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So you've decided to take one of the latest certification exams. Passing this one may just add to the alphabet soup of certifications that are already attached to your signature or maybe it's the first certification that you've ever acquired. In either case, you'll want to use every advantage available and you'll want to avoid any pitfalls. Although each exam is content specific, there are some overall guidelines that will help you pass any certification exam. I'll list six mistakes commonly made when approaching a new exam and how to avoid them. My hope is that some of these tips may give you the slight edge you need to convert a potential failure into a success.

You might already know what cloud computing is, and you might already be implementing it into your business, but are you able to have a conversation about it? The lingo surrounding this newer technology can be a bit, well, cloudy. Here are just some of the terms we keep hearing as cloud computing spreads from organization to organization.

Virtualization is an umbrella term that continues to evolve to include many different types that are used in many different ways in production environments. Originally virtualization was done by writing software and firmware code for physical equipment so that the physical equipment could run multiple jobs at once. With the success of VMware and its virtualization of x86 hardware, the term virtualization has grown to include not just virtualizing servers, but whole new areas of IT. This article is going to look at the origins of virtualization and how some of the historical development has spurred on today's virtualization. In addition, we will discuss different types of virtualization that are being utilized in the marketplace today and a listing of some of the leading vendors.

This article addresses non-technical skills you need to do to be a success in IT.

General character attributes every IT pro should have and on the things that every IT pro should know or do.

Global Knowledge is your partner when deciding which learning solution is the best fit for you and your organization, supporting your team throughout the process. Talk with us now to learn what you should consider when evaluating solutions.

The debate on the value of certification is over. Certifications matter—now more than ever.

While anyone with a strong general background in information technology shouldn't have too much trouble finding work in today's economy, there are some areas of specialization that are in higher demand than others. Some are in such high demand, in fact, that many IT hiring managers report they're having difficulty finding qualified candidates.

IT and general technology trade shows offer ample opportunities for learning about the latest trends and product releases in an environment outside of the office. They also provide opportunities for training and achieving sought-after certifications.

There is a wide-range of services available in GCP ranging from Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) to completely managed Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). In the first part of this series, we will discuss the available infrastructure components and how they provide a powerful and flexible foundation on which to build your applications.

As with all technologies transforming the way organizations operate, it’s expected that roles will also evolve. Cloud computing already has and will continue to change traditional IT roles and functions for years to come. We'll begin our overview of the transformation of cloud job roles with a look at some of the top cloud computing roles and responsibilities for architects, engineers and developers.

To help you stay ahead of the game, here are ten IT skills that are on the brink of extinction.

Certifications are now considered the pinnacle of achievement in the tech industry. That’s a huge change in perspective from a decade ago when many IT professionals still didn’t understand the merit of certification.

If you are considering career options or have been in the workforce a few years and are seeking a career change, you might want to consider training to become a computer support specialist.

I am a VMware Certified Instructor and every single time I teach, I get questions regarding certification. IT certifications always seem to be a controversial topic, and the question is always, "Why should I become certified?"

There are many career pitfalls in the IT field, especially if they are clearly outlined in an employee handbook.

We spoke with Doug Cutting about his role with Cloudera and learned more about Big Data, training options for IT professionals interested in Big Data, and how Cloudera compares to Red Hat.

The opportunities and challenges bring your own device (BYOD) represents are real; enterprises must make their network infrastructure BYOD-ready to meet the onslaught.

In the future, IT leaders will face a host of multi-dimensional challenges as global business increases in technological complexity; some of the challenges include harnessing mobilization and use of social media for business, developing employee- and customer-facing business applications.

Thinking about getting ITIL certified? In this post, we cover the value of each ITIL certification and dive into survey results to determine whether ITIL certifications are worth it. The results are in!

Let's look at 10 ways the cloud will change (and to a large degree already has changed) the world.

Certifications are the most common way in IT to prove you have the skills to solve various technical and business challenges. In this article, I'll address a range of skill sets. For each certification listed, I've included what the certification measures, the requirements to obtain it.

IT professionals benefit from gaining skills in data analysis, cybersecurity, cloud computing, virtualization and hyperconvergence, and mobile app development.

This article defines many of the most commonly used terms in the virtualization vocabulary.

In 2013, Cisco released their Software Defined Networking (SDN) solution for the data center known as Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI). For many years, the networking industry has been asking for an approach to configuring networking devices more efficiently than having to individually configure each and every router and switch.

Here are the top 12 major IT skills. In each case, you will read why they made the list and what those surveyed looked at to hire in that skill set.

