Nov 26, 2001 05:00 PM
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(Updated Nov 28, 2001 12:30 PM)
In an announcement that some anticipated, Microsoft declared that its certifications will no longer be retired. Instead, exams will merely be discontinued. By discontinuing exams instead of retiring them, IT professionals will retain their certification titles.
Despite the public outcry, Microsoft had staunchly stood by its plans to retire the NT 4.0 track certifications by year-end 2001. However, there were several warning signs during the past year foreshadowing its recent reversal.
The first indication of trouble was the delay in eliminating popular Windows NT 4.0 exams, which were held over from Dec. 31, 2000 to Feb. 28, 2001 due to demand. Why would IT pros be flocking to exam centers to take an exam that retires in 10 months? The answer is simple: Tons of organizations still use the NT 4.0 platform. There’s no question that Win2K offers vast improvements and enhancements; it’s just that not everyone can afford the time, training, or capital needed to upgrade, and many organizations have already consolidated around NT4 and will not be migrating any time soon.
Given its recent announcement, Microsoft has taken a huge step to ensure that its certifications remain among the most valuable and respected in the IT industry. Certainly the decision wasn’t an easy one for Microsoft, but I predict that its fallout will help to make Microsoft certifications more valuable than ever. With the retirement obstacle removed, it’s time to get cracking on your next cert. In my opinion, IT professionals couldn’t ask for a better solution from the certification staff at Microsoft.
