With 80% of Fortune 1000 enterprises expected to adopt cloud computing services by 2012, this presents great training opportunities for MCTs.
Cloud computing is service oriented architecture falling into three main areas: Software as a Service (SAAS); Platform as a Service (PAAS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IAAS). Microsoft offers BPOS / Office 365, Windows Azure, and Virtualization to meet customer needs in these three areas. Being ready for widespread adoption of cloud services is key to an individual’s or organizations’ migration success. With Microsoft cloud solutions training and certification, companies can harness as much cloud power as they need, by ensuring their staff is ready to provision, manage, and develop cloud services. That’s where MCTs come in. You can offer your students the right training and certification to meet their skills needs. Here’s how:
For BPOS / Office 365 (SAAS) IT professionals will need a good foundation in Exchange, SharePoint and Lync. Becoming certified in those technologies is the best first step in managing and migrating to Office 365. In addition you can teach course 50408A: Introduction to Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) to ensure they understand specific management and provisioning issues with BPOS / Office 365.
Application development (PAAS) is also moving to the cloud with Windows Azure. To prepare for platform as a service, it’s important to earn MCPD: Windows Azure Developer 4.
Special Offer for Developer MCTs: As you teach the Visual Studio 2010 courses demonstrate the cloud using the Windows Azure platform 30 day pass and encourage students to sign up too! No credit card required, just enter this promo code: MSL001 (Available in the USA only).
As private cloud becomes the norm for IT infrastructure, training and certification provide the skills needed to prepare for infrastructure as a service: MCITP: Windows Server 2008 R2, Virtualization Administrator. (Note that familiarity with Windows Server 2008 R2 and MCITP: Server Administrator or MCITP: Enterprise Administrator certifications are encouraged for success with Infrastructure as a Service).
Take advantage of all the training opportunities cloud computing offers.
Braindumps. We all know they’re out there, and we all know it’s wrong to use them, and it’s very wrong to distribute them. (Lifetime decertification would be the least of your worries.) But just as with software piracy, we know there’s a seedy underbelly in this business, and we do our best to ensure it stays marginalized.
Which is why we were alarmed and surprised a few months ago when we noticed this tweet from one of our readers:
Ouch—when an MCT is accused of promoting braindumps, that strikes pretty close to home. The MCT community is one of Microsoft’s longest- and proudest-standing communities, and we knew this had to be a very, very rare exception and not the rule.
Still, an hour later, another MCP followed up:
…and up until this point, the only thing unusual about this story is that the tips came in via Twitter rather than our tctips@microsoft.com alias. But here comes the plot twist.
Just hours later, we received this e-mail from the MCT referred to by the first tweeter:
“I saw on Twitter that one of my students [redacted] complained about the way I talk about preparing for exams (he states that I promote dumps). “Let me start by saying that I agree that what he states I’m doing (promoting) is inappropriate behavior like you said in your response to his tweet, and I will adjust my behavior appropriately. “Having said that I have 2 comments I want to add: “Firstly: In my opinion I do not promote the usage of ‘dumps’. I merely state they are there, and tell that there are people that are using that such methods to pass exams. That can be considered promoting. Being a trainer I take full responsibility for how people understand what I say. “Secondly: I do not think that simply ignoring the fact that there are sites like [redacted] where anyone can download almost perfectly recreated exams for free with very recent comments about how valid they are is the right approach. Ignoring them does not negate the fact that people that know about that they exist can find and use them, and in doing so undermine the value of certification. In the field of security this is considered ‘security by obscurity’. In this case it means that people that don’t know about this think that everyone that has passed an exam had to put the same amount of effort in archiving that, and the people that do know about it laugh their heads off and take the short route, thereby devaluating the certification of the ones that did it the proper way. “I have [redacted] spoke with Microsoft Learning representatives like [redacted] about that fact that those sites exist, and asking what Microsoft is doing about them. Therefore I know that ‘proxy exams’ in India and areas like that have been acted upon, and that legal actions have been taken against company’s like [redacted]. It keeps bothering however me that the site [redacted] has been in the air for at least the last 5 years. I hoped that if mentioning that fact to my students (who are investing time and money in learning the product and getting certified ) would help put some pressure on Microsoft. Apparently this is being interpreted differently than I intended, and I will refrain from this in the future. However, I will not stop asking Microsoft any time I can to take action against these sites, because I think that not mentioning them is bad, but the fact that they are there is. “If you think that any actions against my person are appropriate I will accept that because, as I stated, I take full responsibility for my actions.”
