PCATT eZine Volume 5 Issue 1

VMware Partners with Academia: “Even as this recession eroded salaries and increased unemployment, top-notch virtualization and VMware engineers have defied the trend, remaining in high demand and getting six-figure salaries,” according to an article written by Jessica Davis for channelinsider, Ah yes, six-figure salaries — that must be the mainland. Still, it seems virtualization skills are in demand. Read more about the VMware Academy program here.

VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage will start on February 25 at Honolulu Community College. If you complete this course from the PCATT VMware Academy, you will have met VMware’s requirement of taking a VMware authorized course prior to qualifying to take the VMware Certified Professional (VCP) exam.

Virtualization Certification Guide: As you know, certifications don’t guarantee a job or confirm a person’s knowledge but they continue to be a way to demonstrate your willingness to be challenged and learn new things. Certifications can also be the foot-in-the-door for a new job or promotion — or more work in your existing job. But hey, that’s job security!

VCP, VCDX, CVE, CCEE, CCIA, CCA — there are a lot of certification alphabets we can throw at you. Here’s a certification guide for the networking pro to help you make sense of the choices.

Server Room: Construction is almost done. All that remains is the balancing of the air conditioning system, then a final walk through inspection for the new PCATT server room to be ready. PCATT, with the help of HP, is installing and configuring the blades, storage, and interconnect. With this server equipment, PCATT is equipped to teach not just VMware but Hyper-V, HP, and other courses.

Cisco Changes CCNP

With Cisco, their certification exams and the changes they implement reflect how they view the real world and the skills needed to operate competently. The new exams in the CCNP are:

According to an article written by Wendell Odom for NetworkWorld.com, the changes reflect less breadth and more depth. He has his own interesting insights one of which is that Academy curriculum (which PCATT uses) will probably take longer to be implemented which may mean more time to take the old exams. For the public, the old CCNP exams are available until July 31, 2010. The longer time to take the old exam for Academy participants is a guess, not a guarantee. Bottom line: expect changes. Read Wendell Odom’s article here.

If you’re interested in CCNP: Building Multilayer Switched Networks (BMSN), PCATT has a course starting on February 16.

Communicating with your Chief Financial Officer

You know there’s a need for new equipment or a new infrastructure and the financial people fall out of their chairs when you ask and they hear the price tag. This article by Irwin Teodoro for the IT Jungle offers suggestions on how promoters of IT can improve their communication with their CFO.

Think TCO, not ROI
Clouds
Green IT
Virtualize
Virtualize
Virtualize (no, that’s not a mistaken repetition)
Adopt IT-centric Business Continuity
Align with the Big Picture
Proactive Cost Reduction
Reduce Data Center Costs

Read the details here.

Writing: Joseph Tucci, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of EMC Corporation, says, “With the fast pace of today’s electronic communications, one might think that the value of fundamental writing skills has diminished in the workplace. Actually, the need to write clearly and quickly has never been more important than in today’s highly competitive, technology-driven global economy.” Employers in Hawaii agree. If you need to brush up your writing skills, PCATT has two courses for you.
Secrets of Effective Writing starting February 9
Technical Writing for a Nontechnical Audience starting March 2

DIY Router Projects: Want to turn your $60 router into a $600 router? You can Do-It-Yourself, step by step, using a common home wireless router made by Linksys. The first set of instructions from lifehacker using DD-WRT, an open source firmware, is old but effective. The second set of instructions takes advantage of developments in open source firmware using Tomato to provide what DD-WRT does and adds a simplified interface with great charts and graphs. No, we haven’t tried this and PCATT isn’t promoting or advocating you do so. Just something for the DIY techie.

The Mindset of the College Graduating Class of 2013

And finally, the unveiling of the Apple iPad reminds us of how quickly things change. Each year, Beloit College prepares a “mindset list” originally started by Professor of Humanities Tom McBride and Emeritus Public Affairs Director Ron Nief. This list “provides a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college.” These students have a different view of the world. For them, the iPad probably isn’t so amazing. Here are excerpts from the list of how the college graduating class of 2013 views the world:

There have always been flat screen televisions.
Text has always been hyper.
Cable television systems have always offered telephone service and vice versa.
They have never used a card catalog to find a book.
McDonald’s has always been serving Happy Meals in China.
There has always been a Cartoon Network.
There has always been blue Jell-O.

Read the entire list here or find the year you graduated from college if it’s 2002 or later.