Cisco CCIE Certification Training

Cisco CCIE Certification Training

Cisco is one of the best-known providers of professional IT certifications, and the Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert (CCIE) is among the most desired. CertCities' reader's choice awards consistently ranks the CCIE as the most respected high-level credential, while CertMag calls it the most technically advanced. According to Global Knowledge's 2011 IT Skills and Salary Report, CCIE Routing and Switching holders earned a mean annual wage of $120,008, making it not only the most lucrative of Cisco's certifications, but of all credentials evaluated from any vendor.

The ideal CCIE candidate
The CCIE is an expert certification designed for elite networking engineers and technicians. According to Cisco's official site, only 3 percent of Cisco certified professionals make it to the CCIE level, a very small fraction of IT pros worldwide. Pursuing the CCIE credential requires dedication: candidates must be prepared to invest several months and a few thousand dollars in training and exams.

How the CCIE certification process works
Those pursuing the CCIE must choose a specialty. Students can earn certifications in multiple CCIE specialties, boosting their employment potential even more. The specialty tracks as of 2011 are:

CCIE Routing and Switching. The most popular CCIE certification, the CCIE R&S validates expert knowledge of networking across LAN and WAN interfaces using a variety of routers and switches. Candidates must be able to solve complicated connectivity issues to improve response times, bandwidth, or otherwise boost performance.
CCIE Security. This credential certifies that one has expert knowledge of security and VNP solutions. Candidates must be able to configure complex networks and understand common attacks and mitigation methods.
CCIE Service Provider. This certification ensures candidates are experts in IP fundamentals and technologies, demonstrating solid expertise in building an extensible service provider infrastructure.
CCIE Service Provider Operations. The SPO certificate validates one's ability to troubleshoot and maintain complex service provider networks. Candidates must be skilled in IP NGN core network infrastructures in both IOS and IOS XP environments.
CCIE Storage Networking. This certification demonstrates one's expertise in the implementation and troubleshooting of storage area networks. Candidates must be skilled with LANs, MANs and WANs across iSCSI, Fibre Channel, FCIP and FICON.
CCIE Voice. The CCIE V certification ensures that one is an expert in Cisco Voice over IP products and solutions in large enterprises, able to build, configure and troubleshoot complex telephony networks.
CCIE Wireless. This CCIE certification is designed for those with advanced knowledge of WLAN technologies.

About the CCIE certification exams
Pursuing CCIE certification in any of the above tracks requires one to pass both an extensive written exam, typically two hours in length, and a grueling, eight-hour lab exam. Cisco notes that you must pass the written exam before advancing to the lab test, and within 18 months. Written exams are updated often, and cover the current Cisco curriculum for the chosen track. Lab exams test one's ability to configure and troubleshoot networking equipment and software.

Cisco notes that CCIE candidates spend an average 18 months preparing for CCIE certification. Because understanding how to answer different types of questions and complete various simulations is almost as important for a passing score as the baseline material itself, CCIE candidates should complete several practice tests and lab simulations before registering for their exams. One can access official CCIE study guides and practice tests through Cisco's official website, or through professional organizations like the Association for Computing Machinery.

CCIE certifications are valid for two years. One can become re-certified by passing the current CCIE written or lab exam, or by passing other select Expert- or Architect-level exams.

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Microsoft MCDBA Certification Training

Database administrators continue to grow beyond the commodity status they developed in the early 2000s, now earning the opportunity to shape strategy at many large companies. Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA) training helps MBAs learn how to convert their tactics into code, while helping DBAs support long-term platform migrations.

How MCDBA training enhances career value
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, database administrators often enjoy annual salaries above $66,000 and can expect consistently strong job prospects over the next 10 years. However, government statistics back up research by private analysts at Foote Partners, showing that database administrator certification on its own doesn't automatically lead to instant career success. Salary surveys indicate that the highest paid DBAs blend their experience from other job roles with the kinds of skills developed during MCDBA certification programs.

For instance, a business professional with an MBA can use MCDBA training to understand the mechanics of the systems he or she uses to track a company's information. Acting as a project manager or as a liaison between engineers and end users can result in significantly higher compensation than a peer would earn in a strictly administrative role.
Earning the database administrator certification

According to Microsoft, MCDBA certification targets professionals with one year or more of experience working with SQL Server and requires passing four separate exams:

Microsoft SQL Server Administration exam.
SQL Server Design exam.
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003 exam.
One elective exam from a list chosen by Microsoft's education team, usually involving .NET or network infrastructure.

