Prove your mastery of Windows Server 2016

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Prove your mastery of Windows Server 2016

What is MCSA: Windows Server 2016?

The MCSA: Windows Server 2016 Certification allows students to learn about the administering, installation, implementation of storage solutions, and computer features on the 2016 Windows operating system. Students will also learn to comprehend key networking concepts, identifying features and techniques. This certification qualifies candidates as; Network Systems Administrator, Computer Systems Administrator or Computer Network Specialist. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics the typical median salary for IT professionals with the MCSA: Windows Server 2016 Certification in 2019 was $83,510/year with a steady growth rate of 4% (higher than average) per year. The needs for qualified candidates within this field is only growing as businesses adapt to the new “norm” for 2020.

What about Windows Server 2019?

Microsoft remains an industry powerhouse, dominating both OS (operating systems) and business server solution options worldwide. With the roll-out of Windows Server 2019 a lot of IT professionals wonder if their time is better spent foregoing the 2016 solution and focus their attention on the newer 2019 solution. As Depositphotos 13933090 l 2015mentioned in our previous blog, MCSA: SQL Server 2016 Database Development,  even with the introduction of Windows Server 2019, there has been a 28% increase in businesses utilizing the 2016 version. According to reports, the 2016 version offers users greater performance for advanced security measures with early detection and management of security threats. The 2016 version also offers more support for encryption of networks. Businesses are opting to continue to use or begin using the 2016 version over the 2019 solution as it allows for a greater degree of manageability over various computing environments, while streamlining the processes and making them more user friendly for productivity and cost savings. Needless to say, the continued loyalty and usage of the 2016 solution is not lost on IT professionals who still want to place that certification within their transcripts.

Why is the boot camp a better training option for me?

If you are in need of fast-paced, industry leading, custom built teaching then boot camps are for you. TechSherpas365 offers multiple learning methods for this certification with the most effectual method being the boot camp. By offering technology-focused, short termed accelerated learning programs this method has proven its efficiency in providing the necessary skills and requirements to obtaining certification. If you have any questions or need more information, please reach out here.

Use Your Software Assurance Training Vouchers Before They Expire, Forever

Don’t Let Your Software Assurance Training Vouchers (SATVs) Go Unused

Has your organization purchased a Microsoft Software Volume Licensing agreement? If so, you may be eligible to redeem Microsoft Software Assurance Training Vouchers (SATVs) and get free training for select Microsoft courses. 

Remember: SATVs can only be redeemed for Microsoft Official Courseware (MOC) with an authorized Microsoft Partner like TechSherpas 365. If your organization doesn’t redeem its SATVs, you could be leaving free training dollars on the table!

Microsoft has announced plans to change, and eventually retire, Software Assurance Training Voucher (SATV) benefits. More information, including the expiration timetable, can be found in our blog article “Microsoft Software Assurance Training Voucher (SATV) – Update“.

 

How Do I Know if My Company Has Microsoft SATVs?

  • Locate your Microsoft Licensing Agreement (Your IT Director or Purchasing department usually has the Licensing Agreement.)
  • Identify the Benefits Administrator (BA) named in the Licensing Agreement (The BA is the individual in your company that has the right to access SATV information.)
  • Log into com/Licensing/ServiceCenterto access your company’s SATV information, such as # of available SATVs, Expiration Date, # of Used SATVs, # of remaining SATVs

How Does My Company Redeem SATVs?

  • Identify the employee that will utilize the SATVs and the number of training days included in the desired class
  • Activate the SATVs by assigning the appropriate number of SATVs (one for each day of training) to the student
  • Submit the student’s name and email address, along with the number of vouchers required, on the SATV website
  • The student will receive an automated email from Microsoft containing an 8-digit code

How Does My Company Use SATVs to Purchase Training?

  • Contact TechSherpas 365, an authorized Microsoft Learning Partner, and register for an SATV authorized Microsoft course
  • Forward the email with the 8-digit code to your Account Representative at TechSherpas 365
  • TechSherpas 365 will then redeem the SATV with Microsoft

What Kind of Training Can Be Redeemed with SATVs?

