The Importance of Certifications
Once upon a time there was a client who had a very sick SharePoint System. Search was not working, the alert function was off line, and the error logs were packed, to name just a few issues they were facing. Why did this happen? Well, the diagnosis was pretty straightforward; they didn’t properly vet the consultant they hired to do the installation. Not only was the consultant not MCTS certified in MOSS, but also – and they learned this after the fact – the consultant was actually “learning” SharePoint while doing the deployment. While this consultant had a solid background in web development, he could not “fake” his way through a SharePoint deployment, and the customer suffered with a misconfigured system for months before they called for help.
This is no fairy tale but is a story that keeps repeating itself. Folks, it just isn’t worth it to hire someone to plan and install SharePoint for you if you are not going to check experience and credentials. Why would you invest the substantial money in hardware, software, and business resources to launch SharePoint and not perform due diligence on the key event – the actual install, setup, and configuration of your system? It just doesn’t pass the “good sense” test. Now I will readily admit that just because someone has passed the MCTS test for MOSS deployment doesn’t necessarily mean they are an expert. But at least they know the basics of setting up the system properly. Do yourself a favor, ask if the person you are about to hire for a MOSS deployment has an MCTS in MOSS and WSS. Ask further if they have an MCP in Windows Server installation and maintenance.
Lastly, ask if their company is a registered Microsoft Vendor Partner who has certified in SharePoint Deployment and Planning Services (SDPS). Microsoft has invested a lot of time and effort in providing a qualified vendor base for its products and services through its training and certifications program – use these resources. I guarantee you that if you get a yes to all the previous qualifications questions; you can be assured that you will get a properly installed and configured SharePoint System.