7 best cergtification for 2013

1. Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA)

Early in January 2012, Microsoft reintroduced the MCSA and MCSE certifications. Though the acronym remained the same there were significant changes made to the certifications. The Microsoft Certified System Engineer is gone, replaced with the Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate. The major change associated with this certification is focus on the breadth and depth of the technologies. The new Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) credential focuses on the ability to design and build technology solutions. The previous Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator certifications focused on specific job roles.
Currently there are five MCSA certifications: Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008, Windows 8, Windows 7, and SQL Server 2012. Each of these MCSA’s require several exams, such as the Windows 8 MCSA which requires two (70-687 and 70-688) and the MCSA SQL 2012 requires three (70-461, 70-462, and 70-463). One thing to keep in mind is that an MCSA certification is required for the new MCSE certifications.

2. Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE)
This change in the emphasis of the certifications is especially apparent with the MCSE. As a holder of the new MCSE, you are expected to have a deep knowledge on a variety of technologies in addition to the primary one you have certified. The Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) certification focuses on the ability to design and build technology solutions, which may include integrating multiple technology products and span multiple versions of a single technology, whether on-premises or in the cloud. The previous Microsoft Certified System Engineer certifications focused on a specific job role. In order to earn your MCSE in most technologies, you must first earn an MCSA. For example, the MCSE: Messaging (Exchange 2013) requires that you earn your MCSA: Windows Server 2012 certification as well as pass the two required Exchange 2013 exams. The MCSA: Windows Server 2012 certification is required for six of the eight MCSE track certifications-so this certification will be in heavy demand as people who want to certify on the new technologies will also have to earn this certification as well. Currently there are eight MCSE certifications: Server Infrastructure, Desktop infrastructure, Private Cloud, Data Platform, Business Intelligence, Messaging, Communication, and SharePoint.
3. Cloud Certifications
To the Cloud – that is the mantra we hear these days. The increased use of cloud computing and storage by service providers has also increased the demand for IT professionals who can build (and secure) private cloud computing solutions using common technology platforms. Seems most of the major IT players have a Cloud solution to meet the needs of the smallest to some of the largest businesses out there. But which is the right “Cloud” certification? There are several certifications that germane to our discussion of cloud Certifications.
One of the more interesting cloud certifications is the one offered by CompTIA. The Cloud Essential certification from CompTIA is vendor-neutral. This certification was originally developed by ITpreneurs and the Cloud Credential Council. CloudSchool is another vendor-neutral certification entity dedicated “to excellence in the fields of cloud computing technology, architecture, security, governance and capacity”. Microsoft also has their MCSE: Private Cloud certification (one of their new MCSE’s-Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert). This certification demonstrates your expertise in managing and implementing Microsoft private cloud computing technologies using Windows Server and System Center technologies. VMware has five cloud certifications ranging from the VMware Certified Professional-Cloud (VCP-Cloud) to the VMware Certified Design Expert-Cloud (VCDX-Cloud).
4. CCIE Collaboration
The CCIE Collaboration is new from Cisco and is evolved from the ten-year old CCIE Voice certification. The CCIE Collaboration certification reflects advances in networked collaboration solutions which go beyond simple audio phone calls. Collaboration is unique in its potential to affect every workplace employee, business partner, and customer. No longer just a voice call or IM session, workplace collaboration now happens in real time within a variety of integrated applications. The new CCIE Collaboration certification will cover solutions for voice, video, IM, presence, and call centers. The CCIE Voice certification will be retired as of February 14, 2014. A current holder of the CCIE Voice designation will now be able to migrate to a CCIE Collaboration credential by taking the CCIE Collaboration written exam only.

