Zero-day IE unprotected, Windows XP exposed

Microsoft is trying to gauge the seriousness of a zero-day flaw in all Internet Explorer browsers from versions 6 through 11 and whether it warrants issuing an out-of-band fix before May’s Patch Tuesday.

The vulnerability, which is being exploited in the wild, allows remote code execution within the browser and could be carried out by luring users to specially crafted Web pages. It then enables attackers to assume the same privileges as the current user.

+ Also on Network World: Secure browsers offer alternatives to Chrome, IE and Firefox | Best browsers for safe surfing +

While Microsoft investigates, it recommends that users deploy its Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) 4.1, whose default setting helps protect IE. EMET can be configured using group policy.

It also recommends blocking Active X Controls and Active Scripting by setting IE security zone settings to “high.” This may cause some Web sites to behave incorrectly. “If you have difficulty using a website after you change this setting, and you are sure the site is safe to use, you can add that site to your list of trusted sites,” Microsoft says. “This will allow the site to work correctly even with the security setting set to High.”

According to Ross Barrett, a security engineer at Rapid7, the known exploit relies on Adobe Flash. “Disabling or removing flash will block the known exploit, but does not address the root cause issue in Internet Explorer,” he says in a blog post.

He notes that this is the first major issue to hit Windows XP since Microsoft stopped supporting the operating system April 8. The Microsoft security advisory doesn’t mention XP as an affected system since the company no longer provides security updates for it.

There are some mitigating factors surrounding the vulnerability, Microsoft says, including that some default-mode configurations that may lessen the threat it poses. Microsoft says:

By default, Internet Explorer on Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2 runs in a restricted mode that is known as Enhanced Security Configuration. This mode mitigates this vulnerability.

By default, all supported versions of Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Outlook Express, and Windows Mail open HTML email messages in the Restricted sites zone. The Restricted sites zone, which disables script and ActiveX controls, helps reduce the risk of an attacker being able to use this vulnerability to execute malicious code. If a user clicks a link in an email message, the user could still be vulnerable to exploitation of this vulnerability through the web-based attack scenario.

An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the current user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

In a web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a website that contains a webpage that is used to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised websites and websites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these websites. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to visit the website, typically by getting them to click a link in an email message or Instant Messenger message that takes users to the attacker’s website.


MCTS Training, MCITP Trainnig

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCP Training at certkingdom.com

Some suggestion for the students who are seeking online IT exams training online 2014

Some suggestion for the students who are seeking online IT exams training online 2014

my basic concern is provide the best  online IT training  information for my readers and students / peoples who are frustrated for searching online IT online training this year, however when they find one and pay handsome amount for the coursers separately for each exam, at the end did not get enough material what they exacted and pay for, result they did not pass the exams and loss the money not only what they pay for training but also for taking the exam. and most of the important they loss the precious time also.

Most of the online MCSE 2012 training provider also offer money back guarantee. and most of the buyers think that if they do not pass they will get the money back. and some time they do. but what about the time 100% depreciated time they have wasted do the money can fill the gap they suffer. and these training are very expensive also.

Here are some suggestion before you buy any online training.

  1. Search for your exam questions on the different websites.
  2. Many training providers have many website selling the training on different prices
  3. Ask for the Demo exams and compare the questions, most of them have the same question in the demo exams.
  4. Most of the time you will get the same question from 1 to 10 max
  5. Ask for the money back offer
  6. Try to find websites which offer bundle packs it save you money
  7. Single purchase of exams training will cost you more
  8. Check the site discounted coupons on the net. search query as ( eg: discount coupons certkingdom.com )
  9. check the site reviews on the net you may find some bad reviews,  however there are unsatisfied peoples for the best website also
  10. last look for the concepts training also and good luck for the exams training.

I suggest that if you are willing to buy the online training for you exams check out certkingdom.com, they provide online IT exams training with over 3000+ exams with unlimited life time access membership. and included testing engine. objections raised among the peoples that training is too costly – from both a money and time perspective.

Recently, it was difficult to understand what training was right for you to attain any online certifications, that can help you get the best paying job 2014 as well as what courses you needed to take to earn them. However, Microsoft recently updated their track and greatly simplified the structure in 2012 with the MCSA 2012 and MCSE 2012 certifications. Take a look at our quick, yet detailed guide for an overview of the current certification paths from the following website banner.


MCTS Training, MCITP Trainnig

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCSE Training at certkingdom.com

 

.

Go time traveling with Google Maps

Google adds new time machine feature to let users see older images of favorite places, buildings

Google is giving users something of a time machine in a new feature on Maps.

The company is adding past images of places noted in Street View for the desktop version of Google Maps. The goal is to give users the ability to see how places have changed over time.

+ Also on NetworkWorld: Here’s How Apple is Spending $1B on Sapphire for its iPhones, iPads & More +

“We’ve gathered historical imagery from past Street View collections dating back to 2007 to create this digital time capsule of the world,” wrote Vinay Shet, Google’s Street View product manager, in a blog post. “Now with Street View, you can see a landmark’s growth from the ground up, like the Freedom Tower in New York City or the 2014 World Cup Stadium in Fortaleza, Brazil.”

