Becoming a Microsoft Office Specialist

There are a number of qualifications to choose from when considering becoming accredited as a user of Microsoft Office software. I would like to explain the advantages of choosing to become a MOS ? Microsoft Office Specialist (formerly known as MOUS ? Microsoft Office User Specialist).

The MOS exams are available at different levels depending on ability. If you are new to the software, you would be advised to choose to take the basic level training and exams first before advancing to the expert levels. If you are already at advanced level, you can choose to jump straight into taking the expert level training and examinations.

The training and exams cover all aspects of the software, unlike alternative qualifications such as CLAIT or ECDL. For example, in order to pass the Word 2003 expert exam, you will need to know how to perform the following tasks: structure documents using XML, restrict form documents and create indexes.

For a full list of topics you will be expected to have an indepth knowledge of, check out Microsoft?s website at www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/officespecialist/requirements.mspx#office2003 .

A further advantage is the fact that different versions of Microsoft Office can be certificated. So if your employer is still using Office 2000 (which many businesses still are) you can become certificated as a Microsoft Office Specialist in Office 2000.

So how would you go about becoming a MOS? The first steps usually involve researching appropriate training courses. This might be at introductory, intermediate or advanced level to suit your needs. However these 1 day courses are unlikely to be able to cover the entire syllabus. So be prepared to study in your own time in addition to your training course. You could try working through a self-study textbook, you can search for appropriate titles at Microsoft?s website www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/officespecialist/officespecialist_materials.mspx

You will never regret deciding to become a MOS. It demonstrates to employers that you are serious about using software fully and making the best of their IT investment.

Further steps? You can become accredited to teach MOS by becoming a MOSMI ? Microsoft Office Specialist Master Instructor. See www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/officespecialist/instructor/requirements.mspx for more information.

Notes for editors:

For more information visit our website at www.computertrainingsolutions.co.uk or call 01454 851770. We provide training in all types of software, including Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Access, Outlook, PowerPoint), Visio, FrontPage, Project, Dreamweaver and Adobe Creative Suite (Indesign, Illustrator, Photoshop and Acrobat). Our training courses can be run either as public open courses from our schedule or alternatively we can run tailored courses throughout England and Wales to suit you.

Claire Blinman is the training manager at Computer Training Solutions in Bristol. Visit us at http://www.computertrainingsolutions.co.uk or call on 01454 851770 for more information.

Microsoft's ^@&^#&@ W2K MCSE Policy

Like over 800,000 other people, I spent an incredible amount of time and effort studying to be an MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer). I took six classes, studied several books from cover to cover, took practice tests and used the knowledge in my job and on my own time. Why did I do all of this? Because I wanted to have one of the most prestigious certifications in the field - the MCSE!

For those of you who don't know, the MCSE consisted of six tests designed to ensure that system administrators meet a minimum level of experience and knowledge with Microsoft products. The concept is this gives guidance to managers as to who they should and should not hire, and ensures that those people know how to use Microsoft products.

In my experience, people who honestly pass the MCSE exams are indeed better qualified for their positions than others with equivalent experience and skills. Of course, boot camps, brain dumps and similar methods of cheating the process tend to allow people to dishonestly pass the exams. This, however, is true with all certifications (and tests for that matter) and not unique to the MCSE series.

In their attempts to get people to upgrade from Windows NT 4.0 to Windows 2000, Microsoft has run into quite a bit of resistance from the industry. While there are very significant reasons to upgrade, Windows 2000 requires major changes in network configurations, applications and user training, which has tended to slow acceptance. In addition, since Windows 2000 was released around the time of large expenditures on the Year 2000 bug, system managers found themselves without funds or manpower to upgrade their networks.

In order to force people to upgrade more quickly, Microsoft has, in it's infinite wisdom, decided to retire the Windows NT 4.0 certifications. Thus, on December 31, 2001 any and all MCSE certificate holders who still have not upgraded will need to remove those four letters from their resume and business cards.

It now appears that over half (at least 400,000) of these MCSE's will be invalid in under five months! I know from experience that the change from Windows NT to Windows 2000 is not an easy one, and given that many people actually have to work for a living it's not surprising that so many of them have not had a chance to obtain the new certifications.

There is also a large amount of anger about the policy. It appears that Microsoft is only interested in increasing it's bottom line, which translates into selling an endless procession of upgrades to the operating system and the office suite. It's plainly obvious that Microsoft feels it's dollars come from these upgrades, and thus those engineers who cannot or will not upgrade their certifications have little or no value.

Even worse is that Microsoft has started the path towards Windows XP certifications! A large number of MCSE's have not even started (much less finished) their training for Windows 2000, and now they have to figure out how to upgrade that to Windows XP! And, of course, it's a sure bet that the next version of Windows will follow very quickly after that.

Me and several of the people who work for me have obtained the MCSE certification for Windows NT 4.0. Given that we all work very long hours (a 60 hour week is a short one) and have lives, it's a miracle that even some of is found time to pass these exams.

