Category: MSLearning

Core IO Assessments and Learning

Lately I have been doing about 10 Core Infrastructure Optimization Assessments for our customers. I do not think the outcomes are surprising, we all know we still spend most of our time “Fighting Fires”, which stands for “Basic” in the Core IO Maturity model.

I created a customized Core IO questionnaire (thanks to Microsoft’s Eduardo Kassner) which I leave at the customer after a presentation for the whole IT Team and hopefully also some non-tech decision makers. That presentation starts with an explanation of the why and what on the Core IO Assessment. Some talks on Total Cost of Ownership, Return On Investment and Capital Expenditure versus Operational Expenditure. We do some work on road mapping, creating a context for the now mostly ad-hoc type of Projects. I touch a little bit on the Business Productivity Infrastructure Optimization (BP IO) model as well. Customers think of this presentation as very valuable, a new way of looking at their own infrastructure and new ways of working in and with that model. And they really get that they are sitting at “Basic” and that there is nothing wrong with that. It gives them a way to move forward.

The second part of my presentation, hey, I am a Microsoft Certified Trainer, is on Training and Certification. The conversation goes like:

  • There is tons or millions invested in hardware and software
  • Business struggles with agility, availability, costs
  • IT sits at “Basic” in their Core IO (and BP IO), everybody is fighting fires
  • …… How Come…….?

Then I make a really blunt statement, one you should not make without having created a context like this. IT Staff is not qualified for the job. Yes, you heard me correctly IT STAFF IS NOT QUALIFIED FOR THE JOB!!! End users are not qualified to use powerful tools like Office, Exchange and SharePoint.

We treat Server 2012 R2 Domain Controllers like Novell 3.12 Servers, we treat Word 2013 like a typewriter and we use SharePoint 2013 as a Fileserver. So we buy the stuff and we’re not using it. I call that stupid, really very stupid.

I invite you to count the total number of RELEVANT certifications in your IT Department. I invite you to count the number of end users that attended an OS or Office training recently. And then you have an answer to why you are all “Fighting Fires” and sit at “Basic” in your Core IO and BP IO.

The first next IT Projects should be on Training and Certification. And see what happens with the results of Core IO and BP IO Assessments. All the hardware and software you need is already there!

Happy Learning!

Office 365 Exams – Again

Some two years ago I took the then brand new Microsoft Exams on Office 365. Passing both Exam 70- 321 Deploying Office 365 and Exam 70-323 Administering Office 365 made me MCITP Office 365. Back then I wrote about those exams, how hard I thought they were (I still now only a few people who passed them both), although I held MCTS Exchange and MCITP SharePoint and already did a great deal of work on Office 365.

Now Microsoft has made available two new exams, 70-346 Managing Office 365 Identities and Requirements and 70-347 Enabling Office 365 Services, passed them both and my call myself MCSA Office 365. It’s rather interesting to see how these exams then and now compare. The main feature added in the 2 years between them is of course Office ProPlus and the ways it can be deployed. All other features are more of the same, expanded features but not real new features. The experience was a bit like the Windows Server and Active Directory exams, you come from NT3.51 or NT4.0 and do Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 and now Windows Server 2012. Some new features and more of the same for the existing features. The exams evolve with Scenario’s, drag and drop items and complete PowerShell scripts questions but still they test you on what Microsoft thinks is important to know.

Back to MCSA Office 365, breaking the content up in a part called “Identities ad Requirements” and a part called “Enabling Services” seems pretty logical, the first is more about the current onprem environment and the latter more about the Office 365 platform. Also a very logical order for organizations who want to leverage Office 365 without the assistance of external parties. The Exam requirements at http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-us/exam-70-346.aspx and http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-us/exam-70-347.aspx correspond very well with the content of the exams, no surprises there.

I do believe that these two exams are less difficult than the MCITP ones but on the other hand, they deserve more being part of a MCSE Track instead of a MCSA Track. They really come on top of MCSA Server 2012 or even on top of MCSE Exchange/SharePoint. Like two years ago and probably also like two years from now, Office 365 is a very broad set of Microsoft Technologies on which you have to be very comfortable if you want to pass these exams. So, yes, the MCSA Office 365 exams are tough cookies meaning that this certification will certainly have value.

Wish you all Happy Learning!

Training is Essential

Delivering Microsoft, Time Management and Project Management Trainings is one of my great passions. For the participants I stand for them achieving success. Their employers understand the necessity of training. As a Consultant I always stress that necessity in talks with customers but unfortunately a lot of Organizations still do not see the importance of having a skilled workforce.

I think that is not a good situation for at least three reasons.