With Google’s new time machine-like feature in Maps, users can follow the construction of the Freedom Tower in New York City. (Photo: Google)

Google also says the new feature can serve as a digital timeline of recent history, enabling users to follow the reconstruction underway in Japan after the devastating tsunami and earthquake in 2011.

Users also can use the new feature to see what cities would look like in different seasons. Looking to take a bike tour of the French countryside or the green mountains of Vermont? Now users can get a glimpse of them at different times of the year to help them decide when to go.

The feature is gradually being rolled out to users. Users will know if the feature is available if they see a clock icon in the upper left-hand portion of a Street View image. They can click on it and move the slider through time and select a thumbnail to see that same place in previous years or seasons, Shet said.

Zeus Kerravala, an analyst with ZK Research, said Maps’ new feature is “cute” but doesn’t offer much benefit to most users.

“It’s just a gimmick,” Kerravala said. “They’re only going back six years so that’s not a huge amount of time. Real estate firms, law firms, etc. may have some use, but otherwise I don’t believe it’s all that sticky of an application.”


 

MCTS Training, MCITP Trainnig

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCP Training at certkingdom.com

Red-hot IT jobs

Dice.com released its Tech Trends Q1 report for 2014 and while the numbers are excellent across IT as a whole, they’re especially lucrative for tech consultants.

Most tech jobs gained and lost
Computer systems design pros in the Professional and Business Services sector saw the biggest gain in jobs for Q1, adding 17,200 from Q4 2013.

The news was not as good for those in computer and electronic products manufacturing, which lost 2,900 jobs since Q4. Data processing and hosting jobs also took a hit, losing the second-most: 1,600 since Q4.

Tech unemployment rate by job
Tech Trends broke down unemployment by position, unsurprisingly finding Web developers as the most-employed with a miniscule jobless rate.
0.7%: Web developers:
0.8%: Computer systems analysts
0.8%: Network architects
2.3%: Computer support specialists
2.6%: Programmers
2.7%: Database administrators
2.8%: Software developers
3.0%: Computer and information systems managers
3.2%: Network and systems administrators

Tech unemployment drops to recovery low
Overall tech unemployment dropped to 2.7% in Q1 2014, a recovery low and a full 4% below the quarterly national unemployment rate.

Here’s how the 2.7% rate compares to 2013:
Q1: 3.5%
Q2: 3.6%
Q3: 3.9%
Q4: 3.5%
Q1’s 2.7% is still higher than the all-time low of 1.8% in Q2 2007.

New consultant jobs skyrocket
The first quarter saw 17,200 new jobs, bringing the tech consulting workforce to more than 1.7 million.

“A survey of those responsible for hiring consultants, conducted by Source Information Services, found nearly all plan technology improvements this year, and most will use consultants to help,” notes Dice’s Mark Feffer. “Half will spend more on technology consultants than they did during 2013 and of those, half plan an increase of more than 10%.”

Consultant demand expected to increase
Surveys suggest consultant spending will continue to rise, especially in verticals such as:
Finance: New regulatory requirements and the popularity of online banking will drive demand.
Retail: The desire for more online offerings and “omnichannel” undertakings (seamless experience between brick-and-mortar and online) will spur more consultant hours.
Pharmaceuticals: A whopping 60% of pharma decision-makers say they plan to increase their consultant budget, but due to the sector’s small size, “the actual number of opportunities will be modest.”

Hours worked hit record high
There are thousands of open jobs in IT, which means organizations are turning to consultants to fill gaps or skill-set shortcomings until permanent hires can be made. This translates into consultants working nearly full-time hours: an average of 38.8 per week in February. Notes Dice’s Nick Kolakowski: “And given how that’s an average, it’s certain that many consultants are working far longer in order to keep their clients happy.”

Hourly rate hits all-time high
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly salary for tech consultants reached $42.17 in February 2014, an all-time high. By comparison, the 2006 average hourly rate was $36-$37 and has risen steadily since. Dice attributes the jump “in large part to growth in technology segments such as mobility and the cloud.”

It’s a hat trick for tech consultants, says Dice President Shravan Goli: more jobs, more wages and more hours. Dice.com released its Tech Trends Q1 report for 2014 and while the numbers are excellent across IT as a whole, they’re especially lucrative for tech consultants. The good news just keeps on coming for the for-hire set, which saw a 4% pay increase last year, outdistancing the 3% average seen by the overall tech industry, according to the 2014 Dice Salary Survey.

 


 

MCTS Training, MCITP Trainnig

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCP Training at certkingdom.com

 

Fifteen Top-Paying Certifications for 2014

It’s always a good idea to take stock of your skills, your pay, and your certifications. To that end, John Hales, Global Knowledge VMware instructor, has outlined 15 of the top-paying certifications for 2014. With each certification, you’ll find the average (mean) salary and a brief description.