If you want to stay relevant as an IT professional, you have two choices: evolve your current skills or make a big change.

Whether you are just getting started in business analysis or want to gain a better understanding of certain aspects of business analysis, we have compiled a list of frequently used terms to help you get started.

Learn about the most important and surprising findings from the Global Knowledge 2017 IT Skills and Salary Report. Topics discussed include top salaries, skills gaps, workloads and certifications.

Having a breadth and depth of skills -- especially on new and emerging technologies -- can only weigh in your favor.

You may have heard about IT service management and ITIL being yesterday’s news, but the survey suggests you need to re-evaluate those rumors. The enduring value of ITSM credentials and practices have been championed by Gene Kim, one of the Godfathers of the DevOps world, who has said, “It is my firm belief that ITSM and the DevOps movement are not at odds. Quite to the contrary, they’re a perfect cultural match.”

The purpose of Interior Routing Protocols (IGP), and routing protocols more generally, is to advertise the existence of destination networks. All protocols then have some method of picking what they would consider to be the best path and maintain the information. By...

What is Network Time Protocol (NTP)? Well, it’s a network protocol used to synchronize clocks between computing systems over a packet switched network. It’s been around since the mid-1980s and was developed by David Mills at the University of Delaware; it is one of the oldest protocols still around on the Internet. NTP replaced other time synchronization technologies that didn’t have some capabilities to adjust time based on location of the time source or time server relative to the receiver or adjusting to the variation of delay found on typical data networks.

Get an insider’s take on 2017 cloud computing, DevOps, and Internet of Things (IoT) trends from an industry expert.

Precision Time Protocol (PTP) is a protocol designed to go beyond what Network Time Protocol (NTP) can offer relative to accuracy. PTP is IEEE standard 1588 that can give local computing systems accuracy within the sub-microsecond range (such as microsecond, nanosecond or picoseconds) whereas NTP is within milliseconds or longer. PTP standard was first released in 2002 and known as 1588-2002. In 2008, the IEEE released a revised standard for PTP, known as 1588-2008, that improved the accuracy and precision of the protocol. It is also known as PTPv2 and is not backward compatible with the older version. PTP was developed for packet based network for control and measurement systems.

Modern quality management and project management are complementary. They both emphasize customer satisfaction and the underlying belief that quality leads to customer satisfaction. The main objective in quality management is making sure that the project meets the needs it was originally created to meet—nothing more, nothing less. In other words, to ensure quality, you must meet the needs of the stakeholder.

This article will serve as an important reference in optimizing and stabilizing your Group Policy Deployment.

The question of how a project manager working in a functional or matrix organizational structure gets team members to perform is asked in almost every project management class I have taught.

One size does not always fit all. At times there’s a need to run more than one routing protocol and have more than one routing domain: multivendor shops, migration from one protocol to another, scalability issues of a single protocol, political or personal preference, production versus test networks, mergers, and acquisitions.

Routers and switches make up the bulk of the network infrastructure and are vulnerable to attack. In a previous article, I talked about some of the different ways of hardening your network devices. In this blog, I’d like to specifically examine the routing protocols used on the major Cisco network operating systems.

Dynamic Multipoint Virtual Private Network (DMVPN) is a Cisco network solution for those with many sites that need access to either a hub site or to each other.

One of the best ways to increase your satisfaction with your compensation is to increase the amount of control that you have over it. That inevitably means getting comfortable talking with your boss about a raise.

Are you prepping for the PMP exam? What should you know about the impending new edition of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge PMBOK® Guide before scheduling your examination?

As the technology industry has advanced, the professional certification industry has grown alongside it. The Global Knowledge 2016 IT Skills and Salary Report revealed that Cisco, Microsoft, IT service management, ITIL and security certifications are the most lucrative to obtain.

On September 26, 2016, Microsoft announced the general availability of Windows Server 2016. We already have a taste of what the user interface looks like from Windows 10. In actuality, there are a few other features that Windows 10 picked up first, such as PowerShell 5.0 and the latest version of Hyper-V, that are also part of Windows Server 2016. Many other heavy-hitting server-only features will be here soon.

In reviewing the list of best-paying jobs in IT, you’ll see some areas you might expect like cloud computing and other areas you probably didn’t, like business technology or enterprise infrastructure management. The top 10 functional areas are based on the 2016 IT Skills and Salary Survey conducted by Global Knowledge in October 2015. Note that all references to “average” represent the mean, not the median or other statistical measures.

