As the Program Manager for the SharePoint Master and MCA programs, I am pleased to introduce the programs and the first two groups of Certified SharePoint Masters! (Microsoft Certified Masters for SharePoint 2007) To recap, the Alpha delivery (Rotation...

The Microsoft Advanced Certification Portal will be offline December 18 – 21, 2012 as part of a scheduled upgrade to provide enhanced services to our community. The upgrade will include new password management features, user profile changes, access...

Ladies and gentlemen, Rob Silver just very recently completed his MCM training and certification in the Directory space (congrats!) . Here's his story / motivation on pursuing the certification, and the great results he's seen already (1 day to realize ROI on MCM!). Rob - it's all yours......

Some people have been asking, and we've hinted some before. Although you won't get the 100% be all, end all answer here, there is some more info to share. The most recent question came from Triton.Deep over at the MCSE World forum. The question is: what's the cost to upgrade my Master cert when new versions come out? Stap yourselves in, here we go.......

It’s been a couple of months since my last post , and in that time we have completed our RTM delivery of the SharePoint MCM program (Rotation 3, or “R3”) and we’ve also had several candidates from the previous rotations pass their retakes. As such...

It’s been a great month for adding new SQL Server MCMs. Please meet our newest community member: Guillaume Kieffer , Senior Premier Field Engineer, Microsoft. Guillaume joined Microsoft France 9 years ago. He started as a SQL Server support engineer and...

The past few months have been an absolute rush for the SharePoint MCM program. We delivered two "firsts" just 6 weeks apart - our very first upgrade rotation for the program at the end of May, followed by our very first full rotation for the new program...

The time between rotations is a busy one on the program management side of things - we update the course based on the rich feedback we get from candidates, we screen a whole new group of applicants for the next rotation, we deal with the nuts & bolts...

We're not quite 80 years old yet... However, we did hit a different milestone. We wrapped up the 9th MCM Directory rotation last Sunday (October 3rd) and after some retakes over the past few days we have crossed the mark of 80 certified individuals...

Have you ever wondered what we actually do in the classroom during Microsoft Certified Master rotations? Well, here is a 30 minute summary of the Exchange 2010 header firewall from Brian Reid, one of our regular MCM instructors. Brian covers the header...

Hello, my name is Joe Sack and this is my first blog post here on behalf of the SQL MCM program. I'll be helping manage the program over the next year, and I look forward to engaging with the community. In the last year we've hosted two SQL Server...

You are? Boy, do we have something for you! ...Sit back, relax, drink some coffee (or whatever keeps you up), and enjoy a not-so-short reading list for your program of choice......

We have more four more SQL Server Microsoft Certified Masters and one Microsoft Certified Architect to announce! First of all, please meet our new SQL Server Microsoft Certified Architect, John Hicks (using some of his self-deprecating words, not mine...

Hi everyone. Starting in calendar year 2012, we'll be expanding the delivery methods for the SharePoint Microsoft Certified Master’s program to include a "hybrid" delivery model that includes both onsite and remote training. We posted high-level...

Between March 1st and March 20th 2010 we delivered (very successfuly I might add) the first ever Exchange 2010 MCM rotation. From a class of 13 we ended up with 5 fully qualified and shiny new MCM's. Only 5 you might say? Well, it's not many, I agree...

“ Know what you know. Know what you don’t know. Don’t ever confuse the two. ” Per Farny, founder of the original Microsoft Certified Master and Architect program How do you know if you are ready to take the Microsoft Certified...

Folks often ask me about the cost of MCM Exchange training, and at $18,500 I understand the sticker shock. I also know that the MCM program provides incredible value for the right candidate. We don't let anyone teach this stuff...we get the very best...

The seventh SQL Microsoft Certified Master training and certification “rotation” is scheduled to kick off in October, leaving just a few more weeks for you to register (the registration deadline for a rotation is two calendar weeks prior to the rotation...

In my recent post I listed how many MCM's and MCA's we had - well, it has changed... The two taking their labs that day both passed. So both are now MCM 2007's. And today, an attendee from the first Masters delivery passed his Qual Lab at the second bite...

We are pleased to announce two new training opportunities being launched by Microsoft Learning to help prepare candidates for the Certified Master exams or for anyone looking to take their SQL Server skills to the next level. Coming November 29: Accelerated...

Greetings everyone. Springtime in Redmond was exceptionally busy for the SharePoint MCM instructor team, with lots of globetrotting from our 11-member internationally-based instructor team, who delivered 5 weeks of training in an 8-week span! The hotels...

I have a new SQL Server 2008 Microsoft Certified Master I’d like to introduce to the SQL Server community (although since he was also a SQL MVP – you likely already know his name), Jens K. Suessmeyer. Here is a little background information on Jens...

David Ikeda and I have updated the SQL Server 2008 MCM Pre-reading list based on the last training rotation we conducted last October. You can download the PDF here. As a seasoned SQL Server professional, ideally you'll already have read some, if not...

Hi All, Along with announcing the new dates , we've published new discounts for the program ! For any training rotation that you attend prior to January 1, 2010, you'll get $3,550 off the list price! That makes it $14,950 instead of $18,500. That...

Today at the SharePoint Conference in Anaheim, California, Microsoft is excited to announce a new addition to the suite of Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA) certifications: MCA: Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010. Joining MCA Exchange Server, SQL Server...