Palaestra Training just released a new training series for the Windows Server 2008 70-642 (Network Infrastructure Configuration) exam.  This MCTS exam counts as credit toward the MCITP: Server Administrator and MCITP: Enterprise Administrator certifications.

This in-depth training covers everything you’ll need to know to become proficient configuring your Windows 2008 network, as well the information necessary to pass the 70-642 exam.  The trainer, Michael Shannon, is an expert trainer who has helped thousands of students around the world get certified and improve their IT careers.

The training also comes with the award-winning MeasureUp exam prep software for the 70-642 exam.

Check them out at www.PalaestraTraining.com for more information.

Palaestra Training creates high-quality computer based training videos for Microsoft, Cisco and CompTIA technologies.

Looking for an awesome combination when it comes to IT Certification Computer Training Videos? 

Palaestra Training recently announced they’ve partnered with MeasureUp, one of the best exam prep companies in the world.

Palaestra Training now includes a full copy of MeasureUp’s award-winning exam prep software with most of their training titles.  This is great news for anyone looking to ramp up on their IT skills, including IT professionals needing to get certified. 

MeasureUp has been a long time favorite among IT professionals and was awarded Redmond Magazine’s Preferred Product award as well as being a CertCities Reader’s Choice Awards finalist. 

Accordning to a recent survey, IT professionals continue to be in high demand and this trend is likely to continue for the next decade.  So even in today’s economy, the Information Technology field is a great place to be.

For more information, visit them online at www.PalaestraTraining.com

There aren’t too many women in IT (relatively speaking) but that’s slowly changing.

Salaries, environment and technology in general is making the IT industry more appealing to women.

Check out Palaestra’s post and see if you have anything to add to the list (if you’re in IT).

If you’re brand new, then of course you have to put in the time, make the right moves and position yourself in the right sector.

However, if you are in fact a senior lever person and your are not making 6 figures a year, then take a look at the Top 10 Highest Paying Senior-Level IT Jobs to see what areas you should be focusing on. 

There are a lot of areas that can provide that level of income, and it of course will vary from location to location.  However, the jobs are out there, and it is up to you to go after it.

Some of the high paying senior-level IT jobs are:

• Database Architect
• Applications Architect
• Web Creative Director
• Content Engineer

For the full list, along with descriptions of the jobs, salary ranges and more, check out this post at Palaestra Training’s Blog.

Education certainly plays a part, as does industry.  But in the IT arena, earning a 6 figure salary is definitely a possibility once you’ve been around for awhile. 

I know personally that moving from company to company can sometimes be challenging if not down right difficult, but you can’t look at any particular move as the “end-all-be-all” and think “What if I go there and I don’t like it”? 

It’s not the end of the world, and it’s not forever.  Look at each move you make as a stepping stone, and if love it stay there as long as it excites you.  If you hate it, gain as much experience as you can, leverage any training or opportunities the company has to learn new technologies or business processes, and then look for better opportunities.

By looking at it as “there is a light at the end of the tunnel”, the idea of switching to a new company and possibly not liking it becomes instantly more tolerable.  You realize you are there for a finite period of time, and that you will be using it as learning experience to acquire new skills, boost your marketability and improve your resume.

Change is good, although we often fear it.  Stability is good although we often get bored.  These two basic human needs are always in direct conflict with each other, oddly enough, and form the basis for what drives us (and drives us crazy).  Always be willing to challenge yourself though, and push to reach your full potential. 

There ARE people out there doing exactly what they want to be doing, where they want, how they want, and with who they want.  That’s not fiction, it is reality for some.  The difference between those people and you is that that they went for it, and weren’t afraid of change. Go for it, and see where the future takes you.

If you installed Windows XP SP3, thinking you’ll be ahead of the curve and check out the new features, enhanced security, etc., I’m right there with you. 

I like to be up on things as much as possible, and Release Candidates certainly don’t scare me away.  I routinely run them on production boxes, and have never had an issue (and if I did, I’d simply reinstall – no big deal).

That’s worked for me for quite awhile, until just last week when apparently the RDP client in XP SP3 RC1 is set to time-bomb.  The bad part is, you can’t just download and reinstall the older client because it gives you and error stating the version you’re trying to install is older than the version on your system.

Depending on how you installed SP3 (slipstream vs. vanilla install) you may or may not be able to uninstall SP3.

If that’s the case, I found a pretty easy work-around that had me up and running in no time.  Simply copy two files from another XP installation, or Vista installation for that matter.

The two files you’ll need are:

• mstsc.exe
• mstscax.dll

Copy those two files from the c:\windows\system32 of the other machine, and copy them to your c:\windows\system32 directory (or wherever you have windows installed) and you’re good to go!

Thanks Microsoft, for once again making it SO EASY to evaluate your products….

When I was creating the download page for my Internet Safety for Parents ebook and video training series, I ran into some trouble trying to secure my thank you page.  If you are a parent and want to a comprehensive training package (book and video series) teaching you how to protect your children from online dangers including hackers, scam artists, cyber-bullies, identity theft, online predators and more, check out the training.

