I have mentioned previously that Microsoft certifications are not to be taken lightly. It is Microsoft’s position that their examinations are based on one year of practical experience. Personally, I would take that with a grain of salt.

As I heard another MCT in a conversation with a student that had just ‘done reconnaissance mission’ on 70-646, I had to giggle. The conversation went like this:

Real-time candidate: “I can’t believe it! I have five years experience!”

MCT: “tell me, do you have five years experience or one years experience five times?”

That comment knocked me on my head. It did so because it really brought home the ugly reality of a Microsoft certification. Yes I would agree that it is theoretically possible a test candidate could survive and pass 70-646 with one years experience. I would also further state that the theoretical possibility hover somewhere between a chance known as slim or none.

This can only be accomplished by a candidate who was following around a mentor doing completely different tasks. It is much more common for an employer hiring someone to only do a subset of all the possible situation that can be found on the test.

This is where a good MCT comes in. To me, without a doubt one of the best in the business is Ed Leiberman. Over at http://trainsignal.com he has 19 lessons for this exam covering almost 16 hours.

Thankfully the 19th lesson covers the dreaded R2 questions. If you training material does not specifically cover

New Hyper-V Machine Configuration
Creating a New Single Volume
Installing Hyper-V Role
Creating a New Hyper-V Machine
Virtual Machine Connection Window Buttons
Installing Virtual Windows 2008
Installing Virtualization Extensions

Save you money and the embarrassment of a reconnaissance mission.

As a career trainer and author I can appreciate the efficiency of learning by video. I was a little surprised to find out that the material trainsignal.com puts out also gets a copy of Transcender®.

Enterprise server virtualization is a rapidly emerging technology that has made its way into the I.T data center of almost every company. Consolidating servers into a single hardware and using virtual server machines can help the enterprise save a lot of money and also improve management and security of the whole I.T server infrastructure.  The leader in virtualization is of course VmWare. The company develops virtualization software for desktops and for enterprise environments. VmWare desktop software requires an underlying operating system, while the VmWare enterprise software can run directly on server hardware without any third party operating system.

The virtualization software technology is such an expanding field that the demand for VmWare professionals is steadily increasing. In 2008, Vmware and Cisco have announced a partnership to offer joint data center solutions to customers. Therefore, even Cisco professionals will have an advantage if they get experience on virtualization technology.

VmWare Vsphere and ESX Server are two of the most popular enterprise level data center products that need to have dedicated and highly trained professionals to install and manage them. Training for Vsphere and ESX Server is not widely available from training companies because it is a highly specialized and focused subject. Basically you have two main options for getting a good training course for these two VmWare products:

1.    Attend an official VmWare Training.

Advantages:  
•    Several delivery options are available, such as classroom training, live online, onsite etc
•    If you want to become VCP certified (Vmware Certified Professional) then the official Vmware training is the best choice.

Disadvantages:
Very expensive and some times can not be offered in all countries.

2.    Get a trusted Video Training Package.
The most popular and best value for money video training for VmWare is offered by Trainsignal.com. I speak from experience here because I have some colleagues who used the Trainsignal training for both Vsphere and ESX Server and they were very satisfied.

Advantages:
•    Best value for money
•    Self-paced training. You just need a computer at your home to get trained at your convenience.
•    You get a training level similar to that of a classroom based training. A real expert instructor teaches you everything you need to know for each technology.
•    No risk to you because of the 90-Day Total experience guarantee. (This guarantee is offered only from Trainsignal by the way).
•    The training material come in various formats, such as video, PDF notes, audio etc.

Disadvantages:
•    If you need to become VCP certified professional, then VmWare requires you to attend one of their education courses, so a video training package will not be accepted for getting a VCP certification.

As we all know by now, the cell phone has become a huge part of the normal person’s everyday life. In the last several years, there has been a subset of the cell phone market that has stood out above the others. This would be the smart phone. More people have seen the advantages of using a smart phone and as a result, they have become more popular than ever. With their abilities, that are similar to a home computer, they allow a person to be connected no matter where they are. The business enterprise is one of the biggest consumers of smart phone technology. Usually their tool of choice is the Blackberry. A Blackberry was especially made for business consumers and even with the emergence of the IPhone, has remained the number one smart phone in the enterprise.