5. CCNA Routing and Switching
Cisco Evolves Associate-Level Certifications, Redesigns CCNA to CCNA Routing and Switching Certification to Support Next-Generation Job Roles. The new CCNA Routing and Switching certification has been redesigned and updated with content to meet the demands of the changes of networking technology and business requirements. As more and varied devices and applications access the “the Internet of Everything” will soon wake up everything imaginable. As the network evolves and changes, becoming more sophisticated, the job roles of network engineers also continue to change.
6. CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP)
The new CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP) certification is a vendor-neutral certification exam that validates competency in enterprise security; risk management; research and analysis; and integration of computing, communications, and business disciplines. While there aren’t any “official” pre-requisites, this certification is aimed at security professionals who have at least ten years of experience in IT administration with at least five years of hands-on technical security experience. It is expected that candidates for this exam have earned their Security+ certification (though not required). The CASP exam covers a broad range of material and if you are attempting this exam than you should have technical knowledge and skills to conceptualize, design, and engineer secure solutions across complex enterprise environments. You should also be able to apply critical thinking and judgment across a broad spectrum of security disciplines as well as propose and implement solutions that map to enterprise drivers.
7. Certified Ethical Hacker v8 (CEH v8)

EC-Council recently released the Certified Ethical Hacking (CEH) v8 certification. This new certification has been designed to provide invaluable training for security professionals and organizations. The CEH v8 certification is in heavy demand by organizations and governments (the CEH is required for some US Military and governmental security jobs). Much of this course is hands-on, using the same tools and techniques that those who may attack your networks would implement. In many cases, you will scan and hack your own systems in order to see the affects these have on a working system. What makes this a unique and valuable certification is the focus of the certification. EC-Council recently earned the ANSI 10024 – the first time that a US based accreditation body has performed and certified an entity outside North America.

http://www.computerdealernews.com/news/the-seven-hottest-tech-certifications/27225

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Glo Datacenter Facility

National Telecoms Operator, Globacom has set up a world-class Internet Data Centre in Lagos to provide co-location services, disaster recovery and dedicated hosting facilities to corporate clients in Nigeria and West Africa.
The company has also announced plans to expand its existing data management platform by building another data centre  that will be Nigeria’s Largest Iconic Data Center, providing Tier 3  and Tier 4 enterprise data services from Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory.
The new data centre will provide network-based services, applications, equipment and Cloud Services in a highly safe and secure environment with back-ups.
According to Globacom’s Corporate Chief Information Officer (Information Systems), Mr. Cesar Camara, most of the websites and servers of various Nigerian organisations are hosted elsewhere across the world in countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States of America due to unreliable power supply, insecurity and other challenges.
“This is why Globacom has stepped in to become one of the top players in the Managed Services Industry across Nigeria & West Africa. We are leveraging  on our existing telecoms infrastructure, Glo1 Submarine cable, reliable power supply network, experienced manpower and experience in building State-of-the-art technologies for our existing voice and data telephony  services,” he told journalists while conducting them round the Glo Data Centre in Lagos. .
Data Centres, especially the Tier 3 and Tier 4 categories, which provide the highest level of failure proof, redundant, secure and safe environment, fault tolerance, compartmentalization and continuous cooling, are highly valued by most organizations because all mission-critical/real-time applications today depend on server uptime

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Last Call for CompTIA A+ 700 Series Exams

If you trained for the CompTIA A+ 701 and 702 exam objectives, but haven't yet actually taken the exams, you need to register soon with Pearson VUE because CompTIA will retire the 700 series exams (in English) on Aug. 31. All other language versions will retire Dec. 31.
After that, students will only be able to become CompTIA A+ certified by taking the 800 series exams, which cover new technologies and include performance-based questions. You can compare the differences in the exams by downloading the exam objectives.
"If you've been studying toward the 700 series, you'll want to hurry and take it before Aug. 31," said Carol Balkcom, CompTIA director of product management.
Anyone taking the CompTIA A+ 700 series certification exams before Aug. 31 should start prepping now, trainers say. New Horizons CLC – Great Lakes held its last classes for the CompTIA A+ 701 and the 702 exams in October, transitioning quickly into the 800 series in November. But because the company is also an official Pearson VUE testing center, Career Services Coordinator Sue Ann Law expects some self-study candidates will come in to take the 700 series exams.
Law's test-prep rule of thumb is that students need a minimum of one month to prepare for an exam. "Given that there are two exams (the 701 and 702), June would definitely be my cut off for starting to prepare," she said.
CompTIA's authorized training partners will be reaching out to former CompTIA A+ 700 series students—via emails and webinars, for example—to remind candidates of the Aug. 31 deadline.
At New Horizons of Austin, a division of CompTIA partner 5 Point Enterprises, account executives are working with corporate and government customers to make sure former students take the 700 series exams before Aug. 31. "If necessary, a mentor will work one on one, in person or virtually with a student if they are struggling in a particular area," said James Cox, vice president of sales. "We'll do everything we can, down to meeting every single student one-on-one to make sure they are prepared to take that exam on time."

