Friday 18 November 2011

The Value of Certifications

Microsoft and other IT providers and vendors often provide certification schemes. These schemes provide IT support customers with some reassurance that the organisation has a degree of competence and knowledge.

Receiving a certification will require engineers in the organisation to undertake a course of study and pass practical exams. They also have to continue to study and practise their skills to retain the certification, in a process known as Continuing Professional Development (CPD). The certifications can also be at different levels, from entry level through to more advanced stages, plus the organisation can also achieve certification depending on the number of qualified engineers it has and the systems it uses.

Certifications can give organisations needing IT Support a method to assess competency levels. Without this measure, the decision might need to be made on relationships or costs, but by comparing certifications the prospective customer can check that the organisation and its engineers have achieved at least a minimum standard.

This is particularly important when looking at IT support for an organisation, as opposed to support for home-based computers. For your home computer you might be content with an individual who is knowledgeable on IT matters and who can set up your internet and email.

But for a business or organisation with several computers networked together and needing remote working abilities, you need a completely different level of proficiency – from both the individual engineers and the organisation. And that’s where certifications can give you some reassurance that the organisation really does know what they are talking about and can be relied upon. They have to provide an ongoing minimum level of competency and proficiency, or they will lose their certification.

P&L have a number of different certifications, including Microsoft Partner (Silver Server Platform) and Kaspersky Antivirus Sales Specialist. In addition, the two principals are both members of the British Computer Society.