The Most In-Demand Certs

In this month's Certification Magazine, Dave Willmer looks at the certifications that are most attractive to employers. Dave explains: "An industry-recognized certification can provide you with a competitive edge whether you’re looking for a new position or trying to advance within your current firm." The top certs are:

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

The (ISC)2 CISSP is a vendor-neutral certification that includes: access control, cryptography, operations security, and security architecture and design. CEOs rank security as the second-hardest functional area to fill.

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)

The Microsoft MCSE is a great differentiator because you must sit seven exams in order to pass it. Dave points out: "Job candidates who have earned any Microsoft certification have an edge in the job market."

Project Management Professional (PMP)

Firebrand Training offers more than just IT certifications. The Project Management Institute PMP is relevant to project managers in any industry - particularly IT. You need three-to-five years of project management experience in order to sit the course. This, alongside the certification, demonstrates extreme dedication and knowledge.

Certified Network Associate (CCNA)

The Cisco CCNA certification proves that you can successfully administer medium-size route and switched Cisco networks. Students sit Exams 640-822 and 640-816. On completing Exam 640-822, the student automatically becomes Cisco CCENT certified too. Two for one!

Firebrand Training is named as a finalist for The National Sales Awards 2010

Firebrand Training has been named as a finalist for The National Sales Awards 2010. The EMEA Sales team has been shortlisted for Telephone Sales Team of the Year.

The award submission detailed our sales effort across the UK, DACH and Nordic regions. Criteria included: targets and conversions, teamwork, coaching and overall performance.

The awards ceremony - sponsored by The Daily Telegraph - takes place in November.

The Latest Microsoft Dynamics Snacks

Born to Learn has identified four brand new Microsoft Dynamics Training snacks. Snacks are short, interactive presentations about popular topics created by Microsoft Learning experts.

The latest batch includes:

• Configuring Email Routers for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0
• What's New in Field Service Series in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010
• Using Field Services Returns Management in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010
• Positioning Microsoft Dynamics CRM Solutions and Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step Decision Accelerators for Public Sector

ITIL Integrates Security Management

Computer Weekly reports that security management processes are to be integrated into ITIL certifications. ITIL V3 ISO 27001 is to remain a key component of ITIL methodology, but new security activities will be included.

ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library) began life as a collection of guide books on IT management practice. Then in 2001 the books were consolidated in order to standardise processes for IT service delivery strategy as well as day-to-day IT service support.

ITIL has prevously not included guidance on IT security procedures, as it was considered to be the responsibility of the then-emerging information security management code of practice. This was first published in 1995 and led to the ISO 27000 series of standards.

.NET Developers in Short Supply

Computer Weekly reports that there is a shortage of .NET developers out there.

Now is the time to be gaining a .NET certification, with a report by Recruitment and Employment Confederation and KPMG stating that, in the permanent job market, IT is the third-strongest performing sector.

The report says that this positive figure is rising, at the same time as .NET developers are proving to be in short supply.

Guest blogger: SharePoint 2010 Developer Courses and Business Intelligence

All this week we will be featuring posts from guest blogger Joel Jeffery. Joel is a Firebrand Training instructor, who is currently developing courseware for our brand new SharePoint 2010 Configuring / Administrator and SharePoint 2010 Developer courses...

This is definitely an exciting time for SharePoint 2007 (MOSS and WSS 3.0) developers who are looking to acquire new skills. In this post I will be looking at SharePoint 2010 Developer Courses and Business Intelligence.

The Microsoft SharePoint 2010 platform has really been developed well. In the other three video blogs, I talked about some of the most impressive SharePoint 2010 features:

• SharePoint 2010 Enabling Business Agility using Workflow
• SharePoint 2010 Business Connectivity Services and Offline Synchronisation
• SharePoint 2010 Sandbox Solutions

But there really is so much more for the SharePoint 2010 Developer to sink their teeth into:

• Client Object Model (for .NET, Sliverlight and JavaScript)
• LINQ to SharePoint
• SharePoint Designer 2010 and Visio 2010 Integration
• Claims Based Security
• Visual Studio 2010 SharePoint Projects and Project Items
• SharePoint Powershell Integration
• Lists and Libraries Enhancements
• Solution and Feature Lifecycle with the Versioning and Upgrade Framework
• InfoPath 2010 Forms
• Office Web Access
• Branding Improvements
• Enterprise Content Management Improvements, Taxonomies
• Search Improvements
• Excel Services, PerformancePoint Services, PowerPivot for SharePoint
• Access Services

To conclude my stint as the Firebrand Training Blog guest blogger, I’ve created a video overview of the new Business Intelligence features in SharePoint 2010. This also includes a look at: the Business Intelligence Center definition, Excel Web Access and a sneak peek at the REST API for Excel Services.

Guest blogger: SharePoint 2010 Certification

All this week we will be featuring posts from guest blogger Joel Jeffery. Joel is a Firebrand Training instructor, who is currently developing courseware for our brand new SharePoint 2010 Configuring / Administrator and SharePoint Developer courses...

