I recently received the Microsoft January MCP Flash. In this Microsoft encourages people to be amongst the first to become Windows Server 2008 qualified, which is unsurprising, however there was also an article focusing on the Windows Server 2003 certification.

Even though Windows Server 2008 is due for release next month and I will admit that from my experience and from what I have seen it is a great operating system, I know of a number of companies that I have been in contact with recently that are running Windows Server 2003 in an Active Directory environment and at this stage do not intend to migrate to Windows Server 2008, recognising this Microsoft can still see there is a demand for individuals with the appropriate skills and the Microsoft MCSA or MCSE 2003 certifications

The newsletter stated “These certifications will not change or retire with the release of Windows Server 2008. MCSA and MCSE will continue to be recognized and supported by Microsoft, and will be valued by organizations seeking skilled professionals on the Windows Server 2003 infrastructure all over the world. In the future, you can leverage your Windows Server 2003 certification for a shortened path to Windows Server 2008 certifications, when that makes sense for you.“

If you are still interested in these certifications and the upgrade paths available to Windows Server 2008, Microsoft has released a number of alternative electives, for example: exam 70-620 –TS on Windows Vista client, Configuring - can also be used as a core client or general elective exam on the MCSA or MCSE 2003 certification. For a list of the exams needed for MCSA 2003 click here, for MCSE 2003 click here.

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