In the wake of Microsoft’s announcement to retire TechNet and more recently cancelling the MCM/MCSM/MCA certifications, Microsoft is offering some changes in the TechNet area, in what looks like a move to regain some trust from the community.
After the TechNet retirement announcement, in which Microsoft suggested IT Pros to switch to the far more expensive MSDN subscriptions, use time-bombed eval software or make use of the very limited Virtual Academy and Virtual Labs, the community cried foul which resulted in initiatives like a petition which currently has received over 10,000 signatures (if you haven’t signed yet, please do so).
The changes announced today are published in full here. In short:
- Non-Volume Licensing program particpating subscribers who were active on September 1st, 2013 who’s subscription expires on or before September 30th, 2014, may extend their subscription for another 90 days for free;
- 180 day limited previous versions of software will be made available through the Evaluation Center. No details yet on the number of software generations that will be made available.
- Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCT) will also get a 90 day extension for their TechNet Professional subscription. In addition, a replacement is in the works in which MCT’s get access to non-time-bombed software for instructional/training purposes.
While still short of the original subscription, Microsoft is moving. However, if they can quickly make arrangements for MCTs, why not for IT Professionals and their TechNet subscriptions?
Looking at the way many fellows, myself included, work, that 180 day time-bombed is pretty useless or at least annoying and time consuming (like if I have nothing better to do than to redeploy and reconfigure lab environments).
With MCT nowadays mainly being a registration and fee donation process, I won’t be surprised to see a lot of “paper MCTs” after January, 2015 (September 2014 + 90 days) if the situation stays like this.
What do you think? Are these changes satisfactory?
EighTwOne (821) 
Hi Michel
All decisions made by MS seem “inevitable”.
I resign myself to take every little good news as a glimmer of hope 😉
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Not just anybody can become an MCT. You have to be affiliated with a CPLS, IT academy, etc, or have other actual teaching experience.
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Eh, no – CPLS etc. grant you discounts. Following a so called 3-day Train-the-Trainer course entitles you to apply for MCT nowadays. That’s it.
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MS tries to put in place some sort of check but it’s quite difficult so it’s not compulsory to fulfill them even though “required”. I would have to cry foul if made compulsory because I perform training at work for the office but due to organization policy, I cannot subject students to external review sites, which MS put out there for rating/tracking MCTs preformance. I am also not a full time trainer at work.
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