Microsoft Certifications

Do Windows 7 certification now

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 18:14:00 +0000

Yesterday, we released our next certification under our new branding - Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) on Windows 7.

Many of you now have this certification on your transcript and may be wondering what it is and how you earned it. As part of our efforts to grandfather our existing customers into the new program, we are awarding those individuals that have already passed the approprite Windows 7 exams, the MCSA: Windows 7 certification.

Here are the MCSA: Windows 7 requirements:

MCSA certification	Requirements
MCSA: Windows 7	MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Administrator (Exam 70-680:Windows 7, Configuring and Exam 70-686: Windows 7, Enterprise Desktop Administrator) OR MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Support Technician (Exam 70-680: Windows 7, Configuring and Exam 70-685:Windows 7, Enterprise Desktop Support Technician)

Some questions you may have are

When you can I download my certificate?
- It should be available now if you have the certification on your transcript.

What is happening to the existing MCTS and MCITP certifications on Windows 7?
- These certifications will remain available to earn until January 31, 2014. Once they have been earned they will remain on your transcript.

Does the MCSA: Windows 7 certification go away on January 31, 2014?
- No. The MCSA: Windows 7 certification will remain available after January 31, 2014.

For those that have earned the MCSA: Windows 7 certification, you will be able to earn the new MCSA: Windows 8 certification by taking and passing one exam - exam 689.

Here is the upgrade path to the MCSA: Windows 8 certification.

Current Certification	Goal	Requirements
MCSA: Windows 7	MCSA: Windows 8	Exam 689: Upgrading Your Skills to MCSA Windows 8 This exam has not been released yet, check back later this year for more information.

Our web pages are in progress and should be updated with the latest information in the next day.

Lots going on so let me know what questions you have.

Have a great day!

Source: Microsoft.com

New MCSE Certifications for Windows Server 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 18:13:00 +0000

Greetings from TechEd North America in Orlando, Florida. I’m very excited to announce two new Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) certifications based on Windows Server 2012. These certifications, and the training associated with them, provide IT professionals with new opportunities to grow and validate skills for modern IT and datacenter environments. The new certifications are the latest offerings in our reinvented Microsoft Certification Program.

As with all of our certifications, the MCSE can be the differentiator in hiring decisions and career momentum. Across the IT industry, it is becoming more important for IT professionals to have the necessary technology skills to address the increasingly blurred lines between work and life in their organizations and create dynamic, secure, available, and cost-effective infrastructure solutions. The MCSE certifications on Windows Server 2012 can help technology professionals to enable a modern workstyle and a cloud-optimized datacenter.

Here are the two new certifications:

The MCSE: Desktop Infrastructure certification focuses on how to deploy and manage desktops and devices, allowing flexible, consistent, and reliable access to corporate services. Essentially, it allows IT professionals to be the hero in their organization by enabling a flexible work style providing access from anywhere, on any device, while maintaining security and compliance. This certification validates skills in desktop virtualization, remote desktop services, and application virtualization.

The MCSE: Server Infrastructure certification focuses on how to design, build, manage, and run a highly efficient data center. With the know-how of essential services ranging from identity management, systems management, virtualization, storage, and networking, you have the tools needed to run a highly efficient and modern datacenter. This certification empowers you to go beyond virtualization and deliver the essential services for a highly efficient and modern datacenter.

Please keep checking back for more news about the Microsoft Certification Program. And as always, please let us know what you think.

Source: microsoft.com

Get a second shot at Microsoft Certification for free

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 18:11:00 +0000

Retake an exam for free and save 15% on certification packs

Prove that you have the knowledge and skills in the most current and specialized technologies and solutions by earning a Microsoft Certification. Passing the exams needed to demonstrate those skills can be tough, but for a limited time, you’ll get a free second chance to succeed.

Here's how it works:

For Microsoft Certification packs: In addition to saving at least 15 percent on the cost of the certification exams, you get one free retake for each exam you don’t pass the first time.
For single exams with Second Shot: If you fail your exam the first time you take it, you may use the same voucher for your retake exam.

Read the FAQ to find out more.

STEP 1 – REGISTER

Register for your Second Shot voucher.
STEP 2 – SCHEDULE

Schedule and pay for your exam at Prometric using your voucher code.
STEP 3 – TAKE EXAM

Take your exam.
STEP 4 – RETAKE EXAM

If you do not pass, use your voucher code to register for the same exam again at no charge.

Exams	Second Shot Availability End Date	Exam and Second Shot Expiration Date
Second Shot is attached to all regular-priced individual technical exams	May 31, 2013	May 31, 2013
Second Shot is attached to the following MCSA, MCSE, and MCSD certification exam packs and saves you at least 15 percent off single exam pricing: MCSA: Windows Server 2012 MCSA: Windows Server 2008 MCSA: SQL Server 2012 MCSE: Desktop Infrastructure MCSE: Server Infrastructure MCSE: Private Cloud MCSE: Data Platform MCSE: Business Intelligence MCSE: Communications MCSE: Messaging MCSE: SharePoint Upgrade to MCSE: Windows Server 2012	May 31, 2013	December 31, 2013
New to technology? Get a Second Shot on the Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) certification exams	June 30, 2013	June 30, 2013

Notes

You can only register for one exam at a time, and you cannot register for a second exam until you have taken the previous one.
Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) commercial exams purchased through Prometric are eligible for Second Shot. MTA academic exams purchased through Certiport are not eligible for Second Shot.
If you fail a beta (prefix 071) exam using your Second Shot voucher, Prometric will email your retake voucher code for the live (070) version within a week of receiving your beta results. This only applies to regular-priced individual technical exams, not certification pack exams.

Source: Microsoft.com

What is the benefit of Microsoft MCT certified?

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 18:10:00 +0000

Recently, a young IT professional starting out in his career asked us on Facebook: "What is the benefit if I get certified?" In the guest blog post below, MCT Ed Baker responds to this young IT pro's question. If you'd like to connect with Ed for more advice, please leave a comment or check out his Born to Learn profile.

Ask an MCT: "What is the benefit if I get certified?"

Why do we have to take all these exams?

I am lucky enough to teach for Firebrand Training, a Microsoft Learning Partner in the UK, and for the last 12 months also a Microsoft IT Academy. I split my time between teaching Server and Client courses to corporate delegates and apprentices. For the most part, the corporate delegates are only there for one thing – certification, that’s why they chose an accelerated programme MCSA Server 2012 in 8 days, MCSE in 13 or 14. Talking to these experienced IT folks about certification is, as we say, preaching to the converted. A large proportion pay for their own courses and know just how valuable certification is to a career. I know – because that is how I started on the road to becoming an MCT. Apprentices are a different matter. They're usually younger and working at their first IT jobs, and I enjoy helping them lay a good foundation for their IT career.

What exactly is the benefit of all this certification to young people?

Well, I tackle it from a different angle on day one. I explain that it is my job to help apprentices achieve a certain level of competence and understanding in the technical areas, so that not only can they get a job, but more importantly they can do the job well AND keep it. I am not here to get them certified, but that if I do my job and they do theirs, they will pass the exams, and invariably they do. The 5 weeks of residential training cover Networking, Database, and Server Administration. The IT Academy e-learning also allows them to take the material and study at work or online at home to take those tests later.

