ICT News and Updates

Many organizations in this part of the world stands certified for operating a Quality Management System as per ISO 9001:2000 Standard. The very reason for most these companies have gone for certification is due to the specific commercial requirement of the market (The clients insists their service providers shall be an ISO certified company).

The two distinctive incentives for adoption of QMS by the companies are to improve quality image and to satisfy client requirements, particularly the government. Concludes that motivation from within an organization is the only key to improving quality realistically.

This is one of the basic reasons why most of the companies do not get encouraged themselves to yield the minimum benefit of the system, but continue the certification. The management commits the first fatal mistakes by achieving certification with an immature system by different means and goals. Most of these organizations see the ISO Certificate as a very important piece of paper most often used as part of Pre-qualification attachment and well displayed on the wall proclaiming we are better than those who are not certified!!!!. It helps to conclude “Failure of a Quality Management System is the failure of the Top Management”.

Developing any system needs to ensure evaluating the existing culture done at first. Perceiving a Quality system itself is a total change of approach and attitude. Therefore its significant to gap analyzes the cultural gap at first then the practiced methods against the standard methods. To understand the Quality culture one must understand the organizational culture. Commitment being the result of culture, a combined formula of practicing the committed culture becomes a vehicle to drive the quality.

Many companies have spent thousands implementing various tools, provided trainings to improve the system. However this is done without realizing the fact that Commitment from Senior Management is the first, most and must spending to achieve the results. Procedures & tools and databases become useless if the senior management do not play the vital role of communicating the culture among the organization. A balanced amount of motivation and enforcement with true management commitment can bring in tangible changes in the existing system.

Each manager to ask a question themselves is “Do I have a clear understanding of the Standard requirement and did I perceive the idea of practicing it?” The answer alone can trigger the analysis of your own system. Most of the organization believes that, it is the responsibility of “The Management Representative” to maintain the system and get the organization driven with continued certification. It is a disturbing fact that the Management representative is the only employee who understands the minimum requirement of a Quality Management system and this alone can drive the vehicle to the fatal accidents.

Concluding this article by leaving one more question to the management “How many of my decisions in the past can support factual data and if so, where they are?”

With so many IT training certifications to choose from, some information technology professionals may need a little help deciding which one to start studying and testing. Most professionals gain advancement in their current career track, but others are interested in switching goals and have a desire to study a different technology. Whether you want to advance in a current career or take a step into a different technology, an IT training certification can help you.

Cisco CCNA

The Cisco CCNA is the first step to building a respected Cisco IT training certification collection. Cisco also offers levels of certification. Within the Cisco hierarchy, associate, professional, and expert are the increasing levels of knowledge and entitlement for a continuing education professional. The CCIE is the highest level of certification for a Cisco training track, and it is considered a highly prestigious title in the information technology industry. Several technologies are offered through the Cisco training courses – Routing and Switching, Network Security, and Service Provider.

Cisco Certified Voice Professional (CCVP)
To achieve the Cisco training certificate of CCVP, you first need to achieve the title of CCNA. The CCVP enhances your current Cisco training certification by giving the networking professional better understanding and education on voice technology and its integration into the current network infrastructure. A few of the technologies learned through the CCVP track are gateways, gatekeepers, IP phones, voice applications, and Cisco utilities.

EMC Proven Professional Technology Architect
For a great education and training track for storage management, the EMC provides certification on the technology of information backup, storage, and archiving systems. Multiple tracks that provide professionals with the best knowledge to keep business systems continually safe from data corruption through proper backup procedures are all a part of the EMC certification.

CompTia’s Network+
CompTia’s training certification is great for people who need a start in development towards an information technology career. A+ certification gives an aspiring professional a start in basic electronic, networking, and computer hardware education. It also covers troubleshooting, configuring, and installation of networking protocols and hardware technologies. In addition, a Network+ and A+ certifications can be used towards the additional MCSA training certification.