Based on the 2014 IT Skills and Salary Survey conducted by Global Knowledge and Penton and completed in October 2013, the rankings below are derived from certifications that received the minimum number of responses to be statistically relevant. Certain certifications pay more but are not represented due to their exclusive nature. Examples include Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert (CCIE) and VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX). This was a nationwide survey, and variations exist based on where you work, years of experience, and company type (government, nonprofit, etc.).

Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) – $118,253
The non-profit group ISACA offers CRISC certification, much in the way that CompTIA manages the A+ and Network+ certifications. Formerly, “ISACA” stood for Information Systems Audit and Control Association, but now they’ve gone acronym only.

The CRISC certification is designed for IT professionals, project managers, and others whose job it is to identify and manage risks through appropriate information systems (IS) controls, covering the entire lifecycle, from design to implementation to ongoing maintenance. It measures two primary areas: risk and IS controls. Similar to the IS control lifecycle, the risk area spans the gamut from identification and assessment of the scope and likelihood of a particular risk to monitoring for it and responding to it if/when it occurs.

Since CRISC’s introduction in 2010, more than 17,000 people worldwide have earned this credential. The demand for people with these skills, and the relatively small supply of those who have them, result in this being the highest salary for any certification on our list this year.

To obtain CRISC certification, you must have at least three years of experience in at least three of the five areas that the certification covers, and you must pass the exam, which is only offered twice a year. This is not a case where you can just take a class and get certified. Achieving CRISC certification requires effort and years of planning.

Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) – $114,844
ISACA also created CISM certification. It’s aimed at management more than the IT professional and focuses on security strategy and assessing the systems and policies in place more than it focuses on the person who actually implements those policies using a particular vendor’s platform.

More than 23,000 people have been certified since its introduction in 2002, making it a highly sought after area with a relatively small supply of certified individuals. In addition, the exam is only offered three times a year in one of approximately 240 locations, making taking the exam more of a challenge than many other certification exams. It also requires at least five years of experience in IS, with at least three of those as a security manager. As with CRISC, requirements for CISM certification demand effort and years of planning.

Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) – $112,040
The third highest-paying certification is also from ISACA; this one is for IS auditors. CISA certification is ISACA’s oldest, dating back to 1978, with more than 106,000 people certified since its inception. CISA certification requires at least five years of experience in IS auditing, control, or security in addition to passing an exam that is only offered three times per year.

The CISA certification is usually obtained by those whose job responsibilities include auditing, monitoring, controlling, and/or assessing IT and/or business systems. It is designed to test the candidate’s ability to manage vulnerabilities, ensure compliance with standards, and propose controls, processes, and updates to a company’s policies to ensure compliance with accepted IT and business standards.

Six Sigma Green Belt – $109,165
Six Sigma is a process of analyzing defects (anything outside a customer’s specifications) in a production (manufacturing) process, with a goal of no more than 3.4 defects per million “opportunities” or chances for a defect to occur. The basic idea is to measure defects, analyze why they occurred, and then fix the issue and repeat. There is a process for improving existing processes and a slightly modified version for new processes or major changes. Motorola pioneered the concept in the mid-1980s, and many companies have since followed their examples to improve quality.

This certification is different from the others in this list, as it is not IT specific. Instead, it is primarily focused on manufacturing and producing better quality products.

There is no organization that owns Six Sigma certification per se, so the specific skills and number of levels of mastery vary depending on which organization or certifying company is used. Still, the entry level is typically Green Belt and the progression is to Black Belt and Master Black Belt. Champions are responsible for Six Sigma projects across the entire organization and report to senior management.

Project Management Professional (PMP®) – $108,525
The PMP certification was created and is administered by the Project Management Institute (PMI®), and it is the most recognized project management certification available. There are more than half a million active PMPs in 193 countries worldwide.

The PMP certification exam tests five areas relating to the lifecycle of a project: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing. PMP certification is for running any kind of project, and it is not specialized into sub types, such as manufacturing, construction, or IT.

To become certified, individuals must have 35 hours of PMP-related training along with 7,500 hours of project management experience (if they have less than a bachelor’s degree) or 4,500 hours of project management experience with a bachelor’s or higher. PMP certification is another that requires years of planning and effort.

Certified Scrum Master – $107,396
Another project management-related certification, Certified Scrum Master is focused on software (application) development.

Scrum is a rugby term; it’s a means for restarting a game after a minor rules violation or after the ball is no longer in play (for example, when it goes out of bounds). In software development, Scrum is a project management process that is designed to act in a similar manner for software (application development) projects in which a customer often changes his or her mind during the development process.

In traditional project management, the request to change something impacts the entire project and must be renegotiated – a time-consuming and potentially expensive way to get the changes incorporated. There is also a single project manager.

In Scrum, however, there is not a single project manager. Instead, the team works together to reach the stated goal. The team should be co-located so members may interact frequently, and it should include representatives from all necessary disciplines (developers, product owners, experts in various areas required by the application, etc.).

