Web Hosting with Microsoft: Earn the Certification

by Jane Smallman
jane.smallman@careerschoolguide.com
Career School Guide Columnist

A new Microsoft certification is now available that gives web hosting employees the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, and employers a way to prove the quality of the service they offer. If you work in the hosting industry, why not investigate training options now?

Microsoft Certification Sets You Apart

As the Internet continues to expand, so does the demand for web hosting services; but with many companies employing fewer than 20 people, it seems like there are already more than enough to go round. How do you make yourself stand out from the crowd?

Whether you are a hosting employer or employee, one way to gain a competitive edge is to get your expertise certified, and this is exactly what Microsoft’s new web hosting certification has been designed to do. Hosting professionals can prove their Microsoft expertise by earning the certification, while employers can differentiate themselves from competitors—and assure clients of the quality of their services—by employing certified staff, or sponsoring training for the Microsoft certification.

How Do You Earn Microsoft’s Hosting Certification?

In order to receive the “Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2003 Hosting, Configuration and Management Certification” (to give it it’s full name) you need to pass a single exam that tests your competency in configuring and managing all of the following:

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003
• managed and unmanaged servers
• multiple web sites
• active directory
• network and security infrastructures
• network storage

Ideally you should have at least two years experience managing a Microsoft windows-based network, and already be a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer on Windows Server 2003.

If you can fulfill both the above requirements (although they are not obligatory) you already have the basic knowledge and experience you need to start training. As this Microsoft certification is so new, self-help books, CD’s, and online information are the most readily available preparation methods right now, but keep your eyes open for the third-party vendor training schemes that will be on offer soon.

Sources

CertCities
Microsoft
U.S. Dept Labor, Bureau Labor Statistics

About the Author

Jane Smallman combines freelance writing with running a mountain-guiding business with her husband. She has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in the Social Sciences.