If 500 young IT professionals apply for any technical job, all with similar résumé contents, then a hiring manager is going to put the certified candidates right at the top of the pile. In troubled employment times, employers can be very picky. Once you secure a job and prove that you can do the work it entails, you need to progress, show you can learn more and upgrade your skills for more responsibilities. How do you do that? Go and learn the new products with hands-on experience, and prove you can do the job by taking and passing the certification examinations.

Is that what you did Ed?

I started out on my IT journey as a Project Manager who wanted to make sure that all the technical consultants were not trying to add un-necessary days and weeks to my precious project plan. Once I got the technical bug and decided I wanted to teach what I knew, it was essential to be certified. I would not try and tell someone how to use something without being qualified. To be qualified, it is my assertion that a trainer MUST be certified and SHOULD be experienced in using the product in everyday situations, including the bad times when things are going wrong. How to get out of trouble when your Server goes down is a valuable skill.

For those who don’t want to teach, then certifying is just as useful. Microsoft provide access to a whole bunch of useful benefits to its certified professionals. The online transcript sharing tool allows a prospective employer (or current one) to view all of your Microsoft exam passes, current and past certifications and in the case of a trainer, the course you are allowed to teach.

What else does Microsoft give me?

As a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), you receive access to an MCP-only website with links to the MCP community. In addition, this site offers downloads of Certificates, Logos, links to a Certification Planner and many more useful bits and bobs. If you decides to become a Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) or a Trainer (MCT), the other tabs on the site become available to you, along with their benefits.

So, if apprentices and those starting out in IT should get certified, is it just as relevant for those with many years of experience and practice behind them? In short, it opens doors that are firmly closed without a current certification.

I had spent many years being self-employed and not needed to recertify every time a new version or product was released. I simply learned the products, tested them in a lab and then deployed and used them for my customers. When I decided I wanted to take a different career path, I found more than one prospective employer happy to talk to me and discuss options but not one of them would progress further until I was certified in the subject areas I was interested in.

As soon as I had gone away and gained the certifications for things I already knew I could do, the employers were offering jobs at the first opportunity. It is very difficult to make a hiring decision without some objective markers and certification is an effective marker of ability.

Isn’t it just a bit of paper?

For this reason it is imperative that the integrity of the certification system is maintained, if not, then there will be a larger number of ‘paper-qualified’ people around. Without integrity, the certification process means nothing. As end users, we have to trust that the provider, in this case Microsoft maintains both the integrity AND the fairness of the exams and the process.

Anyone who has taken Microsoft exams in the last 12 months will have seen an enormous number of changes to the item types, just check out the Ask a Certification Expert (ACE) series of video clips to see what’s been happening. They even have their own outtakes video!

These changes have turned the new certifications into excellent examples of current, relevant and challenging tests. There is however a dark side, where the force is strong, sadly.

Some exam centres and administrator are not as vigilant as they should be and there are a number of websites, forums and other communities where the contents of exams are regularly exchanged. This is being tracked and tackled by Microsoft – They have a department and a manager specially employed to do this. Check out this Born to Learn interview, too. It is also up to us IT professionals all to be on the look-out for such things. More importantly SEE it, REPORT it! If you don’t, you have no right to complain when someone else who you know cheated get the job you are after.

In a nutshell.

Certification get you.

A Job
A qualification
A better salary
A community to join
Microsoft MCP benefits

You know it makes sense.

Source: http://borntolearn.mslearn.net

HTML5: Free training and exam voucher

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 18:09:00 +0000

Ready to prove or acquire Windows Apps skills? Here are 4 ways to prepare for the demand:

Free Exam - Get a free voucher to take exam 70-480: Programming in HTML5 w/ JavaScript + CSS3. Find the voucher code. http://aka.ms/HTML5OfferMVA
Free Training - Want to learn HTML5 or brush up before taking the exam? Sign up to access the free online HTML5 course. http://aka.ms/HTML5OfferMVA
Free eBook - Courtesy of Microsoft Press, "Programming Windows 8 Apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript" http://aka.ms/win8apps-ebook
Free Events - Microsoft Learning Partners are holding #TechShowcase events around the world. Find and attend one near you: http://aka.ms/TechShowcase

Tell your friends about it in 2 ways:

Copy one of the 4 lines above and send it out on Twitter, LinkedIn, Weibo, or your favorite social network sites.
Click on the image below to spread the word from our Facebook page.

Source http://borntolearn.mslearn.net

Does Microsoft Certification Really Matter?

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 18:07:00 +0000

Does certification really matter? This is one of the most frequently asked and debated topic among IT pros and developers, whether they have college degrees or years of industry experience. You want to know if pursuing Microsoft certification is a good investment of time and money. MCT and Senior Consultant Jasper Kraak, who lives and works in the Netherlands, shares what he has witnessed in the industry, and why certification indeed matters. Read on:

Why Certification Does Matter

There seems to a lot skepticism on IT Certification and there’s probably a good reason for that. But that is not what I’ll be blogging about in this post. I’m looking for empowering reasons to DO get certified.

For individuals it’s always good to stretch yourself; life begins at the end of your comfort zone. The harder you need to strech the more satisfaction you get out of the result. Maybe that’s even better than a higher salary or bonus, although I do not underestimate those benefits. Certification makes it easier to search for new jobs, you can show that you’re up to date in your field of expertise. Passing an exam is also an acknowledgement for yourself of which you should be proud.

I also think it’s normal to stay up to date, looking at my closest relatives (neither of them are into IT), they all keep on developping their skills and knowledge about their respective jobs. Even my 82 year old mother as a biologist….

She blogs and is active on LinkedIn. But especially in IT, you’re out if you’re not up to date, it goes with the job. About nine months ago I blogged that the “serverhuggers” will be the first to lose their jobs. Last week I heard a CIO/CEO say: “What’s the difference between Elvis and a Systems Administrator? The Systems Administrator is really dead!”

For employers it seems logical that they only want to hire qualified employees to manage their expensive hard and software systems. I’m always very unpleasantly surprised to hear that they just “trust” their people but have actually no idea what they are doing for their money. It’s ridiculous to have untrained and unskilled people manage very expensive systems on which the company relies for it’s primary business processes. As employers invest in new technologies, training is hardly ever on the budget. It’s time now to take that business serious, IT has evolved enough to get rid of the sociologist who happens to know something about Windows. Windows is not manageable through therapy (most of the time… J). Employers investing in people have a more loyal workforce, no, they won’t run after they took their classes and passed their exams.

For outsourcers, headhunters, employer agencies and companies like that, you charge your customers big bucks so you’d better deliver. I do not only want to see an impressive resume with projects, responsibilities and accomplishments. I want to see a steady list of Certifications matching the position, otherwise we have no deal. So you should demand of your candidates a proper set of certifications, moreover, it should be the first thing to look for in any resume.

I take pride in being an IT Professional with an outstanding track record of certification and through that achieving great results in projects and training. And that leads to being reckoned as expert and guru in my fields of expertise.

About Jasper Kraak, in his own words:

My passion lies with Microsoft Technology, which started with NT3.1. Since then I’ve always be a frontrunner in investigating the newest versions of almost the complete product line of Microsoft, resulting in multiple MCSE and MCITP certifications. I love to share my knowledge as a Microsoft Certified Trainer, speaker and blogger.

Lately I mostly work with Vitualization, Collaboration and Cloud Services. In my job as a Senior Consultant for Qwise, I’m also responsible for knowledge, ambition and inspiration for my co-workers. Connect with me at http://www.kraak.com/

Source: http://borntolearn.mslearn.net/orhttps://twitter.com/jasperkraak .

