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This works very well only as long as the match between what a credential covers and what's needed on the job remains rather more on target than less. Thus, I can't help but foresee more frequent tinkering, changes and adjustments to cert program coverage on a per-program or credential level, as well as a faster procession of old credentials off the certification stage, with a faster stream of newer credentials into the footlights to take their places.

What does this mean for IT people? Among other things, it means that paying attention to what's available and assessing one's fit and fitness for particular credentials will become a more than once-a-year activity. In fact, it should probably take up a position on one's quarterly planning and career review calendar, even if conducted only privately as a "conversation in your head," as it were. IT professionals should also try to make some discussion of certification credentials (and their support) an ongoing topic of conversation with employers, particularly during performance reviews and other opportunities for job and career planning as they come up in the workplace.

The old saying goes: "The more things change, the more they stay the same." This is apparently just as true for IT certification as it is for other ever-shifting aspects of the IT workplace: job role, job stability, future prospects, salary growth and career opportunities chief among them. Though keeping up with certification has always involved an interesting mix of maintaining the old and cultivating the new, I can't help but think that this latest refocusing of Microsoft's credentials into specific job roles and onto specific platform and service versions also means that the maintenance and upkeep involved is also going to have to be kicked up a notch.

That said, if the improved fit between individuals and the job roles they fill really does help improve their knowledge and skills and boost workplace performance, there will be a payoff as a result. It will certainly be interesting to watch how this all unfolds going forward and to see if the theory driving the new programs matches best practices on the job. I'm hopeful that this will work, but concerned to watch how changes and evolution will play out over time. But then, that's the way it's always been anyway, if perhaps less obviously so. That's why I wish all of us who watch and participate in MS certifications the best of luck and the happiest of outcomes, as we march forward into this year's holiday season. This is my last hurrah on my two week stint on MS cert topics, but don't let that stop you from posting questions and comments to the Web page, or from e emailing me directly with your comments, questions and concerns.

Many happy returns of the season to one and all!

--Ed--
Posted by Ed Tittel Where's the Microsoft beef?
17 NOV 2005 14:41 EST (19:41, GMT)
As my two-week stint in dealing with Microsoft learning and certification topics is drawing to a close I find myself waxing less practical and more philosophical about where future emphasis and activity might best be invested, learning and certification-wise. That's why you'll find my "Top 10 tools and technologies list" here complete with tongue-in-cheek capsule summaries (but enough genuine descriptive data to let you dig into these topics further should you be so inclined). Here goes…

Ed's Top 10 Microsoft tools and technologies for 2005 and beyond

10. Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 and Visual Studio .NET 2005: As "enabling technologies" these things mean more for what they make possible than what they can do themselves. I place them here at the Number 10 spot on the list not out of disrespect (there are amazing and useful enhancements throughout, but only developers can really appreciate this stuff in and of itself), but because they will provide the foundation for capabilities, applications and services yet unknown within the next 12-36 months. A lot of what we think we know about software and Windows will be changing, and these items will be at the root of those changes. It behooves everyone in IT to have some basic familiarity with and understanding of these key technologies.

9. Improved software deployment and patching technologies: Though rolling out new software and propagating updates, patches, fixes and service packs is neither glamorous nor especially fun, it's becoming the basis for safe, secure networking and information infrastructures. Microsoft's done a fair amount (as have third parties such as Altiris and NVision Software) to make delivery, management and monitoring of systems and software easier to automate and keep working smoothly, but they still have a long way to go before it becomes simple and easy. Let's hope all keep their focus on realizing this "Holy Grail" of software management!

8. Better proofs of identity, stronger authentication, more default security: Be it on servers or the desktop, Microsoft has taken its Secure Computing Initiative to heart. Though by no means perfect or completely safe, the company has worked wonders in making modest security its default posture across the board (both Windows XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003 are more secure out of the box than any prior MS product, without exception). By moving toward what experts call a "pessimistic model of security" (meaning that the expectation is that there are bad guys out there who will attempt to do you harm given any chance), Microsoft has taken a far more realistic stance on performing due diligence in protecting the users of its software and systems from malefactors and malware. More work is needed, but improved or stronger encryption and authentication methods and proofs of identity show the company headed in the right direction.

