Certiport tests the world.

• Author: Beers, Heather
• Position: Certification programs for Microsoft Office products

Are you certified? Qui. Jawohl, Si. Yes. More than 800,000 people in 100 countries can affirm they are certified as Microsoft Office User Specialists, thanks to the work of American Fork-based Certiport, Inc. As the world's leading provider of global performance-based certification programs and services, Certiport offers students, employees, educators and management the competitive advantage of certification in the Microsoft Office suite of products.

"Virtually all workers in today's business environment need to have basic skills with desktop computing. Since Microsoft Office has garnered 90 percent of the marketplace, it's important for most of us to be able to effectively work with Microsoft Word, Excel and other applications," explains Randy Pierson, Certiport president and CEO.

While Certiport does not offer education courses, it partners with private and public centers that do. Tom Rhoton, senior director of marketing, explains the motivation for individual certification: "Worldwide, most people take our exams to differentiate themselves. They feel certification sets them apart, that it helps them in their job, or in entrance to higher education."

Founded in 1997, Certiport's exclusive relationship with Microsoft began in 1998 when Microsoft turned to the company for a standardized system of testing and certification. Certiport involved subject matter experts -- professional researchers, psychometricians, academic experts and others -- from around the world to develop exams based on job tasks. To date, Certiport partners with more than 5,000 independent testing centers worldwide, which deliver the exams in 18 languages. And just since February, Certiport has seen a more than 60 percent increase in certifications delivered worldwide.

"The program has really gained momentum. We've become very well-known, particularly in the educational...