MTA Training Available at Commercial Test Centers

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 18:06:00 +0000

Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) has previously been available only to academic students, faculty, and staff. Now, anyone looking to explore a career in IT or to enhance their knowledge of IT can take an MTA exam!

MTA provides essential technology training and an industry-recognized certification to those just starting a career in IT - or for business professionals who want to enhance their career by adding a technology skillset.

Twelve exams in three technology tracks -- IT Infrastructure, Developer, and Database -- cover cutting-edge topics (such as Gaming and HTML5), and foundational topics that provide valuable skills in traditional technology fields and the new world of cloud computing. By passing an MTA exam you become part of the Microsoft Certification Program. While building confidence and skills, you can find MTA to be a stepping stone to other Microsoft certifications such as Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) or Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD).

Microsoft Learning Partners who delivered MTA training and certification exams during the recent pilot received positive feedback from their instructors and their students. The training and certification sessions took place in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. The pilot partners agree that MTA provides a great opportunity for those who are interested in exploring a career in IT but have little experience with technology.

Ready to get MTA certified? Go to here to find out how.

As another boost on your road to MTA, Microsoft is offering a free second shot on certification exams that are taken at commercial test centers.

Source: http://borntolearn.mslearn.net

What Drives IT Certifications?

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 18:05:00 +0000

I stumbled across this interesting blog post today (http://scn.sap.com/community/training-and-education/certification/blog/2012/10/11/what-drives-it-certification). Why do employees, employers, vendors, and partners get certified? John Kleeman spoke to attendees of the European Association of Test Publishers (EATP) to find out. (As some background, the Association for Test Publishers (ATP) is one of the key professional conferences in the certification industry. Microsoft Learning typically attends ATP in the United States, but I would love attend the European version at some point!)

I was struck by the reasons that employees get certified and why employers want their employees to be certified.

Employees: Why do you get certified? Certainly, one key driver is to improve your job or career prospects, but it appears that another key driver is to learn and develop skills. Certification is hard--it has to be if it's going to differentiate you from others--so if you get certified simply because you want an objective evaluation of your skills, you're showing some serious dedication and commitment to continuous lifelong learning. Of course, this makes me curious about why YOU get certified? Does the idea of using certification to learn and develop skills resonate with you? What drives you to get a certification and/or maintain one?

Employers: Why do employers want their employees to be certified? To improve performance, obviously, but it's clear that employers realize that certification is not a guarantee for success. That being said, it certainly improves the odds of success, especially for first time implementations of new technology. To me, that suggests that the most valuable certifications are those in newer technologies and that certifying early--when a new version of a technology is just released--may give you an advantage over those who aren't certified, especially in those in those organizations that are rolling out the latest and greatest. Hmmm... this seems to tie back to that idea of certification as a mechanism to learn and develop new skills. Very interesting, indeed.

What do you think about the key drivers of IT certification that John described? Did he miss why you get certified or why you want your employees to be certified? I'd love to hear your thoughts

Source: http://borntolearn.mslearn.net

How Microsoft helps students IT Cloud Skills Gap

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 18:03:00 +0000

As the world of business technology starts a new year, there’s little doubt that cloud computing will dominate the conversation—not just among IT and business professionals, but at educational institutions as well. As reported before the holidays, global businesses are adopting cloud technologies so rapidly that hiring managers are struggling to fill cloud-related jobs with qualified candidates. With IT hiring managers citing lack of training, certification and experience as the top reasons cloud positions remain unfilled, IT Academy members are in a critical position to help prepare the cloud-skilled professionals of tomorrow.

MTA Certification: Helping to Bridge the IT Cloud Skills Gap

Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) training and certification is a comprehensive way to start your students on the path to a cloud career. It’s easy to implement at your institution—all MTA Courseware, Exam Review Kits, Student Study Guides and getting started guidance are included in your IT Academy benefits.

MTA is comprised of three tracks:

IT infrastructure track—for those intending to build a career in desktop or server infrastructure or private cloud computing. This track offers faculty-ready entry-level classroom training in Networking, Security, Windows Operating System and Windows Server. These topics are the cornerstone for all infrastructure learning beyond the basics.

MTA database track—for those intending to build a career in data platform administration or business intelligence.

MTA development track—for those intending to build a career as a software developer, MTA offers skills development in seven software development topics, so your students are prepared for Windows, Web, Phone, Game Development, and more!

Once students are well versed in the basics, they can begin preparing for the Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) or the Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD).

Microsoft-certified, without leaving campus

When you purchase an MTA Campus License you can optimize your student offering by including the official MTA certification exam in your curriculum, saving faculty valuable time and offering students a Microsoft certification right in the classroom. And because the MTA Campus License is not tied to a specific classroom or department, you can make MTA exams available to business students (or any student on campus), enriching their diploma or degree with an industry certification validating their core understanding of technology and how IT impacts business.

Learn more about MTA in Microsoft IT Academy. If you are not a Microsoft IT Academy, learn more here.

Source: http://borntolearn.mslearn.net

Exam dumps - why they are a bad idea?

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 17:52:00 +0000

Last month I talked about the use of brain dumps and why they are a bad idea—and got a lot of great responses. I’m glad to see the enthusiasm for that topic, even from those who disagreed with me about the nature of brain dumps as legitimate study materials. I will acknowledge what some of you pointed out: that addressing this subject on a Born to Learn blog is like preaching to the choir. Still, if anyone reading had any doubts or confusion about brain dumps, and I helped clarify, I achieved my aim.

To that point, why do people choose to use the materials (legitimate or otherwise) that they do? There are many reasons, of course, and getting to the heart of those reasons is one facet of managing an anti-piracy program. To combat cheating I need to understand the motivations behind cheating.

Understanding our test-takers is one step. Last year, I collaborated on a white paper with the IT Certifications Council(ITCC) on “Securing Certifications” (full paper here.) Below is an excerpt on the types of test-takers we identified (referred to as “candidates,” because they are candidates for a certification).

Candidates and Test Takers

Before issues surrounding test security can be resolved, it is important to understand how the ITCC categorizes candidates and others who take tests. The ITCC has identified three main groups of test takers:

IT Professionals

This group represents the majority of certification candidates who are honest and have done the requisite learning and studying for their exams. They are proud to earn a certification and highly value those efforts.
IT Professionals are most affected by cheaters and test abusers because the integrity of their hard-earned certifications is compromised. These candidates must feel that their hard work is valued; to do so, the certification industry must demonstrate a commitment to combating cheating and recognizing the value of a truly-earned certification.
Honest candidates will support anti-piracy actions designed to combat software and content theft because they want to preserve the integrity of certifications.

Misinformed Individuals

These candidates may cheat because they are misinformed. Most may not understand that the materials and methods they used had violated an exam agreement. They also may not understand the consequences of their actions.
Brain dump sites in particular can be very misleading for these individuals, because the sites disguise themselves as official materials. Proxy-testing offers can be very tempting as well, especially for those candidates who did not pass an exam the first time or who find it difficult to make it to a test center.
Misinformed Individuals are either tempted to find shortcuts in test preparation and test taking because it is easy to do so, or they otherwise become victims of nefarious business practices.

