New MCSA/MCSE Paths Confusing

burfect

I am in the EARLY stages of starting to research and look into various Microsoft cert paths and choices, and I am experiencing a bit of confusion.

What I am mostly getting caught up on is the particular concentrations for the MCSA and MCSE...

From what I seem to understand, the MCSA: Server 2012 encompasses the 410, 411, 412 exams. These exams are also required/included in every concentration of the MCSE, except the SQL/DBA/BI versions. If one were trying to ultimatley acheive the newer MCSE SQL/BI concentrations, it would not make much sense for them to take any other version of the MCSA besides the SQL Server one, considering it is the only one of the MCSAs that would help fufilly the MCSE SQL/BI concentrations, correct?

In other words, it wouldn't make much sense to go MCSA Server 2012, if your eventual goal was to get into MCSE Business Intelligence, and vice versa.

I also don't understand the MCSA Windows 7/Windows 8 desktop concentrations. These concentrations encompass the 680 and 685 (for Windows 7) and NITHER of these can be used to fulfill any of the tests in ANY version of the MCSE from what I can see. If this is the case, I don't see why, from a financial standpoint, anyone would even bother with these versions of the MCSA?

As an MIS grad looking to eventually get involved with system admin, and a VERY long term of getting involved with a branch of infosec some day, it would seem like the best idea would be to go with the MCSA server side, and I guess really any concentration of the MCSE? Private cloud seems interesting, though I am not sure the reasons why one would go for Server Infrastructure vs Desktop Infrastructure etc.

I just wanted to clarify some of these things as it seems the more I read the more confused I get with these new versions of the MS Certifications. Thanks.

it_consultant

It is really confusing, especially since no one really knows what the heck a "private cloud" is. I thought it was similar to VMWare's vCloud, but that didn't seem to be the case. Virtualization is covered within the infrastructure path, which doesn't really make sense to me, since virtualization is a huge part of the private cloud philosophy.

netsysllc

I think the reason they have the desktop infrastructure is for larger corporations. It is going to be geared towards someone who's job it is to deploy workstations for the company. They will need to know how to use Windows Deployment server on the back end and the options and configurations involved in the workstation OS like 7 or 8. We are not talking a company that has 50 computer but instead 5000 or 50,000

burfect

Also...

Am I correct that you can't use your A+/N+/S+ towards any of these tests anymore?

And again, although I can see the point in getting the MCSA: Windows 7/8 from an entry level perspective, I don't see why anyone would choose that one over the othetr MCSA flavors considering those are 600 tests, and all but the database MCSE use the 400s.

jyrki.arpiainen

"Am I correct that you can't use your A+/N+/S+ towards any of these tests anymore?"

Seems that way. Doesn't bother me.
Besides I think that those Comptia tests are overpriced. And when I searched info and opinion about their Sec+ test, I saw lot's of opinions that their tests were (very) badly worded.
So after purchasing expensive test, it would be very possible to fail it even if knowing the topics... Knowing material does not help if questions are unclear.
I am not talking about trick questions, Microsoft tests are full of those too, but simply bad ones.

BTW. What do you mean by "those are 600 tests, and all but the database MCSE use the 400s."?