Certifications in Brief

Information Technology, as an industry and profession, has come a long way in the last decade or so. These days, specialization is the buzz word in the industry, and it is people with certifications proving their expertise in core domains who are the most sought after ones. From another perspective, certifications such as CCNA, MCSE or ISIL not only trains candidates on the core skills required by the industry, but also serves as a much needed career booster for them, and a means for a secure job in the otherwise volatile IT industry. Let’s now see each one of these certifications one by one, in brief.

CCNA or Cisco Certified Network Associate is a certification by CISCO that equips a person to handle installing, configuring, operating, and troubleshooting medium-sized routed and switched networks, including implementation and verification of connections to remote sites in a WAN. As of November 2007, Cisco Certified Network Associate is not a standalone certification, but four CCNA concentrations (Networking, Voice, Wireless, and Security). Here, the first one tests a candidate’s expertise in installation, operation, and troubleshooting of enterprise network systems, while Cisco Certified Network Associate Voice validates a candidate’s know-how in IP telephony skills in general, and in systems using CUCME, CUE, and UC500 series systems.

Further, Cisco Certified Network Associate Wireless exam tests one’s expertise in installing, configuring, operating, and troubleshooting of medium sized WLANs, while the Cisco Certified Network Associate Security exam is basically a verification of one’s skills in technologies that CISCO uses in its security environment.

MCSE, on the other hand, is a basic certification program that equips a candidate with necessary knowledge and expertise in designing and implementing infrastructure in installations that use Microsoft Windows platforms. The certification includes a handful of tests that deals with server OS, computer network infrastructure, and network security.

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer for Windows 2003 has six core exams, four based on network systems, and one each on core design and client OS, plus two electives that the candidate can pick from a wide array of topics including SQL Servers and Exchange Servers. Similarly, these days, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer for Windows 2008 is also available, and Microsoft has in fact has laid down a clear path for the transition from a 2003 to 2008 environment. That is, by passing a single exam, a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer certificate holder in Windows 2003 could upgrade himself to Windows 2008.

Whenever you hear about the ITIL, do you know what you are hearing about? The ITIL is the Information Technology Infrastructure Library. For the most part, it is simply a set of different concepts and, of course, policies that are needed for managing information technology infrastructures, and the development and operations of it as well. If you are interested in learning more about ITIL, then you will have to look at their series of books. Each book that they release covers a different information technology management topic that you should know about. These are great things to read, because they give very detailed descriptions of tons of important information technology practices. They will provide you with much a needed check list, as well as tasks and procedures that you need to worry about. The Information Technology Infrastructure Library is your one stop shop for all of your information technology needs.

Nowadays, Information Technology, as an industry and profession, needs specialization training courses, it is almost a must. CCNA, MCSE or ISIL not only trains, but also serves as a much needed career booster for them, meaning a secure job in the otherwise volatile IT industry.