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Getting Certified In LPIC-1

Introducing the LPIC-1 Junior level Linux Certification
The Linux Professional Institute Certification (LPIC) is a program which is designed to certify the competency and skills of the IT professionals in maintaining the Linux operating system. This professional certification program is divided into three levels. And the first and the basic level is the LPIC-1. This is actually called as the junior level Linux certification, and the first step in attaining the LPIC professional certification. This is the first IT certification; which is professionally accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA)
The skills required for LPIC-1 certification
In order to get this junior level certification the IT professionals must possess the following skills:

• In order to get this junior level certification the IT professionals must possess the following skills:
• The candidate must know to work at the Linux command line
• The candidate must be able to perform the Linux system maintenance tasks like backup and restore, reboot and shutdown, help the users, can add users to a large system etc.
• The candidate should know how to install and configure a work station and then connect the workstation to a LAN.

The required exams for getting the LPIC-1 certification


In order to get this junior level certification the IT Professionals have to pass two exams, the first one is Exam 117-101 and the other is Exam 117-102. These two exams are the only way to get certified in the LPIC-1 certification. The detailed description of both these exams has been mentioned on 
1) The Exam 117-101
The exam 117-101 is the exam code for the first paper required in the LPIC-1. This exam actually covers the simple and basic topics of the Linux operating system. But as per the course, following topics are being covered in the 117-101 Exam Questions.

• The System architecture
• The installation and package management of Linux
• The GNU and the UNIX commands
• The devices, Linux files systems and the file system hierarchy standard

There are total 60 numbers of questions in this paper and the candidates have to solve the paper in 90 minutes. No extra time will be allotted to the candidates.

1) The Exam-117-102
117-102 Test Questions is the second required paper in attaining the LPIC-1 certification. This exam also covers the basic concepts involved in using the Linux operating system. The main topics covered in this paper are as follows:

• The user interfaces and desktops
• Administrative tasks
• Network fundamentals
• Security
• Essential system services
• Shells, scripting and data management

This paper also consists of 60 questions that need to be solved in 90 minutes time.

The registration and scheduling procedure for the Exam 117-101 and exam 117-102
The candidates can get themselves registered for both these exams through Pearson VUE. The scheduling of the exams and locating the test center can also be done by visiting the Pearson VUE website.
Preparation materials for the Exam 117-101 and Exam 117-102
The LPIC provides the candidates with the helping materials, books and some online resources that would be helpful for the candidates to be prepared for both these exams.
cheers

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certified oracle training partners in nigeria

 

Total Technology Consultants Limited

4 God’s Grace, 5 Waterworks Road, Rumuola
Rivers State
Nigeria

Port Harcourt
Africa Operations

Phone: +234 8037100284

Infographics

8 Oduduwa way, Off Isaac John Street. Gra – Ikeja,Nigeria

Lagos
Africa Operations

Phone: +234 8023374835

DataEdge Systems

5 Sunday Adigun Street

Lagos
Africa Operations

Phone: +234 8033234869

Counterhouse Consultants Ltd.

Suite 16, Motorways Centre, Opposite 7Up Bottling Co. Plc.
Old Lagos-Ibadan Toll Gate, Alausa, Ikeja

Lagos
Africa Operations

Phone: +234 8028285451


E-mail: training@counterhouseconsultants.com
Website: www.counterhouseconsultants.com

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Beta Testing Begins for New Oracle Database Cloud Administrator Certifications

Oracle Certification begins beta testing this week for two new upcoming certifications - the Oracle Certified Professional, Database Cloud Administrator (OCP) and the Oracle Certified Master (OCM).

