Introduction

If 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, of course - 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.

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 2006

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.

Related Courses

MCITP: Database Administrator Boot Camp
MCITP: Enterprise Administrator Upgrade Boot Camp
MCITP: Enterprise Support Technician Boot Camp
MCITP: Server Administrator Boot Camp
MCITP: Server and Enterprise Administrator Combo Boot Camp
Managing Projects with Microsoft Office Project Server 2007 Boot Camp
MCTS: Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Configuration Boot Camp

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