  • Courses can be delivered online, in the classroom, on-demand, and even on site
  • Choose from technical training in Azure, SQL Server, SharePoint, Windows 10, Windows Server, and more

Do SATVs Expire?

  • Yes, SATVs expire 180 days after they are created
  • Training Vouchers must be requested before your Software Assurance expires and used within 180 days of being requested

 

Redeem your SATVs today, and maximize the ROI on your Microsoft technologies investment.

The Phasing out of Microsoft SATV Benefits

Microsoft Software Assurance Training Voucher (SATV) – Update

Microsoft is updating Software Assurance benefits beginning in February 2020 to ensure Software Assurance stays relevant and useful to customers. With this change in direction, some Software Assurance benefits will be retired or changed to eliminate redundancies and better align Software Assurance benefits across Microsoft’s products and services portfolio. The changes made also simplify benefit redemptions and replace outdated implementation mechanisms. While each customer experience is unique, all customers can benefit from the ability to optimize their business performance through Software Assurance.

Microsoft is investing in new ways to help organizations deploy, train, and get support for the products and services they buy. Because those new ways overlap with some dated and underused Software Assurance benefits, and the redemption process for some benefits are cumbersome and outdated, Microsoft is retiring those overlapping and outdated benefits.

When are the SATV Changes Taking Place?

The changes will start in February 2020 and will gradually be implemented by January 1, 2022.

February 1, 2020:

  • Training vouchers can no longer be converted to planning services days.
  • Azure courses will be removed from training voucher redemption. Courses must be complete by this date in order to utilize SATVs.

February 1, 2021:

  • Retire accrual of new training vouchers.
  • New contracts after this date won’t have any training vouchers assigned and existing contracts won’t receive any additional training vouchers.

January 1, 2022:

  • Last day to redeem training vouchers for existing contracts.

Will the Changes Apply to All Active Software Assurance Contracts as of February 2020?

Beginning February 1, 2020, the changes apply to all contracts regardless of status—midterm, new, and renewal. There is still time to use the benefits already accrued, customers will still accrue deployment planning days, training days, and support incidents until February 2021. Deployment planning days and training vouchers can be used until January 2022.

How Long Do Customers Have to Use Their Existing Vouchers?

Customers can continue to redeem any accrued training days as vouchers until January 1, 2022. Azure content will be removed from the voucher course list beginning February 1, 2020.

Where Do Customers Go for Help with Their Training Benefit?

Azure Customers: Contact us today to assist with redeeming your existing Azure training vouchers before they are no longer available for redemption in February 2020. If your business or organization has identified an Azure project that is soon to kick off, please contact us today to talk about our Azure training solutions.

Non-Azure Microsoft Customers: Training vouchers will expire in January 2022, but don’t wait to schedule training. Contact us today to discuss a plan to redeem your vouchers before they expire.

Build a Career Around Your Microsoft Skills – Microsoft 365 and Office 365 (Part 2)

In our recent post we have already discussed two areas of Microsoft skills that are sometimes confused with each other: Microsoft 365 and (Microsoft) Office 365. If you want to build your career as an IT professional around Microsoft products, you are probably already familiar with the differences and similarities in that respect. Today, let us have a closer look at career options and further educational possibilities depending on your current level of expertise.

 

IT professional/Microsoft Skills

The job market for Microsoft skills (Microsoft 365/Office 365)

When you research the job market for positions that involve Microsoft 365 skills, these are the type of job offers you might find (depending on your skill level and location):

  • Microsoft 365 Administrator
  • Microsoft 365 Developer
  • Microsoft 365 Architect
  • IT Support Specialist Level 2 – Microsoft Cloud (Office 365/Azure)
  • IT Support Technician
  • Windows Systems Admin – Microsoft Cloud
  • Cloud Technical Expert

Since Office 365 is used in all kinds of job descriptions, there is an even broader range of options, some of them naturally being in similar areas as the above.

