Anyone who has a PC nowadays is aware of the name 'Microsoft'. Few people haven't been touched by Microsoft 'software' and Operating Systems, and with the MS international education and school-programs, it is likely that no one in the future will manage to avoid them even if they wanted to. Now 35 years old, 'Microsoft' came to prominence in the 80's by taking over the Home marketplace for PC Operating Systems with early versions of Windows. The Operating Systems that we use today are as a result of several 'evolutions' of Windows betwixt now and then. MS have essentially always produced a Home & a professional version of their operating systems, with their Server operating-systems running in parallel. 'Windows' server 2000 superseded the original 'Windows' NT Server. Then we had Windows 'Server 2003', with Windows Server '2008' being the newest edition. Since the beginning of Microsoft professional certification, we have had training-tracks specialising in professional management of the 'Windows' Server Operating-systems.

As is probably becoming apparent, the MCSA & MCSE qualification tracks are not entirely straightforward to comprehend. Receiving professional industry help and advice must always be adhered to before simply opting for the lowest priced or 'bargain' deal. Some very costly courses aren't necessarily the best quality, & conversely some low cost ones are extremely good. The purchase price in itself isn't actually a highly effective gauge of a good or bad training package. Multi-media tutorial quality, round-the-clock real-time help and support, & exam preparation materials are all very important features - and need to be regarded equally.

Studying time is generally recognised as around 300 to 350 hrs for the MCSA and 500 to 550 hours for the MCSE, assuming high quality multimedia study materials, 24/7 admission to 'student support', & some good quality examination prep software. And so with experience you could complete all of them in about 8 to 12 months training part time. On the other hand, if you are coming to the marketplace without past accreditation, then the usual starting place will be CompTIA 'A+' and 'Network+'. These may take about 200 hrs to achieve, which to the brand new part-time student will probably equal 6-8 months. Specifics of A+ & 'N+' certifications are within the CompTIA pages of this website.

'Windows' 'NT' Operating systems are actually now very rare, yet quite a number of 'Windows' '2000' are still around. It is still early-days yet for Windows Server 08, with Server 2003 continuing to be dominant. This being so, the primary 'Microsoft' certifications are still largely centred on 'Windows' Server 2003. Whilst the Microsoft MCSA & MCSE certifications have been in existence for a number of yrs now, (keeping up with 'Windows' server through it's progressions,) the 'MCSA' 2003 & MCSE 2003 are the mainstay of current MS network certification. It should nevertheless be noted that up-grade training to server 2008 is imminent, and advisable where possible.

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