Hi,
Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) is the most basic certification level and can be achieved by passing one exam:
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/mta-certification.aspx
Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA)is the next level of certification and this will probably become the mainstream certification that possible employers will look for it they need certified Windows Server specialist. If your friend is planning
on studying MCSA then this would be a good certification to start with. The MCSA server tracks require three exams to pass . For example for MCSA Window Server 2012 you need exam 70-410, 70-411 and 70-412
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/mcsa-windows-server-certification.aspx
All three exams have self-study books available from MS Press:
70-410: http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0790145369826.do
70-411:http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0790145370082.do
70-412: http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0790145370167.do
Or a bundle for all three books:
http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0790145370594.do
The next step would be Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE)
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/mcse-certification.aspx but his not very suitable for a beginner.
As for some general study tips, have a look at part 1 for the blog series I am writing on for how to study the MCSE: Desktop infrastructure, the exam number listed will not match for MCSA but the tips are general and can be applied on studying
for all types of exams:http://www.rds-support.eu/danny/hitchhikers-guide-to-mcse-desktop-infrastructure-certification-part-1/
For IT support Windows Server 2012 will definitely become mainstream within 1-2 years (replacing Windows Server 2008 R2) so getting certified on this will definitely have value if you support server running Windows Server.
Danny van Dam, Citrix CCIA/CCEE Microsoft MCSE Server Infrastructure/MCSE Desktop Infrastructure/MCSA Server 2008, Cisco CCNA, VMware VCP 3/4/5 http://www.citrix-guru.com http://www.rds-support.eu
