New Certifications Planned

Microsoft is modifying its certification programs to reflect the company’s new .NET priorities and polish the image of its certifications at a time when their value is in question. Certification programs for systems engineers and developers will incorporate .NET technologies, and the company has announced two new certifications, for systems administrators and component developers, that should be easier to obtain than current certifications for system architects and software developers.

Updating the MCSE

In late 2001 Microsoft will begin to offer exams covering Windows .NET Server and Windows XP as part of the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification. MCSEs will be able to take either the existing Windows 2000 or the new Windows XP/Windows .NET Server exams to fulfill their core exam requirements for an MCSE.

The names of the new exams are almost identical to existing exams, except for the operating systems they cover. Exam 70-270, for example, covers installing, configuring, and administering Windows XP Professional, and it is the Windows XP equivalent of Exam 70-210: installing, configuring, and administering Windows 2000 Professional. The other new MCSE exams will cover installing, configuring, and administering Windows .NET Server; implementing and administering a Windows .NET Server network infrastructure; and implementing and administering a Windows .NET Server directory services infrastructure.