As experienced DBA professionals have noted in trade magazines like InfoWorld and SQL Magazine, Microsoft has retired many of the required exams for the MCDBA certification. Professionals switching careers into an information technology specialty may only have the option to pursue a vendor-neutral database administrator certification program. However, seasoned networking and infrastructure experts with previous Windows credentials can use the MCDBA certification to formalize their database skills.

Advantages of MCDBA certification
Though most database vendors share common elements of the Structured Query Language in use since the 1970s, each software company adds its own refinements and enhancements over time. These "forks" result in database platforms that can feel familiar to administrators moving from one vendor to another, but still require specific training and experience. Microsoft released versions of its SQL Server in 2005 and 2008, while competitors like Oracle released their own versions of SQL platforms in the years since. Still, many of Microsoft's enterprise customers remain committed to platforms for years, if not decades.

Microsoft Certified Database Administrator training offers the biggest benefits to professionals in companies that require support for custom MS-SQL installations. Many of these companies understand that they can prolong the useful lives of their databases by leveraging today's faster hardware and cheap memory upgrades. Therefore, databases running on platforms dating to 2000 and 2005 are common in enterprise environments. After a glut of MCDBA professionals hit the market in 2005 and 2006, the certification continues to grow in value at companies that rely on legacy support or that want to prepare for migration to a newer platform.

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Microsoft Office 2013 vs. Office 365 price calculator

Use this tool to determine the better deal -- Microsoft's new Office 365 subscription or traditional buy-now-use-forever licenses

Two weeks ago, Microsoft backpedaled from a sweeping change on how it licensed retail copies of Office 2013, deciding that it would, after all, let customers move the software from one machine to another.

That reversal mooted the original end-user licensing agreement (EULA), which had permanently tied "perpetual" licenses -- those paid for once, with rights to use them as long as desired -- to the first PC they were installed on.

And it again made for fairly straight-forward calculations when trying to decide the better deal between buy-once-run-forever copies of Office, and the rent-not-own deals that Microsoft wants consumers to adopt.

Office 365 Home Premium, which costs $100 per year -- or $10 per month -- includes the right to install a top-end edition of Office 2013 or the business-esque edition of Office for Mac 2011, on up to five Windows PC or Macs in a household.

The trouble with Office 365, however, is that once a customer has committed, he or she must continue paying the subscription fee or lose access to the software.

That's so different from the way people have licensed software for decades that some have had a tough time wrapping their heads around the concept.

Computerworld has pitched in by comparing perpetual licensing and Office 365 subscriptions several times, and discovered that the most important variables are first, the number of licenses a customer actually uses -- or needs, which may not be the same -- and second, the length of time between Office upgrades.

To help consumers calculate which is the smarter move, Office 2013 or Office 365, Computerworld's Online Managing Editor, Sharon Machlis, created a calculator that factors in three variables: The number of machines Office needed to be on, the time between upgrades, and the software required.

Microsoft Office price calculator
On how many PC or Mac systems do you want to use Office in your household?
With Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote
With Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook
With Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Access and Publisher

How many years would you expect to use the above copies (if buying desktop licenses) before upgrading?
Because analysts have said the upgrade average is five years, Computerworld used that time span in its comparisons. But not everyone upgrades Office that often, or that infrequently. Some hold onto Office for ages -- many still use Office 2003, which is slated for retirement next year -- while others lust for the newest, and so are ready to ditch Office 2010.

Computerworld's conclusion: Households that needed Office on four or five machines should steer for Office 365. But those that required one, two or three copies of Office were better off sticking with perpetual licenses of Office Home & Student 2013.

But those calculations had a flaw some saw as fatal: They did not account for what applications Office 365 Home Premium gave consumers.

The subscription includes a top-of-the-line version of Office 2013, one that includes not only Excel, Word, OneNote and PowerPoint -- the quartet in the $140 Home & Student 2013 -- but also the Outlook email client, Publisher and the Access database.

Yet some people need Outlook at home, others Access, in effect tossing a wrench into any calculations dependent only on Home & Student 2013.

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Industry coalition objects to Google's domain names applications

FairSearch.org, which is backed by Microsoft, Nokia and Oracle, said Google could get a competitive advantage from generic industry terms

An industry coalition with backing from Microsoft, Nokia and Oracle has objected to Google's application for certain top-level domain strings.