Cheaters

This is the smallest group, and is comprised of candidates who intend to cheat the system and who have no regard for the consequences. They actively seek exam answers or brain dump material; they participate or pay for proxy testing; or they find other ways to cheat during the exam.
A lack of education is not a culprit in this category; rather, these candidates will find the means to obtain a certification or steal exam answers despite the ramifications.

This does not fully address all the reasons for test-taking behavior, both good and bad, of course—this is just one element. My goal is to make sure the first category remains the largest group, that the second group is transformed into the first, and that the third group—the cheaters—are removed. I want candidates to feel good about the certifications they work hard to earn; and making sure they are not compromised by a select few is one way to make sure that happens.

Source: http://borntolearn.mslearn.net

How to deal with failing a Microsoft certification exam

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 18:18:00 +0000

Peter Gray is participating in the #60days2MCSE community challenge, and he's got his eye on MCSE: Private Cloud. On his way there, he needs to take and pass the exams required for MCSA.

On May 3, Peter took exam 70-640 and almost passed. He gave himself a day to process the not-so-happy news and re-assess his plans for #60days2MCSE. Meanwhile, he shared his exam failure news on Twitterwith fellow candidiates and #TheKrewe (a great group of IT pros), and everyone rallied around him with words of encouragement right away. That, to me, is what's so cool about #60days2MCSE. Your Microsoft certification journey is no longer a lonely one.

By participating in this community driven challenge, you gain access to a support system of peers who are either traveling on the same road or have been there, and they are all very generous with advice, feedback, encouragement, and high fives.

Peter also took the time to blog about his takeaways from exam 70-640 and next steps. Encountering new and varied materials and exam question types may have contributed to his close-to-passing score, and his exam taking techniques may need to be adjusted.

Taking the exam also helped identify his weaker spots and further highlighted the importance of hands-on experience. I would encourage you to read his blog post for more details. The goal of achieving MCSE: Private Cloud at TechEd in June is definitely still within Peter's reach and he is re-energized!

Source: Microsoft

Gear Up for Windows Server 2012 Training + Certification

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 18:36:00 +0000

Cloud Optimize your IT with Windows Server 2012

In case you've been living under a rock, the Windows Server 2012 Release Candidate came out on May 31, 2012! Windows Server powers many of the worlds' largest datacenters, enables small businesses around the world, and delivers value to organizations of all sizes in between. Building on this legacy, Windows Server 2012 redefines the category, delivering hundreds of new features and enhancements spanning virtualization, networking, storage, user experience, cloud computing, automation, and more. Simply put, Windows Server 2012 helps you transform your IT operations to reduce costs and deliver a whole new level of business value.

How is Microsoft Learning helping you?

We are committed to bringing you learning resources, training opportunities and (soon) certification for Windows Server 2012 so you can take your organization and your career to the next level. Here's a list of what's available now:

The Introducing Windows Server 2012 e-book by Mitch Tulloch and the Windows Server BG is available for download now! If you're attending TechEd North America and Europe in June, you can get a special edition hard copy at Microsoft Learning's booth.
The Windows Server 2012 Jump Start is scheduled for June 20-21. We blogged about it here. Register now and encourage your peers to do the same! Responses have been overwhelming positive and we may need to cap the number soon.
The new MCSA: Windows Server 2012 certification validates the platform level skills for a number of MCSE Certifications for IT Professionals. The first exam in the MCSA: Windows Server 2012 certification path will be available in beta on June 11 for attendees of TechEd North America and TechEd Europe, giving IT Professionals a head start on their Windows Server 2012 certification goals:
-- Exam 70-410: Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012
The earliest, deepest, and highest quality Windows Server 2012 courseware in the industry will be available to our Learning Partners beginning June 8! This is the first of three waves of courseware for Windows Server 2012. Contact your favorite Microsoft Learning Partner for exact course offerings and schedule:
-- 40005A: First Look Clinic: Windows Server 2012 - June 8, 2012
-- 40006A: Hands On Lab: Windows Server 2012 - June 25, 2012
-- 20410A: Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012 - August 3, 2012 (maps to MCSA Exam 70-410)
-- 20417A: Upgrading Your Skills to MCSA Windows Server 2012 - August 3, 2012 (maps to Upgrade Exam 70-417)
The new MCSE: Server Infrastructure and MCSE: Desktop Infrastructure certifications support key server and cloud technology solutions built on the Windows Server 2012 platform.

Are you as excited about all this as we are? Don't forget to request AND redeem your 2-for-1 exam voucher offer by June 30, 2012 so you can use your freebie toward one of these Windows Server 2012 exams!

Microsoft Press - Free ebook: Programming Windows 8 Apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (First Preview)

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 18:36:00 +0000

Hello! To help celebrate the Windows 8 Release Preview and the Visual Studio 2012 Release Candidate, we’re happy to release a preview edition of Programming Windows 8 Apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, by Kraig Brockschmidt (who, some of you might remember, many years ago worked with us on a couple editions of Inside OLE).

Download a PDF of the ebook here (4.34 MB).

Download the ebook’s sample code here (27.5 MB).

(We’ll release EPUB and MOBI versions of the final ebook.)

This first preview contains the first four chapters of what we think will be an 18-chapter final ebook:

Chapter 1   The Life Story of a Metro Style App: Platform Characteristics of Windows 8

Chapter 2   Quickstart

Chapter 3   App Anatomy and Page Navigation

Chapter 4   Controls, Control Styling, and Basic Data Binding

Chapter 5   Collections and Collection Controls

Chapter 6   Layout

Chapter 7   Metro Style Commanding UI

Chapter 8   State, Settings, Files, and Documents

Chapter 9   Input and Sensors

Chapter 10   Media

Chapter 11   Purposeful Animations

Chapter 12   Contracts

Chapter 13   Tiles, Notifications, the Lock Screen, and Background Tasks

Chapter 14   Networking

Chapter 15   Devices and Printing

Chapter 16   Extensions

Chapter 17   Apps for Everyone: Localization, Accessibility, and the Windows Store

Chapter 18   Services

In the summer we’ll release a Second Preview version, which will contain 8–12 chapters. And then, in the fall, we’ll release the final version. (Watch this blog and follow us on Twitter to learn about these releases.)

Here’s more information about the ebook, from Kraig’s Introduction:

Who This Book Is For

This book is about writing Metro style apps for Windows 8 using HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. Our primary focus will be on applying these web technologies within the Windows 8 platform, where there are unique considerations, and not on exploring the details of those web technologies themselves. For the most part, then, I'm assuming that you're already at least somewhat conversant with these standards. We will cover some of the more salient areas like the CSS grid, which is central to app layout, but otherwise I trust that you're capable of finding appropriate references for everything else.

I'm also assuming that your interest in Windows 8 has at least two basic motivations. One, you probably want to come up to speed as quickly as you can, perhaps to carve out a foothold in the Windows Store sooner rather than later. Toward that end, I've front-loaded the early chapters with the most important aspects of app development along with "Quickstart" sections to give you immediate experience with the tools, the API, and core platform features. On the other hand, you probably also want to make the best app you can, one that performs really well and that takes advantage of the full extent of the platform. Toward this end, I've also endeavored to make this book comprehensive, helping you at least be aware of what's possible and where optimizations can be made.

Many insights have come from working directly with real-world developers on their real-world apps. As part of the Windows Ecosystem team, myself and my teammates have been on the front lines bringing those first apps to the Windows Store. This has involved writing bits of code for those apps and investigating bugs, along with conducting design, code, and performance reviews with members of the core Windows engineering teams. As such, one of my goals with this book is to make that deep understanding available to many more developers, including you!

