Microsoft Technical Training with Flexible Scheduling

Would You Like to Have a Flexible Training Experience?

In the world of IT certification training, many people and companies are now finding difficult, if not impossible, to release IT staff for multiple days in a row.

Attending a standard 5 day course has become a luxury which most IT professionals have given up on...but they still require the training, so what do they do?

The other scenario many of our clients face is a reduction in IT staff due to current economical pressures, which means it is even more difficult to attend multiple days of training. With only one or two IT staff, most companies simply can’t release their people for more than one day at a time.

Due to these mounting pressures, IT Training Solutions (ITTS) has devised a very flexible way to attend Microsoft certification courses. Branded ClassRoom on Demand, ITTS now offers multi-day courses in a one-day-at-a-time solution!

ITTS takes a multi-day course and breaks it up into daily chunks. Students purchase a 2, 3 or 5-day course, but have the ability to schedule and attend these courses one day at a time as fits with their work schedule.

So if a student can attend multiple days in a row, we can accommodate that need, but if they can only come in one day per week, or one day per month, we can also accommodate that requirement.

This solution also allows us to deliver multiple courses to multiple students at the same time. This means your scheduled courses won’t be cancelled!

So if you are Brisbane-based, and would like to investigate a new way of experiencing Microsoft technical training, contact us and ask about the ClassRoom on Demand today!

It is the most flexible way to get trained in today’s market.

You can learn more about ClassRoom on Demand by Clicking Here

Visit ITTS at http://www.itts.com.au/  

Value of IT Certification - Microsoft Video

Visit ITTS on www.itts.com.au

5 Ways to Get the Training You Require

Here are 5 Tips on How to Get Trained

Changes in technology and the IT industry happen quickly, so you must keep up to date with new trends and developments as they emerge if you hope to remain at the forefront of the field.

Pursuing training on an ongoing basis also can help your job security. The employment market is not the only place where companies look for individuals with the most advanced abilities — your current employer also appreciates workers who make the effort to keep their skills sharp and can help the firm remain competitive.

Perhaps most important, training helps ensure you are always prepared for the next step in your career. Learning new skills can allow you to take on additional projects and more demanding — and rewarding — assignments with your current organization. If you decide to explore job opportunities outside your firm, possessing up-do-date skills will increase your marketability.

Here’s how you can secure the training you seek:

Be Proactive

Above all, it’s important to remember that you must take an active role when it comes to pursuing training opportunities. Rarely will others tell you exactly what type of professional development to pursue and how to go about doing it. Before exploring potential avenues for professional development, determine in which areas you need to strengthen your skill set. Are you struggling with .NET? Are you hoping to transition to a management position and want to develop your leadership abilities? Keep in mind that the type of training you seek should align with your current job or future career goals.

Explore Internal Resources

Next, find out what resources are available within your firm that would allow you to pursue your professional development goals. Even though many firms have cut back on training budgets during the downturn, don’t assume you have to go outside your company to find the support you need. In fact, 21 percent of CIOs polled by Robert Half Technology said they plan to offer more training and professional development for their staff this year. Are there seminars, training presentations or courses available through the organization’s intranet site, for example? Also remember that many businesses provide assistance to employees by offering tuition reimbursement, subsidized membership to professional organizations or the opportunity to attend industry conferences. Speak to your manager about the internal options.

How to Set Up Milestones in MS Project

Check Out This Short Video on How to Set-up Milestones in Microsoft Project

Get Trained in Microsoft Project today at http://www.itts.com.au/

10 Tips for Your Windows 7 Migration

Planning a Windows 7 Migration?
Whether or not a Windows 7 upgrade is inevitable for your organization, it’s almost a guarantee at some point you’ll have to manage a major OS migration. Whenever you’re faced with that battle, there are some key things you need do to ensure success.

1. Plan to be off Windows XP by Year-End 2012 — Microsoft® will support Windows XP with security fixes into April of 2014, but past experience has shown that independent software vendors (ISVs) will stop testing much earlier. “New releases of critical business software will require Windows 7 long before Microsoft support for Windows XP ends,” said Steve Kleynhans, research vice president at Gartner. “Organizations that get all of their users off Windows XP by the end of 2012 will avoid significant potential problems.”

