Who is the face of the IT Pro world to the corporate environment?

Is it the network administrator or the Exchange Administrator? Or is it one of the developers or DBA types? Or is it one of the helpdesk people – those poor folks who has to go out and fix a computer or assist a user with a problem for the 12th time – whatever the situation, it is one of the helpdesk people who generally assists with a problem first. Now you might be asking just how this is applicable to the Microsoft Certification world? Well, until 2004, there wasn’t a Microsoft certification that covered the desktop world. Sure, there was the 70-270 XP exam, but that wasn’t really a desktop certification. One was introduced – the Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST).

Why was this certification introduced? When you were looking at Microsoft certifications, there was no differentiation between someone who worked with servers all day and one who supported users as their primary function. Was there really a valid need for this either? The answer was yes – there was a need and there should have been some differentiation. Not everyone spends their day working with DNS or writing code – there are many IT professionals who provide direct support to users. Supporting users involves as much soft skills as tech skills. According to the Microsoft Learning site: “The MCDST credential is for professionals who use excellent customer service skills to educate users, and solve hardware or software operation and application problems on the desktop or client-side based on the Microsoft Windows desktop operating system”

How does one go about earning this certification? There were only two tests involved the 70-271: Supporting Users and Troubleshooting a Microsoft Windows XP Operating system and the 70-272 Supporting Users and Troubleshooting Desktop Applications on a Microsoft Windows XP Operating System. But do not be fooled by needing only two tests for this certification – while they are not difficult tests, you do have to think some differently when taking them.

Next Blog I will discuss the various Vista certifications, upgrade paths and the Vista MCITP – I know you can hardly wait! As a side note, according to Microsoft “The MCDST credential will not retire with the release of Windows Vista certifications; it will continue to be supported by Microsoft and valued by employers and decision makers who use Microsoft Windows XP”. A comforting note to those who have this certification.