What You'll Need

To work through this book, you should download and install the Windows 8 Release Preview along with the Windows SDK and tools. These, along with a number of other resources, are listed on http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/br229516. I also recommend you visit http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/windowsapps/Windows-8-Modern-Style-App-Samples and download the entire set of JavaScript samples; we'll be using many of them throughout this book.

Acknowledgements

In many ways, this isn't my book—that is, it's not an account of my own experiences and opinions about Metro style apps on Windows 8. I'm serving more as a storyteller, where the story itself has been written by the thousands of people in the Windows team whose passion and dedication have been a constant source of inspiration. Writing a book like this wouldn't be possible without all the work that's gone into customer research, writing specs, implementing, testing, and documenting all the details, managing daily builds and public releases, and writing perhaps the best set of samples I've ever seen for a platform. We'll be drawing on many of those samples, in fact, and even the words in some sections come directly from conversations I've had with the people who designed and developed a particular feature. I'm grateful for their time, and I’m delighted to give them a voice through which they can share their passion for excellence with you.

A number of individuals deserve special mention for their long-standing support of this project. First to Chris Sells, with whom I co-authored the earliest versions of this book; to Mahesh Prakriya, Ian LeGrow, Anantha Kancherla, Keith Boyd and their respective teams, with whom I've worked closely; and to Keith Rowe, Dennis Flanagan, and Ulf Schoo, under whom I've had the pleasure of serving. Thanks also to Devon Musgrave at Microsoft Press, and to all those who have reviewed chapters and provided answers to my endless streams of questions: Chris Tavares, Jesse McGatha, Josh Williams, Feras Moussa, Jake Sabulsky, Henry Tappen, David Tepper, Mathias Jourdain, Ben Betz, Ben Srour, Adam Barrus, Ryan Demopoulos, Sam Spencer, Bill Ticehurst, Tarek Anya, Scott Graham, Scott Dickens, Jerome Holman, Kenichiro Tanaka, Sean Hume, Patrick Dengler, David Washington, Scott Hoogerwerf, Harry Pierson, Jason Olson, Justin Cooperman, Rohit Pagariya, Nathan Kuchta, Kevin Woley, Markus Mielke, Paul Gusmorino, as well as those I've forgotten and those still to come as additional chapters are added to this first preview. My direct teammates, Kyle Marsh, Todd Landstad, Shai Hinitz, and Lora Heiny have also been invaluable in sharing what they've learned in working with real-world partners.

Finally, special hugs to my wife Kristi and our young son Liam, who have lovingly been there the whole time and who don't mind my traipsing through the house to my office either late at night or early in the morning.

Enjoy!

MSL Scholarship - Narayan's transformation

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 18:33:00 +0000

The DPE/MSL Scholarship has turned a new leaf in Narayan's life. A rural youth from Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, Narayan comes from a background of extreme hardship. However, with the support of Microsoft and NIIT, he is receiving technical training, soft skills, and a paid internship to allow him to gain the skills and experience to follow his dreams.

Lost My Microsoft Certification ?

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 06:12:00 +0000

What to do when you have lost your microsoft certifications?

If you lost your printed certification go to https://mcp.microsoft.com/authenticate/login.aspx and log in with your MCP credentials. Form there you can print off a new certificate verifying you've passed or you can request they send you a printed certificate (for a cost).

60 Days For Passing MCSE

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 18:32:00 +0000

Greetings True Believers!

So it's been a while since I've checked in via a blog post. It's great to see many of you joining the conversation on twitter as well as on the 60 Days to MCSE forum on Born to learn.

So what have I been up to? Well, first and foremost, I spent a lot of unnecessary time trying to get my System Center 2012 evaluation environment up. It took me much longer to complete the setup and installation than expected. I ran into a number of issues (most of them end user related). I'm not going to go into depth into the issues I had as they became non-issues when I started from scratch and followed John's blog post here. This is a comprehensive installation document that WILL get you a working environment in the end. He provides great insight as he failed to get SC2012 installed the first time as well using just the evaluation documentation. Follow this guide and you should have no issues.

As far as my lab environment, I'm running a custom-built system based on the specs by Jeff Guillet at Expta.com. This is a low-cost (Under $1k) system that is fast and quiet. Jeff did a phenomenal job of determining the specs for this system.

If you are looking for a lab system, this is the way to go.

Besides getting the lab environment built, I made my way through some of the documentation and a couple of videos. It’s not as much progress as I would have liked. However, I have been able to download a lot of the content I need so I won’t need to hunt and peck for the information.

One thing that will make your "information" procurement easier, is a script developed by Jan Egil Ring that allows you to download content from TechNet edge using PowerShell is locate here. It's similar to the script for downloading content from MMS 2012.

Here is my updated Plan…

Week	Study Activities
Week 4	· Continuing building test lab using Evaluation Guide (Ch 4,5) · Run through 2-day Private Cloud Jump Start series from back in March. (1-6) · Begin Prep for 70-646 Exam · Create Central Store for all documents and study materials for Private Cloud exams
Week 3	· Take Exam 70-646 (5/23) · Celebrate passing exam with a new book (TBD) · Make my way through documents listed in 70-247 blog document · Make my way through documents listed in 70-246 blog document
Week 2	· Make my way through remainder of documents listed in 70-246 blog document · View Microsoft Virtual Academy track on Configuring and Deploying Microsoft’s Private Cloud · Run through downloaded videos and documents, when I have time
Week 1	· Run Through Symon Perriman’s Private Cloud Labs · Run through downloaded videos and documents, when I have time This will be a tough week as I have a VMware vSphere 5 ICM Train the Trainer class all week. I’ll need to fit studying in at night and during travel time to TechEd. Also, need to fit in family time so as you can see in my schedule, much of the work will be done prior to arriving at TechEd
Week 0	· Last Minute Exam Prep · Attend TechEd cram sessions (if available prior to taking exams) · Sit in on broad SC 2012 sessions · Exam 70-247 is Scheduled for Monday; Retake on Thursday if necessary · Exam 70-246 is Scheduled for Tuesday; Retake on Thursday if necessary

A little something on My Test Taking Strategy….

As a veteran of multiple certification exams and an MCT responsible for helping students with their exams skills, I want to share my test day strategy. Hopefully, you can take some tips from it to improve your test day results!

1. I always schedule my exams for a 12:30-1:30 start time. That is normally the time of day when I’m “on my game” mentally. Also, this leaves me the morning to do some last minute preparation and I’m not rushed.

2. I make sure to get a good night’s sleep. If you prepared properly, should not have to do a late night cram session for your exam.

3. Make sure I have two forms of ID and any other requirements per exam. As a college instructor, I can take the academic versions of the exams. These require a college ID so I make sure I have that as well.

4. I find a quiet coffee shop (or noise cancelling head phones), and review my materials. I like to run through the areas that are my sticking points. Also, I will run through 10-20 practice questions at the end of my review session to get me in the test-taking mode.

5. Have a light lunch and try to relax. Depending on your caffeine tolerance, you may or may not wish the forgo caffeine prior to the exam.

6. I arrive to the test location 15 minutes early so I can check in and use the bathroom (or water closet for those across the pondJ). You won’t be able to use the restroom during your exam so keep that in mind with lunch as well. The exam reminder recommends 30 minutes, but my test site is never busy so I’ve never had a problem with 15 before. When I have arrived 30 prior, I’ve always started early.