2. Start Working on Migration Projects Now — The typical organization requires 12 to 18 months waiting, testing, and planning before it can start deploying a new client OS. There is a lot of work to be done in preparation, and delays in getting started will only result in added costs later.

3. Don’t Wait for Windows 7 SP1 to Begin Testing and Deployment — Many organizations say they plan to wait until SP1 ships to begin testing and deploying a new client OS. Gartner analysts suggest starting work now (especially if companies have skipped Windows Vista), but are planning to switch to SP1 before their actual rollout.

4. Don’t Skip Windows 7 — Gartner categorizes Windows 7 as a “polishing” release on top of the architectural change that the Windows Vista “plumbing” release delivered. Gartner analysts said polishing releases should never be skipped. Per Michael Silver, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner, “While organizations that skipped Windows 2000 and waited for XP had some problems spanning the gap, organizations that adopted Windows 2000 and tried to skip Windows XP, waiting for Vista, had a much harder time.”

5. Budget Carefully — Migration Costs to Vary Significantly — Gartner’s model shows that migration costs could be $1,035 to $1,930 per user to move from Windows XP to Windows 7, and $339 to $510 per user to move from Windows Vista to Windows 7 depending on an organization’s approach.

Microsoft Discontinues the MCA Certification

On May 1, 2010, about five years after the program's inception, Microsoft has discontinued the more vendor-neutral arms of its Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA) program in favor of focusing on the certifications more tightly linked to Microsoft technologies. According to Microsoft, the need for broad-based IT architect certification programs is now being met by other organizations, and thus Microsoft is removing itself from that particular arena. The MCA certifications that focus on Microsoft technologies will still be offered, and in fact several additional technology designations are in the works.

ITTS Launches ClassRoom on Demand

Methodology


ClassRoom on Demand is a mentored learning program which allows you to spread your Microsoft Technical training across multiple days because you are in control of your own personal schedule. Our technical ClassRoom on Demand is open 5 days a week from 8:30am-4pm, and is equipped with everything you need to learn, practice your skills and gain a Microsoft certification.

You ring ITTS, book your preferred days for training, then attend your own customised schedule.

No more worries about course dates not matching your work load!

One Day at a Time Training

Courses are broken up into one day blocks, so you can elect to:

Attend five days consecutively

Attend two days in one week and three days in another week

Or spread your training days over several weeks or months

The Choice is Yours...

Structured Training Program

ClassRoom on Demand is not a self-paced training program! Students are expected to progress through a course in the same duration as a normal training course (a 5-day course is completed over 5 days).

Students are guided through the training materials with a student guide. This student guide clearly shows which content should be studied in which order, so attendees will complete the courses in the same duration as advised by Microsoft.

Support Materials

Students Receive the Following Training Materials:

Office 2010 Released in May - Virtual Launch

Microsoft Office 2010 News


Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 Virtual Launch Dates Announced
Save the date!

Watch Stephen Elop, President of the Microsoft Business Division, announce the launch of Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 on May 12, 2010 at 11 a.m. EST. The live keynote focuses on the next wave of productivity that delivers end user productivity across the PC, phone and browser, IT choice and flexibility, and a platform for developers to build innovative solutions. Join Microsoft executives, product developers, partners, and customers at the Virtual Launch Event:

• Find out how peers and partners are already seeing benefits to their business by leveraging the next wave of productivity.
• Submit your questions through live Q&A.
• Participate via blogs, tweets, social media networks, commenting, and more.

Learn About the Office 2010 Technology Guarantee
Now consumers who purchase and activate Office 2007 will be able to download Office 2010 at no additional cost when it becomes available in June 2010.

All you need to be eligible for this program – Office 2010 Technology Guarantee – is the following:

• Purchase Office 2007, or a new PC with Office 2007, and activate it between March 5, 2010 and September 30, 2010.
• Have, or create a Windows Live ID.
• Redeem your Tech Guarantee before October 31, 2010 by visiting www.office.com/techg

The Office 2010 Technology Guarantee will be fulfilled online, via download, at no additional cost.

