Your company has been sitting on the same Microsoft Exchange server
5.5 for years now. You realize that there are no spam protection and that your mail system is years between any mail system on the market today. Since your organization is familiar with Microsoft products you have determined that a migration to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Standard will meet your companies needs. So what next? The best way to have a successful migration is to plan it out. You should get another server a do a migration from your old Exchange 5.5 server to the new Exchange 2003 server. The following is a plan that will help you with your migration. Remember to have a backup of everything and schedule a whole weekend. This plan works with information stores up to 200 mailboxes. If you join the new server to the existing domain you will not have to touch any desktops. Users will automatically login Monday with no problem.Exchange Migration plan for moving forward:
* Perform Due Diligence on your network via Remote Terminal Service ( Next Week)
* Identify existing components - users, groups, login variables
* Document proposed AD structure
* Project kickoff meeting (Friday)
* Install Windows Server 2003 (Friday Night)
* Install Active Directory (Friday Night)
* Configure, Patch and Connect (Friday Night)
* Review Event Log, resolve any errors (Friday Night)
* Connect AD environment to existing Windows 2000 (Friday Night)
* Identify existing printers (Saturday)
* Identify existing components in Exchange (Saturday)
* Build Exchange, configure, patch (Saturday)
* Install and configure virus software, Spam solution and Fax Software (Saturday)
* Configure OWA in DMZ (Saturday)
* Verify Installation (Saturday)
* Perform Mailbox Move (Saturday)
* Install Outlook 2003 on all desktops. (Saturday - Sunday)
* Review Event Log, resolve any errors (Sunday)
* Setup Test workstation/perform testing (Sunday)
You must be On-Site the next business day to handle any issues with the migration (Monday)
The above steps are only an estimate of work needed to be perform a successful migration. After performing the Due Diligence you will have a more definite plan. This Due Diligence will identify issues that we can resolve before the migration is performed. Of course if you do need help professional are only a phone call away.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
An explanation of the Extended Support phase for Business & Developer products
An explanation of the Extended Support phase for Business & Developer products
Extended Support is the second phase of the Support Lifecycle for Business & Developer products. The key differences between the Mainstream Support phase and Extended Support phase are that the “no-charge” support options are no longer available and that we no longer provide new non-security hotfixes. This means that customers will need to open paid support cases (such as Premier, Pro or Pay Per Incident cases) to obtain support for their product. For those customers who require new non-security hotfixes during the Extended Support phase, a special program called Extended Hotfix Support (EHS) is available. I’ll save the detailed discussion about EHS for another posting.
One of the important things to note is that Extended Support is still a publicly supported phase. Many Premier and Pro customers who already open paid cases with Microsoft will notice little difference in the support that is provided in this phase. They will continue to be able to open paid cases, receive security updates, obtain support assistance from their Technical Account Manager, etc… In reality, few customers need Extended Hotfix Support unless they have a history of requesting or requiring non-security hotfixes.
Like the Mainstream Support phase, it is important to note that support is only provided at a supported service pack level.
The Extended Support phase is provided for a minimum of 5 years or 2 years after the second successor product is released, whichever is longer. This means that the Extended Support phase may be extended to longer than 5 years, if the second follow-on product release is delayed. The basic reasoning behind this policy is that we don’t want to completely end support for a product unless there are 2 newer versions of the product for customers to migrate to.
At the end of the Extended Support phase, Business & Developer products are no longer publicly supported. This means that there is no more paid support, no support assistance and no further security updates. Customers are highly encouraged to move a supported product as soon as possible.
Please tell us what you think! Does this better explain the Extended Support phase? What can we do better to explain this on our main site?
Extended Support is the second phase of the Support Lifecycle for Business & Developer products. The key differences between the Mainstream Support phase and Extended Support phase are that the “no-charge” support options are no longer available and that we no longer provide new non-security hotfixes. This means that customers will need to open paid support cases (such as Premier, Pro or Pay Per Incident cases) to obtain support for their product. For those customers who require new non-security hotfixes during the Extended Support phase, a special program called Extended Hotfix Support (EHS) is available. I’ll save the detailed discussion about EHS for another posting.