Beta participation is by invitation (only) to those who currently hold the following certifications:
1) Either the "Oracle Database 11g Administrator" Certified Professional (OCP) or Certified Master (OCM) certification,

-AND-

2) Either the "Oracle Certified Expert, Oracle Real Application Clusters 11g and Grid Infrastructure Administrator" (OCE) or the "Oracle Certified Expert, Oracle Exadata X3 Administration" (OCE).
You should have received a beta invitation by email if you hold these certifications. If you have not, please contact Oracle Certification Support.

Watch for more news and updates on this certification as we conclude beta testing.

 

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Oracle Fusion Distributed Order Orchestration 11g Certified Implementation Specialist

The "Oracle Fusion Financials 11g Accounts Receivable Certified Implementation Specialist" certification is designed for implementation consultants who possess a strong foundation and expertise implementing and configuring the Fusion Accounts Receivable application. This certification measures key knowledge and skills in areas such as Receivables, Billing and Revenue Management, Collections, and Receipt Management. This certification differentiates candidates in the marketplace by providing a competitive edge through proven expertise. Up-to-date training and field experience are recommended.read more on oracle.com
https://blogs.oracle.com/certification/entry/0887_04

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Nigeria has only 3,500 insurance professionals’

Insurance 

Nigeria has only 3,500 insurance professionals out of a population of over 160 million, the new President of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria Mr Fatai Lawal has said.
Describing the figure has poor, Lawal said the only way the industry can get insurance to penetrate every nook and cranny of the country is to get more people involved as crusaders and vanguards.
Lawal, who made known his agenda in Lagos spoke on Promoting insurance education in Nigeria.
He said the industry can only create the necessary awareness when people are educated on the subject.
According to him, the less than optimal financial literacy in Nigeria is at the cause of poor patronage of financial services, adding that insurance is one of the most affected in the sector.
On his agenda, he said: “During my tenure, we shall focus attention on the empowerment of selected institutions offering insurance programmes to enhance their capacity to offer quality education and reinforcement of activities at the College of Insurance and Financial Management.
Others, he said, include: “Strengthening the professional qualification of the institute for global relevance, completion of the restructuring of the institute’s secretariat to enhance its service delivery, greater attention to funding and prudent management of the institute’s resources, resolution of the Victoria Island Building Project and promotion of the Insurance Industry Consultative Forum.
He explained that there would be efforts at expanding the capacity of institutions offering insurance.
“These institutions will be accredited by the CIIN based on their capacity to deliver quality insurance education. The institute will support these institutions in books, infrastructure, scholarship, and exposure to international seminars to ensure access to latest information about insurance.
“Luckily, in recent time, the Federal Government has approved insurance as a subject in secondary schools. The institute will provide the necessary support for the Ministry of Education to actualise the scheme one of which will be in the area of production of text books for this course and provision of training facilities for insurance teachers.
Lawal stressed that the professional examination of the institute is the hallmark of its activities.
He further said the institute has conducted the examination over the years, producing associates and fellows that are unquestionable in skills and character.
He noted that the institute needs to move a step further by ensuring that its associates could trade their certificates for the well-known Associateship Diploma of the Chartered Insurance Institute of London, even if it means just writing one paper, adding the on-going discussions with the CII London would be pursued to a logical end.
“It would interest you to know that CIIN is the only professional body conducting insurance examinations in the whole of Africa except South Africa. We should be a centre that others can log on to. Because we had always thought that our certificate is needed only in Nigeria, we have not been able to explore this viable option and a gaping opportunity to expand our horizon.
“The point also needs to be made that because of globalisation, the institute should be able to give its qualifiers the freedom to move around anywhere in the world and, I think this is good for every professional with his or her bidding.

