Microsoft Business Certification Program Features and Benefits Agenda

Microsoft Business Certification Program Features and Benefits

Agenda Business Certification Overview Professional Exams Overview Benefits and Positioning: Individuals and Corporations

Business Certification Product Strategy Managing Budgets Managing Presentations Managing Team Collaboration Supporting Organizations Office 2007 Word Office 2007 Excel Office 2007 Outlook Office 2007 Power. Point Office 2007 Access Windows Vista Official Pre-Test (Application Specialist 1: 1 mapping)

Microsoft Official Pre-Tests Official Pre-Test Attributes Online, anytime, anywhere assessment Objective questions mapped to the same exam domain as the associated MCAS exam Using Microsoft Office Word 2007 Using Microsoft Office Excel 2007 Using Microsoft Office Power. Point 2007 Using Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 Using Microsoft Office Access 2007 Microsoft Windows Vista for Business Users Available June 2007 Official Pre-Test Benefits: Assess current skills and provides learning plans mapped to specific curricula Provide student and instructor a snapshot individual’s current skills Provide instructors with a class-wide skill snap-shot Enable instructors to focus on what the class needs In conjunction with exam, enable instructors to document outcome-based education and ROI of training Enables companies to send employees to only the training they need

Business Certification Exam Attributes Application Specialist Exams Hands-on, live in the application Focused on students, entry level professionals, experienced professionals wanting to show breadth of skills Validates the candidate's skills within a single product, for example Microsoft Office Excel 2007, Microsoft Office Word 2007, or Microsoft Windows Vista Focuses on individual efforts Available now (Word, Excel, Power. Point); full suite by September, 2007 Application Professional Exams Focused on experienced business professionals, and business professional graduates Validates the candidate’s ability to use the 2007 Microsoft Office suite of products, and Share. Point to accomplish industry-agnostic and job role-agnostic skill sets. Focuses on collaborative, complex efforts and enabling others to do their jobs Does not test “soft skills” Available beginning June, 2008

Vision: Application Specialist Performancebased testing • Live Application Testing • Focused on individual products • Shares objective domain with Official Pre-Tests • Focused on individual efforts at desk • Focused on entry- and mid-level information workers End user • Proctored in a test center • Results in Credential: “Microsoft Certified Application Specialist” • Analogous to Technical Specialist Exams in technical portfolios Certified

Today’s Professional Life Realities Increasingly Collaborative Ø Multiple authors / users Ø Information lifecycle Ø Intellectual property issues Increasingly Global ØMultiple locations ØAsynchronous schedules ØWorld-wide access required Increasingly Inter-disciplinary Ø Project-based work Ø Multiple skill sets required

Vision: Application Professional Performancebased testing Business Professionals Certified • Live application solutions to business scenarios • Focused on large, complex, collaborative projects • Focused on established professionals seeking new opportunities and new competencies • Focused on graduating professionals seeking to differentiate themselves in tough markets. • Proctored in testing center • Results in Certification “Microsoft Certified Application Professional” • Analogous to Professional Exams in technical portfolios

MCAP: Supporting Organizations Exam 77 -610: Organizational Support - Available September, 2007 The Organizational Support exam validates the candidates’ ability to manage both time and tasks to meet business needs. From managing multiple email accounts and calendars, to tracking critical tasks against milestones, the successful candidate is positioned to ensure that things get done on time, and on target. New Audiences Administrative Professionals and Executive Assistants Project Managers IT Team Managers Event Coordinators and Planners Graduating BA Students Professional Associations (IAAP) Upgrades from MCAS and MOS Candidates

MCAP: Managing Presentations Exam 611: Creating and Managing Presentations - Available September, 2007 The Creating and Managing Presentations exam validates the candidates’ competencies in managing the overall look and feel and processes around an organizations presentations by using the 2007 Microsoft® Office® system and Microsoft Office Share. Point Server sites. Skills include: creating and managing templates and slide libraries; distributing templates; creating and managing the lifecycle of presentations; publishing presentations for outside audiences. The successful candidate will be positioned as the designated presentation expert for the organization. Audiences Marketing and Sales Professionals (internal and customer facing) Graduating Communications and Marketing Professionals (BA and MA) Team leaders responsible for organizational presentations Executives who frequently report to upper level management Professional Associations

MCAP: Managing Team Collaboration Exam 77 -612: Content Management and Collaboration - Available March, 2008 The Content Production and Collaboration exam validates the candidates’ competencies around planning, designing, creating, collaborating on, and securing documents by using the 2007 Microsoft® Office® system and Microsoft Office Share. Point Server sites. Skills include: managing Microsoft Share. Point sites and permissions, managing document libraries, creating and distributing templates, and managing the organization’s collaboration strategies. The successful candidate will be positioned as the content management and collaboration expert for the organization. Audiences Professional writers, editors, and instructional designers Enterprise content mangers Employees managing collaboration with external partners Graduating writers, editors, and MBAs Professional Associations (STC, etc)

MCAP: Managing Budgets Exam 77 -613: Budget Analysis and Forecasting - Available March, 2008 The Budget Analysis and Forecasting exam validates the candidates’ competencies in analyzing budgets and forecasting financial results by using the Microsoft Office system and Microsoft Office Share. Point Server sites. Skills include: creating, distributing, and managing budget lifecycle documents; automating data flow through documents; forecasting results or return on investment by product, by project, and by department. The successful candidate may be positioned as the budget or business manager for the organization Audiences: Budget managers and other financial professionals Graduating MBA candidates Anyone managing budgets within organizations Anyone who wants to prove they can manage budgets Professional Associations (MBA Associations world wide)

Microsoft Marketing and Support Greatly Increased Marketing Initiatives: New focus on driving demand for validated competencies with hiring managers, HR professionals (B 2 B) Focus on business competencies: Turning knowledge into deliverables. Marketing to certified IT professionals: There’s more to an IT career than technology (B 2 C) Marketing to Upper level Academic Programs Seamless integration with Office Online New products to provide greater flexibility in delivering and certifying competencies within corporate audiences

Benefits and Positioning: Individuals and Corporations Individuals Vastly increased skill with Office 2007 and Share. Point Differentiation from other applicants for positions or projects Access to private website like MCT web site. Network with other professionals Download earned logos and use on business cards, resumes, etc Make exam transcripts available to companies or employers Credit toward becoming a Microsoft Certified Trainer Managing Budgets Managing Presentations Managing Team Collaboration Supporting Organizations Corporations Hiring and promotion benchmarks Performers who can create deliverables from day 1 on the job Increased protection of intellectual property Less duplication of effort due to better content practices and control Increased capacity for their professionals