Where PMP tries to identify everything up front and plan for a way to get the project completed, Scrum takes the approach that the requirements will change during the project lifecycle and that unexpected issues will arise. Rather than holding up the process, Scrum takes the approach that the problem the application is trying to solve will never be completely defined and understood, so team members must do the best they can with the time and budget available and by quickly adapting to change.

So where does the Scrum Master fit in? Also known as a servant-leader, the Scrum Master has two main duties: to protect the team from outside influences that would impede the project (the servant) and to chair the meetings and encourage the team to continually improve (the leader).

Certified Scrum Master certification was created and is managed by the Scrum Alliance and requires the individual to attend a class taught by a certified Scrum trainer and to pass the associated exam.

MCTS Training, MCITP Trainnig

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

Citrix Certified Enterprise Engineer (CCEE) – $104,240
The CCEE certification is a legacy certification from Citrix that proves expertise in XenApp 6, XenDesktop 5, and XenServer 6 via the Citrix Certified Administrator (CCS) exams for each, the Citrix Certified Advanced Administrator (CCAA) for XenApp 6, and an engineering (advanced implementation-type) exam around implementing, securing, managing, monitoring, and troubleshooting a complete virtualization solution using Citrix products.

Those certified in this area are encouraged to upgrade their certification to the App and Desktop track instead, which focuses on just XenDesktop, taking one exam to become a Citrix Certified Professional – Apps and Desktops (CCP-AD). At this point though, the CCEE is available as long as the exams are available for the older versions of the products listed.

Citrix Certified Administrator (CCA) for Citrix NetScaler – $103,904
The CCA for NetScaler certification has been discontinued for NetScaler 9, and those with a current certification are encouraged to upgrade to the new Citrix Certified Professional – Networking (CCP-N). In any case, those with this certification have the ability to implement, manage, and optimize NetScaler networking performance and optimization, including the ability to support app and desktop solutions. As the Citrix certification program is being overhauled, refer to https:://training.citrix.com/cms/index.php/certification/ to view the certifications available, upgrade paths, etc.

Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) – $103,822
The International Council of E-Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) created and manages CEH certification. It is designed to test the candidate’s abilities to prod for holes, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities in a company’s network defenses using techniques and methods that hackers employ. The difference between a hacker and a CEH is that a hacker wants to cause damage, steal information, etc., while the CEH wants to fix the deficiencies found. Given the many attacks, the great volume of personal data at risk, and the legal liabilities possible, the need for CEHs is quite high, hence the salaries offered.

ITIL v3 Foundation – $97,682
IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL®) was created by England’s government in the 1980s to standardize IT management. It is a set of best practices for aligning the services IT provides with the needs of the organization. It is broad based, covering everything from availability and capacity management to change and incident management, in addition to application and IT operations management.

It is known as a library because it is composed of a set of books. Over the last 30 years, it has become the most widely used framework for IT management in the world. ITIL standards are owned by AXELOS, a joint venture company created by the Cabinet Office on behalf of Her Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom and Capita plc, but they have authorized partners who provide education, training, and certification. The governing body defined the certification tiers, but they leave it to the accredited partners to develop the training and certification around that framework.

The Foundation certification is the entry-level one and provides a broad-based understanding of the IT lifecycle and the concepts and terminology surrounding it. Anyone wishing for higher-level certifications must have this level first, thus people may have higher certifications and still list this certification in the survey, which may skew the salary somewhat.

Citrix Certified Administrator (CCA) for Citrix XenServer – $97,578
The CCA for XenServer certification is available for version 6 and is listed as a legacy certification, but Citrix has yet to announce an upgrade path to their new certification structure. Those with a CCA for Citrix XenServer have the ability to install, configure, administer, maintain, and troubleshoot a XenServer deployment, including Provisioning Services. As the Citrix certification program is being overhauled, refer to https:://training.citrix.com/cms/index.php/certification/ to view the certifications available, upgrade paths, etc.

ITIL Expert Certification – $96,194
The ITIL Expert certification builds on ITIL Foundation certification. It is interesting that ITIL Expert pays less on average than ITIL Foundation certification. Again, it’s likely the salary results may be somewhat skewed depending on the certifications actually held and the fact that everyone who is ITIL certified must be at least ITIL Foundation certified.

To become an ITIL Expert, you must pass the ITIL Foundation exam as well as the capstone exam, Managing Across the Lifecycle. Along the way, you will earn intermediate certifications of your choosing in any combination of the lifecycle and capability tracks. You must earn at least 22 credits, of which Foundation accounts for two and the Managing Across the Lifecycle exam counts for five. The other exams count for three each (in the Intermediate Lifecycle track) or four each (in the Intermediate Capability track) and can be earned in any order and combination, though the official guide suggests six recommended options. The guide is available at https:://www.itil-officialsite.com/Qualifications/ITILQualificationScheme.aspx by clicking on the English – ITIL Qualification Scheme Brochure link.

Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA) – $95,602

Cisco’s certification levels are Entry, Associate, Professional, Expert, and Architect. Those who obtain this Associate-level certification are typically network design engineers, technicians, or support technicians. They are expected to design basic campus-type networks and be familiar with routing and switching, security, voice and video, wireless connectivity, and IP (both v4 and v6). They often work as part of a team with those who have higher-level Cisco certifications.

To achieve CCDA certification, you must have earned one of the following: Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT), the lowest-level certification and the foundation for a career in networking); Cisco Certified Network Associate Routing and Switching (CCNA R&S); or any Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE), the highest level of certification at Cisco. You must also pass a single exam.

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) – $95,276
This certification ranked number 14 with an average salary of $95,505 for those who didn’t list an associated Windows version and $94,922 for those who listed MCSE on Windows 2003, for the weighted average of $95,276 listed above.

The Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer is an old certification and is no longer attainable. It has been replaced by the Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (yes, also MCSE). The Engineer certification was valid for Windows NT 3.51 – 2003, and the new Expert certification is for Windows 2012. There is an upgrade path if you are currently an MCSA or MCITP on Windows 2008. There is no direct upgrade path from the old MCSE to the new MCSE.

Citrix Certified Administrator (CCA) for Citrix XenDesktop – $95,094

The CCA for XenDesktop certification is available for versions 4 (in Chinese and Japanese only) and 5 (in many languages including English). Those with a current certification are encouraged to upgrade to the new Citrix Certified Associate – Apps and Desktops (CCA-AD). In any case, those with this certification have the ability to install, administer, and troubleshoot a XenDesktop deployment, including Provisioning Services and the Desktop Delivery Controller as well as XenServer and XenApp. As the Citrix certification program is being overhauled, refer to https:://training.citrix.com/cms/index.php/certification/ to view the certifications available, upgrade paths, etc.

Microsoft suspends Windows 8.1 Update release to businesses

Bug prompts Microsoft to halt update’s delivery through WSUS, the standard enterprise update service

Microsoft on Tuesday suspended serving Windows 8.1 Update to businesses that rely on WSUS (Windows Server Update Services), saying that a bug would prevent devices from recognizing future updates.

WSUS is Microsoft’s standard corporate update service and is used by IT staffs to manage the distribution of bug fixes, security patches and other updates to Windows devices on a company’s network.

“There is a known issue which causes some PCs updated with the Windows 8.1 Update to stop scanning against Windows Server Update Services 3.0 Service Pack 2 (WSUS 3.0 SP2 or WSUS 3.2) servers which are configured to use SSL and have not enabled TLS 1.2,” Microsoft wrote on its WSUS blog.

Microsoft released Windows 8.1 Update on Tuesday. The refresh was a follow-on to last October’s Windows 8.1, which in turn was a major update to 2012’s Windows 8.

The problem affected WSUS 3.2 running on Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2, and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 when HTTPS and SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) were enabled but TLS 1.2 was not.

Until the Redmond, Wash., company comes up with a fix, customers that have already deployed Windows 8.1 Update can apply workarounds — enable TLS 1.2 or disable HTTPS — that will let PCs recognize future WSUS-delivered updates.

It’s unclear how many businesses were affected, and Microsoft did not provide an estimate. But neither HTTPS nor TLS 1.2 are enabled by default on WSUS.

Even so, Microsoft halted Windows 8.1 Update’s rollout via WSUS.

“Microsoft plans to issue an update as soon as possible that will correct the issue and restore the proper behavior for Windows 8.1 Update scanning against all supported WSUS configurations,” Microsoft said. “Until that time, we are temporarily suspending the distribution of the Windows 8.1 Update to WSUS servers.”

Microsoft has stumbled over updates numerous times in the past 12 months. Last September, Microsoft shipped several flawed updates, including one that emptied Outlook 2013’s folder pane and others that repeatedly demanded customers install them even after they had been deployed. In the months before that, Microsoft yanked an Exchange security update, admitting it had not properly tested the patches, and urged Windows 7 users to uninstall an update that crippled PCs with the infamous “Blue Screen of Death.”

Microsoft did not hint at a timetable for fixing the bug, but discouraged customers who rely on WSUS from manually deploying Windows 8.1 Update, which is also available from Windows Update, MSDN (Microsoft Developers Network) and the Microsoft download center.

“We recommend that you suspend deployment of this update in your organization until we release the update that resolves this issue,” Microsoft said.


MCTS Training, MCITP Trainnig

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

 

 

Windows Phone Builds some momentum

It has the apps and now corporate support is starting to tick up. What more does Windows Phone need to compete with Android?

Even in the days leading up to the Build conference, it was clear Windows Phone was getting some wind behind its back. Windows Phone has surpassed 400,000 apps and the Windows Store now gets 14 million downloads a day. IBM has sort-of endorsed WP as its mobile OS of choice, although not officially.