7. More flexible information search, indexing, storage and retrieval: Vista promises to raise the bar still further on what file systems can do to help users track information down, but improved indexing and search tools already help users dig through increasingly humongous collections of files and information. Making sure that it's easy and fast to find what's needed (and being able to identify the focus for such searches in simple, intuitive ways) remains a goal in need of scoring, but current and planned enhancements promise to make the task of finding and using what's needed at least manageable -- if not simpler -- than it is today.

6. Windows Media Center Edition: To everybody's amazement, MCE is now the biggest seller in the stable of Windows XP desktops (among Home, Professional and MCE, that is). But why not? It's got everything that Professional has (except domain support) and a whole bunch of media-related stuff for TV, movies, photos and music that other versions of Windows lack. This may be more of a home user/consumer phenomenon than a business phenomenon, but everybody who works with Windows needs to see what this software can do, particularly when it comes to watching and recording conventional TV. I'm still waiting for the version that does for HDTV what 2005 does for SDTV. Maybe in 2006?

5. A Roadmap to the (Server) Future: The Windows Server division has done a fantastic job of releasing and explaining a roadmap for its planned product releases, as well as letting customers know what will be happening when and what benefits it will deliver for those who opt in for new versions. Wouldn't it be great if the other divisions did likewise, particularly if clear, well-explained Windows desktop, Office and Exchange roadmaps could also likewise be made available (and intelligible)?

4. Protect Your PC has been redefined in the MS model to include the company's notable AntiSpyware package (still in beta, but expected to remain free to all comers with valid Windows licenses for the foreseeable future), as well as a built-in firewall, antivirus checks and automatic operating system update downloads and installation. Look for Microsoft to keep broadening its definitions of what it means to make a Windows computer secure and to provide more tools (and hooks for third-party tool builders) to tie into that definition. Security's taking up a central role as a preoccupation for IT professionals, and one that can only be shorted at great peril.

3. Collaborative applications and services, such as SharePoint, NetMeeting and even Skype, are starting to take up a rightful place on many workaday desktops with all the underlying server infrastructure lurking somewhere in the background. Using these technologies also means learning to understand what they do and how they work. This is entirely worthwhile for IT professionals, all of whom can benefit from the productivity and efficiency boosts these powerful tools can confer.

2. XML-based data descriptions already run everything behind the MS scenes from installing updates and service packs to driving the Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) to managing how data and documents are stored in Office applications. That's just the tip of the iceberg, as more and more applications and services migrate into the world of XML data and meta-data representation. Some working knowledge of XML is becoming a basic and fundamental requirement for anybody who works in IT. Get with it!

1. Virtualization has an amazing amount of functionality to offer both on the desktop (Virtual PC) and on servers (Virtual Server), not just to manipulate or create throw-away runtime environments, but also to help manage security, integrity and usability. With hardware vendors looking to support virtualization at the register level, look for software and operating system vendors to exploit virtualization in all kinds of cool and interesting ways.

That's it for my Top 10. I hope you enjoy chewing it over as much as I did putting it together.

--Ed--
Posted by Ed Tittel Prepping for the new round of MS certs
16 NOV 2005 13:00 EST (18:00, GMT)
OK, so by now you know that MS has a new slew of Microsoft certified credentials to offer, including entry-level certs for technical specialists on programming and SQL Server topics, mid-range for both developers and database professionals (MCPD and MCITP) and a new senior-level capstone credential in its Microsoft Certified Architect program. What this means in terms of prepping for exams goes something like this:

• As the sole possessor of the "inside track" Microsoft Learning will lead the charge with the development of related training courses and the development and delivery of related books from Microsoft Press. Courses normally become available at or around the same time exams go into beta, and may go through another round of updates and revisions prior to the exam's open, commercial release. MS Press books normally follow commercial release of exams to market by about 30-45 days, though some can be a little earlier and others somewhat later.