With the wide usage of the Blackberry in the enterprise, syncing network servers to take advantage of this technology can be a huge undertaking. It takes a large amount of specialty knowledge about the Blackberry, to make sure that everything is just right. This is why companies are looking for certified specialists to handle jobs such as these. With a Blackberry Certification, this will tell employers that you are one of these people. Taking and passing the Blackberry Certification test will show that you are able to handle any problems that might arise with administering and supporting the company’s Blackberries and their enterprise servers.

Smart phones are the hottest technology right now, and with this certification, you can put yourself right in the middle of it. There are plenty of companies that are looking for technicians to support their employees Blackberry use. Become one of the people that are able to do just that.

There has been a quiet revolution in computers over the past couple of years, but only developers and IT professionals are aware of it. This revolution involves the new found popularity of virtual machines. While different types of virtual machines have been around for decades, they are now more popular than ever. People have figured out clever uses for using virtual machines in everyday settings. If you are scared to open a file because you think that it might be a piece of malware, then you can just open it, in a vm image and let the damage happen in there. Also you can use the power of virtual machines, to make your computing sessions portable. You can easily make an image of your hard drive, and use it on any system that has a vm player installed. Also, virtual machines are extensively used in Enterprise I.T infrastructures, with the advantage being that a single hardware machine can host several virtual servers. The leader in this field right now is of course VmWare.

Most people that get a certification in the IT profession will know how to handle servers in an enterprise setting. What they will have a problem with though, is trying to set up an enterprise server in a virtual setting. There are special needs and precautions that one must take when they are deploying servers in this manner. A virtual server set up, can be a delicate eco system, which one must be careful. Becoming a VmWare Certified professional will show that you know how to do this. You will receive all of the proper training that you need to be able to accomplish the task. You will also be able to physically display the VCP logo, on your web site or business cards. This brings an extra level of professionalism while you are stating your case to your employer.

Becoming someone who is a VmWare Certified Professional will help you in the long run with your employment goals. Virtual Machines are popular in the present and they will be even more so in the future. Show your new boss that you are already one step ahead.

Becoming an IT professional is a lot easier now than it was in the past. These days everyone has access to a computer and advanced software. Only twenty years ago, a small percentage of the population had a computer in their home. And ten years after that, only a small amount of people had access to software that is considered IT level professional software. If you wanted access to that same software, you would have to spend a lot of money. Now with the power of either open sourced software or companies offering complicated software products for free, people can learn IT topics on their home computer.

Even though you may be able to practice on your home computer, it is another thing to be able to consider yourself a professional when it comes to IT. A professional IT person has to know how to maintain hardware and software for thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of people. There are ways that you can learn how to do this. Becoming a Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) is one. This certificate will show future employers that you have the knowledge to be able to handle an IT platform with a large amount of people. It also involves showing an employer that you can handle database administrative duties, as well as other IT specific areas. The MCITP certification has several paths, such as Database administration and development, Windows Server and Client, Microsoft office project, Exchange email server etc.

For example, for the Database MCITP path,  the first thing that you want to do is to download a free copy of Microsoft’s SQL server. This will allow you to become familiar with the technology before the test. You know that this is the technology that you will be working with, so it helps to be acquainted with it already. After you have downloaded and installed the database server software, go online and search for tutorials. There are plenty of free tutorials on SQL server. Find one that will help you the most. If money is not an issue, then go to Amazon and look for resources there. They have a large range of products that will help you in learning database administration as well as other parts of the certification. There are a ton free informational resources out there, both free and commercial.

Thanks to the power of your home desktop computer and the information of the Internet, you are now able to have all the resources that are needed to pass the MCITP test. It will take a lot of studying on your part but you should be able to pass the test with flying colors.