And now Microsoft is saying that we are no longer valuable. They are directly implying that we are not worthy of their greatness because, well, we are too busy actually putting their products to work to take the time out to study and pass the exams.

We do want to pass the exams and we do want to become certified on Windows 2000. Every single person that works for me strongly desires to pass these tests. Our objection does not come from the fact that the tests exist or that Microsoft is raising the bar or improving their products.

Our objection is the underhanded, sneaky and downright unethical way that Microsoft is forcing us to put pressure on our company and our employers to needlessly upgrade over and over again. The pressure comes from every aspect of Microsoft - from forced upgrades via their licensing practices to their forced certification policies.

Let's play devil's advocate for a minute and see what we can learn. Perhaps Microsoft has to do this because they are more intelligent and have a wider vision than the rest of the world. Microsoft knows they have a far superior product, and in order to ensure that we lesser beings provide the best value for our companies, they are requiring us to upgrade our knowledge. Heaven forbid that companies (especially large ones) actually keep Windows NT 4.0 installed on their networks (much less Windows 95 or 98). To allow that would be completely irresponsible of Microsoft, wouldn't it?

Okay, enough of that! Now I'm getting sick to my stomach!

The problem that many of us are facing is that we are stuck with what we've got. We have already invested so much in Microsoft products that it would be extremely difficult to switch to something else. In addition, Windows NT 4.0 SP6a is a reasonably reliable operating system, and the Office 2000 suite is exceptional.

However, every once in a while I get a little whimsical thinking back to the good old days, when I used to run our multi-billion dollar company on two large VAX machines. That's ALL of our applications, every single one of them. Plus hundreds of users, over fifty printers and fax machines and numerous other things. In fact, we ran payroll, accounting, order processing, delivery scheduling, human resources, printing, communications and everything else on those two machines!

To top it all off, we ran for over ten years on these VAX machines without a major operating system upgrade! Yes, there were problems, but constant retraining, reinstalls, service packs, hot fixes and weekly major security alerts were not among them. And compared to the clustering in OpenVMS (the operating system for the VAX and Alpha hardware), the "clustering" in Windows 2000 is a complete joke!

And now I need over 150 servers running Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000! The really sickening thing is I'll bet I could run everything on a dozen or so Unix or Linux servers, or, again, two big Alpha (the successor to the VAX) systems. (It's really too bad that Digital Equipment Corporation, which made the best hardware and operating systems on the planet, could not market their way out of a paper bag).

I think that's what is annoying is and many of our peers the most. The constant need to spend an outrageous amount of time to keep up with the new releases from Microsoft.

I know it doesn't fit into Microsoft's hostile "do it our way and pay us for the privilege" business model, but we would much prefer a different approach to the MCSE certification model. Instead of constantly rolling it forward constantly, invalidating the certifications of those who cannot keep up, why not just append the operating system to the certification?

Why not just make a "MCSE Win4.0" and an "MCSE Win2000"? To me as a manager, it would be far more valuable than the current catch-all scheme. Look at it this way, I could scan a resume for "MCSE Win3.1", "MCSE Win4.0" or "MCSE Win95". Wouldn't that make it easier for me as a manager? You bet!

However, it wouldn't help Microsoft's bottom line, would it?

Fortunately, I am not in the business of helping Microsoft's profit margin. In fact, on my list of worries, that wouldn't even be in the top million! My job, and the job of each and every person in our company, is to support our users by giving them tools which enable them to do their jobs.

To do that, we will get certified on Windows 2000, and probably Windows XP after that. However, we will do it on our schedule, fitting the training and testing time around our jobs and personal lives. In the meantime, we will take a closer look at other alternatives to Windows and Office, because, well, well really don't like this situation. We may, or we may not, change to those alternatives, but before this we were not even looking ... now we are.

Additional Information

The Certification Debate
http://internet-tips.net/Careers/certifications.htm There is a huge debate out there in the computer world - to certify or not to certify. Here's my two cents.

Microsoft's Licensing Model (Sigh) http://internet-tips.net/Microsoft/licensing.htm You would think that Microsoft would want to make it easy to give them money, wouldn't you? Think again.

What's Up With Microsoft?
http://internet-tips.net/Microsoft/whatsup.htm Microsoft stock has been going down all through 2000. Here's an opinion as to why.

Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets at http://www.internet-tips.net - Visit our website any time to read over 1,000 complete FREE articles about how to improve your internet profits, enjoyment and knowledge.

Overview of Microsoft Certification Training

The Microsoft Certification program is one of the most valuable certification programs available to the IT tech simply because Microsoft is a leader in the software field. The value of a Microsoft Certification is unquestioned. It increases the confidence of the individual who earns it and opens up professional opportunities. They become what is called a Microsoft Certified Professional, or MCP. This recognition is not lost on potential employers. The rapid growth and change of the IT environment has created a need for professional technicians who have demonstrated initiative above the norm.