FairSearch.org said it has filed objections with ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) over Google's applications for generic top-level domain (gTLD) strings including ".search," ".fly" and ".map."

By accepting Google's application, ICANN will enable the search giant to gain an unfair competitive advantage against other members of the community "through the improper grant of a perpetual monopoly of generic industry terms to a single company."

Google, which controls over 79 percent of search queries in the U.S. and over 90 percent market share in Europe, doesn't need more help against its competitors by giving it control over who gets access to new domain names, FairSearch said on Tuesday.

The industry coalition lobbies policy makers following what it describes as "growing evidence that Google is abusing its search monopoly to thwart competition."

ICANN's policy to open generic domain names to private parties has already attracted criticism from other fronts.

Publishing industry groups and bookseller Barnes & Noble have, for example, objected to Amazon.com's application for top-level domain strings, including for ".book" and ".read."

In its application for the ".book" gTLD, Amazon wrote that ".BOOK will be a single entity registry, with all domains registered to Amazon for use in pursuit of Amazon's business goals." There will be no resellers and market in ".book" domains, and Amazon will strictly control the use of ".book" domains, it added.

Placing generic domains in private hands is anticompetitive, and will allow already dominant, well-capitalized companies to expand and entrench their market power, Scott Turow, president of Authors Guild in New York, wrote in a letter to ICANN.

Google has applied for a large number of gTLDs including some related to its existing brands.

Specific new strings do not have inherent value from which applicants can derive competitive advantage, as Internet users tend to use the topAlevel domain names they are already comfortable with, particularly ".com," Google wrote in a letter to ICANN earlier this month. A new gTLD operator will need to make significant investments to raise awareness of the TLD, and persuade users to make use of the new domains, it added.

Google has, however, said in the letter that it has identified four of its current single registrant applications that it will revise: ".app," ".blog," ".cloud" and ".search," as these have been identified by governments and others in the community as being potentially valuable and useful to the entire industry.

"We also believe that for each of these terms we can create a strong set of user experiences and expectations without restricting the string to use with Google products," it added, leading to speculation that the company may agree to open up these four domains to non-Google products.

"It's possible that Google could access the data that flows over any other website who asks to register under a gTLD owned by Google, giving it even greater advantage over all other companies on the Internet," FairSearch said. Google did not immediately comment on FairSearch's objections before ICANN.

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Augmented reality poised to leave a mark on IT

Though true artificial intelligence remains futuristic in terms of practical applications, use of computers to augment our own perception of the world is pushing more prominently into view, with commercials already suggesting ways to overlay information on what we see. With augmented reality (AR) being developed to take advantage of cloud, mobile, big data and social technology -- Gartner's "nexus of forces" -- is it possible AR could become a fifth component of the nexus?

AR is generally defined as a direct or indirect view of a real-world environment that is augmented in some way by computer generated input. This means your view of the world around you can be enhanced by external information as desired.

The concept itself is not really new. In fact, most people are familiar with some common uses. In football on TV, for example, the yellow first down line you see on the screen is an example of AR that has been in use for several years. However, this is not the kind of AR that promises to change the world as we know it.

AR relies on different aspects of developing technologies such as GPS, computer vision and object recognition. As such, as we see advancements in these technologies, AR stands to benefit along with them.
Mobile, cloud, big data and social tech

Intel researchers have been working on new processors for smartphones and tablets partially in anticipation of demand for AR capabilities and the power they will require. As technology makes its push into cloud computing, however, this may not even be necessary.

Google recently released the Google Goggles application, which allows users to search the Web based on an image captured using the camera in their smartphone. While this does not exactly constitute the sort of real-time AR that has the tech world talking, it does show AR can make strides toward its true potential through the cloud. As with many consumer technologies these days, mobility is the key to success. Devices supporting AR will have to be light on hardware to appeal to a mobile market, which means that the heavy lifting and storage will have to be accessed via network.

