Microsoft Certified System Administrator (MCSA) Certification
Computer certification programs are setting the standards for the information technology (IT) industry worldwide. Although most careers in the IT and communications fields are lucrative and lead to rapid advancement, you can move ahead even more rapidly if you have been certified. In fact, you often can earn a salary increase of 20% or more once you become certified. Nowadays, having a degree in computer science just isn't enough. Companies are demanding that their IT professionals be certified as a way to measure their skills as well as to guarantee that they can perform their jobs successfully. In short, certification will help a computer professional get a good job and stay competitive in what is now a highly demanding IT environment.
This training would be beneficial for individuals looking for IT job positions such as: Network Administrator, Windows Administrator, Senior Network Technician, Windows System Engineer, IT Manager, Network Security Specialist, Senior Security Technician or a Information Security Manager.
The Microsoft Certified System Administrator (MCSA) certification verifies your knowledge in system administration of Microsoft Windows operating systems. MCSA certification can help advance your career by confirming that you have the skills necessary to successfully manage and troubleshoot system environments.
MCSA candidates must satisfy the following requirements (3 cores and 1 elective):
Core exams (3 required)
Two networking system exams:
Exam 70-290: Managing and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Environment
This course provides students with the knowledge to:
- Create and manage user, group, and computer accounts
- Manage file and share permissions
- Help control Web server access and manage sites with Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)
- Manage hardware devices, disk storage, software, and print services
- Implement backup procedures and perform system recovery
Exam 70-291: Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining a Server 2003 Network Infrastructure
This course provides students with the knowledge to:
- Install and configure TCP/IP
- Use DHCP to manage IP addressing
- Configure and manage DNS clients, servers, and zones
- Manage routing and remote access, including VPNs
- Implement and administer security procedures
- Monitor traffic, troubleshoot connectivity, and resolve service issues
One client operating system exam:
Exam 70-620: Windows Vista, Configuring
This course provides students with the knowledge to:
- Installing Windows Vista
- Configure Windows Vista Environments
- Windows Vista Users and Groups
- Security in Windows Vista
- Windows Vista Network Connectivity
- Configuring Windows Vista Applications
- Windows Vista Maintenance and Optimization
- Windows Vista |w Mobile Computing and Troubleshooting
or
Exam 70-270: Installing, Configuring, and Administrating Microsoft Windows XP Professional
This course provides students with the knowledge to:
- Perform an installation or upgrade, including remote deployment
- Configure and customize the desktop environment
- Administer disks, device drivers, printers, file systems, and other resources
- Manage TCP/IP networking and support remote and mobile users
- Monitor, troubleshoot, and tune system performance
Elective exams (one required)*
Exam 70-350: Implementing Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2004
This course provides students with the knowledge to:
- Plan and implement your deployment, including migration from ISA Server 2000
- Install, manage, and troubleshoot ISA Server clients
- Configure ISA Server as a firewall with application-layer filtering
- Enable security-enhanced Internet access for Web servers, Exchange servers, and other servers
- Configure ISA Server to enable Virtual Private Network (VPN) remote access and site-to-site VPNs
- Monitor and log server activity, run reports, and create alerts
There are other electives that you can choose, see list below:
- Exam 70-086: Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Systems Management Server 2.0
- Exam 70-089: Designing, Implementing, and Managing a Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 Infrastructure
- Exam 70-227: Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2000, Enterprise Edition
- Exam 70-228: Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition
- Exam 70-235: TS: Developing Business Process and Integration Solutions Using Microsoft BizTalk Server
- Exam 70-236: TS: Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Configuring
- Exam 70-262: TS: Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005 – Implementing, Managing, and Troubleshooting
- Exam 70-284: Implementing and Managing Microsoft Exchange Server 2003
- Exam 70-299: Implementing and Administering Security in a Windows Server 2003 Network
- Exam 70-351: TS: Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2006, Configuring
- Exam 70-400: TS: Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007, Configuring
- Exam 70-401: TS: Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007, Configuring
- Exam 70-431: TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 – Implementation and Maintenance
- Exam 70-445: TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Business Intelligence – Implementation and Maintenance
- Exam 70-500: TS: Microsoft Windows Mobile Designing, Implementing, and Managing
- Exam 70-557: TS: Microsoft Forefront Client and Server, Configuration
- Exam 70-620: TS: Windows Vista, Configuring
- Exam 70-624: TS: Deploying and Maintaining Windows Vista Client and 2007 Microsoft Office System Desktops
- Exam 70-630: TS: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, Configuring
- Exam 70-631: TS: Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, Configuring
- Exam 70-638: TS: Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, Configuring