Top 10 IT Certifications

There is no question that attaining IT certifications can be beneficial to your career. They demonstrate proficiency in widely used technologies and can lead to more open doors and higher salaries. But with such a wide array of certifications to choose from, which IT certifications are best? This topic is hotly debated by Information Technology professionals around the world. Some believe that vendor-specific programs are the best measurement of a candidate’s skills, while others think that vendor-independent exams are the only acceptable way of measuring real-world expertise. Still other observers propose that the highest-level of certification—Microsoft’s MCSE or new Architect Series certification, Cisco’s CCIE, etc.—are the only credentials that are truly valuable.

The fact is, choosing a certification comes down to the individual.  The best IT certification for you,  is likely going to be different from that of another technology professional with different education, career path, skills, and goals. When deciding on which professional certifications to attain,  much thought and consideration should be given to your specific  goals and career path. Developing a career road map is key to selecting a potential certification path.

While the list below may not include the 10 best certifications for you, it does the top 10 IT certifications that possess significant value for a wide range of IT professionals.

This is likely to become the next big Microsoft certification. Available for a

variety of fields of expertise—including database developer, database

administrator, enterprise messaging administrator, and server administrator—an

MCITP validates a professional’s knowledge and job-role proficiency. Candidates must

pass several Microsoft exams relating directly to their job role before

earning this certification.

The Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) helps IT professionals

validate their skills in installing, maintaining, and troubleshooting a specific

Microsoft technology. The MCTS certifications are designed to demonstrate the

skills and expertise a holder possesses on a specific platform.

For example, candidates won’t earn an MCTS on SQL Server 2008. Instead, they’ll

earn an MCTS covering SQL Server business intelligence (MCTS: SQL Server 2008

Business Intelligence) , database creation (MCTS: SQL Server 2008, Database

Development) , or SQL server administration (MCTS: SQL Server 2008,

Implementation and Maintenance) .

These certifications require passing multiple, tightly targeted exams that

focus on specific responsibilities on specific platforms.

The importance of IT Security is only going to increase in the coming years.

CompTIA’s Security+ certification provides a well respected, vendor-neutral

foundation for IT industry staff (with at least two years of experience) seeking to

demonstrate proficiency with security fundamentals. While the Security+

accreditation consists of just a single exam, it could be argued that any IT

employee charged with managing client data or other sensitive information

should, at a minimum, possess this certification. The importance of  systems security,

network infrastructure, access control, auditing, and organizational security principles is becoming

more and more important in the data driven age we live in.

Information technology is more than just administration, support, and

networking. Someone must develop and maintain the applications that

power organizations. That’s where the Microsoft Certified

Professional Developer (MCPD) credential comes in.

The MCPD certification measures a developer’s ability to build and maintain

software solutions using Visual Studio 2008 and Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5.

Split into three certification paths (Windows Developer 3.5, ASP.NET Developer

3.5, and Enterprise Applications Developer 3.5), this certification targets IT

professionals tasked with designing, optimizing, and operating those Microsoft

technologies to fulfill business needs.

The Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certification is Cisco’s most popular. But for many, the Cisco Certified Network

Associate (CCNA) might prove more realistic within many organizations.

In a world in which Microsoft and Linux administrators are also expected

to be networking experts, many companies don’t have the necessary budget required to

train (or employ) a CCIE. But even small and midsize corporations can benefit

from having their technology professionals earn basic proficiency administering

Cisco equipment, as can be demonstrated by earning a CCNA accreditation.

With smaller companies become increasingly dependent upon remote access

technologies, basic Cisco systems skills are bound to become more important.

Although many smaller organizations will never have the complexity or workload

necessary to keep a CCIE busy, Cisco’s CCNA is a strong accreditation for

technology professionals with a few years’ experience seeking to grow and

improve their networking skills.

Technology professionals with solid hardware and support skills are becoming

harder to find. You may not think there is much glory in digging elbow-deep into a dusty desktop box

or troubleshooting Windows boot errors. But those skills are essential to the successful operation of a company.

Adding CompTIA’s A+ certification to a resume tells employers that you have proven support expertise. Whether an organization

requires desktop installation, problem diagnosis, preventive maintenance, or

computer or network error troubleshooting, many organizations have found

A+-certified technicians to be more valuable and productive than their noncertified

counterparts.

Basic prerequisite requirements are followed by testing that covers specific fields of

expertise (such as IT, remote support, or depot technician). The accreditation

is aimed at those working in desktop support, on help desks, and in the field.

While many of these staffers are new to the industry, the importance of an

A+ certification should not be overlooked.

Some certifications give value by targeting specific skills and expertise. The

Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is one such example.

The Project Management Institute (PMI), a nonprofit organization that serves as

a leading membership association for project management practitioners, maintains

the PMP exam. The certification measures a candidate’s project management

expertise by validating skills and knowledge required to plan, execute, budget,

and lead a technology project. Eligible candidates must have five years of

project management experience or three years of project management experience

and 35 hours of related education.

As organizations battle tough economic conditions, having proven project

scheduling, budgeting, and management skills will only grow in importance. The

PMI’s PMP credential is a perfect conduit for demonstrating that expertise on a

resume.

TheMicrosoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) and Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) credentials are still

valuable certification in the IT world.

These certifications demonstrate the holder’s

capacity to complete a long and comprehensive education, training, and

certification program requiring intensive study. Further, these certifications

validate a wide range of relevant expertise (from client and server

administration to security issues) on specific, widely used platforms.

Also important is the fact that these certifications tend to indicate holders

have been working within the technology field for a long time. There’s no

substitute for actual hands-on experience. Many MCSEs and MCSAs hold their

certifications on Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003 platforms, meaning they’ve

been working within the industry for many years. While these certifications will

be replaced by Microsoft’s new-generation credentials, they remain an important

measure of foundational skills on Windows platforms.

As mentioned with the Security+ accreditation earlier, security is only going to

grow in importance. Whatever an organization’s mission, product, or service,

security is paramount.

(ISC)², which administers the Certified Information Systems Security

Professional (CISSP) accreditation, has built a respected, vendor-neutral

security certification. Designed for industry pros with at least five years of

full-time experience, and accredited by the American National Standards

Institute (ANSI), the CISSP is internationally recognized for validating

candidates’ expertise with operations and network and physical security, as well

as their ability to manage risk and understand legal compliance responsibilities

and other security-related elements.

IT professionals who have Linux expertise and want to formalize that skill set will do well adding CompTIA’s

Linux+ certification to their resumes.

The vendor-neutral exam, which validates basic Linux client and server skills,

is designed for professionals with at least six to 12 months of hands-on Linux

experience. In addition to being vendor-neutral, the exam is also distribution

neutral (meaning the skills it covers work well whether a candidate is

administering Red Hat, SUSE, or Ubuntu systems).

Technology professionals almost always have strong reactions when debating

certification’s value. Listing the top 10 certifications leaves room, of course,

for only 10 credentials. That means many favorite and popular designations, such

as HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) certifications, have been necessarily omitted.

Other important accreditations, including those for VoIP providers and from PC

manufacturers, Red Hat, and even Apple, have also been left out here.