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Providers find value in vendor-specific cloud certifications

When it comes to ensuring the integrity of cloud services, third-party groups have attempted to improve consumer confidence with various certifications for service providers. And while other organizations independently validate providers' promises of secure data and consistent protection, some cloud providers are going even further by certifying their technical expertise as well.
Serving as more than just a validation of the baseline security of a provider's cloud services environment, vendor-specific certification programs enable providers to distinguish their services with an endorsement of their expertise. Whether it's a partnership with Citrix, a silver competency from Microsoft or a certification from Red Hat, a vendor's seal of approval is designed to indicate a cloud provider offers reliable services and support.
"The vendor-specific certifications are extremely important," says Charles Weaver, CEO of the MSPAlliance, an industry association and accrediting body for cloud providers and managed service providers (MSPs). His organization focuses on certifying providers with its vendor-neutral credentials, including MSPAlliance's Unified Certification Standard, to assess such facets as a provider's physical security, data privacy and service-level agreements. But Weaver believes that vendors' certifications offer something distinct.
"They provide visibility perhaps better than any other type of certification could about the provider's capabilities and expertise in that technology," he says.

Cloud providers see benefits of vendor certifications

For Datapipe, a cloud provider and MSP in Jersey City, N.J., a vendor's certification represents a confirmation of its capabilities that can boost user confidence and improve the company's visibility.

I am sure that [our Microsoft certifications] helped us and helped when talking to new potential customers. Tudor Ciuleanu, Imprezzio Global

Ed Laczynski, Datapipe's senior vice president of cloud services, says the provider has obtained certifications from VMware, Citrix, Microsoft and Oracle, among others.
"They're all important to us," he says. "We pursue them because we have a very unique value proposition, where we are supporting customers in heterogeneous hybrid IT environments, everything from cloud to managed services to colocation and security. … We find that when we partner with the vendors that our customers are using and that we use to deliver [services], that we drive a lot of value to our customers, we grow our business and we get more exposure in the marketplace."
This kind of exposure was a major driver for Imprezzio Global, a European subsidiary of the Spokane, Wash., software development company Imprezzio Inc., with offerings that include Software as a Service and cloud-based applications for the enterprise. Earning silver competencies from Microsoft meant a place in the vendor's Pinpoint partner directory, which Imprezzio's Managing Director Tudor Ciuleanu explains was one of the most important factors in the move to get certified.
"I am sure that it helped us and helped when talking to new potential customers," he says. "This is an advantage since they trust our company more. We also had a few companies contacting us from Pinpoint."
Earning those Microsoft certifications also provided Imprezzio access to internal use licenses, press materials, discounts, product support and advisory services. The perks get better for providers in the upper tiers of certification -- silver and gold, in the case of Microsoft's classifications.
Imprezzio's three silver competencies -- which it expects to upgrade to gold soon for more visibility among Microsoft partners -- certify its status as a midmarket solution provider with expertise in application development and Microsoft SQL. Achieving those credentials required that members of the Imprezzio team get individually certified and that the company pass licensing overview as well as sales and marketing assessments. Testimonials from customers and the payment of a membership fee round out the list of requirements.
Microsoft's certification criteria have much in common with other vendors' programs, including the standards for membership in the three-tiered partnership program Red Hat offers. Marketing tools, community involvement and technological support come at the basic Ready partner level and expand for providers certified as Advanced, with the full suite of perks available at the Premier level.
Depending on the partner status they seek, providers looking to receive the benefits must have a minimum number of trained people in sales and IT, an approved business plan and positive customer feedback, among other achievements.

Vendor certification programs rigorous for a reason

Jane Circle, Red Hat's principal product marketing manager, says the technical baselines are the most rigorous: "We must ensure that they can actually produce a Red Hat Enterprise Linux image the same as if a customer were to buy Red Hat Enterprise Linux directly from Red Hat."
Red Hat is among the vendors continuously looking to expand its network of certified partners, adding new partners every month in an effort to further its own visibility and sales. Maintaining rigorous technical, business and operational baselines may limit the number of partners, but Circle points out that ensuring the security and quality of their services is a crucial priority.

