Top IT Certifications for 2019

In the ever-changing landscape of IT, where new technologies and trends emerge as others deprecate and retire, it can be difficult to stay on top of the latest and greatest certifications available. It seems like just yesterday that Mobility+ was a popular newcomer to the IoT space. Then just like that, CompTIA announced its retirement!

Experts assembled list of the most popular certifications for 2019.

Microsoft MCSA Windows Server (70-74x)

This certification is also showing some age, but Windows system admins are still needed even in the age of Azure. So it no surprise that this certification continues to be popular. We expect continued popularity in 2019, but we’re also watching the trend of companies moving toward machine learning to maintain their virtualized networking solutions. That could lead to a drop in popularity for the MCSA Server certification, because less expertise will be required in deploying and configuring.

 

 

Microsoft MCSA Office 365 (70-34x)

With cloud-based office productivity applications growing in popularity, the need for familiarity with custom, enterprise Office 365 solutions will only expand. The move to performance-based certifications in 2019 is likely to spike that trend up early on. Look out for the new MS-XXX certifications rolling out soon!

 

 

Microsoft MCSA Azure (AZ-xxx)

The cloud race has now led to Azure becoming the top growing cloud service. As more businesses move their applications and IT infrastructure into the cloud, the demand for a certified workforce is likely to eclipse the standard DevOps for on-premise installations. Although the previous certifications had low demand, the move to performance-based should increase popularity, not unlike the case for Windows 10 certification. Like the Office 365 certification exam, Microsoft moved to performance-based, so now those old 70-53x exams are being swapped out with their performance-based replacements.

Microsoft Windows 10 (70-69x)

Speaking of Windows 10, since its initial release and now the rolling update structure, Windows 10 is a serious OS player that will continue to have staying power. As an entry-level certification for admins and power users, it’s not as popular as Windows 7 certification, but we predict the new performance-based format will be a welcome change in the industry and should boost its popularity among candidates and employers alike. These certification exams will be going by the MD prefix, so watch out for them!

EC-Council CEH (v10)

Certified Ethical Hacker is still the gold standard for penetration testing in the security industry. Since beginning our relationship with EC-Council in late 2015, products associated with this certification have grown by almost 30% year over year. Although less heady than CEH, the Certified Network Defender (CND) is quickly becoming a lower rung towards the CEH pinnacle and probably deserves an unofficial mention as well.

CompTIA Security+ (SY0-501)

As the IT skills gap, especially within the security space, continues to exist, more individuals will be grativating to the field with little or no knowledge. Vendor-neutral certifications targeted at the entry-level, specifically well-known ones like A+ and Security+, will continue their popularity. In 2018, this was easily the top-selling certification we offered. In 2019, we see no sign that this will abate. Although few may be interested in maintaining the credential after awhile, Security+ is a key stepping stone for career changers.

Honorable Mentions

CCNA CyberOps

This is a new endeavor for Cisco now that the company has pivoted into the security space. This is one to watch out for because it establishes a baseline for networking gurus to transition into the security space.

ACP

This agile project management certification is one of PMI’s fasted growing, but it’s still not as popular as other project management certs. In 2019, we expect some growth in popularity as more and more businesses adopt Agile methodologies in their projects.

CISM

Although it is very much like the CISSP with a broader focus on general information security, this is another credential that CISSP cert holders can attain to stand above the rest of the security crowd. If for no other reason than that, this should be a secondary tier among those looking to certify in the security industry