Kaplan IT Training Blog

Can, and should, Microsoft demand recertification for existing credentials?

A recent article posted to our LinkedIn group has spurred a lot of healthy discussion around the water cooler lately. If you want to catch up on the discussion, click over to the Transcender IT Certification Prep Forum on LinkedIn. If you’re a LinkedIn member, you can check out the comments here:

http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=143538&goback=%2Egmp_143538%2Egde_143538_member_87995007

The premise of the discussion is centered around this language, which is found in a few Study Objectives pages for the Windows Azure certification exam on Microsoft Learning:

The legacy Microsoft certifications, such as Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) and Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA), currently do not expire, but some may no longer be awarded because all exams are retired or because Microsoft has ended extended support for the technology. In most cases, individuals who hold the certification on the previous version of the technology can earn the certification on the next version of the technology with one upgrade exam.

To maintain the relevance and value of our certifications and ensure that candidates possess up-to-date skills on technologies that are constantly changing, recertification may be necessary for some certifications. In these cases, the certification will remain valid as long as the candidate continues to recertify at appropriate intervals.

Regarding this, Ed Tittel kicked off the discussion with an article on TechTarget, in which he writes,

I’ve also heard that cloud-related credentials — not just MCPD, but also Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist (MCTS) and Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) — may fall under a similar regime in 2012. I didn’t completely understand what was involved in this recertification maneuver until I saw a Nov. 10, 2011, press release that features a Q&A session with Don Field, senior director of certification and learning at Microsoft’s learning division…

With some kind of cloud connection and capability planned for both the desktop and server versions of Windows 8, I believe it’s possible that the MCTS, MCITP and MCPD credentials may also acquire recertification periods.

Robin Abernathy (Transcender’s CompTIA and PMI developer) responds,

It’s interesting to see Microsoft make this move. CompTIA now requires A+-, Network+-, and Security+-certified individuals to earn continuing education units (CEUs) to maintain their certification with CompTIA. These three main certifications have a three-year expiration date if a candidate does not complete the required number of CEUs within that time.

Josh Hester rebutted with,

 I doubt this will happen to the degree of Cisco or CompTIA certification. Most Microsoft certifications have built-in technology specifications. Windows 2008 Server and Microsoft .NET 4.0 is only good as long as those technologies are in use. The exceptions would be R2 updates and PRO exams that do not specify a specific technology like Azure and Windows Phone development.

Interested in joining our discussion? Open your LinkedIn account (it’s free) and visit the Transcender IT Certification Prep Team forum. Or post your comments to our blog.

–blogmistress Ann