Microsoft Announces Certification For Leading Developer Technology and Skills

Microsoft Announces Certification For Leading Developer Technology and Skills

NEW ORLEANS, June 1, 1998 — Microsoft Corp. today announced a new track for the Microsoft® Certified Solution Developer (MCSD) credential and the introduction of the Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP)+Site Building credential for professional developers and Web site builders. The new certifications reflect changing technology, products, job roles and the needs of customers and the industry. Enhancements to Microsoft’s certification program were based on a recent job-task analysis conducted in January with input from more than 2,000 professional developers and Web site builders.

“The professional developer marketplace has expanded significantly with new technologies based on the Internet, Distributed COM and Java. The new credentials will support professional solution developers and Web site builders to exploit opportunities created by new technologies,”
said Donna Senko, group manager of certification and skills assessment at Microsoft.
“MCSD provides a quality certification for individuals developing the latest multitier, distributed and Web-based solutions. Also, Microsoft for the first time will provide Web site builders with a credential to prove their skills in building and managing sophisticated Web sites.”

MCSD Certification

The new MCSD credential reflects the skills required to create multitier, distributed and COM-based solutions, in addition to desktop and Internet applications, using new technologies such as the Microsoft Visual Studio
™
development system and Microsoft Transaction Server. Candidates for the MCSD credential will be required to pass three core exams, which will be made available in fall 1998, and one elective from a pool of MCSD elective exams.

“There has been tremendous change in the industry based on the evolution of the Internet,”
said Nickolas Landry, MCSD and systems architect at ZENON-MEI, a software consulting firm in Montreal.
“Being a developer today is more than just knowing code, it entails the ability to integrate Internet technology as well as the ability to design and manage a development project. Microsoft’s new MCSD credential maps to the skills required on the job.”

MCP+Site Building Certification

The MCP+Site Building credential is designed specifically for individuals who are planning, building, managing and maintaining Web sites. Individuals with the MCP+Site Building credential will have demonstrated the ability to develop Web sites that include multimedia and searchable content and Web sites that connect to and communicate with a back-end database. Candidates are required to pass two of the exams covering the Visual InterDev
™Web development system version 6.0, the FrontPage® Web site creation and management tool, and Site Server Commerce 3.0.

“The new site builder credential is a logical extension of Microsoft’s certification program,”
said Richard L. Warren, senior vice president of strategy, sales and marketing at Judd’s OnLine Inc., a Web site building company in Strasburg, Va.
“Only in the past few months have the roles and responsibilities of the site builder become clear. Microsoft recognizes these core competencies and has constructed a credential that encompasses the skills needed to build and manage world-class Web sites.”

MCP Requirements Change

Concurrent with the introduction of the new MCSD track and the MCP+Site Building credential, the entry-level MCP certification exam selection is being expanded. Effective Oct. 1, 1998, a candidate who passes any one certification exam will earn the credential of Microsoft Certified Professional. (The one exception is Exam 70-058: Networking Essentials; passing that exam alone will not certify an individual as an MCP.) Previously, an individual could obtain the MCP credential only through the successful completion of an exam covering an operating system or the Windows® Architecture for Developers exam. All MCP exams measure an individual’s ability to perform a set of job-function-based skills with a single Microsoft product. An individual successfully completing an exam covering Microsoft SQL Server or the Visual Basic® development system, for example, can now earn the entry-level MCP credential.

Candidates receive Microsoft certification by passing one or more performance-based exams that measure their ability to apply skills and knowledge to real-world problems. The Microsoft Certified Professional program was founded in 1992, and more than 225,000 people are currently certified. Certifications include Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), MCSE+Internet, MCSD, MCP, MCP+Internet, MCP+Site Building and Microsoft Certified Trainer.

For more information about the Microsoft Certified Professional program, please visit the MCP Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/mcp/ .

To prepare for certification exams, candidates can choose from a variety of training, including online, instructor-led and self-study options available through the Authorized Technical Education Center, Authorized Academic Training Program and Independent Courseware Vendor channel. Other self-paced training options include Microsoft Press® materials and the Microsoft Mastering Series CDs, which offer content specifically for developers. New Mastering Series CD titles are scheduled to be available in the fall 1998 for developers preparing for the new MCSD and MCP+Site Building exams. For a listing of current titles, visit http://www.microsoft.com/mastering/ .

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

Microsoft, Visual Studio, Visual InterDev, FrontPage, Windows, Visual Basic and Microsoft Press are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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