The Google Glass project -- a computer worn as glasses -- may be the general public's introduction to cloud-based AR. Consumer models of the glasses are expected to make their debut sometime in 2014. Users will wear a small headband with a clear display positioned over one eye. It will record things from your environment such as conversations and images and store them in Google's cloud. From this input, Google can provide relevant information from its search engine or Google+. [Also see: "Google Glass: A lot of hype but little information"]

However, if many people used this, the amount of data generated would be astounding. The development of big data capabilities over the next decade predicted by IT researchers will play an important role in these grand-scale AR projects as providers seek to store increasingly data-rich media from the input. On the back end, the size of the database required to provide relevant information in enough contexts for AR overlays to have mass appeal, will not be modest. Image recognition for something as simple as a company logo on the Web requires scanning through petabytes of data. Already requiring several petabytes, AR endeavors like Google Glass could quickly push storage requirements into the next few data measurement units -- exabytes, zettabytes or even yottabytes.

Google is not the only contender in AR, though. Other companies are looking at ways to integrate AR by utilizing cloud and social technology. For example, NEC Biglobe and Vuzix teamed up to develop AR glasses focused on recognizing people's faces and pairing the information up with their Facebook and Twitter accounts. AR applications in social technology like this will appeal to the masses, but businesses will also likely find interest as they increasingly utilize less public social technologies such as Salesforce's Chatter.

It may be too early to say how large a role AR will play in the next few years, but tools that can boost profits are bound for success. AR developers are certainly keeping big business in mind.
Commerce

As AR develops, the most visible utilization will be in commerce. AR can facilitate a 3D view of a product traditionally advertised in 2D. Lego has already been using AR to allow people to get a preview of what is inside the boxes on shelves. Several other retailers are also looking at ways to integrate AR content into catalogues and magazines.

Retailers may also use AR to supplement what customers see in their stores with additional online options. Details and specifications for products can also be made readily available through AR.

In the office, AR could be used to increase the effectiveness of collaborative efforts by allowing teams to meet in person or virtually while viewing and manipulating a single set of data. Companies like Gravity Jack have already developed an indoor AR office. If this could be accessed via the cloud, it could potentially bring the bring your own device (BYOD) revolution to an entirely new level.

Augmented reality business cards are also becoming more common as people find it an engaging and more useful way to share business information (the amount of information you can make available this way is vastly greater). An AR business card has an image that, when read by a mobile device with a camera, can display everything from a headshot to a resume, LinkedIn account information, personalized video, etc. [Also see: "Slideshow: Techie business cards"]

AR has yet to prove itself in business software, but with the growing BYOD trend and the natural tendency for businesses to incorporate software that increases efficiency, AR will likely be considered as long as its progression stays on track with its promise.

Nichols is a systems analyst with a passion for writing. His interest in computers began when Deep Blue beat Garry Kasparov in a regulation chess tournament. When Nichols isn't drawing up diagrams and flow charts, he writes for BMC, leading supplier of cloud software solutions.

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Microsoft MCT Certification Training

Microsoft MCT Certification Training
Technology training helps professionals survive the job market, now more than ever. Office workers and administrators now receive the same kind of instruction on file servers and databases that would have qualified them for highly technical roles just a decade ago. Meanwhile, professionals from a variety of fields have discovered how they can boost their salaries by blending their experience with specialized IT knowledge. This upward surge within the technology community could be your key to a bigger compensation package, if you can leverage your existing Microsoft certification into a computer training job.

Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCTs) have enjoyed consistent salary growth over the past few years, at a rate that has outpaced earnings for most other IT specialties. According to researchers at Foote Partners, the MCT designation signifies mastery of another technical certification as well as the teaching and communication skills necessary to assist other professionals. A report in IT trade magazine CIO suggests that effective companies must budget as much as 13 percent of their technology spending to training and professional development programs. MCTs stand to collect many of those funds, either in dedicated teaching positions or as occasional team trainers.
Earning MCT Status

MCT training helps prospective instructors apply their skills to a new environment: the classroom. The Microsoft Certified Training program builds on previously earned certifications, enabling you to customize your career. According to Microsoft's Learning team, MCT candidates must first pass a Microsoft Certified Professional premier exam in any of these specialties:

Systems Engineer
Systems Administrator
Systems Administrator: Security
Desktop Support Technician
Microsoft Certified IT Professional
Microsoft Certified Professional Developer
Microsoft Office 2007 Specialist
Microsoft Office 2010 Specialist
Microsoft Certified Business Management Solutions Specialist
Microsoft Certified Business Management Solutions Professional
Microsoft Certified Master
Microsoft Office 2007 Master
Microsoft Certified Architect

After that, MCT candidates can use one of four options to certify their presentation skills:

Pass the CompTIA CTT+ exam.
Attend a Microsoft-approved presentation skills course.
Provide instructor credentials from Microsoft or from a trusted partner, such as Cisco, Citrix, or Oracle.
Submit proof of instructor or professor status from an accredited academic institution.