I’ve just read a really interesting blog post about Microsoft’s approach in bringing SharePoint to market, and I felt compelled to share my views on the subject.

SharePoint Matures

It occurs to me that SharePoint has taken a while to mature - and it certainly has done just that. The first versions of the technology stack didn’t have much in the way of targeted Developer or IT Pro learning.

Actually, for WSS 3.0 and SharePoint 2007, the only official Microsoft courses were for the IT Pro community (MOCs 5060 and 5061). I'm not saying that Microsoft left things up to the community, but that SharePoint was a somewhat niche product (compared to Microsoft’s heavy-weight market share). Microsoft couldn’t deliver the support and training to all of the groups that needed it, while keeping it cost-effective.

The Courseware Library

However, Microsoft did make use of the already-growing Microsoft Courseware Library. This allows 3rd party training providers of sufficient quality to gain a Microsoft seal of approval.

Thanks to this, there have been some great training courses:

• SharePoint 2007 Advanced Development
• SharePoint 2007 Business Intelligence
  
• SharePoint 2007 Branding and Content Management
• SharePoint End Users and Information Workers

You need to be a Microsoft Certified Trainer (a MCT like me!) to deliver these courses. Microsoft leaves a space for Microsoft partners to fill. Big partners like Firebrand Training, and not-so-big partners like JFDI Phoenix (my company!)

SharePoint Certification

SharePoint 2010 certification has evolved:

• For a SharePoint Administrator or SharePoint Developer, the certifications include MCITP and MCPD certification respectively. What an improvement on the four MCTS certifications we had for SharePoint 2007!
• Microsoft is releasing MOCs for both Administrators and Developers! Look out for MOC 10175 and MOC 10232 (for Developers), and 10174 and 10231 (for IT Professionals).
• If you have the MCITP and MCPD certifications for SharePoint, you could potentially move onto the SharePoint Certified Master certification. This normally takes three weeks and doesn't come cheap. You also need to pass a CV screen and interview before gaining a place on a course - which currently only runs in the USA.
• STOP PRESS! It appears that there may be Information Worker training coming soon!
  

Guest blogger and video: Workflow in SharePoint 2010

All this week we will be featuring posts from guest blogger Joel Jeffery. Joel is a Firebrand Training instructor, who is currently developing courseware for our brand new SharePoint 2010 Configuring / Administrator and Developer courses...

A couple of months ago I presented at the Microsoft Architect Insight Conference 2010 in London. Thanks to everybody who came along! The first session was based on my SharePoint 2010 BCS podcast.

The second was about Workflow in SharePoint 2010, looking at the full story from business analyst, through to designer and developer. I looked at how each of these job roles can use Visio 2010, SharePoint Designer 2010 and Visual Studio 2010 to play a part in the overall process of creating a workflow.

You can learn more about this in my video below:



P.s. All of my podcasts can be found on iTunes – search for “joelblogs tv” and you’ll find me! :o )

Guest blogger and video: SharePoint 2010 Business Connectivity Services and Offline Synchronisation

All this week we will be featuring posts from guest blogger Joel Jeffery. Joel is a Firebrand Training instructor, who is currently developing courseware for our brand new SharePoint 2010 Configuring / Administrator and Developer courses...

This post and video is all about Business Connectivity Services, which is the technology previously known as the Business Data Catalog (BDC).

The BDC in SharePoint 2007 was cool. It allowed us to create read-only forms from existing line of business, or back-end, systems - and fast. It also allowed us to index and search data in these back-end systems.

In the video I show how easy it is to work with SharePoint 2010 Business Connectivity Services. We’ll use SharePoint Designer 2010 to hook up with the Northwind database – and load a SQL table of contacts into SharePoint.

I also demonstrate how SharePoint does the hard work in creating not just read-only, but all the CRUD (create, retrieve, update, delete) operations. It also creates InfoPath and browser forms for us, without the need to write any code. Finally, I look at the offline functionality of the BCS and SharePoint workspace, including the beauty of conflict resolution.

Guest blogger and video: SharePoint 2010 Sandbox Solutions

All this week we will be featuring posts from guest blogger Joel Jeffery. Joel is a Firebrand Training instructor, who is currently developing courseware for our brand new SharePoint 2010 Configuring / Administrator and Developer courses...

At the beginning of the year, it was a pleasure to teach SharePoint 2010 to an audience of developers for Microsoft during their Ignite event in Dublin.

One of the best features of the new development platform is Sandbox Solutions and the User Code Service. This allows developers to write code that is packaged up as a SharePoint .WSP solution, and deploy it at site collection level in a security sandbox. This feature is aimed at hosted and multi-tenant SharePoint users, and those that are more security conscious.

In the video below, I explain how developers can create a simple Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Sandbox Solution in Visual Studio 2010. I show what works and what doesn’t, and also how to write a custom validator for other developers’ solutions.

The Terminator was powered by Apple!

The infamous Terminator doesn't seem quite so scary when you take time to crack the code on his internal computer screen. If you take a close look, it's actually assembly code for an Apple II.

