Having Microsoft certifications would definitely boost your career to a higher level. One of the highly acclaimed certifications is the prestigious Microsoft Certified IT Professional or MCITP status. You need to pass several certification exams in order to acquire the title as a Certified IT Professional. The IT professionals who have successfully passed its certification exam are verified by Microsoft to utilize Windows Server 2008 platform in different roles in a corporate environment.

Individuals that have the MCITP status as server administrators have the skills in developing and demonstrating knowledge and skills in working with several roles in a corporate setting. Certified IT professionals can fit several job roles such as monitoring operator, network administrator, server systems administrator and Windows Server administrator. This certification contains several concepts involving prerequisites of gaining the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) status. The scope of knowledge required for being a certified IT professional include technical knowledge and skills required for being a server administrator.

People who wish to obtain the MCITP certification should prepare several skills prior to taking the certification exam. Some expertises needed in preparation for having a Certified IT Professional status include configuring, monitoring and troubleshooting servers. The aspirant should have working experience in handling software updates and distribution as well as handling proper management of Server operating systems, directory services and file structures. The certification also covers implementation of auditing policies and performing highly organized vulnerability evaluation scans.

Passing several certification exams is necessary in earning the MCITP status. Normally, there are three specific requirements for this type of Microsoft certification namely Exam 70-642, Exam 70-640 and Exam 70-646. The Exam 70-642 is known as the Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuring exam and Exam 70-640 is the Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring exam. Both of these exams are requirements for gaining the MCTS certification. The Exam 70-646 is the exam that would earn you core credits towards becoming a certified IT professional.

However, you do not necessarily need to pass the first two exams if you already have previous certifications such as Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE). You can easily upgrade your MCSA status to MCITP by following the upgrade path. This only consists of two certification exams namely Exam 70-648 and Exam 70-646. The Exam 70-648 is defined as the Upgrading Your MCSA on Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008, Technology Specialist exam. On the other hand, an MCSE certification can be upgraded by taking only a couple of exams such as Exam 70-649 or the Upgrading Your MCSE on Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008, Technology Specialist exam and the required Exam 70-646.

To ensure that you would gain the status of a Certified IT Professional, you may want to participate in different training programs. These training sessions involve server installations and upgrades as well as simplification of installation procedures for Wireless Distribution System (WDS). Other important concepts needed in preparation for this type of Microsoft certification include utilization of the Active Directory Certificate Services and the Group Policy and other necessary knowledge for managing and optimizing network systems.