RELATED: Why IBM thinks Windows Phone is best for the enterprise

Now there are more endorsements coming in the form of company-issued phones. Nokia just announced it has struck a deal with Spanish financial services group CaixaBank for 30,000 Lumia 925 smartphones to be issued to staff, with options to upgrade to future Lumia models.

CaixaBank employees will also be able to acquire Lumia phones for their personal use and for their family and friends as part of this deal. This comes on the heels of a deal with Delta Airlines to provide their 19,000 flight attendants with Lumia 1520 phones.

The latest news is what I’ve been waiting for. Samsung seems finally ready to make an effort. It was supposed to jump into the WP market with the ATIV S, a Galaxy S III handset, but now The Verge reports Samsung will reportedly release the ATIV SE, a Galaxy S IV running Windows Phone 8.

Now, I know that I slagged the Galaxy S IV in the past, but that I felt was more due to Android and all of the extra stuff Samsung loaded on it. The hardware, at least on paper, should be high-performance. We’ll see if that’s the case with the ATIV SE, assuming Samsung doesn’t kill it right before shipping it like it did before.

The only area of contention, at least according to The Verge, is whether it will ship with Windows Phone 8 or 8.1, which Microsoft just announced at Build. Either way doesn’t matter much, since Microsoft plans to start rolling out 8.1 in the next few weeks.

So what more does WP need? It’s still hovering at the 3-4% mark for overall market share, even with BlackBerry out of the way.

Well, Microsoft is making headway on apps, with 400,000 (vs. one million for iOS and Android), and at Build, it announced an update to Visual Studio that will make it possible for a single code base to be easily ported between Windows 8.1, PC and tablet edition, and Windows Phone. Microsoft claims developers will be able to reuse 90% of code between the two disparate platforms.

That helps, but the big news is the new price for Windows Phone: zero. Just a few weeks ago Microsoft hinted this was coming by making Windows Phone royalty-free for some Indian handset makers. Now it has announced that anything with a screen under nine inches will get Windows for free as well, both Windows and Windows Phone, depending on the device.

That’s a smart move, because IDC’s tablet research shows the greatest interest is in devices smaller than 8 inches. The company projects tablets 8 inches and under to grow from 27% of the market in 2011 to 57% by 2017, compared with 8- to 11-inch tablets dropping from 73% of the market in 2011 to 37% in 2017. Tablets larger than 11 inches would only reach 6% market share by 2017, because who wants to carry something that big?

So Microsoft made a great strategic move. It targeted the growth market with the free OS. You could argue that it should have made the desktop OS free because it needs more help, what with PC sales in decline. But that’s a mature market and, while in decline, it will always be there and doesn’t need seeding. PCs aren’t going away. But tablets are a growth market and Microsoft is now in a position to grab some share.


 

MCTS Training, MCITP Trainnig

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

70-643: Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure, Configuring


QUESTION 1
You work as the network administrator at ABC.com. The ABC.com network has a domain named
ABC.com. All servers on the ABC.com network run Windows Server 2008 and all client computers
run Windows Vista.
ABC.com recently entered into partnership with Weyland Industries.
You create user accounts in the ABC.com domain for some employees of Weyland Industries.
You place the user accounts into a global security group named WeySecure.
You want to provide members of the WeySecure group access to parts of the ABC.com network
via a Terminal Services Gateway server named ABC-TS01.
What do you need to do to ensure that the WeySecure group is able to access ABC-TS01?

A. You need to configure a Remote Access Policy.
B. You need to create and configure a Connection Authorization Policy.
C. You need to configure Device redirection.
D. You need to configure a Network Access Protection Policy.

Answer: B

Explanation: To provide a security group access to ABC-TS02, you need to create and configure
a Connection Authorization Policy.
A connection authorization policy (CAP) allows you to control who can connect to the Terminal
Server through the Terminal Services Gateway. You can configure what groups can access the
Terminal Server through the TS Gateway.
Reference: Configuring the Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services Gateway (Part 2) / Create a
Terminal Services Gateway CAP
http://www.windowsecurity.com/articles/Configuring-Windows-Server-2008-Terminal-Services-
Gateway-Part2.html


QUESTION 2
You work as a network administrator for ABC.com. The ABC.com network consists of a domain
named ABC.com. All servers on the ABC.com network either run Windows Server 2008 or
Windows Server 2003.
The ABC.com network contains a Windows Server 2003 server named ABC-SR05 and a Windows
Server 2008 server named ABC-SR06. ABC-SR05 has Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and Microsoft
Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) 2.0 installed.
You receive instruction to uABCrade Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) 2.0 to Windows
SharePoint Services (WSS) 3.0 and have it run on ABC-SR06. You need to have Windows
SharePoint Services (WSS) 3.0 retain the content and settings from Windows SharePoint Services
(WSS) 2.0.
Which of the following steps would be the best way to accomplish this task? (Choose multiple
answers).