  1. Statistics show that people are more loyal and trustworthy when their employer truly wants to get the best out of them. One way of doing so is by leveraging Personal Development Plans. We’ve seen the conversation between the CEO and CFO on Social Media often enough (“CFO: What if we invest in our people and they leave! CEO: What if we don’t and they stay!”). I go for invest in them, they’ll tend to stay. IT Pro’s know (or at least they should know) they must stay up to date to be of value. If their employer does not invest in their staying up to date they might go looking elsewhere.
  2. Organizations really spill lots of money on hardware and software they do not use. No difference here when looking to end users or IT Staff. Available technologies are not being used but have been paid for…. Very un-businesslike. To be blunt: for end users MS Word is just a typewriter, for IT Pro’s Server 2012 R2 is just the same as a Novell 3.12 server. What a waste! If organizations do not use the full potential of their hardware and software purchases why buy it in the first place.
  3. IT (a.k.a. ICT, where the C stood for Communication, I’d like to substitute that with Collaboration so we get Information and Collaboration Technology) is a relative young job/department/function. It has only been around for a couple of decades. ICT evolves very fast, actually it evolves progressively and organizations have no idea how to deal with that. They only react. Ignorance is killing ROI and supplies a sky-rocketing energy boost for TCO. There is a lack in Vision and Strategy and therefore there is no Context for nothing ICT Related. Staying on top of current ICT Development, which can be achieved by education and training, is really essential for being able to create that Vision/Strategy/Context.

Organizations have a lot of good reasons for not putting any funds into training/development of their workforce. Frankly, I don’t give a sh*t for reasons for not doing something (we even spend time and energy on creating reasons for NOT doing something, think about that one for a while, that whole idea is so stupid). Organizations need to focus on inventing reasons for doing something. You only need ONE reason for doing something.

Now I gave you three reasons for doing Training, so let’s do it! Train. Learn. Explore. Invent. Develop.

BE CURIOUS

Taking (Microsoft) Exams: Pitfalls

It’s exam time with all the new Microsoft releases and new Certification Tracks. In my previous post I gave some reasons to get certified. In this post I will look at some pitfalls I see happening while people take their exams. Apart from a good preparation of course….. that’s obvious enough.

In 1998 I brought my first class to a Testing Center and I guess that I took about a thousand people to their exams since. A lot of things happen while making an exam which could lead to unnecessary failing. Here are a couple of points I use for coaching my students to become successful exam passers.

Take your time. I have never heard candidates complaining about too little time. And yet, when I look at scores in test exams, about 60% of the result is reached in the first 40% of the exam. On average, candidates are focused for about 20 minutes. So, take a break every 20 minutes. In the old days, I sometimes even took a smoke. Anyway, take the breaks every 20 minutes or so, it will enable you to also score well on the last items.

Don’t look at the answers. I do a lot of exam training and I catch people starting eliminating answers right away, that’s really a waste of energy. You’ll end up doing each and every question 4 times; check answer “A”, read the question again…. No, check answer “B”, read the question again…. No, and so on. An exam of 60 questions will end up in an exam of 240 questions. Try to formulate the best answer and then look if it’s there. The elimination process is only your last resort.

Every question is the first question. I really know a lot of people who get mad or angry about certain, in their opinion stupid or wrong questions. That is setting yourself up for failure for the next questions. Don’t be righteous! Your final score is NOT about your opinion on the topics and questions covered. Get over it BEFORE you click “Next”!

Get yourself Clear(ed). On entering the exam room leave all that’s in the back of your mind at the door, especially your opinions of yourself and the exam you’re about to take. I always call my wife, and if she’s not picking up the phone, I’ll just speak into her voicemail for a minute or two. While you’re making an exam there’s nothing you can do about a situation at work, at home, or whatever. You came to pass for an exam, don’t let anything stand between you and a passing score while making the exam.

Know your personal pitfall. My personal pitfall is “Arrogance”. Man, I’m doing good! I can afford to just gamble this (stupid) question and still be on track for a passing score. Bummer! Failed with 690 point out of 700. So I write down in big capitals on the scrap sheet “ARROGANT???”. And I manage myself. When I catch myself on being just that I click “Previous” and do the question. You have to be honest with yourself, or a better way to say that, honor yourself and distinguish your personal pitfall. You know what it is, you only need to acknowledge that it’s there. That gives you a choice instead of being the victim.

Time and location. Get agreement for picking time and place, when and where will you be taking your exam? Where I work we also have a Testing facility, I do not take my exams there. I want to be anonymous, especially during all the breaks I take. I do not want to walk to the toilets and have to have a chat with one of my co-workers. As for the time slot, some prefer taking exams early in the morning and some prefer late afternoon. Choose whatever works best for YOU. That’s what I mean with “get agreement”. Reschedule is a better option than setting yourself up for failure.

Be proud. It takes courage to take it on, acknowledge yourself for that and get acknowledgement from the people around you. Celebrate whatever the outcome may be. You really learn a lot form failing.

Finally, all begins with a real good preparation. As far as Microsoft Exams are concerned, they raised the bars. Certainly in the MCSE Tracks.