For more information about the Office 2010 Technology Guarantee, and to sign up for an e-mail reminder when Office 2010 is available, visit www.office.com/techg

www.itts.com.au

Excel - Formulas and Functions Video

Chck Out This Short Video About the Formulas and Functions in MS Excel

You Can Visit ITTS at http://www.itts.com.au/  

The Next Big Thing To Learn Is Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing - The Next Big Thing To Learn

"Whenever you roll out a new technology, there are always changes to how people perceive that technology, and the ramifications to employment that technology has. Cloud computing is disruptive, allowing fewer people to do stuff that an entire IT Shop used to do.

Gigaom this morning posts the idea that cloud computing is going to have a negative influence on the IT Job market, as much as the computer had on the typewriter market. The idea is sound; the question is how do people learn enough about cloud computing to remain competitive in the market place?

Hyper-V Labs - Experience a Half-Day Virtualisation Hands-on Lab

Experience a Half-Day Hyper-V Hands-On Lab

Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) allows you to convert existing physical computers into virtual machines through a process known as physical-to-virtual (P2V) conversion.

VMM simplifies P2V by providing a task-based wizard to automate much of the conversion process. Since the P2V process is completely scriptable, you can initiate large-scale P2V conversions through Windows PowerShell. The requirements for physical source computers depend on whether you are performing an online or offline P2V.

ITTS has developed a half-day hands-on lab, where you will perform actual P2V virtualisations on real servers. Don't practice on your live production environment! Learn about implementing virtualisation best pratices, and more importantly...Learn from our mistakes!

 

After completing this lab you will be able to: 

• Install and verify the components required for SCVMM 2008 R2.
• Install SCVMM 2008 R2 on a Windows 2008 R2 Hyper‑V Enabled Server
• Perform an Online P2V conversion of a production Windows 2003 R2 Server
• Perform an Offline P2V Conversion of a Windows 2000 Server  

Hyper-V Hands-On Lab Dates in Brisbane:

 

Mar 26 - Times: 9am-12:30pm or 1:30pm - 4:00pm

 

Apr 16 - Times: 9am-12:30pm or 1:30pm - 4:00pm

 

May 18 - Times: 9am-12:30pm or 1:30pm - 4:00pm

 

Cost = $220 Inc Gst

 

Click Here to Register For the Hyper-V Hands-On Labs

 

Does Certification Really Matter in IT?

Does Certification Matter in 2010?

 "Over the last few years, it seems like technical education and corresponding credentials have begun falling by the wayside. Sure, IT administrators, technicians and other staff still need to master their respective domains. There's certainly little margin for error when you're configuring, provisioning and managing computing resources in multi-million dollar corporate data centers. So why don't industry-recognized certifications seem to matter anymore?

This worry isn't just conjecture or my own personal opinion. In late 2009, TechTarget sponsored its annual Data Center Decisions survey. The survey was designed to gather information on the technological preferences and initiatives across a cross-section of IT professionals, and it also included a few career-related questions. The career results were stunning.

Our Own Steven Knight and Conditional Formatting in Excel

Check out this training video produced by one of our star trainers, Mr. Steven Knight.

Steven is a guru across a myriad of applications, so tune in now to learn about conditional formatting in Excel.

Video Post | Great Keyboard Short-Cuts for Microsoft Word

Visit us at www.itts.com.au

Windows 7 Tips - Customize Your Start Menu Options

Windows 7 provides excellent control to customize your Start menu options.

You can choose which commands appear on the Start menu and how they are arranged. You can add options for Control Panel, Devices And Printers, Network Connections, and other key tools. You can also enable or disable personalized menus on the All Programs menu.

To change the Start menu options, follow these steps:

1. Right-click Start on the taskbar, and then click Properties. The Taskbar And Start Menu Properties dialog box is displayed with the Start Menu tab selected by default.

2. On the Start Menu tab, use the Power Button Action list to select the action to use when the power button is pressed. Options include Switch User, Log Off, Lock, Restart, Sleep, and Shut Down. In a 24x7 environment, or when multiple users log on to the same computer, switching users, logging off, or locking the system may be preferable to shutting down the computer. If you change the default action, you can shut down the computer by clicking Start and then clicking Shutdown.

Microsoft Issues Fixes for Windows Quirks

Microsoft this week issued four specialized fixes for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 products.

