2/12/2002 -- Security is all the rage these days, and nowhere more so than at Microsoft, where Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates recently sent a memo to all his employees emphasizing security over all other considerations.

That new emphasis, however, doesn’t mean Microsoft will be adding a security-specific credential in the near future. There are enough certifications right now, Microsoft officials say, and adding a new one would only cause confusion.

But Anne Marie McSweeney, Microsoft’s director of certification skills and assessment, did also say that security issues would likely get more emphasis within all other tests. Microsoft currently offers two security-related exams: 70-220, Designing Security for a Windows 2000 Network; and 70-227, Installing, Configuring, and Administering Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2000. ISA Server is Microsoft’s firewall and caching product.

Some of the security titles currently offered in the industry include the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), SANS GIAC Security Engineer (GSE) and the Check Point Certified Security Administrator (CCSA) and Check Point Certified Security Engineer (CCSE).

To read more about Gates’ trustworthy computing memo, see “Gates Urges Trustworthy Computing in Memo” at ENTmag.com (click here). -- MCPMag.com