“I saw on Twitter that one of my students [redacted] complained about the way I talk about preparing for exams (he states that I promote dumps).
“Let me start by saying that I agree that what he states I’m doing (promoting) is inappropriate behavior like you said in your response to his tweet, and I will adjust my behavior appropriately.
“Having said that I have 2 comments I want to add:
“Firstly: In my opinion I do not promote the usage of ‘dumps’. I merely state they are there, and tell that there are people that are using that such methods to pass exams. That can be considered promoting. Being a trainer I take full responsibility for how people understand what I say.
“Secondly: I do not think that simply ignoring the fact that there are sites like [redacted] where anyone can download almost perfectly recreated exams for free with very recent comments about how valid they are is the right approach. Ignoring them does not negate the fact that people that know about that they exist can find and use them, and in doing so undermine the value of certification. In the field of security this is considered ‘security by obscurity’. In this case it means that people that don’t know about this think that everyone that has passed an exam had to put the same amount of effort in archiving that, and the people that do know about it laugh their heads off and take the short route, thereby devaluating the certification of the ones that did it the proper way.
“I have [redacted] spoke with Microsoft Learning representatives like [redacted] about that fact that those sites exist, and asking what Microsoft is doing about them. Therefore I know that ‘proxy exams’ in India and areas like that have been acted upon, and that legal actions have been taken against company’s like [redacted]. It keeps bothering however me that the site [redacted] has been in the air for at least the last 5 years. I hoped that if mentioning that fact to my students (who are investing time and money in learning the product and getting certified ) would help put some pressure on Microsoft. Apparently this is being interpreted differently than I intended, and I will refrain from this in the future. However, I will not stop asking Microsoft any time I can to take action against these sites, because I think that not mentioning them is bad, but the fact that they are there is.
“If you think that any actions against my person are appropriate I will accept that because, as I stated, I take full responsibility for my actions.”
Well now. There are so many interesting aspects to this story that I’m not sure where to begin.
Let’s start here: First and foremost, I must offer my appreciation to both the individual who came forth and tweeted out the trainer in question as well as to the instructor who came forward voluntarily to explain himself. I appreciate the integrity they both displayed in doing so, and if more people spoke up when they notice something harmful going on, we’d have an even stronger certification program than we do today. It’s out of respect to them that I’ve redacted any identifying details.
Next, let’s examine some of the trainer’s claims:
“…I do not promote the usage of ‘dumps’. I merely state they are there, and tell that there are people that are using that such methods to pass exams.“
This is one of those cases where the delivery can say a lot more than the content itself, but let’s take him at his word, shall we? The thing I can’t figure out is this: at what point in the course does it help students to know that braindumps “are there, and… that there are people that are using such methods to pass exams?”
Ah, maybe it’s here:
“ Ignoring them does not negate the fact that people that know about that they exist can find and use them, and in doing so undermine the value of certification… people that don’t know about this think that everyone that has passed an exam had to put the same amount of effort in archiving that, and the people that do know about it laugh their heads off and take the short route, thereby devaluating the certification of the ones that did it the proper way.”
If I understand him correctly, I think the argument is something along the lines of: I tell my students that braindumps exist so that they know that there are unethical people out there who are profiting off of the hard work and integrity of those who take the high road, and that it’s important for the people with integrity to keep an alert watch for the folks without it.
Maybe that’s a stretch., but I’m pretty generous with benefits of doubts. Although I faced a pretty big test on that front when I came to this part:
“I hoped that if mentioning that fact to my students (who are investing time and money in learning the product and getting certified ) would help put some pressure on Microsoft. Apparently this is being interpreted differently than I intended, and I will refrain from this in the future.”
