In today’s fast-paced world, where technology continues to evolve at a breakneck speed, staying up-to-date with the latest trends and skills is crucial for professionals in the field. IT certifications have emerged as valuable credentials that not only validate expertise but also open doors to exciting career opportunities. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting your journey in the tech industry, investing in IT certifications can provide a significant boost to your career prospects.
Here are the list of best free & discounted IT Certifications:
Project Management
| Organization | Certification | Who is it for | Free/Offer Until | Cert Validity |
| Scrumstudy | Six Sigma Yellow Belt (SSYB™) | Anyone interested to know more about Six Sigma. | Free/ Forever | Lifetime |
| Scrumstudy | Scrum Fundamentals Certified (SFC™) | Anyone interested in knowing more about Scrum and Agile. | Free/ Forever | Lifetime |
| Scrumstudy | Scrum for Operations & DevOps Fundamentals Certified (SODFC) | Anyone interested in knowing more about Scrum to business & IT Operations, and DevOps. | Free/ Forever | Lifetime |
| CertiProf | Scrum Foundation Professional Certificate (SFPC) | Anyone interested in knowing more about Scrum and Agile. | Free/ Forever | 24mos. |
| CertiProf | Lean Six Sigma White Belt Professional Certification (LSSWBPC™) | Any professional who wishes to learn about continuous improvement methodologies and basics of Lean Six Sigma | Free/ Forever | 24mos. |
| Management and Strategy Institute | Project Management Essentials Certified (PMEC)™ | For individuals who are looking to learn more about Project Management | Free/ Forever | Lifetime |
| Six Sigma Online | Six Sigma White Belt Training & Certification | For those simply looking to understand the basics of Six Sigma. | Free/ Forever | Lifetime |
Security
| Organization | Certification | Who is it for | Free/Offer Until | Cert Validity |
| Microsoft | Information Protection Administrator (SC-400) | For information protection and compliance administrators who plan and implement risk and compliance controls in the Microsoft Purview compliance portal. | Discounted/ TBD | 12mos. |
| ISC2 | Certified in Cybersecurity℠(CC) | Anyone interested to learn about Cybersecurity. | Discounted/ TBD | 36mos. |
| Fortinet | Network Security Associate (NSE1, NSE2, NSE3) | Anyone who wants to learn about the threat landscape, information security, cybersecurity and Fortinet cybersecurity products | Free/ Forever | 24mos. |
| OPSWAT Academy | Introduction to CIP (ICIP) | Anyone who wants to learn the fundamentals of critical infrastructure protection | Free/ Forever | 12mos. |
Cloud Computing Services
| Organization | Certification | Who is it for | Free/Offer Until | Cert Validity |
| Oracle | Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Foundations Associate (1Z0-1085-23) | For individuals who want to gain a fundamental knowledge of cloud services provided by OCI. | Free/TBD | 24mos. |
| Oracle | Oracle Cloud Infrastructure 2023 AI Certified Foundations Associate (1Z0-1122-23) | For individuals who want to gain a fundamental knowledge of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and related services provided by OCI. | Free/TBD | 24mos. |
| Oracle | Oracle Cloud Data Management 2023 Foundations Associate (1Z0-1105-23) | For individuals who want to gain a fundamental knowledge of data management services provided by OCI. | Free/TBD | 24mos. |
| Microsoft | Azure Data Fundamentals (DP-900) | For individuals with both technical and nontechnical backgrounds who want to learn the foundation of Azure Data services. | Discounted/ TBD | Lifetime |
| Microsoft | Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-900) | For individuals with both technical and nontechnical backgrounds who want to learn the foundation of Azure machine learning and AI. | Discounted/ TBD | Lifetime |
| Microsoft | Azure Database Administrator (DP-300) | For Database Administrators that should have subject matter expertise in building database solutions that are designed to support multiple workloads built with SQL Server on-premises and Azure SQL database services. | Discounted/ TBD | 12mos. |
| Microsoft | Azure Network Engineer (AZ-700) | For Network Engineers that should have subject matter expertise in planning, implementing, and managing Azure networking solutions. | Discounted/ TBD | 12mos. |
| Microsoft | Azure AI Engineer (AI-102) | For AI Engineers that have experience developing solutions that use languages such as Python or C# and should be able to use REST-based APIs and software development kits (SDKs) to build secure image processing, video processing, natural language processing (NLP), knowledge mining, and conversational AI solutions on Azure. | Discounted/ TBD | 12mos. |