The updates were released on Jan. 25 and 26 at the Microsoft Download Center. Most are targeted at Windows idiosyncrasies, and might or might not be included in Microsoft's upcoming monthly patch cycles. Users typically shouldn't install the updates unless they are experiencing problems highlighted in Microsoft's associated Knowledge Base articles.

For those in the peculiar position of having problems with software updates actually working, Microsoft re-released its "system update readiness tool" for Windows 7 and Windows Vista, as well as Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2. Versions of the tool were released late last year, but Microsoft republished them this week.

Microsoft FUSE and Facebook Connect

Microsoft has lit a FUSE

"Matt Thompson, general manager of Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) developer and platform evangelism in Silicon Valley, said the software giant is ready to make moves in the social network/collaboration space beyond its already successful SharePoint software. He said Microsoft Research has about 25 different social collaboration projects they've put under one group called FUSE Labs.

"You're going to see some innovative stuff under social collaboration," he said. "We have a vision for where this is going in the future. Video and telepresence is a key piece. And you'll see a lot more interoperability as well. This can't be a single stack."

Queensland signs whole-of-government deal with Microsoft

Up to 150,000 employees will access Microsoft software licensing through a panel of large account resellers

The Queensland Government has signed a whole-of-government deal with Microsoft to give all departments access to the vendor’s software through a selected panel of Large Account Resellers (LAR).

The three-year enterprise agreement, which was announced on Australia Day, will see all panel participants selected through a tender process.

“In addition, the arrangement gives all state and local government entities the opportunity to purchase other Microsoft solutions with various options, depending upon the needs of the agency involved,” Minister for Public Works and Information and Communications Technology, Robert Schwarten, said.

The major agreement was signed as part of the Government’s ‘Toward Q2 through ICT’ strategy, a five-year plan designed to bring the state’s ICT under whole-of-government arrangements.

Advance Your Career - Get a Second Shot at Microsoft Certification

Advance Your Career - Get a Second Shot at Microsoft Certification

Whether you are currently unemployed, looking for a promotion, or trying to become indispensable in your existing role, Microsoft Certifications can validate that you have the skills needed to work in the top IT professional and developer jobs in the industry.

Take advantage of our Second Shot offer and get a free retake if you do not pass an IT professional or developer Microsoft Certification exam the first time. You must take both the first and (if necessary) the retake exam before June 30, 2010.

Configure Your Windows 7 System to Run Legacy Apps in a Virtualized Windows XP Environment

“Windows XP Mode is an optional download for the Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions of Windows 7. It provides a licensed copy of Windows XP with Service Pack 3, saved in Virtual Machine Hard Drive Image (.vhd) format. When run in Windows Virtual PC, or another compatible program, this virtualized installation of Windows XP lets you run applications that might not run well in Windows 7. Windows XP Mode is also handy if you have an older device with a proprietary driver that hasn’t been updated for Windows Vista or Windows 7. If it worked great in Windows XP but doesn’t work in Windows 7, give it a try in Windows XP Mode.

Microsoft Learning Releases Labs Online Training Product.

On January 15th, Microsoft Learning released their Labs Online training product.

This is great news for any Microsoft training partner (CPLS) for many reasons, several of which are highlighted in the summary below…

“The Benefits of Labs Online for Training Partners:

• Reduce training delivery costs

Microsoft Learning Labs Online greatly reduce time spent on setting up labs and downloading lab images, giving you a chance to better utilize staff and instructors’ time. In addition, expensive hardware is not required to run Labs Online – reducing hardware upgrade costs and initial set-up costs of building new classrooms or training centers.

Office 2010 - Pros and Cons - Should You Upgrade?

"With Office 2010 set to launch in June, businesses of all sizes are considering if it is worth the money and hassle to upgrade, especially for small and midsize companies that never moved from Office 2003 to Office 2007.

The Pros:

It Breaks Down Old Boundaries

Forrester lists three features in Office 2010 that make it "boundary breaking": The use of SharePoint Workspace (formerly known as Groove) to share and edit SharePoint content both online and offline; easing enterprise security fears by making Office Web Apps available privately as part of a company's license agreement; and integrating social media tools from sites such as LinkedIn in Outlook through Outlook Social Connector.