If you work in IT, there is no doubt that you've lived through more than a few IT nightmares. In celebration of Halloween, we've asked a few of our instructors to share some of the horror stories from their own consulting careers.

The VMware NSX platform combines networking and security functionality directly in the hypervisor and it interoperable with a vast majority of VMware’s products. The platform provides a set of logical networking elements and services, using logical switching, routing, load balancing, VPN, firewall, etc. This product decouples network functionality from the physical devices.

VMware announced Horizon 7 in February and subsequently released the software updates. Horizon 7 provides a more streamlined, high-performance virtual desktop and application experience. New updates include features such as Instant Clones, Smart Policies, Blast Extreme and greater scalability with Cloud Pod Architecture. Let’s dig into the seven key features that Horizon 7 brings!

What were the top paying IT and project management certifications for 2016? his article will help you answer both questions by providing a review of the 15 top-paying certifications.

I’d like to share some best practices for training BI administrators and architects in your organization. Because they will ultimately lead a major BI upgrade, administrators need training before a major project begins, not a few days or weeks before a go-live like other stakeholders. While there are many facets to upgrading your SAP BI system, I’m focusing on the need for BI architects and administrators to understand the BI4 platform’s new tools, new architecture and new monitoring capabilities.

Learn about earned value (EV) and how a project manager can use it to determine project progress.

Have you ever been tasked to do a certain job, but were restricted or prevented from doing it because of the lack of tools or authorization? Many IT administrators who consult or attend training have stories to share about the impediments to using the full power of Windows PowerShell for automating system tasks. There are some ways around this. Although there are many options, we’ll focus on one technique for opening up the use of PowerShell for certain kinds of SharePoint administration.

Projects are a social endeavor. Traditional project management approaches have shied away from the social advantages a more agile project environment brings. By nature, we are storytelling, pattern seeking and social people. We need colocation to shine truly in a project environment.

You are estimating the total project cost using three points for cost estimates with a 95 percent confidence level. What is the cost estimate range if the estimated project cost is $120,000 and the standard deviation is $2,500?

AMC’s television series “Halt and Catch Fire” shows North Texas’ rise as the “Silicon Prairie.” In the 1980s and early 1990s, it’s where IBM PC cloning was explored and where first-person shooter games were created. It’s also the site of the first “logic bomb”—the source of my horror story.

You are the project manager on a construction project where you are deliberating between renting, leasing or purchasing a large piece of equipment. Equipment pricing: Rent at a cost of $2,500 per day; Lease for a 60 day period at $2,500 per day, with a 10% discount; Purchase at a price of $100,000. By looking at your project schedule, you have estimated that you will use the equipment about 50 to 60 days. Based only on price, which decision would you recommend?

Your organization and a seller have just agreed to a contract with a total cost of $150,000, an estimated profit of $10,000, buyer/seller sharing of 70/30 and a ceiling price of $170,000. What is the PTA (point of total assumption)? A. $170,000 B. $160,000 C. $164,2...

The ITIL® event management process defines three event types: informational, warning and exception. In this post, I will discuss the different event types and give real-world examples of each.

My most recent blog addressed whether PMP and CAPM boot camps are worth the time and effort. I concluded that for most exam writers, it really did make sense to buckle down and take advantage of all that a quality boot camp offers.

Cisco Internetwork Operating System (IOS) has been around since a little after the inception of Cisco Systems as a company. In 1984, Len and Sandy Bosack from Stanford University founded Cisco Systems with a small commercial gateway server. The first Cisco router that I touched was an Advanced Gateway Server (AGS), which was the first marketed product of the company. After this came the Mid-Range Gateway Server (MGS), the Compact Gateway Server (CGS) and later the Integrated Gateway Server (IGS) and AGS+. The first version of IOS that I touched was 8.2(7). The operating system was based on a Unix-based system and was designed as a monolithic operating system, meaning that processes are stacked and interrelated.

A strong event management process that is able to detect changes of state throughout an organization’s IT environment is a key aspect of a complete suite of service management processes. Event management ultimately helps an organization maintain control through an understanding of the state of things, and how the state of those things changes in an IT environment.

Event management, although theoretically different, is fundamentally what most IT organizations refer to as “monitoring.” Monitoring an organization’s environment to determine whether important assets are in the state they should be, and knowing when that state changes, is a very important activity that many organizations spend significant portions of their budget doing.

If any of the following reminiscences ring true to you, have you moved beyond them? If not, it might be time to make some new discoveries.

In this blog series, we'll get you up to speed on using the key tools listed in the PMBOK® Guide, including Decision Tree Diagrams.

