Users hit out at Windows certification policy

Users are angry because they believe Microsoft has not taken them into consideration when making alterations to its skills accreditation scheme.

Microsoft's certification policy has come under fire from users, following the software giant's decision to pull Windows NT 4.0 accreditation in favour of Windows 2000, only nine months after the latter's launch in February.

The Redmond giant has pledged to support the older NT 3.51 and 4.0 environments for as long as there is demand for them, but its latest move means that the current version of the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) qualification will no longer be valid by the end of next year.

As a result, it is offering an 'accelerated' exam to any candidate who has passed all three of the Windows NT 4.0 exams to help them migrate to the Windows 2000 track. But despite the company plugging this as an upgrade path, Meta Group analyst Ashim Pal says beleaguered IT managers and systems administrators see the move effectively as a punishment, because many have not yet had time to complete the NT 4.0 certification process.

Although it costs more than £250 to take the four core Windows 2000 exams that lead to the MCSE qualification, the first-time pass rate for the accelerated exam is only about 15 to 20 per cent. As a result, the announcement has angered users who are concerned about the time and money they will need to invest in training.

Users must adapt to change, says Microsoft
Concerns hinge on the short lifespan of the NT 4.0 certification. In comparison, Microsoft kept the NT 3.51 exams for almost four years after NT 4.0 shipped.

But Sarah Foxall, Microsoft's skills manager, dismissed claims that the software giant had failed to take into consideration what the changes might mean for users.

"We gave as much notice as possible that we were changing the MCSE certification track so that people could make decisions about their training. By the time the NT 4.0 certification is no longer valid, there will have been access to software and training for two years," she said.

"The IT profession is all about constant change," she added. "What's important is maintaining the value of premier-level certification. To do that, it needs to be based on current technology. Investing in skills does cost money and we are encouraging the availability of differing ways to learn such as self-paced learning and web-based training."

But new research has revealed that less than 10 per cent of UK companies employ staff with Windows 2000 skills. This means that inadequate technical knowledge, combined with existing staff retention problems, could hamper Windows 2000's success.

Meta Group's recent UK research into what preparation work companies are doing to implement Windows 2000 indicates that take-up is not very high: fewer than 10 per cent of surveyed firms have staff trained in Windows 2000.

Meta Group's Ashim Pal warned corporates that skimp on Windows 2000 training could jeopardise deployment success, particularly when dealing with issues such as desktop lockdown and the implementation of user policies. Pal added that staff retention would become a problem as IT professionals keen to keep up-to-date with the latest Microsoft technologies look to move on.

In a poll of members of the Computing Forum, none of the respondents believed Windows 2000 certification was worth the investment. Just over a quarter of respondents said they would be prepared to spend more than £200 on Windows 2000 certification, but 57 per cent didn't believe certification had already, or would in future, play a significant role in gaining employment.

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