One of the important things to note is that Extended Support is still a publicly supported phase. Many Premier and Pro customers who already open paid cases with Microsoft will notice little difference in the support that is provided in this phase. They will continue to be able to open paid cases, receive security updates, obtain support assistance from their Technical Account Manager, etc… In reality, few customers need Extended Hotfix Support unless they have a history of requesting or requiring non-security hotfixes.
Like the Mainstream Support phase, it is important to note that support is only provided at a supported service pack level.
The Extended Support phase is provided for a minimum of 5 years or 2 years after the second successor product is released, whichever is longer. This means that the Extended Support phase may be extended to longer than 5 years, if the second follow-on product release is delayed. The basic reasoning behind this policy is that we don’t want to completely end support for a product unless there are 2 newer versions of the product for customers to migrate to.
At the end of the Extended Support phase, Business & Developer products are no longer publicly supported. This means that there is no more paid support, no support assistance and no further security updates. Customers are highly encouraged to move a supported product as soon as possible.
Please tell us what you think! Does this better explain the Extended Support phase? What can we do better to explain this on our main site?
An explanation of the Extended Support phase for Business & Developer products
An explanation of the Extended Support phase for Business & Developer products
Extended Support is the second phase of the Support Lifecycle for Business & Developer products. The key differences between the Mainstream Support phase and Extended Support phase are that the “no-charge” support options are no longer available and that we no longer provide new non-security hotfixes. This means that customers will need to open paid support cases (such as Premier, Pro or Pay Per Incident cases) to obtain support for their product. For those customers who require new non-security hotfixes during the Extended Support phase, a special program called Extended Hotfix Support (EHS) is available. I’ll save the detailed discussion about EHS for another posting.
One of the important things to note is that Extended Support is still a publicly supported phase. Many Premier and Pro customers who already open paid cases with Microsoft will notice little difference in the support that is provided in this phase. They will continue to be able to open paid cases, receive security updates, obtain support assistance from their Technical Account Manager, etc… In reality, few customers need Extended Hotfix Support unless they have a history of requesting or requiring non-security hotfixes.
Like the Mainstream Support phase, it is important to note that support is only provided at a supported service pack level.
The Extended Support phase is provided for a minimum of 5 years or 2 years after the second successor product is released, whichever is longer. This means that the Extended Support phase may be extended to longer than 5 years, if the second follow-on product release is delayed. The basic reasoning behind this policy is that we don’t want to completely end support for a product unless there are 2 newer versions of the product for customers to migrate to.
At the end of the Extended Support phase, Business & Developer products are no longer publicly supported. This means that there is no more paid support, no support assistance and no further security updates. Customers are highly encouraged to move a supported product as soon as possible.
Please tell us what you think! Does this better explain the Extended Support phase? What can we do better to explain this on our main site?
Extended Support is the second phase of the Support Lifecycle for Business & Developer products. The key differences between the Mainstream Support phase and Extended Support phase are that the “no-charge” support options are no longer available and that we no longer provide new non-security hotfixes. This means that customers will need to open paid support cases (such as Premier, Pro or Pay Per Incident cases) to obtain support for their product. For those customers who require new non-security hotfixes during the Extended Support phase, a special program called Extended Hotfix Support (EHS) is available. I’ll save the detailed discussion about EHS for another posting.
One of the important things to note is that Extended Support is still a publicly supported phase. Many Premier and Pro customers who already open paid cases with Microsoft will notice little difference in the support that is provided in this phase. They will continue to be able to open paid cases, receive security updates, obtain support assistance from their Technical Account Manager, etc… In reality, few customers need Extended Hotfix Support unless they have a history of requesting or requiring non-security hotfixes.
Like the Mainstream Support phase, it is important to note that support is only provided at a supported service pack level.
The Extended Support phase is provided for a minimum of 5 years or 2 years after the second successor product is released, whichever is longer. This means that the Extended Support phase may be extended to longer than 5 years, if the second follow-on product release is delayed. The basic reasoning behind this policy is that we don’t want to completely end support for a product unless there are 2 newer versions of the product for customers to migrate to.
At the end of the Extended Support phase, Business & Developer products are no longer publicly supported. This means that there is no more paid support, no support assistance and no further security updates. Customers are highly encouraged to move a supported product as soon as possible.
