Are Hosting certifications worth it?

[ashish]

Hi,

I was just wondering what is the significance\relevance of hosting certifications from big/reputed companies like microsoft etc..

Is it worth it?

I really believe more in the practicality of things then nice decorations like:
Microsoft Web Hoster Program, Microsoft Partner Program, Web Presence Provider etc. etc.

what are your opinions on it?

[dasp]

In my opinion, certifications are very important. It can provide more credibility as shows that your staff has expertise in that technology. Having the certifications may also allow you to participate in different programs.

For example, to participate in the Microsoft Certified Partner program, one requirement is to have staff that are Microsoft Certified Professionals.

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[ashish]

well... true . i agree with all of that... but again my question is do they count.. is it relevent?? i have seen ppl who have great certs and degrees, but no knowledge... they just are not qualified enough to actually have those certs... to me experience and a well qualified person seem more important... just my thinking really

[dasp]

If they wer able to get the certification, then they qualified to get it. But I know what you mean. Having book knowledge does not necessarily mean that you are good at what you do and I would agree that experience is very important.

I still do think that certifications are relevant because it is something that a business can use to differentiate themselves and will help the business take advantage of any programs that require these certifications.

I would say that it is not the first priority in running a business, but I would recommend having some strategy for getting the staff certified.

After all, if the business has truly knowledgable and experienced staff, then getting the certification should not be that difficult.

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[monster]

In some ways it's like requiring a college or university education, in that it shows a person is competent and motivated. But it by no means implies hands on experience.

In my experience employees that have hands on experience AND are certified are better able to manage the growth of an environment than an employee that has only hands on experience OR only certification.

Putting headaches, scalability, and future planning aside - it boils down to your bottom line: Do your clients require that your staff are certified? Is there a correlation between the growth of your business and the certification of your staff? IBM and Microsoft's consulting divisions both require all employees to be certified in the relevant technologies - Windows, DB2, Solaris, etc.