• The third-party or aftermarket vendors jump onto this bandwagon as soon as they can, but Microsoft's edge invariably allows them to be first to market. This breaks out as follows for three different areas: courses and courseware, practice exams and books (in which category I include both full-fledged soup-to-nuts study guides and shorter, more focused "exam tune-ups" like the Exam Cram 2 series):
  • Courses and courseware generally arrive from third parties within 30 days of final commercial exam release, mostly to give the content developers time to take the final exam and do any last-minute tweaking and tuning that changes between the beta and final versions might necessitate.

  • Practice exams also generally arrive from third parties within 30-45 days of final commercial exam release, again to give item developers time to adjust their item selection, wording and the reasoning techniques that test-takers are supposed to employ to do well on such exams. In an era where increasing hands-on use of simulated environments is becoming an integral part of exams, this time window stretches on practice tests so far as to miss the boat on simulation focus, coverage or activities and need subsequent adjustment.

  • Books seldom appear sooner than 60 days after an exam goes final, and many appear as long as 90-120 days after the fact. That's because books can't be finalized for production and printing until the content is fully locked down and the content developers need to take the final version of the exam before they can finalize their work. Best case, it takes about 60 days to see a book make its way to the bookstores if no changes are required the day after the final exam comes out; worst case, there could be another 30-60 days worth of work in the offing -- hence, the back end of this time window extends as far out as 120 days.

Thus, it's safe to predict that there's a whole new (and pretty sizable) wave of certification learning materials nearing the beach. Early adopters will be jumping in soon, and lots of individuals and organizations will be testing the waters in the first half of 2006. But only in late 2006 and 2007 will we see this set of materials really start to come into its own.

Enjoy!

--Ed--
Posted by Ed Tittel In IT everybody is headed for a services job
15 NOV 2005 15:34 EST (20:34, GMT)
The world of software and information technology has been going through a sea of change for over 10 years now, and many experts are starting to notice and wonder about what lies ahead. The very nature of computing is changing as a function of the increasing availability of high-speed, mostly broadband Internet access. When you can download 100 MB of software in just a few minutes, the need for distributing software on CD or DVD starts to diminish; yet higher speeds, though still in the offing, will probably make static media a fringe distribution method instead of the primary means for disseminating software.

By now, you're probably wondering "What does this have to do with services jobs in IT?" Good! My intention was to make you wonder a bit before pulling back the curtain. You see, I believe that the real reason the whole dotcom boom flowered and then crumbled was because it promised to create a services model for information processing and technology, but then failed to deliver those goods. Today, things are pretty different and the promise is already being realized in some market sectors and poised for delivery in others.

This means that some of the software you're used to buying and licensing on CD or DVD will shortly morph into a Web-based service to which you subscribe (or pay for by annual license, which amounts to the same thing) to get your work done. You're supposed to like this because it brings all the same functionality to your desktop it's always delivered, but provides much easier and more transparent mechanisms for updates, patches, fixes and even outright upgrades. Vendors like it because it gives them ongoing control over their wares and lets them tinker with (or fix) things on an as-needed basis. And of course, it also lets them see who's using their wares, for what purposes, in what numbers and what kinds of features and functions are most popular and which ones don't make the grade.

The reason why Microsoft has put so much energy behind .NET and the new Framework, Visual Studio .NET 2005 and all the other new goodies it's just released (and built new certification programs around) is because they open more doors to make the move from static software to software services. While they themselves are considering this morphing for old standard products like Office, Visio and so forth, they're also building the tools and scaffolding that let other companies do likewise. They're also eager to use these technologies to reach into (or take more share in) emerging technology markets such as Internet telephony/VoIP, music and other entertainment download services, salesforce automation, enterprise collaborative projects and services, and much more. The guiding idea, as I understand it, is to create a galaxy of ongoing information consumption or service access relationships with individuals, companies and organizations and then to milk them for all they're worth (not the customers of same, but rather the value of the relationships themselves are the focus of what the suits like to call "monetization of assets").