Please tell us what you think! Does this better explain the Extended Support phase? What can we do better to explain this on our main site?
Saturday, September 18, 2010
What if you accidently delete a file or your data gets corrupted? How can you get your data back fast?
What if you accidently delete a file or your data gets corrupted? How can you get your data back fast?
This sort of thing happens to small businesses and even large businesses in Orlando Florida more often then many people believe. Data gets deleted by accident or a file or files gets corrupted.
Hard drives fail, computers crash, servers get to hot and overheat, these things do happen and being able to restore data quickly is very important.
One of the nice advantages of disk based backup is that it can be done quickly with little disruption to your businesses applications and operations. One of the many ways to protect files is with automated daily backups to DAS or a NAS. Most backup solutions allow you to make full backups to disk and frequent incremental backups of data that has changed since the last full backup daily or even several times a day.
Thanks to fast disk based incremental backups, if you accidentally delete a file or if a file, a directory, or an entire system becomes corrupted due to a virus or user or hardware failure, you can recover that file or data from prior state quickly and easily so you can get right back to work.
If you’re using a NAS solution to store backups, check to see if it comes with or works easily with software that offers point in time backup and recovery. Then you can rest assured that you’ll never really lose a precious file or data that you really need for your business.
If you accidentally deleted a file or if your server or computer crashed.
Do you know for sure you could easily and quickly restore your data?
When was the last time you actually tested your backup system?
Far too often we have seen small businesses in and around Orlando Florida use obsolete backup systems and when something goes wrong they learn all along their backup system has not been backing any data up!
TEST YOUR BACKUP SYSTEM and test it often.
Purposely remove a file or files and restore them from your backup.
This is the only way to know for sure your backup system really works.
This sort of thing happens to small businesses and even large businesses in Orlando Florida more often then many people believe. Data gets deleted by accident or a file or files gets corrupted.
Hard drives fail, computers crash, servers get to hot and overheat, these things do happen and being able to restore data quickly is very important.
One of the nice advantages of disk based backup is that it can be done quickly with little disruption to your businesses applications and operations. One of the many ways to protect files is with automated daily backups to DAS or a NAS. Most backup solutions allow you to make full backups to disk and frequent incremental backups of data that has changed since the last full backup daily or even several times a day.
Thanks to fast disk based incremental backups, if you accidentally delete a file or if a file, a directory, or an entire system becomes corrupted due to a virus or user or hardware failure, you can recover that file or data from prior state quickly and easily so you can get right back to work.
If you’re using a NAS solution to store backups, check to see if it comes with or works easily with software that offers point in time backup and recovery. Then you can rest assured that you’ll never really lose a precious file or data that you really need for your business.
If you accidentally deleted a file or if your server or computer crashed.
Do you know for sure you could easily and quickly restore your data?
When was the last time you actually tested your backup system?
Far too often we have seen small businesses in and around Orlando Florida use obsolete backup systems and when something goes wrong they learn all along their backup system has not been backing any data up!
TEST YOUR BACKUP SYSTEM and test it often.
Purposely remove a file or files and restore them from your backup.
This is the only way to know for sure your backup system really works.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Microsoft apologizes for service outages
Microsoft apologizes for service outages
Microsoft apologized to customers of its hosted software services for businesses after at least three outages over the past few weeks.
Microsoft vs. VMware: Who's better at disaster recovery?
"We aspire to deliver quality services, and in the last couple of weeks, we have fallen short of this aspiration," wrote Morgan Cole, who said he is responsible at Microsoft for making sure that Business Productivity Online Suite customers have a good experience. "I wanted to write here to apologize to you, our customers, for any inconvenience these issues may have caused." His blog post appeared at 10:30 p.m. U.S. Pacific Time on Wednesday.
Also Read: Biggest tech industry apologies of 2010 -- so far
He referred to three recent issues that customers may have had accessing the BPOS services, which include hosted e-mail, SharePoint and web conferencing. On Aug. 23, upgrades to network infrastructure caused "unforeseen problems that affected access to some services," he wrote. For about two hours, customers served from Microsoft's North America facilities may have had trouble accessing the services.
While engineers addressed that issue, their efforts didn't resolve another underlying issue that created additional problems on Sept. 3rd and Sept. 7th, he said. On those days, customers may have had trouble signing in and using the administrative portals. There was more "widespread customer impact" on Tuesday, however, although for a relatively short period, he said.