  • IT End User Support Specialist
  • Office 365 – Exchange Online-Consultant
  • Office 365/ Exchange engineer
  • Technology Support Specialist
  • Junior Desktop Support
  • Office 365 Delivery Engineer
  • Associate UC Support Engineer
  • Office 365 SharePoint Onboarding Engineer
  • Technical Engineer / Help Desk
  • SharePoint Developer (Office 365)

 

The T-shaped Microsoft expert

We have already addressed the generalist and specialist approach with regards to Microsoft skills. While there can be advantages as well as disadvantages associated with either option, there is also a third: Professionals with this combination of skills are often referred to as “generalizing specialist” or “T-shaped“.

This means that this person is an expert/specialist in a single field (the vertical part of the “T”). The difference to a “regular” specialist is that this one also possesses the ability and sufficient knowledge to collaborate with other experts in other disciplines (the horizontal part of the “T”). In the context of recruiting, this is considered a very desirable trait in a potential future employee. Within the area of IT, the term “T-shaped” is also common for cross-skilled team members in the context of agile software development.

Back to the subject of Microsoft, this could mean that your expertise (vertical) falls under the Microsoft-related skills (Microsoft 365/Office 365), but that you are capable of collaborating with other IT professionals in different/related fields.

 

Develop your Microsoft expertise with TechSherpas 365 learning solutions

Whether you want to further your expertise in Microsoft 365 and/or Office 365 or just starting in the field, we at TechSherpas 365 are your competent partner with our Microsoft training courses and certification programs.

If you already do consider yourself a Microsoft 365/Office 365 expert but want to improve on the horizontal part of your T-shape, take a look at our course catalog to find the right learning solution for you.

 

 

Sources and further reading:

https://www.hrzone.com/hr-glossary/what-are-t-shaped-skills
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-shaped_skills
https://www.indeed.com

How to Build a Career Around Your Microsoft 365 and Office 365 Skills (Part 1)

As an IT professional, practicing your Microsoft 365 and Office 365 skills can be an integral part of your daily work. You might specialize in Microsoft or simply consider it one part of your well-rounded IT expertise. In case you are not there yet, let us talk about how these Microsoft products can form the foundation for an IT career.

 

Microsoft 365 and Office 365 skills

Is there a difference between Microsoft 365 and Office 365 Skills?

If you keep informed with what is going on in the world of Microsoft, you are of course aware of this, but just for the record: No, your Office 365 skills are not quite the same as the ones for Microsoft 365. Office 365 with its applications and services is actually one part of the Microsoft 365 offer. We have already given you an overview of what Office 365 is all about in two earlier blog posts:

Microsoft 365 is a bundle that includes Office 365, plus the operation system (currently Windows 10) and additional mobility and security tools (Enterprise Mobility + Security).

 

Generalists and Specialists

As a professional (or aspiring professional) you might have already been confronted with the question of becoming a generalist (a basic to intermediary level of knowledge in a wide range of subjects) or specialist (particular expertise in one area/subject) in your chosen field.

Especially in the beginning of your career, this is not necessarily a conscious choice, and it also can change during the course of your career. In the context of IT this means that you might start out as a generalist by getting a working knowledge of various subjects/systems. At some point though you might find an area of special interest for you and decide you want to learn more about it and reach a higher level of knowledge/skills. At TechSherpas 365 we offer you a wide range of IT classes and certification training courses for all levels.

It is also possible that you develop additional expertise due to the work you do on a day-to-day basis.

Conversely, you might start out with extensive knowledge and skills in one special area and then decide later to broaden your knowledge by learning more about additional software or systems. In connection with Microsoft this might mean that you are an Office 365 expert and then decide to get a working knowledge about the other areas of the Microsoft 365 bundle.

Enhance and broaden your Microsoft 365/Office 365 skills with our various Microsoft training courses and certification programs. We will talk more about your career and learning options with Microsoft in our next post.

 

 

Sources and further reading:

https://www.acutec.co.uk/blog/difference-between-microsoft-365-office-365/
https://www.cleverism.com/ultimate-career-choice-generalist-vs-specialist/

 

 

 

The New Microsoft Certifications for Azure – An Overview

The new Microsoft Certifications

The new Microsoft Certifications are now more role-based. We are sure that you have probably already heard of this since it is likely you keep up with world of Microsoft. Today we would like to give you an overview of what that means in connection with the Microsoft Azure cloud certifications, and which exams you are going to have to take in order to earn this certification.

