You have worked hard to prepare for the MCP examination and passed it.  It is your tool to gain success in your career and it is your pride to obtain that certification. It is your credentials and expertise that are at hand and no one other than you should enjoy the benefits.  In today’s spamming and theft identification, credentials should be protected and secured, as it can be used against you.

In as much as your being certified MCP allows you to be networking with other members and you feel that it would help your career grow, providing your details becomes a necessity.  Microsoft has handled its MCP member site secured so that only members can have the access.  They have provided guidelines for first time log on users as well as troubleshooting tips as one member logs on to the website.

The MCP member website is so secured that one is required to required to be a registered Windows ID user.  You are able to migrate to the MCP member website by associating your MCP Certification ID with your Windows Live ID.  It is part of authentication technology.  An access code is given that is only good for seven days to activate and this code gets expired after. This code is sent to your Windows Live ID email address. Each time professional logs on to the MCP member site, the MCP ID and access code are required.

Microsoft makes each MCP certified feel important by placing security to its member’s is one.

When Microsoft Company created the Standard Query Language software, it made sure that the SQL Server is available in multiple versions that have the various features designed to target the dynamic and multiple needs of the targeted users.  This setup has been proven effective and a good marketing strategy that Microsoft has strategically launched.  

These setup versions are varying in terms of files sizes and features.  Below are some of the evolving setup versions:

a.    The SQL CE.  The Standard Query Language Server on a Compact edition is an embedded form of a server on one single engine.  This SQL server setup edition is smaller in file size that made its features a little less compared to the others.  The SQL CE is very limited in terms of features that it needs the application to host it before it can be executed.  
b.    The SQL EE.  The Standard Query Language Server on an Express Edition is a free SQL edition developed by Microsoft.  This setup version has the central database engine which means that it does not to be hosted by the same application that created it.  
c.    The SQL WE.  The Standard Query Language Server for Workgroup Edition is a lighter edition of the SQL setup versions.  The functionality remains the same as the SQL EE however, it does not have the SQL services embedded on it.
d.    The SQL Standard Edition. The Standard Query Language Server edition that has both the core engine and the additional services all in one package.  Although this is quite similar with the SQL EE, the standard edition does not have full support on the nodes in a given cluster.  

Culture is defined as a way of life. In organization, creating a knowledge management culture will mean that knowledge management has become the norm. This means that the environment is open for the flow of information; staffs are all working together to achieve common goals and top management legitimizes all efforts to make this work.

However, this scenario is far from reality. In real life, knowledge management is not so easy to create and sometimes the barriers come from different sources. Most of the barriers are people-based barriers. There is a natural inclination for individuals to keep information for themselves. Unless companies make efforts to create a right environment for staff to participate in information sharing, there is no way that information flow can be effectively shared from one staff to another.

Here are a few tips to create knowledge management culture:  

Organizations should be aware of where poor communication networks come from. Sometimes making communication formal can also hinder good communication among employees. Maybe management can start creating avenues to make them informal. Making informal meetings and forums that are stress-free can make the employees feel relaxed and more open to communicate.  

Management should legitimize knowledge management culture by making structural changes if necessary. If the present organizational structure hampers communication then change them. Management can also give incentive schemes to employees.  Technological tools can facilitate knowledge sharing because it is more efficient and faster. However, companies should also be careful not to be too dependent on them. Creating knowledge management culture in organizations is not an easy feat but working on it can sure give companies many benefits.

Project managers today need to have various skills to perform the demanding tasks in project management. Monitoring, planning, initiating and implementing huge scale projects are just some of the major responsibilities of a project manager. They need to learn how to multi-task and use strategies appropriate for the project. In this case, PMP training courses can help professionals get all the necessary skills and knowledge to equip them. Training courses will professionalize the job experience of project managers in their field.

There are different requirements for every PMP program. There are courses that require candidates to have at least five years of job experience. Some training courses does not need perquisites in order to sign up. In PMP training courses, it formalizes the experience of professionals. Also, this credential can take them to greater heights in their career.

That is why it is crucial to take courses in order to enhance the managerial skills and technical expertise of project managers. The PMP courses basically include topics on communications, risk management, time and cost management, project procurement abilities and many more. Furthermore, the skills acquired in this course can be applied in real job environment.

To make it more convenient for project managers and professionals, online courses are now available to fit their lifestyle and hectic schedule. Professionals can choose from various options. Audio/ video CD, pdf files and training software are some of the alternatives in getting online trainings. In this generation, everything can be accessed in the internet. Taking online courses is one of the most convenient and worry-free methods of advancing the abilities of professionals.

How Twitter Makes You A Better IT Manager

By now you’ve most likely joined Twitter (and if you haven’t, you need to, right now!). Twitter is not only a great place to talk about ITIL®, Cloud Computing, Help Desk and IT Management, but it’s also a great place to sort out your writing skills.

Yes. You read that right.

Twitter can make you a better writer and as a result make you a better IT Manager. Here’s how.

Twitter forces you to expand your vocabulary

Since you only have 140 characters to get your message across, you’re forced to  find new words to use—Words that are shorter, words that are more explanatory, and words that say what you want to say in 140 characters or less.

Writing tweets means you have  to “expand” your verbs (replacing adverbs and adjectives with them), and discover a better, clearer and more concise way to say what you want to say.

You need to re-write your initial thought to make it fit into 140 characters. Rewriting means improving.

Twitter forces you to improve your editing skills

Every writer needs to be able to edit their work. And by using Twitter, you can really hone your editing skills and make them top-notch.

It’s almost like playing a game; trying to write a 140-character message and still get your point across in a way that inspires your followers to take action, to click on your link or to “retweet” your post. Ideally your message is LESS than 140 characters so you leave space for your retweeters to add a personal note.

Twitter forces you to be to the point

If you’ve ever used Twitter, you know that you have 140 characters to say whatever you want to say. this is not 140 words—or even 140 letters—I said 140 characters. Letters, numbers, symbols, punctuation and spaces all count as characters on Twitter.

This teaches you to be concise – a fantastic skill for any IT Manager to have. No more 400 page reports, but concise and to the point executive summaries that tell the reader exactly what you had in mind.

Many writers, however, are “wordy” and often have long, drawn out descriptions and sentences, so it can be pretty difficult to create a message that’s only 140 characters.

Here’s where Twitter comes in again.

Being a better writer means being clear in your communication. Great IT Managers are fantastic communicators. So using twitter makes you a better IT Manager.

Yet another reason you should be using Twitter. Not that you needed one.