A. You should back up the SharePoint configuration as well as the content from ABC-SR05.
B. You should back up the SQL Server 2005 configuration as well as the Microsoft Windows
SharePoint Services (WSS) databases from ABC-SR05.
C. You should uABCrade ABC-SR05 to Windows Server 2008.
D. You should install Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) 3.0 on ABC-SR06.
E. You should install Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) 2.0 on ABC-SR06.
F. You should restore the backup from ABC-SR05 to ABC-SR06.
G. You should uABCrade Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) 2.0 to Windows SharePoint
Services (WSS) 3.0 on ABC-SR06.

Answer: A,E,F,G

Explanation: In order to migrate to SharePoint Services (WSS) 3.0 from ABC-SR05 to ABC-SR06
with all the configuration and content, you need to install WSS 2.0 on ABC-SR06. You need to
back up the WSS 2.0 configuration and content from ABC-SR05. Then the backup can be restored
from ABC-SR05 to ABC-SR06. Lastly an in-place uABCrade of WSS 2.0 to WSS 3.0 can be
executed on ABC-SR06.
When you run an in-place uABCrade, all content and configuration data is uABCraded in-place, at
one time. When you start the in-place uABCrade process, the Web server and Web sites remain
offline until the uABCrade has been installed. In-place uABCrades are best for a stand-alone
server and small installations as in this case
Reference: Install and configure Office SharePoint Server for an in-place uABCrade
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc263212(TechNet.10).aspx
Determine uABCrade approach (Office SharePoint Server)
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc263447(TechNet.10).aspx


QUESTION 3
You work as the network administrator at ABC.com. The ABC.com network consists of a domain
named ABC.com. ABC.com has headquarters in London and branch office in Paris. All servers on
the ABC.com network run Windows Server 2008 and all client computers run Windows Vista.
The ABC.com network contains a member server named ABC-SR01. ABC-SR01 is configured as
the Key Management Service (KMS) server.
You are planning to roll out 20 new Windows Server 2008 computers on the network.
After installing Windows Server 2008 on three of the computers you discover that the servers are
unable to activate using ABC-SR01.
How can you ensure that the new computers are able to activate using ABC-SR01?

A. You should ensure that the new servers have a connection to the internet.
B. You should install the Key Management Service (KMS) on a dedicated Windows Server 2008
computer.
C. You should phone Microsoft Licensing House to Activate the servers by telephone.
D. You should install Windows Server 2008 on at least 7 of the remaining computers.

Answer: D

Explanation: To activate the new server through KMS server, you should complete the installation
of at least 10 servers. The Key Management Service is a Windows service. KMS is a trusted
mechanism that, once the KMS host is activated, allows volume client computers within the
enterprise to activate themselves without any interactions with Microsoft. KMS activation of
Windows Server 2008 follows a hierarchical structure. Each successive product group can activate
all the groups below it, and the KMS can be hosted on any edition that it can activate.


QUESTION 4
You are the network administrator at ABC.com. The ABC.com network consists of a domain
named ABC.com. All servers on the ABC.com network run Windows Server 2008 and all client
computers run Windows XP Professional. ABC.com currently makes use of two computers named
ABC-TS01 and ABC-TS02 which runs the Terminal Server Session Broker role.
ABC.com recently entered into partnership with Weyland Industries who make use of two
computers named WEYLAND-TS01 and WEYLAND-TS02. During the course of the day you
receive instruction from ABC.com and Weyland Industries to configure their Terminal servers for
load balancing whilst ensuring ABC-TS02 is configured as the preferred server.
What program would you use to configure the load balancing?

A. You should use the Terminal Services Resource Authorization policy (RAP).
B. You should use the Terminal Services Configuration utility.
C. You should use the Terminal Services Connection Authorization policy (CAP).
D. You should use the Group Policy Manager utility.

Answer: B

Explanation: In order to configure load balancing for the four terminal servers you need to make
use of the Terminal Services Configuration utility. This will also make ABC-TS02 the preferred
server for TS sessions. Using NLB with Terminal Services provide increased availability,
scalability, and load-balancing performance, as well as the ability to distribute a large number of
Terminal Services clients over a group of terminal servers.


MCTS Training, MCITP Trainnig

Best Microsoft MCTS Server 2008 Certification, MCTS 70-643 Training at certkingdom.com

Microsoft scraps ‘Windows-first’ practice, puts Office on iPad before Surface

New CEO Satya Nadella comes out swinging on ‘cloud first, mobile first’ strategy

As expected, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella today hosted a press conference where the company unveiled Office for iPad, breaking with its past practice of protecting Windows by first launching software on its own operating system.

CEO Satya Nadella expounded on Microsoft’s ‘cloud first, mobile first’ strategy today as his company unveiled Office for iPad as proof of its new platform-agnosticism.

Three all-touch core apps — Word, Excel and PowerPoint — have been seeded to Apple’s App Store and are available now.

The sales model for the new apps is different than past Microsoft efforts. The Office apps can be used by anyone free of charge to view documents and present slideshows. But to create new content or documents, or edit existing ones, customers must have an active subscription to Office 365.

+ ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD Trial Microsoft software and services — for free +

Microsoft labeled it a “freemium” business model, the term used for free apps that generate revenue by in-app purchases.

