Training for Microsoft certification can mean a lot of different things. To certain individuals 'Microsoft' training suggests mastering software-packages, and to others it means getting higher level IT accreditations to operate as a professional in the I.T. industry. Whenever you're contemplating any type of training course it's advisable to start looking at what you want to get from it - put simply why did you start trying to find training in the first place? If you are about to make a career move into I.T., or wish to enhance your career prospects within the industry, don't leave it to chance. Talk to a professional training consultant who will help you to avoid the wrong things.

To many people today, 'Microsoft' suggests 'Windows' (the Operating System which runs your home PC.) It might also suggest 'Microsoft Office', which provides us with a range of popular PC applications. The most well known application is probably MS Word, which is a program for word-processing. Whilst Excel is the most commonly used spreadsheet and Access offers database capabilities to numerous organisations. The last of the most important 4 programs in Office is PowerPoint, which is widely used for presentations. (Having said that there are several more within the Microsoft stable, including 'Outlook', which is widely used as an e-mail, 'messaging' and calendar solution.)

Whether you are looking to achieve an entry level knowledge of these systems and packages, or a more complete professional comprehension to help you support others, there are several accreditations which could help. For in-depth information concerning how to get the most from 'Office' yourself, consider the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) or the 'Microsoft Certified Application Specialist' ('MCAS'). The MCDST (Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician) takes this on to the following level, to ensure that you are certified to support other people.

You may also be considering a technical position within the I.T. field, that would mean more in depth & specialised MS accreditation training. 'Microsoft' have recently re-vamped their certification structure, and while you will still find quite a number of tracks based on the 'MCP' qualifications, we're more and more looking at the change to 'MCITP' ('Microsoft Certified IT Professional') and MCTS ('Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist') packages. Students on the MCITP packages usually build up via 'MCTS' training paths.

Business communications internationally are led by Microsoft Networking & Server Operating Systems. 'Windows' Server is utilised as the standard operating platform in approximately 80 - 90 percent of all networked offices. This application has been through quite a few upgrades now, beginning with NT Server, after that becoming Server 2000, Server 2003 & currently Server 2008. A good number of commercial establishments still use 'Server 2003', and upgrading to 2008 is not likely for a lot of them. There are businesses with 'NT' or '2000' platforms, & they're the organisations that have the biggest requirement to update to '2008'. You'll discover further information on Microsoft Networking and Server Operating Systems in the MCSE/MCSA pages, along with information on the 'Server 2003' versus 'Server 2008' question.

We can divide up the various certification tracks largely in accordance with the systems they relate to. So essentially we're focusing on Programming, Networks and Databases. Each of these paths has its own distinctive set of individual certification groups - which may be perused more deeply by browsing through the applicable web-pages of this site.

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