 

New Microsoft Certifications: What’s new for Azure?

In general, there are three levels of Microsoft certifications:

  1. Fundamentals
  2. Associate
  3. Expert

There are now several role-based Azure certifications corresponding with these three levels:

Fundamentals-Level

  • Azure Fundamentals – Exam: AZ-900 (Microsoft Azure Fundamentals)

Associate-Level

  •  Azure Security Engineer Associate – Exam: AZ-500 (Microsoft Azure Security Technologies)
  •  Azure Administrator Associate – Exam: AZ-103 (Microsoft Azure Administrator), alternatively Transitions-Exam AZ-102 (Microsoft Azure Administrator Certification Transition)
  •  Azure AI Engineer Associate – Exam: AI-100 (Designing and Implementing an Azure AI Solution)
  •  Azure Data Engineer Associate – Exams: DP-200 (Implementing an Azure Data Solution) and DP-201 (Designing an Azure Data Solution)
  •  Azure Data Scientist Associate – Exam: DP-100 (Designing and Implementing a Data Science Solution on Azure)
  •  Azure Developer Associate – Exam: AZ-203 (Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure)

Expert-Level

  •  Azure DevOps Engineer Expert – Exam: AZ-400 (Microsoft Azure DevOps Solutions)
  •  Azure Solutions Architect Expert – Exam: AZ-300 (Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies) and AZ-301 (Microsoft Azure Architect Design), alternatively Transitions-Exam AZ-302 (Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Certification Transition)

 

Build your Microsoft Azure expertise with TechSherpas 365

There are many good reasons for choosing TechSherpas 365 as your competent partner to build your Microsoft Azure expertise. We are a “Microsoft Gold Partner” for offering learning solutions with the highest level of expertise and competence regarding Microsoft technologies.

We offer a wide range of Microsoft Azure related training courses across all three levels from Fundamentals to Expert. Whether you are just starting out or want to take your Azure skills and IT career to the next level: We have the right learning solutions for you!

One of the benefits of our learning methods is that many of our courses can be taken in the form of a boot camp, which allows you to achieve your certification goal within just a few days. You also usually have a choice between our In-Classroom Learning (ICL) and Virtual Live Training (VLT), depending on whether you prefer the classroom experience or learning from the comfort of your own home/office.

Simply contact us for more information!

 

See also:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/certification-overview.aspx

https://query.prod.cms.rt.microsoft.com/cms/api/am/binary/RWtQJJ (Download)

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/browse-all-certifications.aspx

https://www.nigelfrank.com/blog/microsoft-certifications-a-comprehensive-guide/

What is the Microsoft Azure Active Directory?

The Microsoft Azure Active Directory (in short: “Azure AD”) is a cloud-based service by Microsoft. It is used for the management of identities and respective access rights. These access rights can apply to:

  • a corporate network/intranet and proprietary applications that are cloud-based
  • external services/applications by Microsoft like the Azure portal as such and Microsoft Office 365. Azure AD is also used in connection with third party SaaS (Software as a service) applications.

Microsoft Azure Active Directory

Who uses the Microsoft Azure Active Directory?

 

Azure AD users are therefore typically IT administrators, App/software developers, as well as, subscribers to the already mentioned Microsoft Products or third party Saas offers.

 

Which kind of licenses are available?

 

Currently, there are five different licenses available for the Microsoft Azure Active Directory/Azure AD. They offer several access levels to Azure Active Directory features:

  1. Free
  2. Basic
  3. Premium P1 (includes the features included in “Free” and “Basis” plus additional features like advanced administration and more). Microsoft also offers a free 30-day Azure Active Directory Premium trial to get you started and to “try out” the additional features that go beyond the “Free” and “Basic” options.
  4. Premium P2 (all the features of Free, Basis and Premium 1, plus Azure AD Identity Protection and Privileged Identity Management )
  5. Feature licenses on a “Pay as you go” basis.