"We appreciate the serious responsibility we have as a service provider to you, and we know that any issue with the service is a disruption to your business -- and that's not acceptable," he wrote.
On the blog post, a commenter identifying himself as Guy Gregory, a technical specialist at Peak Support Services, said that the two-hour outage caused August uptime for the service to dip to 99.7 percent, below the 99.9 percent uptime guarantee. Microsoft offers money back to customers if it drops below the 99.9 percent threshold.
Microsoft did provide credit to affected customers, Jim Glynn, a project manager for cloud services at the company, said in a comment after the blog post. Customers who think that Microsoft didn't meet its service agreement and who didn't get a credit should contact support, he said.
On Sept. 2, Microsoft also had problems that prevented some Hotmail users from logging into their mailboxes. In his blog post, Cole said that the issues affecting BPOS did not affect any other Microsoft service.
Microsoft has sought to position itself as better prepared to serve enterprise customers than some of its competitors, like Google. But just like customers of Google's enterprise offerings, BPOS customers are complaining about a lack of information during outages.
Microsoft is reviewing all of its communications to look for ways to improve, Cole wrote in the comments after his blog post. "One area of focus that we have is to build better tools to provide timely, accurate and targeted communications about service health," he wrote. Currently, Microsoft has an RSS feed that offers updates when services are impacted, but some customers have complained that the updates are too vague and sometimes tardy. Cole said the company has already started adding features that allow it to add more details to those feeds.
Microsoft apologized to customers of its hosted software services for businesses after at least three outages over the past few weeks.
Microsoft vs. VMware: Who's better at disaster recovery?
"We aspire to deliver quality services, and in the last couple of weeks, we have fallen short of this aspiration," wrote Morgan Cole, who said he is responsible at Microsoft for making sure that Business Productivity Online Suite customers have a good experience. "I wanted to write here to apologize to you, our customers, for any inconvenience these issues may have caused." His blog post appeared at 10:30 p.m. U.S. Pacific Time on Wednesday.
Also Read: Biggest tech industry apologies of 2010 -- so far
He referred to three recent issues that customers may have had accessing the BPOS services, which include hosted e-mail, SharePoint and web conferencing. On Aug. 23, upgrades to network infrastructure caused "unforeseen problems that affected access to some services," he wrote. For about two hours, customers served from Microsoft's North America facilities may have had trouble accessing the services.
While engineers addressed that issue, their efforts didn't resolve another underlying issue that created additional problems on Sept. 3rd and Sept. 7th, he said. On those days, customers may have had trouble signing in and using the administrative portals. There was more "widespread customer impact" on Tuesday, however, although for a relatively short period, he said.
"We appreciate the serious responsibility we have as a service provider to you, and we know that any issue with the service is a disruption to your business -- and that's not acceptable," he wrote.
On the blog post, a commenter identifying himself as Guy Gregory, a technical specialist at Peak Support Services, said that the two-hour outage caused August uptime for the service to dip to 99.7 percent, below the 99.9 percent uptime guarantee. Microsoft offers money back to customers if it drops below the 99.9 percent threshold.
Microsoft did provide credit to affected customers, Jim Glynn, a project manager for cloud services at the company, said in a comment after the blog post. Customers who think that Microsoft didn't meet its service agreement and who didn't get a credit should contact support, he said.
On Sept. 2, Microsoft also had problems that prevented some Hotmail users from logging into their mailboxes. In his blog post, Cole said that the issues affecting BPOS did not affect any other Microsoft service.
Microsoft has sought to position itself as better prepared to serve enterprise customers than some of its competitors, like Google. But just like customers of Google's enterprise offerings, BPOS customers are complaining about a lack of information during outages.
Microsoft is reviewing all of its communications to look for ways to improve, Cole wrote in the comments after his blog post. "One area of focus that we have is to build better tools to provide timely, accurate and targeted communications about service health," he wrote. Currently, Microsoft has an RSS feed that offers updates when services are impacted, but some customers have complained that the updates are too vague and sometimes tardy. Cole said the company has already started adding features that allow it to add more details to those feeds.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Microsoft fixes buggy patch for Windows Server 2008
Microsoft fixes buggy patch for Windows Server 2008
As part of its routine Patch Tuesday updates, Microsoft re-released patch MS10-024 for Windows Server 2008 and R2 that was itself causing problems. The revised patch was not mentioned in the company's heads-up alerts issued on Thursday. However, some users are claiming that the patch also breaks Windows Server 2000. Microsoft disagrees.
