HDI, the world's largest membership association for IT service and support professionals and the premier soft skill certification body for the industry; CompTIA, the Computing Technology Industry Association; and Microsoft Corp., the leading provider of technical skills certification for the IT Industry, today announced they are collaborating to promote the advantages of combining their respective certifications. Together, CompTIA's A+� certification for PC service and support technicians, HDI's Customer Support Specialist (CSS) or Help Desk Analyst (HDA) certification levels, and the Microsoft� Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST) certification build on one another to provide a perfect certification path for entry-level IT service and support professionals, and will help them enhance their career path. The announcement was made at the HDI University training event held Sept. 13--17 at the Palmer House in Chicago.

In both small and large corporate environments, where PC maintenance and troubleshooting are critical skills, ensuring that front-line help desk employees are trained and certified in both technical and service skills helps deliver both faster resolution times and a higher level of customer satisfaction. This combination of skills results in improved ROI for the organization.