WindowsNetworking.com - Monthly Newsletter - March 2015
Hi Security World,
Welcome to the WindowsNetworking.com newsletter by Debra Littlejohn Shinder <http://www.windowsnetworking.com/Deb_Shinder/>, MVP. Each month we will bring you interesting and helpful information on the world of Windows Networking. We want to know what all *you* are interested in hearing about. Please send your suggestions for future newsletter content to: dshinder@windowsnetworking.com
1. Do Networking Certifications Still Matter?
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I can remember very well when I made the transition from police officer and criminal justice instructor with a passion for my computer hobby to IT professional. It was way back in the 1990s, when some of today’s newly minted comp sci graduates were literally still in diapers. At that time, the IT job market was hot and the easiest and fastest way to get a foot in the door was to rack up “lettersâ€� â€" MCSE, MCT, CISSP, and the like.
My husband was making a career change at the same time, so I had a built-in study partner. We took some classes, hit the books, completed the practice quizzes, agonized over the trick questions, built a home lab that emulated an enterprise network, and finally sweated over a hot computer at Prometric on multiple occasions as we sat for and passed the exams. Then over the next several years we set about getting some real world experience.
Looking back, I can’t say the process was easy, but it was pretty simple. Today’s entry-level IT candidate is going into a field that is far more complex and confusing. Because the job market has tightened, employers are more demanding, with many requiring computer science degrees. Certifications don’t hold as much weight now, although ironically they are more difficult to obtain.
This is due in part to the “paper MCSE� phenomenon that peaked in the later 90s and early 2000s, when the Internet was rife with “cheat sheets� for the knowledge-based multiple choice exams that were offered for Microsoft’s certifications. Employers caught onto this when so many job candidates who had the “paper� turned out to be clueless about basic networking principles. Vendors and other testing authorities then attempted to make the exams more skills-based, although it is a challenge to do this while maintaining a reasonable pricing structure. Cisco’s Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) was long the king of the “hands on� exam model, but at $1000+ to sit for the exam, it was priced beyond the means of many IT professionals.
Today certifications aren’t nearly as high profile in the IT world as they were in the NT Server and Windows 2000 days, but that doesn’t mean having the right certs can’t help you to get a job or promotion. The key is knowing which certifications will give you the most bang for your buck (and your study time investment). The landscape of the IT world has changed considerably over the last two decades, and many of the certifications that are most valuable today didn’t even exist in the 90s.
Whereas basic networking as exemplified by the Network+, MCP and CCNA certifications were the standards back then, today’s top certifications tend to be specialized and many of them fall into the categories of cloud, security and compliance. Security was emerging as a top concern in the early 2000s and it’s a skill set that is still very much in demand, along with related areas such as regulatory compliance and computer forensics. With companies’ mad scramble to move some or all of their resources to the cloud, cloud computing is another area where demonstrated knowledge and skills are among the most wanted.
The The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) is still one of those at the top of the heap and, combined with experience, can command a high salary. Some other respected certs that can help you to advance in these areas include the EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker and Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator certs, GIAC Certified Forensics Analyst. When it comes to compliance, ITIL Expert
Not everything is about security. Virtualization is the foundation of cloud computing, and VMware’s VCP (VMware Certified Professional) and VCIX (VMware Certified Implementation Expert) are also attractive to employers who opt for VMware’s solutions. Big Data is gaining ground as the next big (no pun intended) IT trend, and IBM’s Big Data Fundamentals or the Certified Analytics Professional cert are good to have under your belt if you plan to move in that direction. Mobile technology is yet another very popular area of IT, and certifications ranging from CompTIA’s Mobility+ to GIAC’s Mobile Device Security Analyst (GMOB) are available if that’s where you want to go.
Like older professions such as medicine and law, IT is becoming more and more specialized, and the number of certifications that are available for specialty areas is mind boggling. You can find certs for healthcare IT, wireless networking, help desk, database management, project management, web development, storage and so forth. And of course there are many, many vendor-sponsored certifications for specific product lines, from Microsoft, Cisco, various Linux vendors, and so forth.