That's what the fuss is all about, and that's what's driving a lot of new changes in Microsoft's (and to be fair, most other leading software and information services company's) views of the world. It also explains what's up with a lot of the topical and platform changes in focus you can see in the new MCTS, MCITP and MCPD (and even the Microsoft Certified Architect) credentials. We're all being groomed to become efficient, capable workers in this new information services economy! You can love it or hate it, but it doesn't look like any of us will be able to avoid it completely -- especially not those folks whose bread and butter comes from information technology!

For a different slant on this phenomenon, please Stuart J. Johnston's fascinating story in ENTnews: Leaked Memos Point to a 'Disrupted Microsoft'. Have a good one!

--Ed--
Posted by Ed Tittel Microsoft E-Learning offers occasional freebies
14 NOV 2005 19:25 EST (00:25, GMT)
Microsoft E-Learning is the online presence for the Microsoft Learning division. And while they offer a voluminous catalog of for-a-fee courses, including licenses to the whole Microsoft E-Learning Library (AKA MELL, of course), they also offer the occasional freebie to the public as well -- particularly when new courses go live or when particular topics elicit strong interest (or the company seeks to incite same). You can check out the Microsoft E-Learning page at any time you like to see what's going on there and what's available for free.

Right now, for example, you'll find offerings like the following available at the E-Learning page:

• Lots of free security clinics and hands-on labs for administrators and IT operations folks, including five-part coverage of security fundamentals (the MS way) along with a clinic on Windows Server SP1 and a smattering of hands-on labs for Parts I-III of the aforementioned five-part coverage.

• Ditto for security coverage for developers, including a limited-time free course offer on "Implementing Data Access and Security in an ASP.NET 2.0 Web Application," plus a couple more clinics.

• Various free courses on Office Live Meeting 2005 to complement beau coups of Office 2003 offerings at $29.99 and $22.99 for a year's worth of access (per class), plus more stuff on Windows XP, 2000, SharePoint Services and more.

• A free first look class on BizTalk, plus all kinds of free classes on SQL Server 2005 (I count 10 that are free for a 90-day subscription right now), plus courses on Microsoft System Center (free), Exchange Server ($$$), Office System ($$$) and Visual Studio 2005 (like SQL Server 2005; I count one clinic and seven courses for free right now), plus more courses on Visual Studio .NET ($$$) and all kinds of Windows topics ($$$).

• A two-for-one special on MCDST training courses, plus a free clinic on preparing for the MCDST exams, and another freebie on automating deployment of Office Professional 2003 in medium to large network environments.

--Ed--
Posted by Ed Tittel First new generation exams go into beta test this month
11 NOV 2005 23:39 EST (04:39, GMT)
Apparently Microsoft isn't wasting any time getting some of its new-generation exams into beta test. According to information posted on the VUE Web site (you must be registered with the site and have a valid MCP ID to see this information, however) the following beta exams and dates are forthcoming:

• 70-528 (Technical Specialist): .NET Framework 2.0 Web-based Client Development (open from 11/7 to 11/18)
• 70-431 (Technical Specialist): SQL Server 2005 Implementation and Maintenance (open from 11/22 to 12/05)
• 70-441 (IT Professional): Designing Database solutions using SQL Server 2005 (open from 11/22 to 12/05)

It's probably too late to sign up for 71-528, but if you act fast, you may still be able to get in on 71-431 or 71-441. Don't delay if you're interested, though; these exams close out as soon as Microsoft hits its sign-up quota (usually a number greater than 200 and less than 500, according to informed sources).

These exams should also be available at Thomson Prometric testing centers as well as at VUE, so if you can't sign up through one company, try the other before you give up.

Have a great weekend, and happy returns of the day to all you IT professionals who are also military veterans. Without your selfless service, we wouldn't be where we are today!

