14 DAY TRIAL // Windows Server 2008 is yet to be finalized. In fact, Microsoft's last 32-bit server operating system, formerly codenamed Longhorn, has not even reached RTM stage. While it has indeed been scheduled to be released to manufacturing by the end of this year, the date at which Windows Server 2008's code will go gold has been postponed to early 2008. However, the server platform itself, designed to replace Windows Server 2003, is still on track for the official release on the 28th of February, 2008.
Even though Windows Server 2008 is still preparing at this point, Microsoft Learning has already kicked in high gear the resources necessary to fuel the uptake of solutions from the Redmond company. Knowledge and skill ultimately go hand in hand with product adoption and are reflected by certification and training.
"I am very excited to announce that over 3,100 Windows Server 2008 certifications have already been earned to date - and this with the launch of the product roughly three months away. In addition, because we started so early, over 140,000 IT pros and developers have been trained on Windows Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008 to date. By launch time in late February, Microsoft Learning will have trained 300,000 people globally, and we expect that number to rise to over 700,000 by August," revealed Lutz Ziob, the General Manager here at Microsoft Learning.
Ziob stressed the relevance of the statistics, because they manage to paint a bigger picture of the overall competitive advantage of companies. Windows Server 2008 might still be three months away, but certifications are not. And at the bottom of this article, via the embedded video fragment, you will be able to watch Ziob himself talk about Windows Server 2008 certification.
"The Windows Server 2008 Certification portfolio consists of five distinct certifications:
o Server Administrator o Enterprise Administrator o Network Infrastructure Configuration o Active Directory Configuration o Application Infrastructure Configuration," Ziob added.