Novell CNE
The Novell CNE is perfect for information technology professionals who work on networking applications with a Novell foundation. The first step to a CNE training certification is a CNA certificate plus five additional tests. It is considered the intermediate of exams for Novell professionals, but it is worth the time and effort to attain a Novell CNE.

These certifications are the most prestigious of the IT training certifications. Their quality and education provides any information technology professional with a higher gain for themselves and the employer. Employers value IT training certifications and occasionally will help pay all or partial amounts for their staff to attain certifications that focus on the company technology. If you are considering taking any professional IT certifications, look into time, effort, and class time needed to pass exams. It will increase your knowledge as well as your career value.

In an environment of constant rain, a little sunshine is greatly appreciated. I remember spending some time in Seattle and never felt that much love for our New York sun. Sometimes I think the media has become the “dark whisperer.” We are inundated with reports that propagate fear. Is it all gloom in IT? I will admit that the situation is alarming, but certainly not all doom. Today the IT professional is forced to compete for that one position. An uni-skilled IT worker is considered more or less a liability than an asset. Employers are forced to maximize the Return on Investment. It is a necessary business decision that results in being competitive or not. Surveys done by different groups present views that can be ambiguous to the worker. One survey reported that there are nearly 1,600 certifications available, as well as 227 accreditation programs. IT schools are popping up all over, there is a certification for almost any field. I recently had the pleasure of assisting a friend who is an experienced lawyer with an Associate CISSP qualification. Her objective is to now get the needed experience to receive the CISSP recognition. I was amazed at the amount of security certs out there. One of the first things I stress to the IT professional is to become a knowledgeable consumer if one is seeking career advancement through certification. The situation in the IT field has presented a playground for dishonest sales teams and organizations. The National Organization for Competency Assurance has defined certification as “the process by which a non-governmental agency or association grants recognition of competence to an individual who has met predetermined qualifications specified by that agency or association.” there are certifications that immediately come to mind on reading this, CISCO, Microsoft, CompTIA, ISC2, Novell, CWNP and IBM. The Certification and Accreditation Programs Directory offers a list of questions that you should ask of the organization when you are thinking of obtaining certification. • What is the reputation of the issuing organization? • Do the benefits of the certification justify the cost? • What are the requirements and costs for recertification? • Are there educational and experiential requirements for the certification? (Experience requirements are an important consideration for career-changers since they could prevent one from using a certification to move into a new career quickly.) • Is the certification national in scope as well as recognized outside the U.S.? A list of the hottest certification in terms of pay growth, the top five certifications according to the Foote Partners are:- * IT Certified Architect (ITCA/OPenGroup) * Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) * InfoSys Security Architecture Professional (ISSAP/CISSP) * Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator: Messaging (MCSA) * Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) One will realize that these qualifications involve data security. I am a staunch supporter of the wonderful curriculum presented by the CompTIA group. The Security+ is the logical start for anyone moving into data security. With the recent corporate failures we have witnessed over the past years, companies are highly aware of the need for risk management, auditing, and internal controls for risk mitigation, so there is an overwhelming need for security trained personnel. Microsoft has and always will be a forerunner in certification. The security advancements in the new Vista will present opportunities for the desktop support worker. My observation during research for this article has pinpointed one common factor, security. Although there seems to be a decline in hiring for people with technical certs like systems and database administrators, the only area where there has been an increase is security. The IT professional with an MCSE or CCNP will improve there demand if he/she includes a certification from a well -recognized and accepted certification that involves security. The employers in this field has increased significantly. There are positions available with Homeland Security, and Health and Hospitality (HIPAA). Says Trish Harris, assistant vice president, corporate marketing, media relations, and public relations for the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), Orlando, FL. “With the many corporate failures that have occurred over the past two years, more and more organizations are concerned about risk management, ethics, corporate governance, and internal controls that mitigate risks and help deter and prevent fraud.” Harris notes that because IIA certifications require extensive knowledge, experience, and study, they clearly demonstrate the competency of those who have earned them. “Our premier designation, Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), is the only global certification for the internal audit profession,” she says. Harris attests to promising career potential for certified internal auditors. “During the past year, we’ve seen a marked increase in the number of internal audit jobs available on the market,” she observes. “We’ve also received numerous calls from audit-committee members and company heads looking for guidance on starting up an internal-audit department. CEOs who did not have internal auditing in the past are now understanding just how important the internal-audit function is in regard to assurance and effective risk management.” Harris says that many of these companies are requiring the person they hire as chief audit executive to hold the Certified Internal Auditor designation.”They want to be sure they are getting the skills and expertise they want in a competent leader of their internal audit function, and the CIA designation clearly provides that assurance,” Harris says. Further, Harris notes that her organization is seeing students and seasoned professionals moving into the internal-auditing field from many other areas, including information technology, operations, business management, and finance. This brings me to another trend that the IT certification seeker should be vigilant off, that is economic cutbacks that trickle down to quality of training. I have been fortunate to work with a top level training company that has, though extremely difficult in these times, committed to not letting cutbacks affect the quality of their programs. The student/professional is better served when dealing with the organization that is accredited by one of the headliners like Microsoft, Cisco, CWNP, CompTIA. These institutions are regulated as to curriculum quality. The decision to present IT training budget is a difficult one for the corporation. Managers are faced with the question of “who should we train?”. I’ve seen employees fortunate to be sent to training classes a nd show very little interest. Thankfully, these are in the minority. Employers though sometimes appearing to be removed from the everyday operations of the company are making decisions that will benefit the organization. They will therefore be more prone to training the employee who presents himself/herself as a good investment. It is now up to that employee to show that the decision to train was worthwhile. I have seen employees who realized immediate advancement in their careers after training. I always think of a young Canadian woman who leaped to WLAN support after achieving her CWNA and CWSP. It therefore brings me to conclude that the economic pulse is not all hopeless. It takes creativity and dedication and research on the part of the IT worker. Relevance to job duties is of utmost importance. The old adage “don’t purchase a cat in a bag” is so very relevant today. The IT community need not think that their monetary investment in achieving certification is in vain. It takes a lot more planning and customizing your career track. My advice, always go with a winner.