Microsoft lists six steps in the Certification process. Identification of the proper Certification is the first step. There are many different ones covering the full spectrum of interests and skills. The second step is to gain hands on experience working with Microsoft systems. A full six months of work experience is recommended before considering attempting to earn a certification. This would be increased to one year for the advanced level certifications. The next step is to expand your experience with training. Microsoft training is conducted through formal classroom training or through a distance learning based network. E-learning programs are also available for self paced learning. There are videos and books available as well to supplement all three modes of training. It is vital to make sure that you are training for the correct certification. A MCSE training video, designed for the basic level Microsoft Certified System Engineer certification is a good place to start.

The final three steps in the Certification preparation process involves the test itself. First, you must have a complete understanding of the objectives of the test. Second, you should take a practice test to understand the testing format and to gauge your progress. The last step is taking the exam itself.

The Certification training boot camp program has been developed and is growing more popular because it understands and addresses all of these training needs. Once a person has spent the required time and gained the minimum amount of experience, the boot camp can guide them through comprehensive and intensive training. This training includes practice tests and finishes with the taking of the actual exam. Microsoft Certification training has been designed to increase success not to weed out failures. It operates on the assumption that a person who has the desire to become a MCP and is willing to do a bit of work to accomplish this goal should be able to do so.

Natalie Aranda writes about training and computers. The value of a Microsoft Certification is unquestioned. It increases the confidence of the individual who earns it and opens up professional opportunities. This training includes practice tests and finishes with the taking of the actual exam. Microsoft training has been designed to increase success not to weed out failures.

Microsoft Vista Certification Tutorial: An Introduction To Windows Defender

Whether you're working on a Microsoft Windows Vista certification or not, you need to know about Windows Defender and what it can do to keep your computer spyware-free.? Learn the details from Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933.

You don't have to be working on a Microsoft Windows Vista certification to know about the security problems that past versions of Windows have encountered.? As a result, Microsoft is paying special attention to security with Vista, and one of the new features Vista features is Windows Defender.

What exactly are we defending against with Defender?? Spyware.? Spyware programs range from annoying (one pop-up banner after another) to downright destructive (capturing your computer's keystrokes).?? Windows Defender is designed to operate much like an antivirus program in that Defender will detect the offending spyware and then quarantine or delete the spyware.?

Defender gives you this protection in two ways.? First, by prompting you for a "yes/no" answer when you're about to knowingly or unknowingly have a program installed on your computer.? Defender will also scan your computer to look for known spyware programs and will do so once daily by default. Naturally, this can be changed to suit your needs, and you can also define which files should and should not be scanned.

Defender's Software Explorer feature shows you the programs that are currently running on your computer, as well as which ones will run automatically when you reboot.? Software Explorer is very helpful in spotting potential spyware programs, since this feature will indicate whether the program will start when Windows starts, whether the program actually shipped with the OS, whether it's been analyzed as a potential threat, and whether the program has been digitally signed by the publisher.

What if the file isn't spyware?? You can tell Defender to "always allow" that particular file.? The options for treating potential spyware are "remove", "quarantine", "ignore", and "always allow".? You can changes these options for any particular file at any time.

The first line of defense against spyware is the end user, but none of us are perfect!? Windows Defender is definitely a step forward in the fight against spyware - and in future Microsoft Vista certification tutorials, we'll take a look at other Vista security features.

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNP and CCNA exam tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages. You can also join his RSS feed and visit his blog, which is updated several times daily with new Cisco certification articles, free tutorials, and daily CCNA / CCNP exam questions! Details are on the website. For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, ?How To Pass The CCNA? and ?How To Pass The CCNP?, just visit the website! You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Get your Microsoft Vista certification with The Bryant Advantage!

Microsoft Certification: Farewell To The MCSE

Microsoft is in the middle of a major push to overhaul its certification program. Last year, they announced the new Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA) certification, which is not a written exam but rather a practical exam that will be graded by a board of examiners. Just applying for the certification will require 10 years' experience in IT as well as three years of practical experience as a network architect.

For those of us not quite ready for that, Microsoft has announced that it's also going to revise other certifications. The MCSE that we've all come to know and love is going to be a thing of the past. In its place will be a series of specialization exams and IP Professional certification tracks.

If you're currently an MCSE or working it, don't worry, you have plenty of time to adapt to the new tracks. Microsoft's official word is that the new certification structure will be implemented when the next Windows server/client version is released. For those holding MCDBAs, your current certification will remain valid and you'll have a chance to upgrade to the new certification with SQL Server 2005.

Those of us who have been on the certification track for a while remember the outcry when Microsoft planned to phase out the much-maligned NT 4.0 certification in the move to Windows 2000. There was quite an outcry from many certified individuals who felt MS was being unreasonable in their timetable and planned lack of support for the 4.0 certification. Whether you agree with Microsoft's planned changes, I urge you to visit Microsoft's certification site regularly to keep up with these changes.

Whether you choose to pursue any of these new tracks is your decision, but you owe it to yourself and your career to know about the new tracks. Change is inevitable in IT and the IT certification world, and you must be aware of these changes!
Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage (http://www.thebryantadvantage.com), home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials! For my FREE "How To Pass The CCNA" or "CCNP" ebook, visit the website and download your copies. Pass your CCNA exam with The Bryant Advantage!