Microsoft still offers the venerable MCSE, along with the less rigorous MCSA and the entry-level MTA. Interestingly, the MCSE acronym that long ago stood for Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer is now defined as Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert; this happened after licensed professional engineers (PEs) and their associations complained about the name. There are now six different MCSE tracks: Server Infrastructure, Desktop Infrastructure, Private Cloud, Messaging, Communication (Lync Server) and SharePoint. Each requires passing multiple exams and in order to maintain the certification, you must pass a recertification exam every three years.
Cisco still offers the CCIE and now in six flavors: Collaboration, Data Center, Routing and Switching, Security, Service Provider and Wireless. There is also another top-tier cert called Cisco Certified Design Expert (CCDE), with two entry level certifications (CCENT and CCT) and two more intermediate levels they call Associate (CCDA and CCNA) and Professional (CCDP and CCNP).
Enterprise architecture has become a prestigious area of certification, and there are a number of certs offered both by vendors and vendor-neutral organizations, including the CITA (IASA Certified IT Architect), the Certified SOA Architect, and the CEA, FEAC’s Certified Enterprise Architect.
If you’re looking at all the different certification options, it can make your head spin, but it’s not just a matter of picking the “bestâ€� or “hottest.â€� Many certs have prerequisite requirements â€" other lower level certifications and/or experience and formal education credentials. The best route is to start with an entry level certification in a chosen area of expertise and advance from there. Whether to opt for a vendor sponsored cert or a vendor-neutral one depends on whether you want to delve deeply into a particular software product (which can make you more of an “expertâ€� but also limits you to working in those types of IT shops) or get a broader, but possibly more shallow, base of knowledge and then learn the specifics of the software on the job. Neither is the “rightâ€� or “wrongâ€� way; as with so many decisions in life, you have to decide which will work best for you.
Do certifications matter anymore? They can, but before you invest a lot of time and money into getting a cert, know what you want to do, study the job market and find out whether the employers you would like to work for are requiring that certification, are impressed by it, or don’t care about it at all.
‘Til next time,
Deb
dshinder@windowsnetworking.com
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Quote of the Month - Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible. â€" Francis of Assisi
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2. Windows Server 2012 Security from End to Edge and Beyond â€" Order Today!
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Windows Server 2012 Security from End to Edge and Beyond
By Thomas Shinder, Debra Littlejohn Shinder and Yuri Diogenes
From architecture to deployment, this book takes you through the steps for securing a Windows Server 2012-based enterprise network in today’s highly mobile, BYOD, cloud-centric computing world. Includes test lab guides for trying out solutions in a non-production environment.
Order your copy of Windows Server 2012 Security from End to Edge and Beyond. You'll be glad you did.
<http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Server-2012-Security-Beyond-ebook/dp/B00CMQK0OG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387293428&sr=8-1&keywords=windows+server+2012+end+to+edge+and+beyond>
3. WindowsNetworking.com Articles of Interest
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Network Printer Tips and Tricks
Network-connected printers certainly aren’t new, but new tips and tricks can indeed help. Thus here I’ll share a couple ways to ease using and setting up network printers. In this article, Eric Geier discusses two alternative ways to add a network printer in Windows, discusses location-aware printing, and touches on mobile printing.
http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles-tutorials/netgeneral/network-printer-tips-and-tricks.html
GridVision product review
GridVision offers a cloud based system for monitoring the PCs and servers on your network, which can supplement the built in Windows tools such as Event Viewer and Performance Monitor, along with enhanced automation and management capabilities. In this product review, Brien Posey evaluates GridVision’s software and walks you through the process of getting started with it.
http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles-tutorials/product-reviews/product-review-gridvision.html
Azure Networking and Security (Part 2)
In part 1 of this series, I began the discussion of Azure networking security by talking about the fundamentals of on-premises to Azure Virtual Network connectivity. We covered the first two methods that you can use to connect your on-premises network to Azure â€" a remote access VPN client connection and a site to site VPN connection. In this article I talk about the dedicated WAN link options for connecting your on-premises network to a Microsoft Azure Virtual Network.