As Network World explains, the 'high-tech' computer screens that we see in the movies are normally stolen from whatever is 'in' at the time. This can include websites, apps and startup screens.

SharePoint 2010 Certifications are Here

Firebrand Training has officially launced two SharePoint 2010 courses. Our developers have been working around the clock to offer Microsoft MCTS / MCPD SharePoint 2010 Developer and MCTS / MCITP SharePoint 2010 Configuring / Administrator certifications.

Both courses offer dual certification, so as well as an MCTS, you will also gain a career-enhancing MCITP or MCPD. These certifications will be gained in only one week.

Call us on 0844 888 1677 to gain an exclusive introductory discount.

8 Out Of 10 Employees Cause A Security Risk

More than 80% of employees admit that using their personal device for work purposes may cause a security risk to their company. However - one in three would continue to use the device, even if it does cause harm!

Research by Sourcefire found that the most commonly used personal devices in the workplace were laptops and home PCs. An alarming 32% of those surveyed use their own USB sticks at work.

Dominic Storey, Technical Director EMEA at Sourcefire, said: “There will always be insider threat because that is human nature and that is the whole usernomics thing.”

Colin Woodland, VP EMEA at IronKey, agrees: “It is a gadget thing and companies need to protect themselves. It is about communications and policy. People want to use social networking sites, so how do you protect them so that they are still productive but still secure?”

Read the full article at SC Magazine.

Firebrand Training Wins Another Award

Firebrand Training holds the record for the most Institute of IT Training Company of the Year awards - from three consecutive years. We have consistently added to these with awards and accolades from the vendors that we partner.

We are delighted to announce that Firebrand Training has been named as “Highest Performing Affiliate of the Year – EMEA” by (ISC)2. The major security association helps companies recognize organizations and individuals who are knowledgeable in security through the CISSP, CSSLP and SSCP certifications.

Firebrand Training is an Authorized Provider of (ISC)2 certifications. W. Hord Tipton, Executive Director of (ISC)2, stated: “This award represents Firebrand as the top performer for (ISC)2 in 2009 for the EMEA region.”

Halting Hackers with Honeypots

Active surveillance of network and computer systems is expensive and time-consuming (and often fruitless). And this philosophy can mean that hackers remain undetected. A key issue with surveillance is that it can be tough to differentiate between legitimate and illegitimate activities.

A honeypot creates false targets that, when accessed, triggers an alarm. For example, if a hacker attempts to access an IP address that is not used. Likewise, a port-based honeypot could highlight requests on unused TCP ports. As Network World explains, "Entire computers, or even networks of computers, can be created to lure attackers."

Fully explore the complexities before implementing honeypots - as the law probably views this as 'entrapment,' and therefore couldn't lead to prosecution.

Firebrand Training Recommended by Men's Health Magazine

This month's issue of Men's Health magazine focuses on how anyone can grab themselves a £100k salary.

The UK's best selling men's magazine points out that "becoming a digital 007 puts five zeroes on your pay packet." It is, of course, referring to the role of Ethical Hacker. It continues: "A government survey found that 90% of ethical hacking recuiters had difficulty filling jobs."

And how does the magazine recommend you gain this dream job?

"To get started, try a five-day intro with the Ethical Hacker Certification course from firebrandtraining.co.uk. This gives you the basics of servers and viruses, the foundation for a career in virtual derring-do."

To read the full article, head to the Firebrand Training Press Room.

Free Resources to Help You Gain Your LPIC-1 Cert

The Linux LPI 1 certification provides professionals with the basic hardware, software, and networking skills necessary to function in an entry-level Linux information technology position.

Before attending a course, there are some fantastic free online resources to set you on your way:

LPI Linux Certification Wikibook
LPI Linux Certification in a Nutshell (2nd ed.)
LPI 101 practice exam
LPI 102 practice exam

CompTIA Recertification Rolls On

CompTIA has unveiled more information about its upcoming certification renewal policy, which is planned to begin 1 January 2011. A+, Security+, and Network+ certifications will all expire after three years unless renewed.

A real positive, however, is the fact that those who gain certification before the end of 2010 will be “certified for life” and will not need to renew. CompTIA has posted a certification renewal FAQ page on their website, which gives you all the details you need.

LPI Certification Hits 85,000

The Linux Professional Institute (LPI) has announced that it has granted more than 85,000 Linux certifications around the globe. In the ten years since its inception, more than 250,000 exams have been delivered.

LPIC1 and LPIC2 have proven extremely popular at Firebrand Training, and we're celebrating by offering a joint offer with LPI. Speak to one of our enrolment consultants to find out more.

How to upgrade your MCSE 2003 to 2008

If you're a qualified Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer who has completed the MCSE 2003 track, you're probably looking to bring this up-to-date with the 2008 technology.

If you're an MCSE - or an MCSA - you have two exams to choose from. Exam 70-648: TS: Upgrading Your MCSA on Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008 and Exam 70-649: TS: Upgrading Your MCSE on Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008.

You could make the upgrade in less than a week with Firebrand Training. The six-day Windows Server 2008 Upgrade course prepares you for both of the exams, and you can choose to sit either at our exam centre.