Service Desk to Server Support Road Map

So I have been working at my companies Service Desk for less than a year and have really found an interest in pursuing a career in Server Support. Now I know I will most likely need a few more years of "service desk experience" just to gain familiarity with my companies systems, but I would love to get a head start. We are a Windows 7 HP house on Windows Server 2008/2012 and we use SCCM 2012 to deploy our software/images. We also just upgraded from Exchange Server 2010 to 2012. I just knocked out my A+ and I'm thinking of taking my N+ or Server+ in the next few months.

What other certifications would you all recommend I get while I'm at the Service Desk to better prepare myself for a Server Support role? I've been looking at some of the Microsoft certifications but feel overwhelmed and really have no idea where to start. Any pointers would greatly be appreciated. Thanks!

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umarbhatti

The general path to Server Support is SD > Desktop Support > Server Support.

Certs are pretty useless without the experience to back them up. My suggestion is, do like a Windows 7 Cert or Windows 8 Cert and ask if you can Volunteer for the upgrade.

hammncheese

Thanks for the info. I guess I would actually call myself Service Desk/Desktop Support.

So like I said earlier, I plan on taking my N+ and Server+ pretty soon. Would you all recommend one before the other or does it not really matter?

jibbajabba

hammncheese wrote: »

We also just upgraded from Exchange Server 2010 to 2012.

Make it 2013 and I believe you

(*)

(*) 2012 doesn't exist

hammncheese

jibbajabba wrote: »

Make it 2013 and I believe you (*)

(*) 2012 doesn't exist

Ahhh! I meant 2008 to 2010!! Lol

Remedymp

In my experience, the Server+ would only be useful if you plan on supporting IBM, HP and Dell based physical rack devices within warranty. It wouldn't hurt to have it, but it also isn't crucial based on your criteria. The same would go for Network+. Nice to have it, but it's not in the scope of your said work.

The only thing that could help you potentially is the MCSE Messaging.

I used Labsim. While it can be quirky, it was sufficient for me to get better understanding of what I was up against.

Krusader

hammncheese wrote: »

Thanks for the info. I guess I would actually call myself Service Desk/Desktop Support.

So like I said earlier, I plan on taking my N+ and Server+ pretty soon. Would you all recommend one before the other or does it not really matter?

Waste of time those certs. Would be better of doing CCENT rather than the N+ and MCSA Server 2012 or RHCSA in place of the Server+. I've never seen anyone with the Server+ in the wild.

If you feel overwhelmed by Microsoft exams, start with the desktop exams. They are a good primer for the Server certs.

hammncheese

Krusader wrote: »

Waste of time those certs. Would be better of doing CCENT rather than the N+ and MCSA Server 2012 or RHCSA in place of the Server+. I've never seen anyone with the Server+ in the wild.

If you feel overwhelmed by Microsoft exams, start with the desktop exams. They are a good primer for the Server certs.

I can see where you're coming from regarding the MCSA but would you say that the CCENT is really all that much better than the N+?

JeanM

Yep, CCENT will require more understanding and prep work than N+ .

OP - good job on getting A+, certs deff. don't hurt. Maybe look into getting MCSA 2012 ...stuff like WSUS/SCCM and even exchange you can set up in a personal lab at home w/o buying expensive server hardware, as long as you have a nice pc with enough ram and i/o.

Krusader

hammncheese wrote: »

I can see where you're coming from regarding the MCSA but would you say that the CCENT is really all that much better than the N+?

Yes I would because you actually learn how to configure a router and switch in CCENT in the N+ it's just theory.
Even though CCENT is a vendor specific exam, you will learn the fundamentals of networking that you can apply across any network appliance. Plus it's a stepping stone towards your CCNA

hammncheese

Krusader wrote: »

Yes I would because you actually learn how to configure a router and switch in CCENT in the N+ it's just theory.
Even though CCENT is a vendor specific exam, you will learn the fundamentals of networking that you can apply across any network appliance. Plus it's a stepping stone towards your CCNA

I see that you have your N+. If you got that before your CCENT, would you say it helped you prepare for it?

Remedymp

hammncheese wrote: »

I see that you have your N+. If you got that before your CCENT, would you say it helped you prepare for it?

I would say it did for me. The literacy gained from N10-004 made things clear when walking into the CCENT.

Krusader

Only in cable types and network design.
Trust me, dont waste your time and money studying the N+