 

How can I learn more about working with the Microsoft Azure and the Microsoft Azure Active Directory?

 

TechSherpas offers several training courses relating to Microsoft Azure and the Microsoft Azure Active Directory. Among these are, for example:

 

  • 10993: Integrating on-premises Identity Infrastructure with Microsoft Azure – for IT professionals with already existing knowledge/experience with Microsoft Azure
  • 10992: Integrating On-Premises Core Infrastructure with Microsoft Azure – for professionals in the areas of IT and DevOps (development operations) with a good knowledge of on-premises technologies and at least basic knowledge in the area of cloud technologies
  • 10979: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals On-Demand – for IT professionals (e.g. administrators, developers) with limited knowledge regarding cloud technologies. If you are interested in a more advanced course that requires a better knowledge of Azure and cloud technologies, you might want to consider taking this one first.

 

These are just a few selected courses from our course catalog. Do you have any questions about our courses or about which course might be the best for your skill level? Just contact us, we will be happy to help.

 

Sources:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/fundamentals/active-

 

How Can a Microsoft Azure Certification Boost Your Career?

More and more businesses are using cloud-computing technology. Therefore, there is an increasing demand for people that possess the required skills better known as a Microsoft Azure Certification. One reason this technology has become popular is its ability to help saving on company investment of server space. Another reason for its popularity is because employees increasingly need to be able to access their files from somewhere else other than their stationary office work space. If you need to show that you possess cloud-computing skills and know how to apply them, a Microsoft Azure Certification provides you with just the right advantage over the job-seeking competition.

Microsoft Azure Certification

Microsoft Azure and the Microsoft Azure Certification

In our recent blog post, we have already elaborated on the six different Microsoft Certification Paths and the Microsoft Certification Map: The MCSA Certification (Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate) with 17 different focus area certifications that form the stepping stones to achieving that goal.

  • one of the five MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) certifications
  • or the MCSD certification, which stands for “Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer.”

Depending on which focus areas and key technologies you focus on while achieving your MCSA Certification, you can set the path towards a Microsoft Azure related MCSE/MCSD certification.

 

Why invest into obtaining an official certification?

It is true: Nowadays, there are many ways to achieve knowledge and to hone one’s skills. One can read books, subscribe to podcasts and newsletters, watch Youtube videos and much more. Theoretically, you might be able to work with Microsoft Azure without any specific certification in that area.

If you have chosen information technology and cloud computing as your actual career fields, then these kinds of self-taught skills are probably not enough to get ahead. Anyone can claim they possess the skills and practical experience, but if you want to make a sustainable career out of those, you are going to need to show corresponding credentials as a recognizable proof of your expertise.

When you are looking for a new job, your CV usually is the first source of information for your potential future employer, and they probably have to decide between a multitude of applicants. A convincing CV is extremely important, because this phase of the application-process is the first hurdle you need to master in order to make it to a personal interview. An official and industry-recognized Microsoft Azure Certification in your CV documents that you have participated in a structured education and made it successfully through the required exams is important. This does not only show your personal dedication, but also provides a certain security for the future employer, that they will be able to rely on you having received your education and certifications by a reputable and recognized provider.

See also:
https://techsherpas.com/azure-skills-initiative-and-special-offers/

 

The Microsoft Certification Paths and the Microsoft Certification Map

In our last blog post we discussed two Microsoft certifications – MCSA and MCSE – as entry-level and mid-level IT certifications to boost your career as an IT professional. Today we would like to take a closer look at the six Microsoft certification paths for the certifications of MCSA, MCSE and MCSD: the Microsoft Certification Map.

What do the Microsoft Certification Paths show?

There are six different Microsoft Certification paths as part of the Microsoft Certification Map: 17 MCSA focus areas, 5 MCSEs and 1 MCSD. The Microsoft Certification Map shows how you can combine these focus areas to stepping-stones towards achieving the desired MCSE or MCSD certification.

While MCSA (Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate) is an entry-level certification that can stand on its own, it is also part of the certification path (or track) to an MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) or MCSD (Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer) certification.