7. Unless I bring a coat or a bag, I leave my cell phone in the car. You won’t be able to bring it into the exam room.

8. Once into the exam, I have a specific strategy for each question that I will explain below:

a. The length of the exam should be posted with the exam information. If so, you know how much time you have for each question. Use this time as part of your preparation. Most practice exams allow you to input the time limit and # of questions. Simulate the exam day experience during your study and it will help you be more comfortable on exam day.

b. If I have 2 minutes per question, I set a limit of 2 minutes I will take on a question before moving to the next question

9. Once I have completed all questions and run through my review, the moment of truth is here. You are a few clicks away from success or failure. This can be nerve-wracking the first couple of times you take an exam as you wait for the system to tell you whether you passed or failed.

10. Once you complete your exam, you’ll be provided a copy of your exam report with your score.

Mike’s Exam Question Strategy

Here’s my strategy for each Question

1. Read the entire question end to end without going down to the answers. You need to familiarize yourself with what the question is looking for.

2. Review the answers provided but try not to answer the question unless you are 110% positive you know the answer. At this point, many test takers get into trouble. We have been taught that we should go with our “first Impression”. While this is often a correct method, it can lead you into an incorrect answer. The reason is that exam questions are designed to be a bit tricky. You will have answers provided that may be correct for some situations, but not the one you are dealing with in the question. We want to get rid of these answers.

a. I will mark my “first impression” answer at this time just in case I hit my time limit and need to move onto the next question. An answered question has a possibility of being right but an unanswered question is always wrong.

3. Now run through the question again. This time you know the provided answers and can match those answers to the information provided in the question.

a. Often times, there is information in a scenario that is not necessary, so use your knowledge of the subject matter to weed out this information.

4. Based on the information gleaned through the second pass through of the question and using the information that is relevant, I try to weed out some of the answers.

a. For example, if the question is asking for you to export DNS zones from AD and they provide you different command line tools to do it, you should be able to get rid of utilities you know cannot perform the task.

b. The goal is to get down to 2 answers to choose from. But even if you only get rid of one answer out of four, that’s changing your odds to 1:3. I’d take those in Vegas in a heartbeat!

5. If you are unable to come up with a definitive, go with your first impression answer or your “best” answer based on the question, and move on to the next question

a. If you are not definitive on the question, mark it for review and comeback to it after going through all of the questions. In regards to marking questions for review, I mark all questions that I am not 100% on, and I want to go back to them

6. After running through the questions the first time, I go to the review section which allows you to go through just the questions marked for review. This is helpful since it will only give you the questions you want to go over again

a. During this pass, I repeat the same process as above. One thing I make sure to do is count up the number of reviewed questions and determines how much time I have left based on the exam countdown clock.

7. That’s it! By the end of step 6, I am ready click the submit button!

The key to successfully completing a certification exam is providing answers to ALL questions to the best of your ability. That’s why we use the review option to comeback to questions you are unsure of. I can guarantee there are questions you could spend 10-15 minutes on, and you would still not have an answer. In that same time period, you may be able to cover 5-7 questions you do know the answers to. You need to get to the “low hanging fruit” questions and come back to the ones requiring more time. But always…ALWAYS…enter an answer for the question before moving to the next question. This ensures you have an answer for every question should your time run out.

While searching for some other resources for test taking strategies, I came across this great video from Tim Warner.

Lastly, I wanted to give out a big thank you to Gray Eimermann from TrainSignal who is giving away access to a Private Cloud certification-specific video archive. To access the archive, follow the instructions in Gary’s blog post here.

Until next time…Excelsior!

Source: Mike - Blog to Learn

Inspiring Microsoft Certified Story

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 18:30:00 +0000

"Learning is never too late to anyone who is willing." These were the words that motivated Mr. Ronnel Rio, the recipient of the DPE MSL Scholarship, to pursue his dream of becoming a full-pledged IT Professional.

As much as he wanted to pursue his passion for IT, external factors such as the challenging economy and other financial limitations, deprived him of the education that could have helped him get a career of his choice. He managed to attend a 2-year Computer Technician course, at a vocational school of low standards and therefore did not merit much to certain companies. However, his interest in IT to begin with was enough to get him a messenger position at Edupro, Inc.

He had two reasons why he wanted so much to be given the opportunity to learn more. One was to improve his technical skills and allow him to apply for a technical position at Edupro. The other is to support his growing family, as much as he wanted so much to be a good provider to his children and to his wife. After consulting with the in-house trainers, who vouched for his interest and ability, the management gave him a chance to attend basic networking classes to help him establish the needed fundamentals.

Seeing so much potential, his profile was submitted to Microsoft to the hopes of getting the DPE MSL Scholarship programs. Fortunately, he was selected among the few.

"When I heard from my boss that a candidate submitted by Edupro got the scholarship, I was proud because it shows that the company believes in the program and that they support individuals who were not privileged enough to get the education that they deserved. But I was caught by surprise to hear that the story that they submitted was mine only to find out that they wanted to surprise me. I was happy, speechless and shocked, because it was the chance that I have been waiting for so long and now it came true. Aside from my family, for me the scholarship was the best gift that I have ever received. I am so thankful that I am given this opportunity to study again. And this would be the start of a better life for me."

Mr. Ronnel Rio with Edupro's IT Manager, Mr. Salvador Balunsay.

After finishing a series of trainings on Microsoft Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008, Ronnel has achieved certification for Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) for Windows 7: Configuring, and is now pursuing the Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) for Windows 7 Enterprise Desktop Administrator certification at the end of May. He has also started taking the first exam of Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate track, and has earned the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) on Windows Server 2008, Network Infrastructure Configuration.

He has gained confidence towards himself and his work and is more determined to take on more challenging task, enhancing and broadening his troubleshooting skills, thus, entrusting him to be the lead assistant of the Support Division and now responsible in configuring and deploying Microsoft Windows 7 & Windows XP on the desktops used for the classroom trainings. He also serves as desktop support to the employees when troubleshooting technical issues.

We, at Edupro, hope that with Ronnel's story showing his interest, determination, ambition, and first stages of professional success, serve as a shining example of how organizational supports in the form of scholarship, ambition, plus proper training and certification can make a great difference in his professional and personal life as well as encouraging other people along the same path of fulfillment.

Source: Microsoft

SQL 2012 ready for your future

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 18:29:00 +0000

Hi, as the MSL SQL Portfolio Manager for Microsoft Learning and the MSL SQL Courseware Product Manager, we wanted to share some thoughts on the SQL Server portfolio. We are proud of the comprehensive portfolio of learning and skills validation products released by Microsoft Learning on SQL Server 2012. This portfolio consists of a full product offering of Microsoft Official Curriculum (MOC) consisting of 5 titles. We are also getting ready to release new certification exams next month. We worked diligently with the SQL Server business group to develop content that covers both on-premise and cloud based solutions. We also worked with MVP, MCT, TAP program members to access hundreds of data professionals and what they do on their job. We used this data to build our portfolio skills and mapped it out to create relevant training and the validation for it for now and in the future. This portfolio will help secure your future, and by learning and validating these skills identified by people in the know on SQL 2012: ie important because of frequency or criticality.