The whole idea of a certification program is to provide consistency to our end customers at large. Jane Circle, principal product marketing manager, Red Hat

"The point is that when we work with our cloud providers, we want our end customers to have a service level that is pretty much in agreement with what they would get from Red Hat," she says. "The whole idea of a certification program is to provide consistency to our end customers at large."
Vendors have to hold potential partners to high standards or risk having a glut of overcertified, underqualified providers representing their brand.
"We are in talks with a lot of vendors who, in their channel recruitment programs, are facing great difficulty in finding qualified service providers who understand not only how to use the technology, but [also] how to be a good service provider," Weaver says. "And they've said, 'Look, we need a way to identify good, qualified service providers before we let them into our programs,' because for the vendor it's a great risk. It's a lot of resources that they're going to put in, and they want to make sure they're only working with the best and most qualified."
But the rigid requirements protect certified providers as well. And for uncertified providers already meeting the vendor's standards, getting the additional the stamp of approval is a valuable and visible recognition of their skill in terms that enterprise users in particular find relatable and credible.
Datapipe's Laczynski says certification programs are important to IT buyers.
"[Certifications] help us talk about our value proposition and allow us to show -- in the same language that [enterprise customers] use, in terms of the specific locations and infrastructure they're using -- how we add value," he explains.

Vendor certifications fit into a broader framework of evaluation

The sales requirements for many certification programs aren't usually an issue for Datapipe, as it has often met those goals already as part of its own business strategy.

More on cloud certifications and skills

Find out what training programs the top cloud providers offer
How is cloud computing affecting service provider IT jobs?
Work for a provider? You need cloud skills on your resume

"We have a really reliable and loyal customer base, so typically we've already qualified for all the revenue targets or use targets that these various vendors have," Laczynski says.
Considering their potential to undermine the neutrality of the certification process, these sales qualifications cause some concern for Weaver. Nevertheless, he believes "they've largely gone away."
Another potential challenge is that vendor certifications only go so far, Weaver says. These programs may validate a provider's mastery of a particular technology, but they don't necessarily guarantee a provider's "larger duty of protecting data for the client," he explains.
"As good as [vendor-specific certifications] are, they have a precise purpose, and they shouldn't be viewed as simply an excuse not to get any other certifications," Weaver says. "A truly independent audit is needed because there are things that have nothing to do with technical expertise that greatly impact the service provider's capability to deliver their services."

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The Latest Threat To Oracle's Database Empire

The biggest companies in the world keep their most valuable data in Oracle databases. But there's a new kind of database, known as noSQL, that has slowly become a threat. noSQL began life as a supplement to a traditional "SQL" database, handling the kinds of things that SQL didn't do well. It works with messy data and can be spread across multiple, cheap servers.
SQL likes its data clean and labeled and all in one place, requiring expensive, big servers. That's one reason Oracle bought Sun Microsystems and got into the hardware business.
Until recently, makers of noSQL databases said their tech didn't really compete with Oracle's because it fits different needs. "Traditional relational databases are not going to go away," Dwight Merriman, cofounder of the noSQL company 10gen told Business Insider in November. 10gen makes a popular noSQL database called MongoDB.
Now 10gen's competitor, Jonathan Ellis, is challenging that perception. Ellis runs the free and open source noSQL project Cassandra,  part of the Apache Foundation, the keeper of many open source projects. Ellis is also cofounder of DataStax, which provides commercial support for Cassandra users.
DataStax is flagrantly billing itself as an alternative to Oracle. Its website declares "Flocks of enterprises migrating away from Oracle to DataStax."
When asked by Infoworld's Paul Krill if Oracle should fear Cassandra, Ellis brazenly answered, "Yes." He says it's "getting hard to count" the number of companies yanking out Oracle for Cassandra.
He names Netflix, Openwave and Ooyala as examples.
We doubt that the mighty Oracle is quaking in its boots yet. Oracle commanded 48% of the database market as of 2012, according to Gartner.
But data from DB-engines.com shows that at least one noSQL database, MongoDB, is among the Top 10 most popular databases and that its popularity is rising, while Oracle's declines.

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