MCT remains one of only a handful of IT credentials that enable you to blend multiple existing certifications instead of sitting for a dedicated exam.
Top Employers for Microsoft Certified Trainers

Microsoft Certified Trainers enjoy even more job security than many of their peers, due to their flexible skills. If demand for training within an organization dries up, an MCT can fall back on his or her foundational skills or find another training job elsewhere. Compare that experience to a more typical IT career, threatened by potential outsourcing or offshoring.

Generally, there are three options or career pathways for MCTs:
Full-time Microsoft trainers working in colleges, universities, and career development centers. The MCT certification, by definition, qualifies technical professionals to train students in formal classroom settings. When combined with the appropriate undergraduate and graduate degrees, an MCT can solidify faculty and staff positions in the higher education market.
Full-time MCTs working in-house at major employers. Some companies have such complex development needs that they budget for dedicated personnel to handle ongoing training projects.
MCTs in other functional roles, called upon to handle occasional training for their employers. Many companies offer bonuses or enhanced compensation packages for internal staff who can flex into training roles when needed.

In some cases, you might even use your MCT certification to make extra side money by teaching occasional training classes or offering personal consulting for clients outside your main employer. Pursuing the MCT shows employers that you're committed to keeping your skills current while investing in the development of your peers.

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Microsoft Patch Tuesday targets Internet Explorer drive-by attacks

Microsoft Patch Tuesday targets Internet Explorer drive-by attacks
Microsoft's SharePoint, drawing application Visio get patched

Internet Explorer vulnerabilities warrant notice in this month's set of Microsoft Patch Tuesday bulletins and need to be fixed quickly even though the sheer number of patches may seem daunting.

The weaknesses leave users open to drive-by attacks where malicious code is downloaded without the user's knowledge while browsing. Not patching them because they are time-consuming will just widen the window of opportunity hackers have to exploit them, says Alex Horan, a senior product manager at CORE Security.

"Preventing future drive-by style attacks and protecting end-users appear to be the theme of this month's Patch Tuesday," Horan says. "These patches can be a hassle for users to deploy and have the potential to create a long enough delay where hackers can take advantage."

So far the weaknesses haven't been exploited. "Fortunately, this issue has no known attacks in the wild," says Paul Henry, a security and forensic analyst at Lumension. "However, you should still plan to patch this immediately. "

Four of seven bulletins for March are rated critical, with the first addressing browser problems. "It fixes critical vulnerabilities that could be used for machine takeover in all versions of Internet Explorer from 6 to 10, on all platforms including Windows 8 and Windows RT," says Qualys CTO Wolfgang Kandek.

Microsoft's Silverlight media application framework is also critically vulnerable, according to the company's Security Bulletin Advance Notification. It affects Silverlight whether deployed on Windows or Mac OS X operating systems, where it is used to run media applications such as Netflix, Kandek says.

This vulnerability is more of concern to consumers because it only affects the Silverlight plug-in. Henry says plug-ins should be avoided in general. "[T]hey add another threat vector and are frequently an easy target for the bad guys," he says.

Also in critical need of patching is Microsoft's drawing application Visio, which comes as a surprise to Kandek. "It is puzzling to see such a high rating for this software that typically requires opening of an infected file in order for the attack to work. It will be interesting to see the attack vector for this vulnerability that warrants the 'critical' rating," he says.

Critical vulnerabilities are those that could allow code execution without user interaction if they are successfully exploited. This type of exploit includes network worms, browsing to infected Web pages or opening infected emails.

The final critical vulnerability lies in SharePoint Server, Microsoft says.

Three of the bulletins are rated important and include two that could allow data to leak and one that could allow attackers to elevate privileges on an exploited machine. Important bulletins include vulnerabilities that could lead to compromised confidentiality, integrity or availability of user data, or of the integrity or availability of processing resources, Microsoft says. Such exploits may include warnings or prompts.

