Today’s IT Certifications
For IT professionals, IT Certifications can make all the difference when searching for a job, asking for a promotion or looking to get into a higher pay bracket. IT Certifications from Microsoft, Cisco and others serve as concrete evidence of an IT professional’s skills and abilities. Just like the technology in the IT field, IT Certifications are constantly changing and evolving every year. This is a look at some of the top IT Certifications in the field right now.
MCITP
Microsoft Certified Information Technology Professional is fast becoming the next big thing in the IT Certifications market. Replacing the old MCSE certification, MCITP is focused on specific competencies and roles, including Exchange Messaging, Database Administrator, Server Administrator, Database Developer and more. This new certification supersedes old certifications and exams, but Microsoft has outlined a roadmap so that professionals with older IT Certifications like MCSE and MCP can transition to this newer certification with fewer classes and exams.
MCTS
The Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist is another one of Microsoft’s new IT Certifications. MCTS is the second of two certifications designed to replace the MCSE certification. The MCTS certification is very specifically focused, displaying a professional’s exact area of expertise. For example, the old MCSE + Messaging certification covered all messaging systems. MCTS is much more focused, as there are actually three separate MCTS certifications covering messaging platforms: “Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Configuration,” “BizTalk Server 2006” and “Live Communications Server 2005.” Microsoft’s MCITP and MCTS IT Certifications are designed to meet specific needs in an ever changing marketplace, allowing IT professionals to specialize and companies to hire for exactly the expertise they need.
Still Hot It Certifications
MCSE and MCSA
We’ve mentioned twice now in this article how Microsoft is replacing its Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator IT Certifications with MCITP and MCTS, so why are MCSE and MCSA still hot certifications? The truth is, while technology progresses, companies are slow to adopt new tools and operating systems when their current infrastructure works without any trouble. It simply costs too much in man hours, licensing and hardware to upgrade to Windows Server 2008, for example, when Server 2003 is working reliably. With this in mind, it’s easy to see how MCSE and MCSA certifications are still relevant and in demand right now and probably will remain so in the near future.
Cisco IT Certifications
CCNA
The Cisco Certified Network Associate certification has long been a staple of Cisco’s IT Certifications plan. CCNA certification offers a good, basic understanding of Cisco’s core networking concepts and abilities, allowing both seasoned engineers and those new to the field a way to learn about and properly utilize Cisco networking hardware, including switches and routers. CCNA is a strong certification for IT professionals looking to supplement their skills, increase their value to their companies, and enhance their marketability in the job market.
Security+
Technology impacts our everyday lives more today than it even did as little as five years ago. Every day, we see news stories on identity fraud, corporate embezzlement, email scams, hacking and much more. IT security is more crucial now than ever, and the Security+ certification from CompTIA aims to fill this need by endorsing IT professionals. Security+ gives IT professionals a sound, vendor-neutral understanding of core IT security concepts such as hardening network infrastructure, control access to all systems, policy and system auditing and IT infrastructure and organizational security principles. It is aone of the great IT Certifications for professionals to add to their list and it gives business owners and clients increased peace of mind.