The Microsoft Security Response Center blog that detailed Patch Tuesday fixes mentions the revised patch:
"We also include one bulletin re-release, MS10-024, in this cycle. The re-release will address the issue previously noted in KB976323, in which the installation of the bulletin reset user-configured settings for SMTP servers on Windows Server 2008-based systems with Internet Information Services (IIS) installed. Users who have previously installed MS01-024 will not be offered the re-released update."
The original patch caused some servers to stop sending e-mails. Microsoft knew the patch broke SMTP when it issued it. Shortly after the patch was pushed out in April, users began reporting the problem to Microsoft's Windows Help forum. Users were flummoxed, saying Microsoft's description of the problem and the fix didn't work. The only workaround they could find for the important patch was to uninstall it, particularly for Windows 2000. Wrote one user identified as "peterhoa":
"... The SMTP server could send mail from ASP and ASP .Net applications but not from other applications that had to be authenticated by the server and it would no longer relay mail from external applications connecting to the SMTP server (eg remote outlook clients). It seemed to be an authentication issue. If I set the authentication method (from the Access tab on properties) to Anonymous I found it would send email correctly, but of course anonymous is not a solution. With both Basic authentication and Windows security packaged selected the SMTP server would not relay mail. The only solution I could find after spending hours on it was to uninstall KB976323. That immediately fixed the problem. ...
The SMTP settings were NOT reset. The server just would not send mail. If the settings were reset I could have simply set them again. This would have been very simple -- I understand what the settings should be. However the settings were not changed at all. The problem was that the patch PREVENTED THE SMTP SERVER ON WINDOWS 2000 FROM RELAYING MAIL."
So, as of today, for Windows Server 2008 customers, the patch works fine, Microsoft says. But for Windows Server 2000 customers who also reported the problem (and support for Windows 2000 had not ended at the time of these reports), Microsoft's official response is to deny the patch caused the problem. Here is what Scott Landry, Exchange Server Product Quality, Customer Support, said:
"Correct, the SMTP settings issue only affects Windows 2008 and Windows 2008 R2, no other version. Any other issues are probably not directly related to the fix, but if you need our assistance investigating, do not hesitate to contact us."
Since Windows Server 2000 is no longer eligible for updates, if this patch doesn't work, it's a hole that won't be fixed.
Like RSS? Subscribe to all Microsoft Subnet bloggers. Like e-mail? Sign up for the bi-weekly Microsoft newsletter. (Click on News/Microsoft News Alert.) Like Twitter?
Follow All Microsoft Subnet bloggers on Twitter @microsoftsubnet
Follow Julie Bort on Twitter @Julie188 or connect with me on my Facebook Like Page
As part of its routine Patch Tuesday updates, Microsoft re-released patch MS10-024 for Windows Server 2008 and R2 that was itself causing problems. The revised patch was not mentioned in the company's heads-up alerts issued on Thursday. However, some users are claiming that the patch also breaks Windows Server 2000. Microsoft disagrees.
The Microsoft Security Response Center blog that detailed Patch Tuesday fixes mentions the revised patch:
"We also include one bulletin re-release, MS10-024, in this cycle. The re-release will address the issue previously noted in KB976323, in which the installation of the bulletin reset user-configured settings for SMTP servers on Windows Server 2008-based systems with Internet Information Services (IIS) installed. Users who have previously installed MS01-024 will not be offered the re-released update."
The original patch caused some servers to stop sending e-mails. Microsoft knew the patch broke SMTP when it issued it. Shortly after the patch was pushed out in April, users began reporting the problem to Microsoft's Windows Help forum. Users were flummoxed, saying Microsoft's description of the problem and the fix didn't work. The only workaround they could find for the important patch was to uninstall it, particularly for Windows 2000. Wrote one user identified as "peterhoa":
"... The SMTP server could send mail from ASP and ASP .Net applications but not from other applications that had to be authenticated by the server and it would no longer relay mail from external applications connecting to the SMTP server (eg remote outlook clients). It seemed to be an authentication issue. If I set the authentication method (from the Access tab on properties) to Anonymous I found it would send email correctly, but of course anonymous is not a solution. With both Basic authentication and Windows security packaged selected the SMTP server would not relay mail. The only solution I could find after spending hours on it was to uninstall KB976323. That immediately fixed the problem. ...
