Current Issue

August 2007

• Who moved my MCSE?

• Cisco changes CCNA, introduces CCENT

• Don’t doubt the value of certification

Previous Issues

July 2007

• 5 tips for Business Intelligence project success

• To some degree, we’re all security workers

June 2007

• Why develop Process and People skills?

• We need more Kevs on the help-desk

• 10 things to know about Microsoft Longhorn

May 2007

• Effective Collaboration with MOSS

• Acer uses SpecIT™ for Help Desk staff

• TrainIT for Charity

March 2007

• Redeem MS Software Assurance vouchers

• Computer forensics critical to security

• SharePoint End user training options

Archived Issues

Don’t doubt the value of certification

Certifications are a very effective tool for measuring skills in the IT industry. They enable IT professionals to work for different companies in different countries and act as a skills benchmark. The great thing about certifications is that they are a consistent measurement and set the foundation for skills in the IT industry.

Why certify?

Individuals are motivated to certify in order to enable them to prove they have successfully acquired certain skills in a product. Sometimes it is hard to get the right skills through experience alone, especially if the product is new to the marketplace.

If you get the chance, you should undertake a certification because of the many benefits it brings. For HR departments, certifications ensure that staff have the necessary skills and retain them. For individuals, certifications prove a certain level ability. Certifications, simply put, are an asset to the individual that provide them with credibility. Certifications are an important coin in the currency of skills-sets.

Vendors use certifications extensively in managing their partner channels. Vendors want to ensure that the people who represent their products in the marketplace do so in the best possible light. The IT industry isn’t alone in making sure that certifications are kept up-to-date. The same can be said for the Legal and Medical professions.

Certifications need to change in order to reflect the changes in technology and the IT industry. Both Microsoft and Cisco have recently made significant changes to their certification offering.

With the eminent release of Windows 2008 (formerly codenamed “Longhorn”) the IT workforce is asking the question, “What happens to my MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) Certification?”

Read more about Microsoft’s changing certification offering

Significant changes have been made to Cisco’s certification offering, with the introduction of a new base-level certification, the Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT) and important changes to the content learnt in the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification.

Read more about Cisco’s changing certification offering