These new integration features -- if they work smoothly -- give Microsoft an upper hand over more established online productivity suites like Google Apps and Zoho, according to the Forrester report.

Simplified Suite Options for Enterprises

There are seven total editions of Office 2010, but for volume licensing customers (mostly enterprise-size companies), Microsoft has reduced that amount to two: Standard and Professional Plus. This is half as many as Office 2007 (Ultimate and Enterprise editions have been eliminated).

Five Tips For Deploying Windows 7 – Real World Case Study - BMW

"BMW, with over 85,000 employees worldwide, deployed Windows 7 to 500 employees in 2009 and expects to increase that to 5000 users by October 2010, with a view to have all 85,000 employees using Windows 7 by late 2011.

Being an early adopter and migrating that many people from eight-year-old Windows XP to Windows 7 is a monumental task, but one that many enterprises now face. At BMW, Bernhard Huber is taking a deliberate and systematic approach to Windows 7 deployments, rolling it out in phases.

IT executive Bernhard Huber, offers five tips below for deploying Windows 7 within your organisation:

Four Options for Free Storage in the Cloud

Here Are Four Options for Free Storage in the Cloud:

DropBox
Google's DropBox offers 2GB of free online storage. Other options include 50GB for $9.99 per month, or 100GB for $19.99 per month. When put your files in a DropBox folder in one computer, they're uploaded to the site's secure servers. Google Docs has a 250MB file size limit, but DropBox has no such limitation. You can access your files from other computers (Windows, Mac, or Linux) or mobile devices that run DropBox too.

Box.Net
Targeted at the corporate crowd, Box.Net is a little less generous in the storage department.

The site's free option provides 1GB of online storage with a 25MB file-size limit. For $10 per month, you get 5GB of storage and a 1GB file size limit. The $15 per month plan includes 10GB of storage, with the same 1-gig file cutoff. Pricier plans for enterprise customers (with unlimited storage) are available too.

Twitter Trials New Business Feature

Twitter Trials New Business Feature

Twitter has announced a trial of a new functionality aimed specifically at business users, indicating a shift toward commercialising the service.

The micro-blogging platform is currently beta testing the new ‘Contributors’ feature, which allows business users to manage how its employees are identified under their Twitter account.

More than one tweep can tweet from a single twitter account. Or in English, multiple users are now able to be credited in the by-line, freeing up the precious 140 character limit and making business to consumer communication more personal.

Pump Up Your Resume - Get IT Certified!

Despite the threat of recession, or perhaps because of it, certifications are proving once again to be a great way for IT professionals to ensure that their resume gets a serious look.

Pump Up Your Resume - Get IT Certified!

With the US economy slipping into the grip of a recession, there has been a significant drop in number of new job opportunities in the IT sector. Organizations prefer to outsource their non-core IT related jobs to low-cost destinations. Nonetheless, there is still a healthy demand for on-site IT professionals in the states, as organizations look for qualified specialists who are experts in their fields.

Certified professionals are often a preferred choice, as they have proven themselves to be particularly effective in the certified skill set. Certifications are proving once again to be a great way for IT professionals to ensure that their resume gets a serious look.

4 Strategies To Upskill Your IT Certfication in a Down Economy

4 Strategies To Upskill in a Down Economy

"1. Determine the most relevant courses & directions for upgrading skills in the current situation. Are they relevant right now?

As networks become more sophisticated and increasingly complex, the skills requirements for network professionals have rapidly accelerated and evolved. Networks have grown from basic transport systems for data to a business-critical application and services delivery platform.

To gain a better understanding about how companies can keep pace with new tools, converging technologies and expanding infrastructure, Cisco commissioned Forrester Consulting to conduct a global survey of 1,500 IT hiring managers across ten countries, including Russia. The results showed that in today's constantly shifting network environment, there is an immediate need to provide dedicated IT professionals with network education, self-assessment tools, and training and certification programs.

The Forrester research cited the most critical new job skills to support the functionality of the network to be wireless, voice, security, and remote office work. These specific areas demand the most urgent attention because innovation in networking tools is outpacing the skills required to implement them and manage them.