The SMTP settings were NOT reset. The server just would not send mail. If the settings were reset I could have simply set them again. This would have been very simple -- I understand what the settings should be. However the settings were not changed at all. The problem was that the patch PREVENTED THE SMTP SERVER ON WINDOWS 2000 FROM RELAYING MAIL."
So, as of today, for Windows Server 2008 customers, the patch works fine, Microsoft says. But for Windows Server 2000 customers who also reported the problem (and support for Windows 2000 had not ended at the time of these reports), Microsoft's official response is to deny the patch caused the problem. Here is what Scott Landry, Exchange Server Product Quality, Customer Support, said:
"Correct, the SMTP settings issue only affects Windows 2008 and Windows 2008 R2, no other version. Any other issues are probably not directly related to the fix, but if you need our assistance investigating, do not hesitate to contact us."
Since Windows Server 2000 is no longer eligible for updates, if this patch doesn't work, it's a hole that won't be fixed.
Like RSS? Subscribe to all Microsoft Subnet bloggers. Like e-mail? Sign up for the bi-weekly Microsoft newsletter. (Click on News/Microsoft News Alert.) Like Twitter?
Follow All Microsoft Subnet bloggers on Twitter @microsoftsubnet
Follow Julie Bort on Twitter @Julie188 or connect with me on my Facebook Like Page
Saturday, September 4, 2010
UK MCTS Training And Programs Compared
UK MCTS Training And Programs Compared
Thinking of taking an MCTS Training? It’s very possible then that you’ll fall into one of two camps: You are a knowledgeable person and you need to formalise your skill set with the MCTS qualification. Instead this could be your first step into the IT environment, and you’ve discovered there’s lots of demand for certified networking professionals.
As you do your searches, you’ll hit upon colleges that short-change you by not upgrading their courses to the latest Microsoft version. Steer clear of these companies as you will face problems at exam time. If your knowledge is of the wrong syllabus, it will be hard to pass. A training provider’s focus must be centred on the best thing for their clients, and they should care greatly about getting things right. Studying isn’t just about passing exams – the procedure must also be geared towards helping you work out the best course of action for you.
With all the options available, does it really shock us that nearly all newcomers to the industry don’t really understand the best career path they could be successful with. Scanning a list of odd-sounding and meaningless job titles is no use whatsoever. Most of us don’t really appreciate what the neighbours do for a living – so we have no hope of understanding the subtleties of a specific IT job. Deliberation over many points is imperative when you want to expose a solution that suits you:
* What nature of individual you are – what kind of jobs you get enjoyment from, and don’t forget – what don’t you like doing.
* Is it your desire to pull off a key aspiration – for instance, becoming self-employed in the near future?
* Where is the salary on a scale of importance – is an increase your main motivator, or do you place job satisfaction a little higher on your list of priorities?
* With so many markets to choose from in the IT industry – you’ll need to pick up some background information on what separates them.
* Taking a good look into the effort, commitment and time that you can put aside.
In all honesty, it’s obvious that the only real way to gain help on these matters will be via a meeting with an advisor or professional who has experience of computing (and specifically the commercial requirements.)
Be careful that the exams you’re studying for will be commercially viable and are current. Training companies own certificates are not normally useful in gaining employment. The top IT companies such as Microsoft MCITP Certification, Cisco, Adobe or CompTIA have nationally renowned skills programs. Huge conglomerates such as these can make sure you stand out at interview.
Your training program should always include the current Microsoft (or relevant organisation’s) authorised exam preparation and simulation materials. Sometimes people can be thrown off course by practising exam questions that are not from official sources. Quite often, the way questions are phrased is startlingly different and it’s important to prepare yourself for this. Practice exams will prove enormously valuable as a resource to you – so that when you come to take your actual exams, you don’t get phased.