So unless I misinterpret, I believe his hypothesis is: “if I tell my students about braindumps, maybe they’ll lend their voices to my own, and then Microsoft will surely take action!”
But since the only voice we heard was:
…I may not be the only one misinterpreting.
The thing is, by his own admission, this trainer actually knows that we take action against braindump sites. He had spoken to some of our staff and he cited specific examples where we had taken action, so he almost assuredly knows that he—and anyone—has a direct line to our anti-piracy/fraud team by e-mailing tctips@microsoft.com. That’s a far better strategy if you want to get our attention, and especially if you don’t want anyone else listening to misinterpret you. Yet we didn’t we receive any tips from him or his students.
But by far, the most interesting part of the story is the fact that it didn’t play out over e-mail—it unfolded over Twitter. The student who reported the trainer didn’t whisper in our ear; he used a megaphone in a public square.
Did that have anything to do with why the instructor came forward so quickly? I don’t know.
But I do know that if I was that instructor, I would have been sweating bullets that day, hoping that my student wouldn’t reveal my name in front of the entire world.
Which brings me to my own personal key takeaway from this story:
At Microsoft, we absolutely investigate and act on allegations of wrongdoing, but we tend to do so privately. Cheat on an exam, and you’ll be decertified, quite possibly for life. But that’s between you and us—it’s highly unlikely that we’re going to publish a story about it (this blog post notwithstanding).
But if a colleague, fellow student, trainer, test-taker or even a manager discovers you taking an unethical shortcut, they may very well start talking. (We actually get most of our fraud and cheater tips this way.) Most of the time, they come to us directly, but now there’s a precedent for taking to social networks—and that means your reputation is on the line in a big way.
Food for thought.
What’s your take on this? Let us know.
Training materials for What's New in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 are now available on PartnerSource (sign in needed) These materials explain the new features and functionality found in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011. More Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 course materials will be available at a later date.
These materials explain the new features and functionality found in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011.
More Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 course materials will be available at a later date.
Training materials for two new titles have been released and are available on PartnerSource (sign in needed):
Upgrading Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 Native Database to Microsoft SQL Server, Course #80298
This training is designed for individuals preparing to upgrade Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 Native client to Microsoft SQL Server. This training covers the upgrade process from preparing existing data, configuring Microsoft SQL Server, troubleshooting data issues, to validating data after upgrade. Individuals wishing to take this upgrade training should have Microsoft SQL Server knowledge and take Microsoft Course 80156: SQL Server Installation and Optimization for Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009.
Microsoft SharePoint Technologies and Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009, Course #80297
This training is designed for individuals wishing to integrate Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 with Microsoft SharePoint Technologies
Courseware will be available in the MCT download center at a later date.
MCTs and educators, here’s a chance to provide some feedback on Microsoft software products—we’re looking for some instructors to participate in a research study to drive improvements in our products and services. All you need to do is spend 30-60 minutes answering some questions related to your interaction with our products. It’s simple and easy, and you’ll help us make our products work better for you. To express our appreciation for your time and support, participants of the study will receive a $30 gift certificate. Please contact Becky King if you are interested.
Calling all IT Professionals! The Microsoft Learning Certification team would like to learn more about you and what you think of our IT Pro exams so that we can continue to improve and offer you relevant, high-quality exam content.
Please click the link below to fill our our IT Pro Survey. It will be available until November 30th.
http://microsoftlearning.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_4ZQuq9FahLtxYDW
Microsoft is committed to protecting your privacy. This survey does not request or collect any personal information from you nor does this survey use any cookies or other technologies to track your responses to the survey. Your responses to this survey will not be linked to the contact information previously collected by Microsoft. Your answers will be reported in aggregate with those of other respondents. Please note that this privacy statement applies only to the IT Professional survey. It does not apply to other online or offline Microsoft sites, surveys, products or services.
Thank you for your continued support of our certification program and commitment to making it the best it can be!