The CCNA Certification Exam (640-802 CCNA) has evolved over time and it is no longer sufficient to just rely on one kind of CCNA study material (usually books) to prepare for the exam. I will outline several CCNA preparation materials which are essential if you wish to ace the exam through self-study.

1. CCNA Books

I regard CCNA books as the must-have resource for CCNA exam preparation. The Sybex books (Todd Lammle) and the Cisco Press titles (exam preparation and self-study) are the most popular and authoritative. Ensure that you get a book that is up to date with the latest exam syllabus.

2. CCNA Lab Simulation or Lab Equipment

Given the amount of emphasis on the 2-3 CCNA simulation questions in the actual exam, it is important to get some hands-on experience in the configuration of Cisco IOS devices. If you’re lucky enough to get access to actual lab equipment, that would be ideal. However, for the typical CCNA candidate real equipment would not be an option. Thankfully there are a few cost effective CCNA simulators around which cover sufficient ground for the exam.

3. Practice Exams

Time management is extremely important during the CCNA exam. Typically you will have to answer 50-60 questions in a 90 minute period. This includes 2-3 simulation questions and several other time consuming questions. The best practice exams have a simulation engine to allow for you to get a feel for the real exam. Some of the good CCNA books also come included with a simulation engine and practice test questions.

4. Audio/Video CCNA Material (Optional)

Although I have marked this as optional, I have found that many CCNA candidates have very little time to study for the exam, due to other commitments. One extremely useful way I have found is to study during the long commute to work or school. There are now packages on the market which allow you to place the CCNA study material (in an audio and/or video form) on an iPod or other media device to study on the go. I have also found that it is much easier to absorb the material presented in an audio format, not to mention that it is very convenient to just skip back to the last chapter on an iPod.