Accessing cloud-based resources, whether they be IaaS/PaaS/SaaS-based, is very convenient. With a browser and Internet connection, you are up and running. No driving to your work office, no need to log into the corporate network. Just open up your web browser and go. This convenience, however, comes with a security risk. All of your business work is conducted over an insecure communication network. Unlike your office network, where the network link between you and the data center is under corporate control and is physically secure, the cloud access link is over the Internet.

In this blog series, we'll get you up to speed on using the key tools listed in the PMBOK® Guide. First up, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).

It’s not uncommon for different teams to be managing the virtual switch and physical switch configurations. This can make it very difficult to troubleshoot unless each configuration parameter has been gone through manually. There have been enhancements to the vSphere Distributed Switch over the past few years to address these operational challenges.

Young adults unable to find work, employers unable to fill jobs, a recent GAO study that reported substantial declines in telecommunication expertise — there has been a lot of news about the pervasiveness of skills gaps, their causes, the actual impacts and what to do about them. It’s rather confusing, because the term “skills gaps” has been hijacked to politicize an extremely wide range of issues.

Dynamic Access Control (DAC) in Windows Server 2012 lets you manage access to documents in ways that go beyond classic NTFS (New Technology File System) permissions. For example, if you want to allow a set of users in an office across the country or across the globe read-only access to files relating to the Wind Turbine Project, DAC can do the job.

In many of today’s enterprise data warehouses and decision support teams, data scientists and data visualization specialists have reached near rock star status. This is in large part due to their ability to produce unique, clever and insightful perspectives with company information. These analytical gems often bypass obstacles to explain complex business data. This line of work is both an art and a science, and is generally most effective when the right blend of business intelligence tools are in place.

Now that we are moving towards IPv6, the logical move would be to also run OSPF for that protocol suite, which makes sense and reduces the learning curve for implementation and support. But, that would mean that you have to run two OSPF processes — one for IPv4 unicast and one for IPv6 unicast. That means two sets of policies have to be applied, including security for OSPF itself. Running OSPFv3 for both IPv4 and IPv6 reduces the number routing protocols and the configuration that goes with that. It makes it easier to implement policy in a consistent way for both protocol suites.

What is PBR? Policy-Based Routin (PBR) is the process of using a route map to match on something more than the destination and then defining the path out of the router based on those conditions. PBR could match on destination only, but typically we would match on more. PBR is considered to be an exception to the RIB and is looked at before examining the RIB.

What’s the difference between high availability and fault tolerance in VMware vSphere? This article elaborates on first configuring high availability and then layer on the fault tolerance capability. Learn more.

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BC/DR) planning is the process of developing the plans, processes and procedures to respond to the range of incidents. We start with understanding the essential functions of an organization, called Business Impact Analysis (BIA). In life, we set the same priorities: protection of family and friends, shelter, food and water and other life-giving essentials.

One of the main weapons of organized crime on the Internet is the use of junk email, also called spam. Hackers use spam for a number of purposes such as selling counterfeit products (medicines, particularly) to steal your personal or financial information, or to infect your computer with spyware and malware. This malicious software can then hijack your computer and your Internet connection to help propagate itself.

Pen testers beware. Whether you believe you know and understand all the potential legal issues, read on. First of all, a penetration test or “pen test” is a method that’s used to evaluate the security and/or vulnerabilities in a network. This test is normally conducted externally wherein the tester is attempting to hack a network or computer. Breaking into computers and networks is illegal under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), and depending on your activities and other factors, other federal laws and state laws may be broken.

As I’ve stated before, I like Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). I think it’s an interesting protocol, and yes — it’s complicated, but I guess that part of why I like it. There are a lot of knobs to tweak in BGP, maybe too many, but that’s another post. Anyway, we are now running BGP version 4 and it has had extensions written that support more than just IPv4 unicast routing. We now have IPv4 multicast, IPv6 unicast and multicast, VPNv4, VPNv6, and a few others.

Having options in life is usually a good thing. Do you want a cheeseburger or pizza for lunch? Water or sweet tea? And, if you’re going to take a Microsoft certification exam, do you prefer to take it at a Pearson VUE Authorized Test Center or in the comfort of your own home or office?

Where should you apply the CSS, and why are there two places to apply it? One approach is to pick one of the parameters and apply the permissions there. Quite often, an administrator will pick the phone-level CSS and configure it there so that it applies to all calls made from all lines. The goal is to specify what partitions are allowed to be called.