| Microsoft | Azure Cosmos DB Developer (DP-420) | For Data Engineers or Solutions Architects that should have subject matter expertise designing, implementing, and monitoring cloud-native applications that store and manage data. | Discounted/ TBD | 12mos. |
| Microsoft | Azure Data Scientist (DP-100) | For Data Scientist that should have subject matter expertise in applying data science and machine learning to implement and run machine learning workloads on Azure. | Discounted/ TBD | 12mos. |
| Microsoft | Azure Developer (AZ-204) | For Developers that should have at least 2 years of professional development experience and experience with Azure. | Discounted/ TBD | 12mos. |
| Microsoft | Azure Synapse Analytics (DP-203) | For Data Engineers that should have subject matter expertise in integrating, transforming, and consolidating data from various structured, unstructured, and streaming data systems into a suitable schema for building analytics solutions. | Discounted/ TBD | 12mos. |
| Microsoft | Azure Virtual Desktop Fundamentals (AZ-140) | For Administrators with subject matter expertise in designing, implementing, managing, and maintaining Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop experiences and remote apps for any device. | Discounted/ TBD | Lifetime |
| Microsoft | Java on Azure Developer (AZ-204) | For Developers that should have at least 2 years of professional development experience and experience with Azure. | Discounted/ TBD | 12mos. |
| Microsoft | Windows Server Hybrid Administrator (AZ-800, AZ-801) | For Administrators and Engineers that have expertise in implementing and managing on-premises and hybrid solutions, such as identity, management, compute, networking, and storage. | Discounted/ TBD | 12mos. |
| Microsoft | Designing Azure Infrastructure Solutions (AZ-305) | For Solution Architects that have advanced experience and knowledge of IT operations, including networking, virtualization, identity, security, business continuity, disaster recovery, data platforms, and governance. | Discounted/ TBD | 12mos. |
| Microsoft | DevOps Engineer (AZ-400) | For DevOps Engineers that have experience with administering and developing in Azure, with strong skills in at least one of these areas. | Discounted/ TBD | 12mos. |
| Microsoft | Build apps with Microsoft Graph (MS-600) | For developers that are proficient in designing collaboration solutions using the Microsoft identity platform, Microsoft Graph, SharePoint Framework, and Microsoft Power Platform to build custom apps that extend Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and Viva Connections. | Discounted/ TBD | 12mos. |
| Microsoft | Microsoft 365 Developer (MS-600) | For developers that have a working knowledge of developing solutions with Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Power Platform, Dataverse for Teams, and/or SharePoint Framework through all phases of software development. | Discounted/ TBD | 12mos. |
| Microsoft | Power Platform App Maker (PL-100) | For individuals who want to use Microsoft Power Platform solutions to simplify, automate, and transform tasks and processes. | Discounted/ TBD | 12mos. |
| AWS | AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner | Anyone who are experiencing unemployment or underemployment and want to learn more about AWS re/Start. | Discounted/ TBD | 36mos. |
Marketing
| Organization | Certification | Who is it for | Free/Offer Until | Cert Validity |
| Microsoft | Microsoft Advertising Certified Professional (MACP) (Advertising Search, Advertising Native & Display, Advertising Shopping) | Anyone interested in advertising using the Microsoft ecosystem. | Free/ Forever | 12mos. |
| SMstudy | SMstudy® Certified Marketing Strategy Fundamentals (SFMS-F) | Anyone interested in knowing more about Sales and Marketing | Free/ Forever | Lifetime |
| SMstudy | SMstudy® Certified Marketing Research Fundamentals (SCMR-F) | Anyone interested in knowing more about Marketing Research | Free/ Forever | Lifetime |
| SMstudy | SMstudy® Certified Digital Marketing Fundamentals (SCDM-F) | Anyone interested in knowing more about Digital Marketing | Free/ Forever | Lifetime |
| SMstudy | SMstudy® Certified Corporate Sales Fundamentals (SCCS-F) | Anyone interested in knowing more about Corporate Sales | Free/ Forever | Lifetime |
Final Thoughts
IT certifications have become integral in the modern tech landscape. They offer a range of benefits, including validating expertise and adapting to new technologies. It also opens doors to career advancement, diversifying skills, building confidence, and fostering networking opportunities. As the tech industry continues to evolve, embracing IT certifications programs is a proactive step to remain relevant.
