The Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST) credential is the certification for professionals who learn how to diagnose and troubleshoot issues with applications, configuration settings, and Windows XP core components. The certification is appropriate for individuals who provide desktop support or are in a corporate support environment.

The Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) credentials provide IT professionals with a simpler and more targeted framework to showcase their technical skills in addition to the skills that are required for specific developer job roles.

The Technology Specialist certifications enable professionals to target specific technologies and to distinguish themselves by demonstrating in-depth knowledge and expertise in their specialized technologies. Microsoft Technology Specialists are consistently capable of implementing, building, troubleshooting, and debugging a particular Microsoft technology

If you are developing .NET Framework 2.0 applications that use Microsoft Visual Studio 2005, the Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) and the new Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) credentials provide a simpler and more targeted framework to showcase your technical skills in addition to the skills that are required for specific developer job roles.

CompTIA A+ certification is an international industry credential that validates the knowledge of computer service technicians with the equivalent of 500 hours of hands-on experience. Major hardware and software vendors, distributors and resellers accept CompTIA A+ as the standard in foundation-level, vendor-neutral certification for service technicians. Earning CompTIA A+ certification proves that a candidate has a broad base of knowledge and competency in core hardware and operating system technologies including installation, configuration, diagnosing, preventive maintenance and basic networking.

The CompTIA Network+ certification is an international industry credential that validates the knowledge of networking professionals with at least nine months of experience in network support or administration or adequate academic training. A typical candidate would have CompTIA A+ certification or equivalent knowledge, but this is not a prerequisite. An accepted foundation-level, vendor-neutral certification for networking professionals, many IT certifications integrate CompTIA Network+ into their curriculums. There are approximately 135,000 CompTIA Network+ certified professionals worldwide. The skills and knowledge measured by this examination were derived from an industry-wide job task analysis and validated through an industry-wide survey of more than 2,500 participants. Earning a CompTIA Network+ certification demonstrates that a candidate can describe the features and functions of networking components, and possesses the knowledge and skills needed to install, configure and troubleshoot basic networking hardware, protocols and services.