PHP Protection Script

ClickBank’s site offers some basic scripts to protect your thank you page, but unfortunately for modern PHP sites, the use of global variables often doesn’t work.  Here is the script they offer on their site (that I couldn’t get to work):

function cbValid()
{ $key='YOUR SECRET KEY';
  $rcpt=$_REQUEST['cbreceipt'];
  $time=$_REQUEST['time'];
  $item=$_REQUEST['item'];
  $cbpop=$_REQUEST['cbpop'];

  $xxpop=sha1("$key|$rcpt|$time|$item");
  $xxpop=strtoupper(substr($xxpop,0,8));

  if ($cbpop==$xxpop) return 1;
  else return 0;
}
   

I couldn’t get that script to work, and from what I was able to figure out, it’s because they are assuming global variables are turned on, which in most later versions of PHP, that is disabled by default.  By specifying the variables in the code, I was able to get it to work.  So this basically checks to make sure the person visiting the thank you page is coming from clickbank’s site after making a purchase.  If they aren’t you redirect them to another page.  Place this code in the very beginning of your thank you page, before any html.

<?php // thankyou.php
function cbValid($rcpt, $time, $item, $cbpop){
$key=’ABCDE’;
$xxpop=sha1(“$key|$rcpt|$time|$item”);
$xxpop=strtoupper(substr($xxpop,0,8));
if ($cbpop==$xxpop){
return 1;
} else {
return 0;
}
}
// ===== Sanitize the input (only allow GET for security) =====
$rcpt = trim(addslashes($_GET['cbreceipt']));
$time = trim(addslashes($_GET['time']));
$item = trim(addslashes($_GET['item']));
$cbpop = trim(addslashes($_GET['cbpop']));
// ===== Redirect if invalid and exit =====
if (!cbValid($rcpt, $time, $item, $cbpop)) {
// redirect
header (“Location: http://www.SendThemSomewhere.com/“);
exit;
}
// no need to do an ELSE because the exit will terminate further processing
// if a valid transaction is not confirmed
// now have the thank you page html
?>

Full Protection Application

I suppose that still doesn’t stop someone from copying the full URL from a valid purchase and posting that out there somewhere, but you could add some additional variables to make it time out after a certain period of time.

If you need further protection or a full featured ClickBank protection application that provides WAY more than just protecting your Thank You page, check out DLGuard.  It’s definitely a full-featured software application and allows you easily add products, completely secure them, add customers to your mailing lists, etc.  Check out DL Guard here.

Many companies are already chomping at the bit to take advantage of many of the features Windows Server 2008 offers, such as improvements to Terminal Services, Server Virtualization and security enhancements including bitlocker and read-only domain controllers for branch-office type installations. 

Many of the services and features included in Windows Server 2008 will be able to replace software and applications many companies pay for currently.  While this is certainly going to be a welcome addition by many IT departments, it also creates opportunities as well.

Training and certification will continue to play a big part in securing higher paying jobs, opening doors, being considered for new opportunities, changing careers, earning the promotion, etc.  Some of the Top IT Certifications for 2008 will continue to be the perennial favorites, including CompTIA A+ Certification and Cisco CCNA Certification. 

Networking and Support are Key Components

One of the most sought after certifications is Cisco’s CCNA certification.  Virtually every business, regardless of industry, needs qualified people to design, configure, troubleshoot and maintain their networks.  This isn’t going to change for 2008.  In addition, these same companies need people to troubleshoot hardware and software issues, provide desktop and desk-side support and rollout new machines; along with refreshing existing ones.  For these reasons, CompTIA A+ Certification training, and Microsoft’s MCDST Certification training will continue to be offer an excellent return on investment.  If you are looking to either get into the information technology field, or increase your current level, then A+, MCDST or CCNA certification is definitely a worthwhile endeavor.

Project Management

According to a recent Gartner survey, project management is another area that will continue to be a high-paying profession that will be in demand in 2008.  Project Managers manage the project lifecycle, from conception through design, testing and implementation.  They coordinate with the various individual contributors involved in the project, and make sure timelines, deliverables and budgets are met.  They also are able to determine when things are getting off-track and adjust accordingly to ensure timely completion of the project.

As a result, Project Management related certifications like CompTIA Project+ and the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications will be in demand, along with technical certifications and training centering around enabling project management and collaboration, such as Microsoft’s SharePoint 2007.

Security

Perhaps one of the biggest areas for new growth is the security sector, just based on the fact that so many companies are now realizing the need to secure their environments.  Hacking is becoming easier to do, as new tools are released and information is quickly disseminated.  Every company has, or should have, a need to secure their environments from being compromised both physically and virtually.  Even companies that feel they don’t have anything that necessitates additional funding to secure their networks, should understand that failure to do so opens them up to not only being attacked; but also to being used as an intermediary step in a larger attack against other targets (i.e. Denial of Service attacks against remote targets).

Virtualization

As word grows of how great server virtualization can be for a company’s bottom line, not to mention how it improves adminstration, fault tolerance and reduces hardware expenditures, certifications centering around virtualization technologies will be in high demand.  The two dominant players in this field currently are VMware and Microsoft.  Of the two, VMware’s ESX Server platform is a more mature technology and can enable some organizations to consolidate 30 or more hosts onto a single ESX server.