Happy studying and ENJOY taking exams!

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.

Server 2012 Certification Tracks

Server 2012 is here! And so are a great deal of the exams necessary to earn your certifications. I took them all, either the real stuff or in beta (beta-period is over though, you’ll have to wait). So what’s available and what are they like?

Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate: Server 2012

  • Exam 070-410, Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012
  • Exam 070-411, Administering Windows Server 2012
  • Exam 070-412, Configuring Advance Windows Server 2012 Services
  • Or Exam 070-417, upgrading your Skills to MCSA Windows Server 2012, which is the 3 above exam taken all at once

I did 070-410 (beta) and 070-417 and passed them both. There is not much preparation material available yet, so how did I prepare? Well, first of all, I already started playing around with Server 2012 when the first Technical Preview became available. So I’m already pretty familiar with the interfaces, the “what-is-where-and-how” questions on the exams. Secondly, I am really well grounded in the previous versions of Windows Servers. There is a lot off good old stuff in the exams. And third, I took a very close look at the section “Skills being measured” on the Microsoft Learning website: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/Exam.aspx?ID=70-417&locale=en-us#tab1 (substitute the bold-printed exam number for either which exam). Actually, I did everything mentioned on those pages! Been there, done that, got the Certification (no shirts yet in the eCompany Store though….)

Exam 070-410 was a piece of cake, I took the beta unprepared and for free during Microsoft TechED 2012 in Amsterdam. I was not surprised of the result. I took exam 070-417 playing a game with some co-workers; who would be certified before October first. Jimmy van der Mast and I took it up and both passed. It’s a tough exam! Very lengthy, it took me 2,5 hours to complete. And a lot of stuff is being covered. As a trainer/coach I would suggest to a lot of folks to take the 3 separate exams instead of this one. Which has been the case with all previous versions of Upgrade-your-skills exams. It’s 3 exams in one, you cannot go back to a finished section, you’ll get 3 scores, the lowest one being the final score. So you must Pass on all 3 sections. No surprise that both Jimmy and I had the lowest score on the third section, there’s no “good old stuff” in there.

 

Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert: Server Infrastructure

  • Exam 070-413, Designing and Implementing a Server Infrastructure
  • Exam 070-414, Implementing an Advanced Server Infrastructure

Those exams are currently not available, I took the beta’s, no scores so far…). According to the Microsoft Learning website they will be “live” on October 16. You can look at the “Skills being measured” by taking the URL mentioned above and change the exam number. And then you will see…….. wow, this covers a lot more than only Server 2012! There is quite a bit of System Center 2012 in there so you have to be fairly familiar with SCOM, SCCM, SCVMM and you have know about AppController, Orchestrator, SCSM and SCDPM. And of course there is Networking, networking and more networking. And there is all flavors of Storage. BEWARE!

On exam 070-413, the name is not well chosen (IMHO). I think “Design” would fit better on exam 070-414. Then they would be more in line with the former Server 2000/2003 Design Exams. So exam 070-413 is still about “what-is-where-and-how”. Know the Interfaces, know how to fulfill requirements, step by step, complete the tasks. Whereas exam 070-414 is more about deciding which technology should be implemented give the requirements. More thinking and overview is required for the latter. I’m good at that, so I thought the first one was tougher than the second one.

Again, my preparations were about doing it all, building the complex Infrastructures and DOING it ALL. Fortunately there is Microsoft’s Virtual Labs (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsserver/hh968267.aspx so you don’t have to build everything yourself.

Overall, these are really tough exams. The certification will be great asset on your resume.

 

Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert: Desktop Infrastructure

  • Exam 070-415, Implementing a Desktop Infrastructure
  • Exam 070-416, Implementing Desktop Application Environments

Same story here, beta’s, no scores yet, live on October 16. And again a lot of System Center 2012 products, networking, storage, performance and optimization. Depending on your line of expertise (mine is more on infrastructures than desktops and applications) this track is at least as tough as the Server Infrastructure track. Lucky for me that Qwise, my employer, does a lot of “Server Based Computing” (Citrix, RDS), VDI and App-V projects so I am well grounded in those matters. And isn’t everything about the App?

The track is very similar to the Server Infrastructure track for the differences between the 2 exams. And also over here, this certification will look great on your resume because markets will soon find out that not many of us will succeed in passing both exams.

 

Happy studying! Keep you posted!

Update, October 23: no MCSE for me, passed one exam in both tracks.

 

Technical Learning Guide in the Hands-on Labs at TechEd Europe 2012!

Last year at Teched NA in Atlanta I had my first opportunity to assist in the Hands-On-Lab area. A great experience for all MCT’s!

This year, at first I was not among the lucky ones, but I received an invitation eventually! So, I’ll be at TechEd Amsterdam, just around the corner of my home!

CU at http://europe.msteched.com/