‘Exam Guarantees’ are often bundled with training offers – this always means exams have to be paid for upfront, at the very beginning of your studies. Before you jump at a course with such a promise, why not consider this:
They’ve allowed costings for it one way or another. It certainly isn’t free – it’s just been rolled into the price of the whole package. Those who go in for their examinations when it’s appropriate, funding them one at a time are much more likely to pass. They’re thoughtful of the cost and so are more inclined to ensure they are ready.
Take your exams somewhere close to home and find the best exam deal or offer available then. Why tie up your cash (or borrow more than you need) for exams when you didn’t need to? Huge profits are made because training colleges are charging upfront for all their exams – and then hoping that you won’t take them all. Pay heed to the fact that, with the majority of Exam Guarantees – the company decides when you are allowed to do a re-take. You’ll have to prove conclusively that you can pass before they’ll pay for another exam.
Paying maybe a thousand pounds extra on an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is foolish – when study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is actually the key to your success.
Thinking of taking an MCTS Training? It’s very possible then that you’ll fall into one of two camps: You are a knowledgeable person and you need to formalise your skill set with the MCTS qualification. Instead this could be your first step into the IT environment, and you’ve discovered there’s lots of demand for certified networking professionals.
As you do your searches, you’ll hit upon colleges that short-change you by not upgrading their courses to the latest Microsoft version. Steer clear of these companies as you will face problems at exam time. If your knowledge is of the wrong syllabus, it will be hard to pass. A training provider’s focus must be centred on the best thing for their clients, and they should care greatly about getting things right. Studying isn’t just about passing exams – the procedure must also be geared towards helping you work out the best course of action for you.
With all the options available, does it really shock us that nearly all newcomers to the industry don’t really understand the best career path they could be successful with. Scanning a list of odd-sounding and meaningless job titles is no use whatsoever. Most of us don’t really appreciate what the neighbours do for a living – so we have no hope of understanding the subtleties of a specific IT job. Deliberation over many points is imperative when you want to expose a solution that suits you:
* What nature of individual you are – what kind of jobs you get enjoyment from, and don’t forget – what don’t you like doing.
* Is it your desire to pull off a key aspiration – for instance, becoming self-employed in the near future?
* Where is the salary on a scale of importance – is an increase your main motivator, or do you place job satisfaction a little higher on your list of priorities?
* With so many markets to choose from in the IT industry – you’ll need to pick up some background information on what separates them.
* Taking a good look into the effort, commitment and time that you can put aside.
In all honesty, it’s obvious that the only real way to gain help on these matters will be via a meeting with an advisor or professional who has experience of computing (and specifically the commercial requirements.)
Be careful that the exams you’re studying for will be commercially viable and are current. Training companies own certificates are not normally useful in gaining employment. The top IT companies such as Microsoft MCITP Certification, Cisco, Adobe or CompTIA have nationally renowned skills programs. Huge conglomerates such as these can make sure you stand out at interview.
Your training program should always include the current Microsoft (or relevant organisation’s) authorised exam preparation and simulation materials. Sometimes people can be thrown off course by practising exam questions that are not from official sources. Quite often, the way questions are phrased is startlingly different and it’s important to prepare yourself for this. Practice exams will prove enormously valuable as a resource to you – so that when you come to take your actual exams, you don’t get phased.
‘Exam Guarantees’ are often bundled with training offers – this always means exams have to be paid for upfront, at the very beginning of your studies. Before you jump at a course with such a promise, why not consider this:
They’ve allowed costings for it one way or another. It certainly isn’t free – it’s just been rolled into the price of the whole package. Those who go in for their examinations when it’s appropriate, funding them one at a time are much more likely to pass. They’re thoughtful of the cost and so are more inclined to ensure they are ready.
Take your exams somewhere close to home and find the best exam deal or offer available then. Why tie up your cash (or borrow more than you need) for exams when you didn’t need to? Huge profits are made because training colleges are charging upfront for all their exams – and then hoping that you won’t take them all. Pay heed to the fact that, with the majority of Exam Guarantees – the company decides when you are allowed to do a re-take. You’ll have to prove conclusively that you can pass before they’ll pay for another exam.
Paying maybe a thousand pounds extra on an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is foolish – when study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is actually the key to your success.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Is Microsoft an open source company?
