MSPA to launch professional certification in April 29 March, 2009 By Chris Talbot

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The Managed Services Professional Certificate is not a technical certification, but instead a professional certification that would be of most benefit to anyone in a managed services organization with a business-facing role, including executives, business owners, account executives and, to a lesser extent, salespeople, business development workers and lead NOC technicians, said Charles Weaver, co-founder and president of MSPAlliance.

"It still contains some technical knowledge requirements, primarily under IT security, process control, things under that nature, but most of the exam will cover knowledge of the industry and profession, knowledge of a code of ethics, and financial, legal, insurance requirements," Weaver said.

The certification is not meant for first or second level NOC/help desk workers, but really for anyone with a business-facing role within a managed services company, he said.

Although the formal announcement about the requirements to qualify for the certification will be made in April, Weaver shared some information on what to expect.

"There will be some educational requirements. There will be some work experience requirements that may actually be used to offset any education experience. There will be obviously some amount of a requirement to show that they have relevant work experience in the industry, either working for a managed services company or IT solution provider," Weaver said.

Candidates will have to prove mastery of knowledge of the code of ethics and consumer bill of rights. They'll also have to attest to some form of background check, he noted.

The Managed Services Professional Certificate will be available to managed services professionals worldwide, but Weaver said the exam would probably not be offered in an online form, but instead only as a proctored exam. To make it so managed services professionals can take the exam, the MSPA will make it available through various testing centers and facilities around the world. The organization will also be setting out on a global tour to allow professionals to sit for the exam, he said.

"The managed services designation will be available to individuals who wish to demonstrate high levels of professionalism and accountability in their careers," said Mark Scott, CEO of The Utility Company and member of the accreditation/standards committee. "By focusing on the individual certification we now will be able to effectively communicate trust and professionalism to the end-user community."