Fresh Off The Wire - Microsoft XP SP2 Support Ends in July 2010 - Get Trained on Windows 7 Today!

According to the latest MS Partner News, Support for Windows XP SP2 Ends July, 2010!

Get Prepared for Windows 7 and Get Trained Today!

SEO Certification – Is There Such a Thing?

SEO Certification – Is There Such a Thing?

IT Training Solutions is in the process of designing a course on Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), so I’ve been doing quite a bit of research on this topic. One of the problems, as outlined in the article below, is how quickly the search engines change their search algorithms. So it’s very easy to find yourself learning SEO tips that are no longer applicable.

I found the article below on http://www.seo-theory.com/ written by Michael Martinez to be very enlightening as to the reality of SEO certification.  I’ve take the liberty to edit some of his personal opinions for the purpose of staying on the topic of certification.

“SEO Certification is a really scary topic. There are dozens if not hundreds of Web sites offering SEO Certification and, in an industry that has no professional standards, many of these sites claim to base their certifications on “peer reviewed” processes and nationally recognized standards. I know of only one established peer-reviewing group and that is Search Engine Marketing Journal. I’m not aware of any publications by the body on standards or certification.

In fact, there is only one internationally recognized organization that has anything approaching the credibility of being a “standards body” and that is the Search Engine Marketing Professionals Association.

*There is no way to get around this, if you are in IT and you stop learning, then you are doomed to be replaced in the near future.

Today’s laid-off systems administrators, however, are not likely landing these newly formed IT 2.0 jobs. They have been too busy applying duct tape and Band-Aids to existing infrastructures to stay on top of the cutting edge. Nearly a year and a half ago, already, I heard a FedEx Corporate Services IT executive bemoan how ill-equipped his team was to deal with the division’s increasingly fabric-like infrastructure. He was neither the first nor the last to express that sentiment. Source: Gigaom

The next big thing to learn is cloud computing.

Highest Paying IT Certifications for 2009

This article about the highest paying IT certifications in 2009 was taken from certificationsblog.com

1. PMP ( Project Management Professional)

PMP certification is designed to demonstrate strong level of project management and leadership skills. PMP is with an average annual salary of $101,695, this certification is leading the list of highest paying certification of this year.

2. CAPM ( Certified Associate Project Management)

Next highest paying is PMI’s certification known as Certified Associate in Project Management. CAPM certification holders surveyed have an average annual salary of $101,103.

3. ITIL v2 – Foundations

ITIL v2 Foundations certification came at 3 rd position with an average annual salary of $95,415. ITIL stands for IT Infrastructure library. More information about this certification can be found here

4. CISSP ( Certified Information System Security Professional)

CISSP with an average salary of $94,018 came at number 4 in the highest paying certifications list. CISSP is also known as “gold standard” in security certifications and it is handled by ICS2 (International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium). This is called baseline certification recognized by department of defense and national security agency.

5. Cisco CCIE Certification ( Routing and Switching)

Cisco CCIE Routing and Switching came at number 5 with an average salary of $93,500 in IT industry. Routing and switching are specialized tracks in cisco certified networking expert certification. It is the most famous CCIE track these days covering wide range of subjects, such as LAN, WAN, TCP/IP, Ethernet, OSPF and BGP, IPv6 etc.

7 Tools to Better Manage Your Social Networks

This article is from CIO.com.au.

"When you belong to several social networking sites-Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter-(and don't we all?), keeping up with them can seem overwhelming.

Tweet this. Update that status. Share a link here. If you've resolved to get more organized this year, consider these seven tools that save time and streamline your social networking interactions.

My picks: For easy content sharing across platforms, be sure to check out is the browser plugin Shareaholic. And for simple synching and updating of multiple accounts, Atomkeep seems to be the most efficient.

Top 5 Most Popular and 5 Least Popular Microsoft Certifications

*This information can be useful if you’re thinking about getting certified and want to know which certifications are popular and which ones are in demand.

Please note: the numbers below are current as of June 2008.

Top 5 Most Popular Microsoft Certifications:

1. Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) — with over 2 million people certified worldwide, 2,296,561 to be exact

2. Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) – Windows NT 4.0 — with 395,798 people certified

3. Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) – Windows 2000 — with 290,359 certifications worldwide