The axiom that companies must "do more with less" always enjoys increased popularity in tough economic times.

Fortunately, effectively using technology that a company already owns remains one of the fastest and most cost effective ways to increase productivity. Most companies never use existing technologies to their full potential, simply because the employees don't know how.

Simply investing in training employees on effectively deploying and utilizing existing technologies can provide a huge boost to productivity, enabling employees to do more in less time.

The expertise of the IT staff is fundamental to achieving organizational efficiency, and IT certifications are a key part of recognizing and ensuring this expertise.

Beyond the development of technical skills, IT certifications often produce more well-rounded employees. For example, according to a 2009 CompTIA survey of 1,185 certification holders, nearly 1 in 4 certification holders believe they have better customer skills. 37% feel certification enhanced their productivity directly, but the bigger positive impact to productivity stems from more insightful problem solving (47%). This is a situation where the employee may not fully realize the benefits of the knowledge gained from certification prep, but it certainly has an impact on the workplace.

• 47% More insightful problem solving
• 37% Better able to understand new or complex technologies
• 31% Improved career advancement opportunities
• 30% Higher productivity
• 23% Higher customer satisfaction
• 23% Better communication with co-workers/clients

IT professionals must continually upgrade their skills to stay current in their fields and keep themselves marketable. The single thing that distinguishes an IT professional when he or she is competing with peers is certification.

A third party endorsement that proves you really know what you say you know goes a long way towards keeping you on the shortlist. Not only do certifications help an IT Professional stand out from the crowd, it lets everyone around them know that they are committed to their cause, and have invested their time and monetary resources to stay at the top of their game.

The chart below from a 2009 CompTIA survey of 1,185 IT certification holders illustrates the perceived value of certification by key market segment.

With a rapidly changing technology landscape, on-going training and education is not a luxury, but a necessity. This certainly applies to IT workers, but also, pretty much any knowledge worker. Interest in pursuing future certifications reflects perceptions of usefulness, market demand and potential ROI.

The greatest number of IT certification holders expect to pursue additional training in the area of security, and the related fields of ethical hacking and computer forensics. Because security threats continue to become more pervasive and dangerous, it makes sense many IT professionals view this as a must have for career advancement or even job preservation.

Interest in Pursuing Certifications over Next 5 Years

Source: CompTIA Survey July 2009

Workers new to the workforce express the most interest in pursuing additional certifications. In contrast, relatively few workers with 20+ years of experience expect to pursue additional credentials (21% vs. 45% for workers with 5 years or less). Nevertheless, as workers of all levels discovered no job is safe during a severe recession, experienced workers may be more receptive to reminders about the need for on-going education and training.