially a wholesome certification for Windows server environment, Microsoft also felicitates specialized and even simpler certifications like MCPs (Microsoft Certified Professional) and MCSA (Microsoft Certified Systems Associate). These certifications are basically part certifications of MCSE that can be obtained after the completion of required papers that collectively make-up MCSE certification program.
To obtain MCSE certification from Microsoft, one has to pass 7 papers of which 3 are mandatory and 4 are electives. All the 7 papers individually focus on a specific technology or a group of technologies that are included in the Windows Server Environment. The three mandatory papers in Microsoft Certification for Systems Engineer needs the candidate to be proficient with most basic technologies and configuration and maintenance settings. The other 4 electives test on more specialized technologies that make the specialization part of the certification.
Passing any one of the 7 papers awards the person with MCP certificate and acquiring 4 such MCPs qualifies a person for MCSA. Completing all 7 papers however awards MCSE certificate. This pattern of Microsoft Certification enables one to move with the certification process at ones own pace and also enables specialized proficiency index in the form of MCP certifications.
A Microsoft certification can surely be considered as a boost to one’s resume, especially when looking for a career in system administration or networking technologies. As a system administrator, the selected professional is expected to have in-depth knowledge of the operation, design, and maintenance of server environment. This requirement can be effectively fulfilled by obtaining a certification that would let the interviewer know the skills of the applicant and thus establish the proficiency index of the applicant beyond doubt.