Is Microsoft an open source company?
When thinking about open source, most people immediately think Linux, Apache, Mozilla to name a few of the many projects currently being developed. Of course, there are thousands of open source projects and I wanted to see what platform these projects were running on. To my surprise, I found a great deal of Windows open source projects and was even shocked by my search of the most popular open source projects on SourceForge. Here are the top 10 applications (all time) on SourceForge:
* eMule - Windows only file sharing tool
* Azureus / Vuze - Windows, Mac & Linux p2p client
* Ares Galaxy - Windows p2p client
* 7-ZIP - Windows file compression
* FileZilla - Windows, Mac, & Linux file sharing
* Smart Package of Microsoft's core fonts - Linux, UNIX, BSD, etc
* GTK+ and GIMP Installers for Windows - Windows
* Audacity - All OS ; audio editor
* Portable Apps.com - Windows app portability on devices
* DC++ - Windows file sharing client
Every item on this list showed a solution for the Windows platform which goes against the general consensus that open source is just for Linux and certainly not Windows. This surprise lead me to the Microsoft Open Source (who knew they had one?) web site at http://www.microsoft.com/opensource where you can see all the open source projects currently being built for the Windows platform. A search of highlighted projects shows well over 150 open source projects currently being hosted on Codeplex.com, Microsoft's open source project host; similar to SourceForge. It truly is amazing to see that the open source community is actively building solutions for the closed-source Windows platform.
So, with the great amount of open source applications being built on the Windows platform and the support infrastructure from Microsoft, can we call Microsoft an open source (friendly) company? Of course, Microsoft does have a great deal of proprietary software for sale but I am impressed by the amount of effort being shown by Microsoft in open sourcing some of their technologies and their support of open source development on the Windows platform.
I realize that Microsoft is not a core open source company and they will continue to battle Linux in ways that are both proper and somewhat deceptive (see patents and Linux), but is it time we in the open source community start accepting Microsoft as a part of our community and assist them in opening more of their technology? Can we now officially end the "Microsoft is the Devil" argument and focus on more productive efforts to work together or is Microsoft forever the enemy of open source?
When thinking about open source, most people immediately think Linux, Apache, Mozilla to name a few of the many projects currently being developed. Of course, there are thousands of open source projects and I wanted to see what platform these projects were running on. To my surprise, I found a great deal of Windows open source projects and was even shocked by my search of the most popular open source projects on SourceForge. Here are the top 10 applications (all time) on SourceForge:
* eMule - Windows only file sharing tool
* Azureus / Vuze - Windows, Mac & Linux p2p client
* Ares Galaxy - Windows p2p client
* 7-ZIP - Windows file compression
* FileZilla - Windows, Mac, & Linux file sharing
* Smart Package of Microsoft's core fonts - Linux, UNIX, BSD, etc
* GTK+ and GIMP Installers for Windows - Windows
* Audacity - All OS ; audio editor
* Portable Apps.com - Windows app portability on devices
* DC++ - Windows file sharing client
Every item on this list showed a solution for the Windows platform which goes against the general consensus that open source is just for Linux and certainly not Windows. This surprise lead me to the Microsoft Open Source (who knew they had one?) web site at http://www.microsoft.com/opensource where you can see all the open source projects currently being built for the Windows platform. A search of highlighted projects shows well over 150 open source projects currently being hosted on Codeplex.com, Microsoft's open source project host; similar to SourceForge. It truly is amazing to see that the open source community is actively building solutions for the closed-source Windows platform.
So, with the great amount of open source applications being built on the Windows platform and the support infrastructure from Microsoft, can we call Microsoft an open source (friendly) company? Of course, Microsoft does have a great deal of proprietary software for sale but I am impressed by the amount of effort being shown by Microsoft in open sourcing some of their technologies and their support of open source development on the Windows platform.
I realize that Microsoft is not a core open source company and they will continue to battle Linux in ways that are both proper and somewhat deceptive (see patents and Linux), but is it time we in the open source community start accepting Microsoft as a part of our community and assist them in opening more of their technology? Can we now officially end the "Microsoft is the Devil" argument and focus on more productive efforts to work together or is Microsoft forever the enemy of open source?
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