Every organization must have reliable people with IT certifications to effectively maintain their technological infrastructure. Whether you're talking about networks, servers or programming, computer certification demonstrates that the person is qualified to do the job.

If you find yourself in a growth situation where you have technology needs but can't yet justify hiring a full-time technology person, you can consider some IT certification courses for existing employees. In some cases, a course or two online or a couple of days worth of training off site can give your employee the tools she needs to do the job.

The type of information technology certification your employee needs depends on his area of responsibility and expertise. Among the most common types of IT certifications are:

1. IT certification programs to reflect a knowledge of either server platforms or network hardware.

2. IT security certifications that demonstrates mastery of computer and network security measures.

3. Computer programming certifications that demonstrate mastery of one or more programming languages.

Action Steps
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Insure your server and network personnel have appropriate IT certifications

Server and network personnel are the backbone of your organization's information technology needs. Trust individuals who possess a relevant IT certificate to maintain the highest degree of server and network performance and reliability.

I recommend: Require your server administrators to pass CompTIA Server+ certifications. Network administrators should earn the CCNA, for which they can obtain IT certification training, through Gatlin Education Services or other providers.

Secure your data with information security certifications

From hackers to viruses, there are a variety of threats to your information security. In addition, privacy laws leave little mercy for those companies from which personal information is stolen. It is well worth the IT certification costs to make sure your security personnel are fully qualified.

I recommend: Insist information security personnel obtain CompTIA Security+ certification, at a minimum. You can get free study guides for the Security+ certification from CramSession. Consider the SANS Network Security conference to keep your security personnel up to date on their IT security certification.

Get the best programming performance from certified programmers

The days when programmers had to have advanced college degrees are gone. In addition, you can't always assume that someone with a degree in MIS has a sufficient amount of programming knowledge. Programming and developer certifications give you that assurance you need.

I recommend: Provide sufficient training for your programmers through the Learning Tree International C++ developer training program. Use the CDi Communications Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer training for applications built on Microsoft server or programming platforms.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  There are any number of good ways you can have your personnel get a IT certification. There are IT certification schools, college and university certification programs, and even online IT certifications. Explore all of your options to see what works best for your company.