--Ed--
Posted by Ed Tittel See the new vision of MS Certs online
10 NOV 2005 22:47 EST (03:47, GMT)
As somebody who reports on Microsoft certification for the computer trade press and who acts on that information to plan certification books and supporting materials (courseware, practice tests and so forth), I get to hear regularly from Microsoft about what they're thinking, planning and doing. I'm pleased to report that what Microsoft started talking about and showing as early as last April under non-disclosure is now public information on their Web site. You can go and see for yourself what I've been talking about lately (and boy, a good diagram really is worth 1,000 words -- if not more than that) on a Web page entitled The New Generation of Microsoft Certifications.

It confirms some things I've understood or assumed (sometimes I have trouble separating those two things) about the structure and relationships among the new Microsoft certifications, including the Microsoft Certified Architect, the Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP), the Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) and the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS). Though the coverage is still somewhat sketchy, and many of the exams won't be available until next year (some as late as the second half of the year), the shape of the new certs is now unmistakable and the hierarchy crystal clear. While I'm glad to report I haven't misrepresented anything in any of my reporting on this topic, I'm glad to see that MS still agrees with what I heard about the various new credentials and their more numerous instantiations.

Visit the Web page and check things out for yourself. Then, ask me some questions; I'm dying to have a good reason to go back to my contacts in Microsoft Learning to try to dig up some more information. You can post to the Web site or e-mail me directly. Hope to hear more from you soon!

--Ed--
Posted by Ed Tittel More courses than certifications
09 NOV 2005 21:18 EST (02:18, GMT)
Dear Readers:

From time to time, I find myself getting questions about "MS certifications" related to courses that Microsoft teaches on a variety of subjects and platforms -- for example, the Microsoft Retail Management System (sometimes abbreviated RMS) showed up yesterday in a question I fielded as part of this ongoing interaction with you, the audience. I'd like to observe that Microsoft offers many more courses on platforms and systems than those that are strictly relevant to certification. Thus, the existence of a course doesn't always mean that there's a certification to go along with it.

The best way you might think to make sure of this would be online in the Microsoft MCP pages. There, you'll find an "Exam Finder" that shows up on a Web page entitled Search for a Microsoft Certified Professional Exam. But alas and alack, Microsoft doesn't always keep this completely up to date, as viewing by Exam Number or Exam Title will quickly prove -- at least, to those discerning and knowledgeable enough to recognize that an item will occasionally be missing here or there from this list. The best way to be sure remains to be an exhaustive examination of all the exams listed by certification, which together not only list all exams, but also the courses that go along with them.

On the other hand, if you're curious to know if a particular course maps to a certification, a general search engine like Google or the Microsoft search engine on their Web site will probably help you figure out if it's related to something or otherwise. But be warned: Just because there's a Microsoft course available, doesn't always mean there's an MCP exam to go along with it.

Thanks for your many questions and comments so far. Please keep 'em coming; you can post questions online or e-mail them to me. Either way, I'm glad to receive and respond to your questions.

--Ed--
Posted by Ed Tittel To upgrade or to go for the new right away?
08 NOV 2005 16:26 EST (21:26, GMT)
Dear Readers:

Because of technical difficulties beyond my control I didn't get any questions to respond to for today's blog and other activities. That means I get to write about whatever I want, so it's a good thing I already promised to review the logic of choosing an older certification program versus a newer one. This choice is most acute for those now facing choices between the new alternative credentials to MCDBA, MCAD and MCSD announced just this week, but will ultimately also impinge on those now pursuing (or thinking about) the MCSA and MCSE. MCDST and MCT are pretty likely to be unaffected by this change, and the Microsoft Certified Architect program is so new as to be completely indifferent to these changes.

The general rule of thumb to apply in such cases is to calculate the time and effort involved in finishing up under the old regime and then upgrading to join up with the new regime versus the outright effort involved in starting over afresh with the new. If there are less exams to take by pursuing the old credential and then the upgrade exam(s), take that route; if there are less exams to take by pursuing the new credential (including pre-requisites where they apply) take that path instead. If things are even-steven, follow the path that's most likely to be useful on the job when you finish up your exams and earn whatever candidates credentials you may be pursuing or considering. Thus, if your employer doesn't plan to upgrade to the .NET Framework 2.0 until mid-2006, there's not much point in earning a credential for that environment a year ahead of schedule. In such a case, for example, finishing up the MCAD or MCSD near-term and planning to upgrade later probably makes the most sense.

