Certification Prep – The 20 Minute Workout

According to a recent story published the IT PRO Enterprise and Business IT News website by Tom Brewster, Ruggero Contu who is a principal research analyst at Gartner, indicated that the software security market will emerge from the recession in decent shape, growing by 11.3 per cent in 2010, as businesses put more emphasis on protecting their IT. The article went on further to say that market revenue is predicted to exceed $16.5 million this year, compared to $14.8 billion in 2009, when growth slowed to seven percent due to the overall state of the global economy. Despite Gartner's claims that companies are to invest more heavily in security, a recent survey from the Ponemon Institute showed IT pros were concerned about the level of their protection capabilities . More than two thirds of IT workers polled said their firms did not have resources to deal with serious threats. The full article can be found online at - Software security revenue to hit $16.5 billion in 2010 . ...

August 17, 2010 — by Dan Tynan Originally posted on ITWORLD – AN OPEN EXCHANGE Like many people of an inherently cynical nature, the fact Facebook only allows you to express your "Like" on various topics, posts, and advertisements irks me. I know I'm not alone, and so do Facebook scammers, which is why the latest viral "Dislike button" scam has spread so quickly. Facebook Security has issued an official warning about the bogus Dislike button scam. (Of course, this was after Sophos Security researcher Graham Cluley blogged about it and major media outlets like CNN picked it up. You get the feeling the Facebook Security guys spend most of their time riding around the building on Segways and playing with their tasers?) [ See also: Facebook bug coughs up user names and photos to anyone who asks ] The scam starts with a fake status update from someone you know who's been infected (like "Get the official DISLIKE button NOW!") followed by a ...

The CompTIA Breakaway is the best cross-section of the industry with new vendors and new VARs every year. This year’s event was held beginning on Sunday August 8, 2010 at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas and ran through Thursday the 12th. The complete agenda is online at http://www.comptia.org/breakaway/agenda.aspx According to a story published on the BusinessWire website Terry Erdle, senior vice president, skills certification, CompTIA, said in remarks delivered at Breakaway 2010 that “Trends in technology are changing the employment landscape; it doesn’t mean that we don’t need people, it’s just a different kind of job.” The full story which is available online also indicated that forecasts regarding growth in information technology (IT) jobs over the next several years will be in the double digits and that demand will compel the industry to take new, aggressive steps for fill the pipeline with new workers. As outlined in the ...

An article on the eWeek.com website by Don E. Sears is calling out to IT Pros - “Enterprise and network architects, listen up: Your skills are a hot commodity as companies mount new initiatives in automating and virtualizing the data center and desktop” I’ve stated this many times over the past year in person and on many prior posts; the economy IS slowly (very slowly) recovering. As such there is a small but increasing demand for people with IT skills. While the well is sort of full with water due to layoffs from the worldwide recession, this is slowly and subtlety changing. The well will begin to run low over the next 12 to 18 months in my opinion. Some places are hiring and they are trying to grab who they can with the skill sets they need at a reduced salary cost, mainly due to the power position of hiring in this recession where there are still skilled people out of work and looking for employment. At some point we’ll reach a tipping point; some catalyst will force a majo...

Free admission. Farmington, CT Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010 9:00am - 5:00pm Hartford Marriott Farmington 15 Farm Springs Rd Farmington, CT 06032 Events run from 9:00am - 5:00pm Seating for the live event is limited, so register today. For more information or to register, visit > www.msdnevents.com/firestarter OR CALL 1-877-MSEVENT You are invited to join your local Microsoft Developer Evangelists for an inside look at the Windows Phone 7 platform. You'll learn how to harness the strength of Silverlight and XNA to create compelling user experiences with rich, multi-media content. We'll also outline the new distribution and revenue opportunities Windows Phone 7 and the Windows Marketplace offer to web, game, mobile and interactive developers and application publishers. Morning Sessions Introduction to Windows Phone Development and the WP7 platform Building Windows Phone 7 Applications with Silverlight Building Windows Phone 7 ...

There is a short post over on the Born to Learn site titled Have another slice of MCTS--It's good for you! that I really recommend folks take a look at. There is one cross quote that is well representative of the job market today in my opinion. "Over one-third of respondents who have a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certification hold multiple MCTS designations. Those with multiple MCTS designations earn an average of $87,041, or $13,000 more than those who hold only one MCTS." That is great reason to get certified. As a holder of multiple certifications and an Microsoft Certified Instructor for the night classes at TodaysTec http://todaystec.com/about_us/display.php I can certainly exude the virtues of having certifications and keeping them up to date by getting containing education credits or by re-certifying on the newer technologies as they release. My Personal Certification Story outlines my start in the information technology field. I hav...

Hi gang. This post will only be worthwhile I suppose to the folks in Connecticut and perhaps the general vicinity surrounding. I have teamed up with Wallingford Computer Center to announce classes we are putting together for the fall. This is a trial schedule – if we can get some decent interest we are looking into the possibility of expanding the offering in 2011. In the meantime here is what we have on tap: Saturday October 9th from 10:30AM to 3:00PM Introduction to Windows 7 – This class will introduce Windows XP and Vista users to the new Windows 7 GUI (graphical user interface) as well as to show them how to perform common tasks. Some of the steps from XP / Vista have stayed the same and others have changed. The 1 day session cost is $124.00 and includes the classroom book to keep Saturday October 16th from 10:30AM to 3:00PM Introduction to Office 2010 class - This class will introduce Office 2003 users (primarily) to Office 2010 and the Office Ribbon which replaces the Offic...