Now is the time to get skilled on SQL Server 2012! If you are looking for instructor-led training, take advantage of these training offers from Microsoft Learning Partners. New offers will be added regularly, so come if you do not see an offer in your area. You may also search for online training offers in the offer locator tool to the right or you may reply to this blog post if you would like to request a course in a specific location.

Here is a listing of the current Microsoft Official Curriculum.

10774A: Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012

10775A: Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Databases

10776A: Developing Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Databases

10777A: Implementing a Data Warehouse with Microsoft SQL Server 2012

10778A: Implementing Data Models and Reports with Microsoft SQL Server 2012

Colin Lyth, MSL Portfolio Manager

Pete Harris, MSL Courseware Planner

Latest MCSAs and MCSEs, Your Questions Answered...

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 18:28:00 +0000

Hi Everyone!

As hopefully you all have seen, about two and a half weeks ago we announced our new cloud-enabled certifications – Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) and Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE)! We have had lots of great questions come through about all the changes we have made and we wanted to make sure you all have the answers to these questions in one place.

I have the MCITP: EA and/or MCITP: SA. What do the changes mean to me?

It seems there is confusion and concern regarding the existing MCITP: Enterprise Administrator and MCITP: Server Administrator certifications and what they mean moving forward in this new program. The MCITP: EA and MCITP: SA are still the certifications to strive for on Windows Server 2008 technology. The MCSA: Windows Server 2008 was created solely as a pre-requisite for the new MCSE: Private Cloud certification.

Those of you that already earned the MCITP: EA were granted the MCSA: Windows Server 2008 certification as a way for us to acknowledge the expertise you already have. They are not considered equivalent certifications.

I have the MCITP: VA. What do the changes mean to me?

For those of you that have achieved the MCITP: Virtualization Administrator certification, this still remains a very valuable certification. For those of you on the path to achieving the MCITP: VA, keep on moving. Many organizations are looking for individuals with virtualization skills.

As for moving into our new program, if you passed exam 659, you have passed one of the 5 exams required for the MCSE: Private Cloud certification. If you haven't already passed your Windows Server exams, we recommend you pursue the MCSA: Windows Server 2008. We have a promotion running now through June to help, if you are interested - buy your MCSA.

You announced MCSA: WS 2008, but why isn’t there an MCSE for Windows Server?

I think there is some confusion about that we announced the MCSA: Windows Server 2008 certification, but yet there are no MCSE certifications announced for Windows Server. The MCSA and MCSE certifications based on Windows Server 2012 technology will be announced in the near future. When we announce the MCSA and MCSE certifications based on Windows Server 2012, we will be providing upgrade paths for all of you that have earned the MCITP: SA and/or MCITP: EA certifications, making it easier to transition in to the new program.

Eventually (within about a year or so), you will see that the pre-requisite for the MCSE: Private Cloud certification will then require the MCSA on Windows Server 2012 technology. Additionally, for those of you that have passed exam 659: TS: Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization and now have the MCSA: Windows Server 2008 certification, you only have one exam left to earn the new MCSE: Private Cloud certification (exam 246).

What is MCSA: SQL Server 2008 about, and how does it lead to the new MCSE: DP or MCSE: BI?

Similar to the MCSA: Windows Server 2008 certification, we have awarded the new MCSA: SQL Server 2008 certification. Those individuals who have passed exam 432: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Implementation and Maintenance and exam 448: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Business Intelligence Development and Maintenance have now been granted the MCSA: SQL Server 2008 certification. You are now one step closer to achieve the MCSE: Data Platform and/or the MCSE: Business Intelligence certification.

I’m excited about the new certifications and titles! But what was going on with the new logos?

For those of you that already saw your new certification and tried to access your new logos, you may have seen the logos were incorrect. Thank you to all of you who let us know this issue was happening. The issue is now fixed and we apologize for any inconvenience.

We hope this information is helpful and if you have questions let us know.

Have a great day!

Credit : Microsoft Mail

Free videos for IT professionals dealing with employees’ personal devices and consumer services

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 18:24:00 +0000

This important Jump Start video series helps IT Pros learn how to enable employees to leverage their own PCs, slates, smartphones and social networking needs (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) on the job while providing the added protection of enterprise-grade security. It's clear that organizations should proactively address the "consumerization of IT" in a way that sparks creativity, encourages collaboration, and promotes innovation, but what approaches satisfy essential security, compliance and other requirements?

Since this is one of the most pervasive trends facing IT organizations today, Microsoft Learning partnered with Technical Evangelist David Tesar from Microsoft's worldwide Developer & Platform Evangelism (DPE) team to lead six demo-rich and engaging sessions. For each module, David is joined by one of Microsoft's leading authorities (and personalities) on the topic.

Embracing the Consumerization of IT Jump Start

(01): Enabling the Consumerization of IT (w/ Bill Anderson, Principal Program Manager, System Center)
(02): End-to-End Security & Access (w/ Bill Anderson, Principal Program Manager, System Center)
(03): User-Centric Application Delivery (w/ Bill Anderson, Principal Program Manager, System Center)
(04): Mobile Device Management (w/ Bill Anderson, Principal Program Manager, System Center)
(05): Productive with Office 365 (w/ Andy O'Donald, Technical Product Manager, Exchange)
(06): Information Protection (w/ Josh Heller, Product Marketing Manager, Enterprise Client)
(07): Cloud Security & Management with Windows Intune (w/ Craig Marl, Principal Program Manager Lead, Intune)
(08): Desktop Virtualization (w/ Adam Carter, Product Marketing Manager, Enterprise Client)

What’s a “Jump Start” Course?
Training specifically designed for experienced technologists whose jobs demand they know how to best leverage new, emerging Microsoft technologies. These advanced courses assume a certain level of expertise and domain knowledge, so they move quickly and cover topics in a fashion that enables teams to effectively map new skills to real-world situations.

Source: Microsoft Certifications

Save 15% on one of Microsoft Press’s most popular books–Code Complete, 2nd Ed.

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 18:34:00 +0000

Save 15% through June 15, 2012 at Amazon.com.

Click here and look for the coupon in the book’s detail page.

How to Redeem the Coupon:

You must be signed into your account at Amazon.

To apply a coupon offer to a qualifying item, add coupon in one of two ways:

Click on the coupon offer on the item detail page which will take you to "Your Coupon Book" then click on the applicable coupon, or
Click on the coupon provided in "Your Coupon Book".

After applying the coupon to the qualifying item, add the item to your Cart via the "Add to Cart" or "1-Click" option button on the respective item detail page or from "Your Coupon Book".

The coupon discount will be applied to the qualifying item added to your Cart and will be reflected on the final order checkout page.

Microsoft Prometric Exam Centre Outage on June 9 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 18:26:00 +0000

Anticipated Outage on June 9, 2012 --

Prometric will have a scheduling outage from 9-11am Eastern on Saturday, June 9. During this time, candidates will not be able to register for exams. Your patience is appreciated.

Onsite Testing at TechEd NA --

Testing center will open on Sunday, June 10, as expected.
Candidates can register for an exam in advance or walk up onsite.
Some candidates have received cancellation notices for their scheduled Sunday exams. Prometric is looking into the issue right now, and we'll bring you updates as we receive them

Get Microsoft Certified - June 26-29 !

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 18:23:00 +0000

For Microsoft Learning and our community of Microsoft Certified Professionals, TechEd is definitely among the most important and exciting events of the year. This year, TechEd Europe is taking place from June 26 to 29 in Amsterdam!