A certain amount of careful analysis is required to compare the amount of effort involved in earning one credential versus another, irrespective of the actual number of exams involved. That's why it's really still too early to make a completely informed decision about pursuing MCAD/MCSA versus developer tracks for MCTS and MCPD -- not enough of the exams involved have been available for long enough (or are not yet available) for the new credentials to permit collective wisdom about and a basis for meaningful comparison to emerge.

Stay tuned, though -- this will surely change in the next 90-120 days, by which time lots of people will be facing this choice up close and personal. By that time, you should have more information to tell you whether you should zig or zag in plotting your own personal Microsoft certification choices.

Count on me to keep informing you along the way, and opining about what's involved in making such choices. Hopefully, this will help the process along!

Thanks, and don't forget to send your questions, comments and suggestions to this Web site or via e-mail to me at edtittel@techtarget.com.

Have a good one!
--Ed--
Posted by Ed Tittel New MS credentials kick off Ed's Microsoft certification coverage
07 NOV 2005 14:54 EST (19:54, GMT)
Dear Readers:

Today is my first day in a two-week stint of blogs plus Q&As devoted to the topic of Microsoft certification. As such, I'd like to welcome your questions, comments and other input into what I hope will be a stimulating dialog on the many different credentials that Microsoft offers and the large number of Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) exams that support them.

It seems entirely natural, therefore, to note that this is the very week when Microsoft will officially premiere three new certification programs and flesh out a new "cert architecture" that will ultimately supplant current credentials such as the MCSA and MCSE on the system/network admin side, the MCDBA on the database side and the MCAD/MCSD on the development side of their house. These are as follows (I've included links to their home pages so you can read and understand more about them):

• Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): This new, tightly focused entry-level MS cert aims at both IT professionals (in the sense of system or network administrators, or application/platform specialists) with two exams (one on SQL Server 2005, the other on BizTalk Server 2006) and at developers, with three additional exams (one each on the .NET Framework 2.0 in the context of Web, Windows and distributed applications, respectively).

• Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP): This is a new mid-level MS cert that typically requires upgrading from an older credential (MCDBA in this case) or earning a related MCTS credential as a pre-requisite (the MCTS in SQL Server 2005 in all three case), followed by a pair of exams related to one of three target job roles -- namely, database developer, database administrator and business intelligence developer.

• Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD): This is another mid-level MS cert that also requires either upgrading from an older credential (and this can be the MCAD for Web and Windows application tracks, but must be the MCSD for the Enterprise Applications track) or taking related MCTS exams as pre-requisites, followed by a single exam on whatever subject matter is relevant to the track's focus (Web, Window or Enterprise Distributed applications).

That's it for my first blog in this two-week series. Please post your questions or e-mail me if that's more convenient. I look forward to hearing from you soon and to responding to your input over the course of the next two weeks. Count on me to address the obvious questions as well; my next blog will discuss how those interested in or already pursuing older Microsoft certs can decide whether to pursue those older credentials first and newer ones later, or whether they should abandon the older ones in favor of the newer.

Thanks for tuning in! I hope you'll enjoy our next two weeks together.

--Ed--

Ed Tittel is a long-time computer industry veteran with over 20 years of experience in IT roles ranging from trainer and writer to technical and business management. He's also written over 100 books and developed the well-known Exam Cram and Exam Prep book series (now available from Pearson Publishing, with over 100 titles between them). Ed has been following Microsoft certifications since 1997, when his initial Exam Crams on Windows NT 4.0 first appeared. Ed is also the author of the 2004 Wiley book Fighting Spyware, Viruses and Malware. Contact Ed at etittel@techtarget.com.

Posted by Ed Tittel