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Microsoft Technical Training Courses

Microsoft Technical Training Courses

Vendor certifications play an important part in the IT world, and Microsoft sets the industry standard. Training to gain proficiency in Microsoft products and technology allows professionals to get up to speed on the essential tools that hiring managers value today. Whether students come to technical training programs after completing a degree program or on their own, Microsoft technical courses offer a valuable service--so valuable, in fact, that the software giant claims its certification reduces downtime by 20 percent and makes teams 28 percent more productive.

Microsoft BizTalk Server Training Courses
Microsoft BizTalk Server training can help the pros connect with the skills necessary for an enterprise career. With BizTalk Server courses, IT personnel can explore the uses of this integration server for business tasks like multi-channel interactions, supply chain visibility and decision-support/reporting.

Microsoft Visual Studio Training Courses
Microsoft Visual Studio training prepares students for IT careers as professionals who build, test and debug software solutions. Developers can use this platform to launch or build an advanced career in enterprise applications analysis and systems management.

Microsoft Exchange Server Training Courses
Enterprise communications are of vital importance to today's business world, and professionals with Microsoft Exchange Server training can provide employers with peace of mind about messaging and mail server administration.

Visual Basic .NET Training Courses
A core component of Microsoft Visual Studio, VB.NET returns to prominence as companies prepare to move custom applications to the cloud.

ASP.NET Training Courses

Once reserved for the likes of Fortune 500 companies, Microsoft's ASP.NET platform has reached a wider group of employers who demand skilled Web developers.

Microsoft SQL Server Training Courses

With such diverse applications, Microsoft SQL Server training and certification can help IT pros prove their value to a variety of different enterprises.

Microsoft Dynamics Training Courses

From simple CRM to advanced ERP, it pays to make the most of Microsoft Dynamics. Learn about some of the training and certification options available for this software.

.NET Training Courses

Developers with .NET training are among the most in-demand pros in today's competitive job market. Explore how .NET courses can make a difference in your IT career.

Who is best suited for Microsoft technical training?
Students come to technical training programs from a range of backgrounds. Many are adding on to existing training and degree experience, while others pair training with work experience. Some students come back to training to bring their knowledge up to date or explore new career paths. Students are often self-motivated and interested in advancing their current careers or taking their job futures in a new direction.

Which professions require Microsoft training?
Microsoft reports that 75 percent of managers in an IDC survey believe certifications are important to team performance. Because of this, workers trained in Microsoft products and technologies are found across a range of businesses. Take a look at the mean annual wages from 2009 for a few popular careers in the field, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

Network and computer systems administrators: $70,930
Computer systems analysts: $80,430
Computer support specialists: $47,360
Computer programmers: $74,690

While no training or certification can guarantee a particular career or salary, hiring managers are often looking for educational experience and proof of high-level skills, and Microsoft training works to provide just that.

Popular technical certification exams
While it's not usually required to log training hours, a little formal training can mean the difference between passing and failing a costly certification exam. Consider the following certification exams offered through Microsoft:

Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): Basic certification for individuals looking for proof of in-depth mastery in a particular technology, such as .NET Framework, BizTalk Server, and Small Business Server 2008. ($125)
Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA): Intermediate certification for those looking for proof of knowledge within network and systems environments. ($500)
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE): Advanced certification for individuals hoping to design and implement server infrastructure. Candidates must pass seven exams on networking systems, operating systems and core design. ($875)

Other certification exams include Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP), Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) and Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA). The Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA) is the highest level of certification, and requires 10 years of experience, 5 years of architectural experience and a $5,125 fee.

Some topics covered by Microsoft technical training
.NET: This framework allows developers to apply their work across many devices, including phone, browser, server, client and cloud
Microsoft SQL Server: A powerful database management system. Editions include Enterprise, Web, Workgroup and Fast Track
Microsoft Dynamics: Offering enterprise resource management and customer relationship management (CRM) solutions
Microsoft Visual Basic .NET (VB.NET): An evolution of the standard Visual Basic programming language, including object-oriented programming
Microsoft Exchange Server: Business email and contacts across devices, including phone, browser and PC
Microsoft Windows: Family of operating systems, including Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP
Microsoft Windows Server: Manage IT needs, security, applications platforms and more
Microsoft BizTalk Server: Integrate systems between businesses and communicate flawlessly with a range of devices
Microsoft Visual Studio: Integrated development environment that ensures quality code through the application's lifecycle
ASP.NET: Web application framework designed to help programmers build dynamic websites

With a host of certifications available for a host of products, Microsoft technical training can boost an existing or be the first step in a new career in IT.

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