Shelby Grieve, Director at MSL, recently sat down with Channel 9 to talk about certification related resources at the conference, as well as on-site exam opportunities. (FREE, discounted and beta exams!) If you're attending, be sure to reserve time to learn about what's new in certification and get certified right there!

Watch the video. Get all the details below or visit certification at TechEd Europe's website.

Follow @MSLearning and @TechEd_Europe on Twitter. The official event hashtag is #TEE12.

Free Exams*

The following Private Cloud certification exams, which are part of the required exam path to earn Microsoft Certification Solutions Expert for the Private Cloud (MSCE: Private Cloud), will be offered at no cost to TechEd attendees who take the exam on-site:

• Exam 70-246 | Monitoring and Operating a Private Cloud with System Center 2012

• Exam 70-247 | Configuring and Deploying a Private Cloud with System Center 2012

Online Registration is now OPEN: http://www.prometric.com/microsoft/TEEurope2012

30% Exam Discounts*

We are excited to offer a 30% discount on the following Microsoft Certification Exams on-site at TechEd:

• Exam 70-243 | Administering and Deploying System Center 2012 Configuration Manager

• Exam 70-400 | Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007, Configuring

• Exam 70-461 | Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012

• Exam 70-583 | Designing and Developing Windows Azure Applications

• Exam 70-640 | Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configurin

• Exam 70-642 | Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuring

• Exam 70-646 | Windows Server 2008, Server Administrator

• Exam 70-659 | Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization

Online Registration is now OPEN: http://www.prometric.com/microsoft/TEEurope2012

Exam Cram Sessions

Get ready for your next certification test with these interactive study groups led by MCT Ambassadors on-site at TechEd.

• Exam 70-243: Administering and Deploying System Center 2012 Configuration Manager

• Exam 70-321 and Exam 70-323: Deploying Office 365

• Exam 70-461: Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012

• Exam 70-462: Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Databases

• Exam 70-463: Implementing a Data Warehouse with Microsoft SQL Server 2012

• Exam 70-573: Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Application Development

• Exam 70-599: PRO: Designing and Developing Windows Applications

• Exam 70-640: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring

• Exam 70-642: Windows Server 2008 R2 Network Infrastructure, Configuring

• Exam 70-643: Windows Server 2008 R2 Application Infrastructure, Configuring

• Exam 70-659 and Exam 70-693: Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization

• Exam 70-662 and Exam 70-663: Exchange Server 2010, Configuring

• Exam 70-664 and Exam 70-665: Lync Server 2010

• Exam 70-667 and Exam 70-668: SharePoint Server 2010

• Exam 70-680: Windows 7

FREE Beta Exams | Register for exams

Exam 71-410 | Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012

The first exam necessary to achieve your Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA): Windows Server 2012 certification, which is your pre-requisite to the Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE): Server Infrastructure and MCSE: Desktop Infrastructure. Learn more about the MCSE certifications

Exam 71-687 | Configuring Windows 8

The first exam necessary to achieve your Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA): Windows 8 certification. (NOTE: if you are already an Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP): Enterprise Desktop Administrator or MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Support Technician certification, you will want to wait for the upgrade exam that will be available at a later date)

Exam 71-480 | Programming in HTML5 with JavaScript and CSS3

Candidates for the 71-480 exam will prove their experience with HTML in an object-oriented, event-driven programming model and working with data and flow with JavaScript. Additionally knowledge of the HTML5 elements, APIs, document structure, and controls as well as using CSS3 to style and create a flexible and adaptive content layout and UI. This exam counts towards the new MCSD: Windows Metro Style Apps certification. Learn more about the MCSD certifications

Microsoft Certification in the Connect Lounge

We know you will have questions about the certification process, and we’re here to answer them! Located in the Connect Lounge in the TechExpo, you’ll find product specialists and MCT Ambassadors, ready to help you find the certification path that’s right for you.

SAN FRANCISCO MCT SUMMIT 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Kiruba - Microsoft Certified Professional) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 07:39:00 +0000

Microsoft is assisting MCTs in North America to offer 3 days of training for MCTs on the latest Microsoft products and technologies.

The summit will be held at Microsoft’s Northwest District office in San Francisco (835 Market Street, Suite 700 San Francisco, CA 94103), Oct 19-21 (W and Th 9-5, F 9-noon).

Presentations for developers, IT Pros, SQL, Office, and Personal Development will be given by fellow MCTs and presenters from Microsoft. This year’s MCT Summit will include sessions to prepare MCTs for teaching Microsoft’s Cloud computing classes. Another feature of this year’s MCT Summit will be half-day hands on labs. We have three fully equipped classrooms for hands-on sessions.

As an MCT for many years I know how valuable it is to socialize with fellow MCTs, representatives from Microsoft, and venders. We have set aside Wednesday evening for you to network during our “Meet and Greet” evening sponsored by TrainSignal. We hope you will attend.

Affordable – In creating this event we wanted to make this affordable for MCTs. For MCTs living in North America we are estimating the total expense to attend to be less than $1,200 from any major city (this estimate includes airfare, hotel, MCT Summit, and meals). For most MCTs it should be less then $1,000. We want you to attend. The discounted rate for your hotel stay will continue through the weekend should you want to stay and bring your significant other.

Speakers
Those interested in presenting may submit session proposals to speakers@mctsummit.org. Sessions slots are approximately 1hr in total length (45 minutes plus questions); however, presentations may span multiple sessions if requested. We have three fully equipped classrooms for half day or longer hands-on sessions. Working on a new class? This event is the perfect opportunity to try out your new class and have your fellow MCTs offer critiques.

We are seeking proposal for the following session tracks:

Developers
IT Pros
SQL
Office
Personal Development.

Have something you want to try? Please submit your suggestion.

Speakers in the Making
Interested in becoming a TechEd speaker? You need to start somewhere. For those interested in becoming a speaker we submit a session proposal and we will pair you with a mentor. Your mentor will work with you on your presentation and speaking skills to prepare you for presenting at the summit. At the summit your mentor will act as your safety net should you encounter any issues. At the end of your presentation we will ask your fellow MCTs to provide you with positive feedback.

Request a Session – Have a request for a session? Submit your session ideas tosessionrequest@mctsummit.org and we will see if we can acquire a presenter. Requests for session ideas can be for any of the tracks or any topic: Developer, IT Pro, SQL, Office, SharePoint, Dynamics, or for hands-on lab sessions.

Become an MCT – A Train the Trainer (TTT) session will occur on Tuesday Oct 18.
If you are an MCP aspiring to become an MCT, attend the MCT Summit’s TTT session and become a MCT upon successful completion. To learn more about the MCT Certification requirements, visit Microsoft Learning’s MCT Certification page. You can find more detailshere. Fee for the Train the Trainer session is $700 which includes the Train the Trainer class, MCT Summit conference fee, and your first years MCT fee to Microsoft.

Sponsors/supporters
If you or your company would like direct contact with Microsoft Certified Trainers, this is your opportunity. This can include offering a session on your company’s product.

Testing
MCT’s can make arrangements to take Microsoft exams offered through Prometric or Certiport at the summit.

Please Note: This year’s MCT NA Summit is the work of several dedicated MCTs with assistance from Microsoft, sponsors, and the IT professional association Pacific IT Professionals. The MCT Summit is being offered by MCTs for MCTs; it is not a Microsoft event.

Source: Mct Summit

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