Whenever we refer to MS accreditations, we're covering a very broad range. To a lot of people Microsoft training is all about mastering software-programs, and to other people it means getting more advanced level IT certifications to operate at a professional level in the I.T. industry. Training tracks and instructing styles vary greatly, so take care that you don't make inaccurate assumptions regarding programs. It is essential that your training delivers the end result you are searching for. We constantly advise that if you plan to pursue I.T. as a profession, you have a balanced careers discussion with a professional advisor, to ensure you don't waste either your money or your time.

To many people, 'Microsoft' implies Windows (the Operating System that runs your desktop computer.) It could also signify 'Microsoft Office', which supplies us with various popular computer applications. Word is Microsoft's word-processing application, familiar to millions worldwide. Whilst 'Excel' is the most commonly used spreadsheet and 'Access' supplies database capabilities to many companies. For presentations, Office provides the software program PowerPoint, which rounds off the leading applications within the suite. (However there are several more in the Microsoft stable, such as Outlook, which is commonly used as an email, messaging and calendar solution.)

Business communications around the globe are led by Microsoft Network & Server Operating Systems. The operating platform for at least eight or nine out of every ten office networks is believed to be 'Windows' Server. Naturally quite a few up-grades have taken place - the original 'NT' Server grew to become '2000', then 2003 and now '2008'. Commercially, 'Server 2003' remains the more established, & it's likely that a great many organisations using this platform won't up-date to 2008. It is more probable that installation upgrades to '2008' will end up being required by businesses that need to bypass a generation or 2, from NT or 2000. You will find more information on Microsoft Network and Server Operating Systems on the 'MCSE'/'MCSA' pages, including info on the Server 2003 vs 2008 question.

If you would enjoy being a competent user to assist you with your job, or study for a professional job in a supporting role, there are lots of training packages to help you get there. The MOS ('Microsoft Office Specialist') & 'MCAS' (Microsoft Certified Application Specialist) packages cover the 'Office' Suite in depth. The 'MCDST' ('Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician') takes this to the next level, to ensure that you're qualified to support others.

You may also be looking at a technical role in the I.T. industry, that would mean more in-depth and technical Microsoft accreditation study. In an attempt to up-grade their skilled professional accreditation programs, Microsoft have fairly recently re-designed many of their exams. 'Microsoft Certified IT Professional' ('MCITP') & Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) are now being brought in, though a number of Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) examinations are nevertheless still current. 'MCTS' training programs are usually taken as building-blocks towards the MCITP.

'Structured Query Language' or 'SQL' is a specialist language for interrogating Databases. Structured Query Language is relevant to how data is stored on a database & extracted from it. Consequently knowledge of the language is essential for anyone who is aiming for a professional level Database career. There are 2 routes for database professionals - 'Database Administrators' who deal with and create reports on the information kept, and 'Database Developers', who are the designers and builders of Databases. DB Developers generally also have programming-skills to enable them to create database software - this means a further accreditation in 'Visual Basic' or C#.

The key areas that Microsoft provide accreditation routes for are generally related to their core systems offerings. They are namely Networking (& Server Operating Systems), Databases (both Administration & Development) and Programming (and Software Development in Windows). Each of these routes has its own exclusive list of individual accreditation groups - which may be looked at more deeply by going through the relevant web-pages of this site.

The foremost 'Windows' software program development 'environment' is called Microsoft 'Visual Studio'. They provide a number of 'languages', with C#.Net and VB.Net ('Visual Basic') being the most commonly used. They're discussed on the Programming pages on this website. Principle qualifications are the 'MCTS' and 'MCPD' (having replaced the earlier 'MCAD' and MCSD.)

The thrust towards increased professional level recognition & competency for I.T. staff has been championed by MS for many years now. Because of this more advanced level 'Microsoft' certification is very highly regarded around the world of I.T. & IT management.

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