Juggling three network and server operating systems—Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows .NET Server—Microsoft has decided to allow different versions of its professional certifications to exist side by side, and has announced that certifications will no longer be retired. The move prevents a drastic reduction in the number of Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers (MCSEs) in the marketplace.

The company has also added a new certification for system administrators, given instructors more time to upgrade their certification, and announced new naming that will more clearly distinguish an applicant’s skills.

NT and Other Certifications Continue

The decision to stop retiring certifications, particularly the MCSE certification for Windows NT, was greeted with applause by MCSEs who have not yet completed all the exams for certification as MCSEs on Windows 2000.

"Microsoft has finally realized that it's unfair to strip us of the rewards for our hard work. My certifications have appeared on my business card for more than six years, and I'm very happy to learn that I won't have to remove them on January 1," said Morris Lewis, a contributor to the Training and Certification Update e-mail newsletter and a developer and trainer with a long string of Microsoft certifications behind his name.

The move averts a potential public relations problem for Microsoft: in early November only 62,000 of more than 400,000 MCSEs had completed certification on Windows 2000. Although the number was likely to increase by the end of the year, canceling the MCSE status of MCSEs who had not upgraded by Jan. 1, 2002, would probably have cut the corps of MCSEs by at least 75%, delivering a message that Microsoft certification is no longer popular or important.

The company has also changed its plan to retire other certifications, including Microsoft Certified Database Administrator, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer + Internet, Microsoft Certified Professional + Internet, Microsoft Certified Professional + Site Building. Additionally, Microsoft Certified Professionals (who have passed at least one examination for any Microsoft Certification program) will remain certified. However, old certifications that have already expired (e.g., MCSE on Windows 3.51) will not be restored.

Some new MCSEs in Windows NT could still be issued, at least for a short period: as long as an individual has passed all the required exams (or their replacements, in the case of expired exams) for the Windows NT track, he could get or regain certification on Windows NT.

The decision to maintain the status of all current MCSEs could also affect the status of Microsoft partners: having a certain number of MCSEs on staff is a requirement for participation in many Microsoft partner programs. However, Microsoft’s best-known partner program, the Certified Partner program, requires MCSEs to have the most recent certification, meaning a Windows 2000 MCSE.

Credential Versions

To reduce confusion over certifications, Microsoft will assign "credential version designations" to certifications. For example, last year’s MCSE will be tomorrow’s "Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer in the Windows NT 4.0 Operating System," and an MCSE who has passed the exams for Windows 2000 will now be formally referred to as an "MCSE on Microsoft Windows 2000."

However, such clarity may be only temporary. In 2002, when the Windows .NET Server operating system (OS) is released, MCSEs who have passed examinations related to Windows .NET Server will still be called MCSEs on Microsoft Windows 2000. According to Microsoft, Windows 2000 is "a foundation platform which includes Windows .NET Server," and the credential will be identified as a Windows 2000 version, even though Windows 2000 will not be the current operating system.

Robert Stewart, general manager of testing and certification for Microsoft, says combining the Windows 2000 and Windows XP certifications was aimed at reassuring MCSEs—particularly those who had just upgraded their certification to Windows 2000— that "their certification investment in either or both platforms would be secure."

Nevertheless, Stewart said the company is considering development of an MCSE track for Windows. NET Server in the future.

New MCSA Certification

Recognizing that the MCSE certification was overkill for many jobs, Microsoft has released requirements for a new Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) certification.

The MCSA requirements will give many individuals an easier path to Microsoft certification, while delivering most of the skills that MCSEs really use. The required exams emphasize installation, configuration, administration, and systems management skills, ignoring most of the network and systems design skills that many organizations require rarely if ever from their network administrators.

Mike Nash, Microsoft’s vice president of content development and delivery, says the MCSA is likely to be extremely popular.

"There’s a huge demand for people that can administer Windows 2000 networks. But we really raised the bar when we created the Windows 2000 certification requirements, and that created a gap, and it wasn’t clear what certification was best for people in this area. The MCSA fills that gap."

The MCSA certification is, in many respects, a subset of the full MCSE certification, and it can be used as a stepping stone toward a full MCSE. By carefully selecting the four examinations required for the MCSA, a candidate can take exams that all apply toward a full seven-exam MCSE certification.

An MCSA requires one client OS exam, two network OS exams, and one elective exam. An MCSE requires an additional network OS exam, at least one exam in network design, such as designing a directory services infrastructure, and a second elective.

Exam Flexibility

Microsoft has also announced a consistent policy for exam retirement, and will accept some independently developed certifications as qualifications toward Microsoft certifications.

In the past, exam retirements have been unpredictable, making it difficult for certification candidates to plan ahead: they may wait to take an exam, only to discover that it has expired. In the future, Microsoft says, all exams will remain current for at least two years after they are released. Retirements will be announced at the Microsoft training and certification Web site each June, and those who subscribe to the Microsoft Certified Professional NewsFlash e-mail newsletter will be notified at least 12 months in advance of any exam retirements.

Candidates for the MCSA certification can also get credit for some exams offered by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), in a rare exception to the tradition that all exams are based on the Microsoft Official Curriculum. The vendor-neutral A+ (hardware-oriented), N+ (network-oriented), and Server+ certifications developed by CompTIA can be used to fulfill part of the elective requirements for the MCSA. These exams are administered by the same testing agencies, NCS/VUE and Prometric, that administer Microsoft’s certification exams.

Other Changes

Microsoft has announced some other changes as well, which will affect trainers and developers.

Training Deadline Moved

Microsoft has given Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCTs) a five-month reprieve. In the past, MCTs only had to have passed an exam in the subject they were teaching, but beginning in 2001, they were required to have a premier certification, such as an MCSE, an MCDBA (for database administrators), or an MCSD (for solution developers).

Microsoft initially required MCTs with an MCSE to have the Windows 2000 version of that credential as of Jan. 1, 2002, but the company will now give them until May 1, 2002 to upgrade to the Windows 2000 credential.

Developer Certification

Still missing is a new certification for developers that was pre-announced at the same time as the MCSA. Microsoft said at the time that the certification would focus on "software components including complex macros, desktop and Web clients, and data access and business logic objects."

Exams involving design and analysis, such as exam 70-100, "Analyzing Requirements and Defining Solution Architectures," are expected to be left out of this certification.

Some details about the new certification were released at the Professional Developers Conference in Oct. 2001, however. Describing career tracks for developers, Microsoft said exams to be released next year will cover Web and Windows application development with the .NET framework, and component development for Web Services, using Visual Studio .NET. Stewart said details of the new developer credential might be released in Feb. 2002.

Resources

A list of frequently asked questions about the changes in certification is available at www.microsoft.com/traincert/highlights/announcefaq.asp.

The Training and Certification Update e-mail newsletter is described at www.win2000mag.net/email/.

Readers can subscribe to the Microsoft Certified Professional NewsFlash e-mail newsletter (and related newsletters) at www.microsoft.com/traincert/newsletters/.

Information about CompTIA certifications is available at www.comptia.org/.