Internet, Site-Building Certifications Retired

Microsoft’s premium technical certification, the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer+Internet (MCSE+I) is being retired, along with the Microsoft Certified Professional + Site Building (MCP+SB) certification. Neither certification will be updated, Microsoft said.

Microsoft announced in Jan. 2000 that exams for the MCSE+I will expire at the end of Feb. 2001 and the certification will not be valid after Dec. 2001. The MCSE+I was Microsoft’s top certification, requiring MCSEs to take three additional exams covering TCP/IP networking, Web server management, and browser configuration.

The demise of the MCSE+I was not unexpected. With the advent of Windows 2000, Microsoft incorporated many Internet-related topics into the standard MCSE program. An MCSE focusing on Windows NT required little TCP/IP or Internet expertise (the exams focused mostly on managing desktop and server operating systems), but the new MCSE requirements cover topics such as implementing and administering network infrastructures.