Julie Devine Content Development Manager juliede@microsoft.com
Today Microsoft is launching Imagine Cup Solve This, a new Imagine Cup program created to offer students a marketplace of real problems that global inter-governmental organization (IGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and non-profit organizations need help solving.
If you're looking for additional inspiration to kick start your Imagine Cup projects, or if you want a specific problem to tackle, you can now search through a library of problems submitted by the IGOs, NGOs and other non-profit organizations on www.imaginecup.com.
So far, we have submissions from NetHope, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Programme on Youth (UNPY), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and local New York City nonprofit the Robin Hood Foundation. We expect the list to grow over time as more organizations get involved.
We've heard from many students who wonder what they can do to make the world a better place. Imagine Cup SolveThis can help spark new ideas for Imagine Cup projects, and inspire students to apply your creativity and passion for technology to propose new solutions to the challenges these organizations face.
In many ways, Imagine Cup Solve This is like crowd sourcing solutions to solve societal problems. Will your idea help solve one of the world's toughest problems?
There hasn’t been a lot of good news coming out of Haiti for the last year, so it’s wonderful to see this example of how the IT industry and the people who work in it are making a difference to people who really need a promise of a better future.
As always, your help is greatly appreciated—visit NetHope to find out how you can add your support.
Given the current state of the job market, concerns over how to get a job after graduation are becoming increasingly more valid. You make have questions about how to prepare yourself to compete in an already overloaded job market with little or no work experience. We spoke with various graduating and recently graduated IT majors from different universities about what they are doing to set themselves apart and how to overcome any hurdles they have faced in gaining employment. Here is what they had to say.
Mathew, a senior at Brigham Young University in Provo Utah, has been able to set himself apart during his interview process and even gain employment before graduating. He has been working full time now for two and a half months while finishing up his degree in IT. A few advantages Mathew feels set him apart from the crowd are his previous work experience in the IT field, and the extracurricular projects he took on which he did purely for enjoyment. He recommends applying for a job at the IT department of your university or a local business, or to just think up a unique project and do it! When asked about how he was able to successfully land his interviews, Mathew says he tapped his own network and spoke with an associate he worked with previously to help him get noticed and in for an interview.
Vik, a recent graduate in Information Systems Management from Long Beach California, also was able to get an edge on the competition. Although he had to go through numerous interviews with accounting firms and other companies in need of IT help, Vik was able to get the job he was looking for. The main factors that Vik says contributed to his success in the job hunt were the IT related certifications he earned, as well as the associations he had with other IT professionals. Vik mentioned the importance of not just networking for networking’s sake, but being sociable with the IT professionals.
Speaking of networking, Born to Learn is a great place to get acquainted with IT pros from around the world who can help you get started in IT. Join in the discussion and tell us your story.
The Career Conference never EVER says 'no' to great content. Not even on the day before the conference. We're excited to announce as great session by Monster's Paul Miller: Getting Hired Today - an inside look from a recruiting expert
Would you like to know how the Fortune 1000 hire? I mean, REALLY know? Join Paul Miller for a class that will give you a true insider’s view of the hiring process from someone who’s been there. Paul Miller was a recruiter for eight years before joining Monster in 2005. Since then, Paul has trained and consulted with 600+ employers all around the country on using Monster’s tools to hire effectively. The course will include a look at advanced resume writing and demonstrate how recruiters in thousands of companies search Monster.com to find employees every day. Forget what you THINK you know, and join Paul for this fast paced hour of education that will change the way your resume gets found online.
Paul Miller has been a Client Trainer for Monster.com since 2005. As a member of Monster’s Client Adoption team, Paul has delivered over 600 trainings to Monster clients in almost every industry. Prior to joining Monster, Paul was a recruiter for eight years. The first five were with a staffing firm in Midtown Atlanta, with the last three as a consultant for a European recruiting firm, where he served as onsite HR Director/Recruiter for two European corporations that were establishing their first offices on American soil, with the responsibility of hiring the entire company’s staff (from CEO to CSR) within a set time frame.