http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles-tutorials/cloud-computing/azure-networking-and-security-part2.html
Configuring Fine-grained password policies
Password polices are designed to control what kind of password a user can have and how often the user needs to change it. Strong password policies are important to help protect your system and data from malicious attack. This article by Mitch Tulloch provides guidance and best practices for implementing fine-grained password policies in Active Directory environments where domain controllers are running Windows Server 2012 or later.
http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles-tutorials/windows-server-2012/configuring-fine-grained-password-policies.html
PowerShell Essentials (Part 7)
This multi-part series by Brien Posey provides a tutorial that attempts to cover all of the important points you need to know to get started with Windows PowerShell. In this, part 7, you learn about how to pass values to a PowerShell function.
http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles-tutorials/windows-server-2012/powershell-essentials-part7.html
4. Administrator KB Tip of the Month
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Finishing domain controller promotion
This is a tip that tests your knowledge concerning how to finish the job of promoting a server to the role of domain controller if you closed the wizard.
Quick check
- You used Server Manager to install the AD DS role on a remote server, but you closed the Add Roles And Features Wizard without first promoting the server to a domain controller. How can you finish the job and promote the server?
Quick check answer
- Access the link to promote the server from the Notifications menu of Server Manager.
* The above tip was excerpted from Mitch Tulloch's book Training Guide: Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012 from Microsoft Press.
5. Windows Networking Links of the Month
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Future-proof your IT career: 8 tech areas that will still be hot in 2020
http://www.networkworld.com/article/2889975/careers/future-proof-your-it-career-8-tech-areas-that-will-still-be-hot-in-2020.html
HTTP/2: the future of the web demystified
http://www.itworld.com/article/2895942/http2-the-future-of-the-web-demystified.html
3 Active-Active Data Center Myths
http://www.networkcomputing.com/data-centers/3-active-active-data-center-myths/a/d-id/1319414
How to get certified in VMware virtual networking
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2894517/how-to-get-certified-in-vmware-virtual-networking.html
What network technology is going to shake up your WAN?
http://www.itnews.com/networking/90467/what-network-technology-going-shake-your-wan
Reassessing the network edge in the age of SDN
http://www.enterprisenetworkingplanet.com/datacenter/datacenter-blog/reassessing-the-network-edge-in-the-age-of-sdn.html
Eight key attributes that identify a truly hyperconverged IT system
http://www.eweek.com/networking/slideshows/eight-key-attributes-that-identify-a-truly-hyperconverged-it-system.html
6. Ask Sgt. Deb
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QUESTION:
I’m new to the job of network admin, about six months now, and I work for a small company where I’m really the only “computer guyâ€� so I can use some advice. I have a degree in computer science but now I have to make things work in the real world. I guess this is a pretty common problem and maybe it’s just inevitable but I’m looking at some serious slowdowns with the machines on our network, both the servers and some of the clients. I’ve already gone through and disabled the services that aren’t needed and I messed with the power management and it helped some but I feel like there should be more I can do. Trying to do web research or transfer files is a lot slower than it should be. Any suggestions are appreciated! â€" Bryan K.
ANSWER:
Welcome to the “real worldâ€� of Windows networking, Bryan. There are a plethora of different causes that can contribute to reduced performance on Windows machines. You made a good start at improving overall performance by disabling unused services and configuring the power management settings for best performance vs. energy savings. There are still some more steps you can take, though, depending on whether the slowdowns are with local processing or with network access. If it’s a network issue â€" and that’s what it sounds like, given your comments about web and file transfers â€" I suggest you take a look at the multi-part article that I wrote on this subject, Improving Network Performance in Windows Server and Client (Part 1). Here’s the link to part 1:
http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles-tutorials/trouble/improving-network-performance-windows-server-and-client-part1.html
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