Get Certified and Get Ahead

The bottom line is, if you want the maximize your opportunities for 2008, continue to educate yourself, broaden your skills as much as possible, and stay ahead of the curve.  By keeping a step ahead and learning the skills that companies need to maintain their businesses, you’ll keep yourself marketable and in demand.  If you’re not already certified, you should definitely be working on:

• CompTIA A+ Certification
• Microsoft MCDST Certification
• Cisco CCNA Certification

Those three certifications provide an excellent body of knowledge that forms the foundation of a successful and prosperous IT Career.  From there, you can grow in many directions and specialize in any one of a dozen or more areas.

Best of luck in your Training and Certification Endeavors!!

I’ve been online since I was an early teenager back in the early to mid 80′s, running Bulletin Boards (BBS) years before the Internet.  I was on Prodigy and CompuServe years before most of my friends had even heard of the Internet.

Once the Internet became mainstream, I became involved in web design and really have enjoyed developing another creative outlet over the years.  Designing a website is easy. Designing a functional website is challenging, and designing a nice-looking, functional website is quite a task to say the least.  But simply being able to design a website is only half the battle.  The old “Build it and They Will Come” axiom no longer applies.  Whether you’re a blogger, a small company or an international enterprise, you’re online for one main reason – to be seen.

Wading through the information on how to get ranked in the major search engines can be frustrating and extremely time consuming.  Not only is there so much conflicting information available (much of which is simply wrong), it’s difficult to know who to trust.  There are a few true Search Engine Optimization (SEO) guru’s out there who are willing to teach others what they know, and Aaron Wall is one of the them.  If you want to learn about SEO from the best, pick up a copy of this book.  It’s quite simply THE DEFINITIVE guide to Search Engine Optimization. 

I refer back to this book all the time and I can tell you first hand it’s helped me tremendously.  I’ve seen huge increases in ranking and traffic for my business website, which creates IT Certification and Training videos for CompTIA, Microsoft, Cisco and more.  If the information works for me, it can work for you too.

The tips and techniques contained in Aaron Wall’s SEO Book is pure gold, and it’s information you won’t find anywhere else.  The book is updated frequently (updates are free), and his website is a wealth of information.  Aaron is regarded throughout the industry as one of the top authorities on SEO in the world.  As you read through his book, you’ll understand why.  Tips, techniques and information you can use immediately to improve you rankings, generate more traffic, and ultimately more money.

If you’re serious about your website and want to massively increase your visibility, then you simply must have a copy of this book.  I highly recommend you check it out for yourself.

I have a Quad-core core2 system with 4GB of RAM, so it’s definitely up to spec, and it still seemed slower than XP on my older AMD 2200+. Once I installed Vista’s SP1 Release Candidate, those little speed bumps seemed to disappear. It still takes awhile to open some folders, for some reason I get the green progress bar when opening some folders (in some cases it takes 15-20 seconds to actually open the folder), but everything else seems to have sped up.

This is a RC of SP1, and it’s time-bombed until June 2008, so you’ll need to uninstall this version of the SP when you install the final code. The RTM code should be available Q1 of 2008. Presumably this version of the code has debugging enabled, so we may see additional performance enhancements once it goes live.

I of course haven’t performed any scientific testing, nor have I benchmarked anything other than by using the system and noticing some speed improvements. I also believe the TCP/IP stack is more stable, as my RDP connections haven’t dropped since upgrading, whereas they’d drop in and out pre-SP1.

You can download Vista SP1 RC from Microsoft’s Website.

As a result, salaries are also on the rise.  Why?  Companies need talented, motivated Information Technology professionals and many companies report difficulty in finding those people.

Additionally, as with any asset, IT infrastructure has a life-cycle that necessitates upgrading and/or replacing every 3-5 to stay current with new and emerging technologies.  For may companies, utilizing current technology is a competitive advantage.  For others, it’s a necessary evil, but either way, those companies need IT professionals who know how to install, migrate, maintain and support their infrastructure.

So what does this mean to you?  It means that if you’re already an IT professional, brush up on new skills and reassess your qualifications relative to the job market.  Are you making what your worth? According to a recent Robert Half salary survey, salaries for all IT roles will rise an average of 5.3% for 2008!

If you are thinking about changing careers and getting into IT or perhaps moving to a different area within IT, again get the training you need to take you there quickly.  Spending a year or two casually learning new skills on your own will eventually enable you to acquire those skills, but the rest of the world will have passed you by.  Staying ahead of the curve, and constantly expanding your skillset is what sets you apart from the competition.

If you’re great at hardware, consider learning networking and acquiring Cisco skills.  If you’re already proficient at networking, consider brushing up on your hardware skills, or systems administration skills.  A well-rounded IT professional that can do it all (and specialize in one or two areas) is a very attractive employee to most companies.

The great thing about IT is that it constantly changes, and there are always new technologies to master, new industries and new opportunities. It all starts with training and getting the skills to take you there.