The 17 MCSA focus areas are (in alphabetical order):

  • BI Reporting
  • Cloud Platform
  • Data Engineering with Azure
  • Linux on Azure
  • Machine Learning
  • Microsoft Dynamics 365
  • Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Operations
  • Office 365
  • SQL 2016 BI Development
  • SQL 2016 Database Administration
  • SQL 2016 Database Development
  • SQL Server 2012/2014
  • Universal Windows Platform
  • Web Applications
  • Windows 10
  • Windows Server 2012
  • Windows Server 2016

 

Microsoft Certification Map

Microsoft Certification Map

 

The Microsoft Certification Map explained

The Certification Map with its six Microsoft Certification Paths shows you, which of the different MCSA (Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate) focus area certifications form the path to each of the five MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) certifications and the MCSD certification.

The five MCSE certifications/focus areas with their different key technologies are:

  • Business Applications
  • Cloud Platform and Infrastructure
  • Productivity
  • Data Management and Analytics
  • Mobility

In addition, there is one MCSD certification path (Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer) within the focus area.

  • App Builder with the key technologies: Azure, C#. SharePoint. Office Client, Visual Studio, .Net and HTML5

The have already mentioned stepping-stones for each of these six certification paths which are:

  • combinations of the above mentioned 17 MCSA focus areas
  • PLUS one passed exam from an elective exam pool

These exam pools are periodically updated, and so it is important for you to always consider the current version of the Microsoft Certification Paths.

You can find our most current version of the certification (road-)map here, or by clicking on the image above. This will lead you to not only an enlarged version of the map, but also to a more detailed info graphic for each of the certification paths.

 

Sources:
https://techsherpas.com/microsoft-certification-map/
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/browse-all-certifications.aspx?technology=windows%20server

 

 

3 of the Best Entry Level IT Certifications to Boost Your Career

If you want to make yourself a career in the field of information technology, you should consider achieving one of the well-established, entry level IT certifications as a credential for your IT skills.

Why are Entry Level IT Certifications important?

Many people are nowadays interested in computer and IT subjects, which is a continually changing and evolving career path.  An IT Certification serves as a standardized tool to help potential employers or customers to assess your knowledge and skill set and make an informed decision about hiring you.

Which of the Entry Level IT Certifications is right for you?

Entry level IT Certifications

CompTIA A+

A CompTIA A+ certification provides a starting point and foundation for your IT career as an entry level IT technician. A CompTIA A + technician offers technical and operational IT support and maintains, troubleshoots and repairs PCs, mobile devices, operating systems and peripheral equipment.

TechSherpas CompTIA A+ training course provides qualified training and preparation for your CompTIA A+ certification for participants who already possess basic computer skills.

 

Cisco Certified Entry Level Technicial (CCENT) and Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)

For aspiring network technicians, a Cisco Certification as Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and/or Cisco Certified Entry Level Technician (CCENT) as a stepping-stone to becoming an associate is the way to go. Typical job titles for professionals with such a CCNA certification are “Systems Administrator,” “Network Administrator” or “Network Engineer.”

 

Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)

The Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) is an entry level IT certification and a stepping-stone to becoming a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE). Both certifications are part of the Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCP) program.

There are 17 different focus areas for an MCSA, among them:

  • BI Reporting
  • Cloud Platform
  • Office 365
  • Windows 10
  • SQL 2016 Database Administration

Depending on which area or areas you want to focus on, you can select the particular MCSA accordingly. You can also group several of these focus area certifications (as illustrated in our Microsoft Certification Map). This enables you to achieve the mid-level Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification.

TechSherpas is a Microsoft Gold Partner and as such specially certified by Microsoft to provide training and certifications for MCSA and MCSE. Have a look at our course catalog to get a better overview about the various training courses and learning solutions that help you to get your IT career started or better yet, take it to the next level.

 

Sources:
https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/technology/blog/5-it-certifications-to-get-your-foot-in-the-door/
https://certification.comptia.org/certifications
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/training-events/training-certifications/certifications/entry.html