Courses in 'Microsoft' take care of a wide variety of alternatives. You may be searching for training in the standard Microsoft software packages, or you might be looking at professional-grade I.T. training to become a Microsoft Certified-Professional (MCP) in a variety of areas. It is crucial, as with all training, to be very sure of where you would like to get to, & what your motivations are to reach that point, because these can hugely impact what path you take & what learning-method you use. We constantly recommend that if you plan to go after I.T. as a profession, you have a balanced careers conversation with an expert advisor, to ensure you don't waste either your time or your money.

If we take the core IT systems we can then look at the certification programs that MS has put in place. They are specifically Networking (& Server Operating-Systems), Databases (both Administration and Development) and Programming (& Software Development in Windows). For additional information and facts on the particulars of each training route & certification grouping, investigate the key sections applicable to each one on this web-site.

Amongst Microsoft's great strengths over the last couple of decades has to have been their thrust towards professional level certification, triggering many other organisations to comply and increase their standards. Therefore, advanced Microsoft qualifications stand in very high regard by both I.T. professionals and industry worldwide.

'Visual Studio' is the foremost 'Windows' software development environment, and is solely owned by Microsoft. Several languages are offered, but the two most frequently applied ones are 'C#.Net' and VB.Net. Each of them are discussed on the Programming pages on this web-site. Principle certifications are currently the 'MCTS' & 'MCPD' (as they have superseded the earlier MCAD and 'MCSD'.)

To most home PC users, the word 'Windows' comes to mind once they think about Microsoft. To some, it encompasses the leading 'Office' software used, either at home or at work, to complete certain everyday functions. MS 'Word' is the company's word processing program, familiar to millions around the world. While 'Excel' is the most commonly used spread-sheet & 'Access' provides database abilities to many companies. The final of the key four programs in Office is PowerPoint, which is commonly used for presentations. There is however much more to 'Office' in total, for instance Microsoft Outlook is used as a calendar, email and messaging-system.

Structured Query Language or SQL is a specific language for interrogating Databases. Understanding this language is extremely important for everyone looking at entering into Databases, because it determines how data is stored & extracted. There are two routes for database specialists - 'Database Administrators' who control and create reports on the data being held, and 'Database Developers', who are the Designers and builders of 'databases'. Many developers are also programmers, and are able to write software for 'databases' in either C# or 'VB'.

Corporate communications around the globe have been taken over by Microsoft Networking & Server Operating-Systems. The standard platform for about eight or nine out of ten business networks is estimated to be 'Windows' Server. It started out as 'NT' Server but the software has been enhanced through time to Server 2000, 'Server 2003' and more recently 'Server 2008'. The majority of business operations still utilise Server 2003, and up-grading to 2008 is not likely for a lot of them. Generally, it's those older platforms that will upgrade (NT Server or '2000') - essentially skipping a generation or two. If you refer to our 'MCSA' & MCSE web-pages, you will discover more about Networking, Servers and the question of 'Server 2003' verses 2008.

If you'd enjoy being a good user to assist you as part of your work, or train for a professional job in a support role, there are a number of training programs to help you get there. For in-depth training concerning how to professionally use 'Office' yourself, consider the Microsoft Office Specialist ('MOS') or the 'Microsoft Certified Application Specialist' (MCAS). For an accreditation to support other users, research the Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician, or MCDST as its known.

On the other hand, you may be considering getting in to a professionally skilled role in the I.T. sector, & require higher level Microsoft accreditation. In a move to up-grade their more advanced certification programs, Microsoft have recently re-structured many of their examinations. Microsoft Certified IT Professional ('MCITP') and Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) have been brought in, although a number of Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) exams remain current. Normally, the MCTS qualifications are achieved en-route to the full MCITP program.

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