Today’s announcement put an end to years of speculation about whether, and if so when, the company would trash its strategy of linking the suite with Windows in an effort to bolster the latter’s chances on tablets. It also reversed the path that ex-CEO Steve Ballmer laid out last October, when for the first time he acknowledged an edition for the iPad but said it would appear only after a true touch-enabled version had launched for Windows tablets.

It also marked the first time in memory that Microsoft dealt a major product to an OS rival of its own Windows.

“Microsoft is giving users what they want,” Carolina Milanesi, strategic insight director of Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, said in an interview, referring to long-made customer demands that they be able to run Office on any of the devices they owned, even those running a Windows rival OS. “The connection to Office 365 was also interesting in that this puts users within Microsoft’s ecosystem at some point.”

Prior to today, Microsoft had released minimalist editions of Office, dubbed “Office Mobile,” for the iPhone and Android smartphones in June and July 2013, respectively. Originally, the iPhone and Android Office Mobile apps required an Office 365 subscription; as of today, they were turned into free apps for home use, although an Office 365 plan is still needed for commercial use.

Talk of Office on the iPad first heated up in December 2011, when the now-defunct The Daily reported Microsoft was working on the suite, and added that the software would be priced at $10 per app. Two months later, the same publication claimed it had seen a prototype and that Office was only weeks from release.

That talk continued, on and off, for more than two years, but Microsoft stuck to its Windows-first strategy. Analysts who dissected Microsoft’s moves believed that the company refused to support the iPad in the hope that Office would jumpstart sales of Windows-powered tablets.

Office’s tie with Windows had been fiercely debated inside Microsoft, but until today, operating system-first advocates had won out. But slowing sales of Windows PCs — last year, the personal computer industry contracted by about 10% — and the continued struggles gaining meaningful ground in tablets pointed out the folly of that strategy, outsiders argued.

Some went so far as to call Windows-first a flop.

Microsoft has long hewed to that strategy: The desktop version of Office has always debuted on Windows, for example, with a refresh for Apple’s OS X arriving months or even more than a year later.

Microsoft today added free Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps for the iPad to the existing OneNote.

On his first day on the job, however, Nadella hinted at change when he said Microsoft’s mission was to be “cloud first, mobile first,” a signal, said analysts, that he understood the importance of pushing the company’s software and services onto as many platforms as possible.

Nadella elaborated on that today, saying that the “cloud first, mobile first” strategy will “drive everything we talk about today, and going forward. We will empower people to be productive and do more on all their devices. We will provide the applications and services that empower every user — that’s Job One.”

Like Office Mobile on iOS and Android, Office for iPad was tied to Microsoft’s software-by-subscription Office 365.

Although the new Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps can be used free of charge to view documents and spreadsheets, and present PowerPoint slideshows, they allow document creation and editing only if the user has an active Office 365 subscription. Those subscriptions range from the consumer-grade $70-per-year Office 365 Personal to a blizzard of business plans starting at $150 per user per year and climbing to $264 per user per year.

Moorhead applauded the licensing model. “It’s very simple. Unlike pages of requirements that I’m used to seeing from Microsoft to use their products, if you have Office 365, you can use Office for iPad. That’s it,” Moorhead said.

He also thought that the freemium approach to Office for iPad is the right move. “They’ve just pretty much guaranteed that if you’re presenting on an iPad you will be using their apps,” said Moorhead of PowerPoint.

Moorhead cited the fidelity claims made by Julie White, a general manager for the Office technical marketing team, who spent about half the event’s time demonstrating Office for iPad and other software, as another huge advantage for Microsoft. “They’re saying 100% document compatibility [with Office on other platforms], so you won’t have to convert a presentation to a PDF,” Moorhead added.

Document fidelity issues have plagued Office competitors for decades, and even the best of today’s alternatives cannot always display the exact formatting of an Office-generated document, spreadsheet or presentation.

Both Milanesi and Moorhead were also impressed by the strategy that Nadella outlined, which went beyond the immediate launch of Office for iPad.

“I think [Satya Nadella] did a great job today,” said Milanesi. “For the first time I actually see a strategy [emphasis in original].

“Clearly there’s more to come,” Milanesi said. “It was almost as if Office on iPad was not really that important, but they just wanted to get [its release] out of way so they could show that there’s more they bring to the plate.”

That “more” Milanesi referred to included talk by Nadella and White of new enterprise-grade, multiple-device management software, the Microsoft Enterprise Mobility Suite (EMS).

“With the management suite and Office 365 and single sign-on for developers, Microsoft is really doing something that others cannot do,” Milanesi said. “They made it clear that Microsoft wants to be [enterprises’] key partner going forward.”

Moorhead strongly agreed. “The extension of the devices and services strategy to pull together these disparate technologies, including mobile, managing those devices, authenticating users for services, is something Microsoft can win with. It’s a good strategy,” Moorhead said.

“This was the proof point of delivering on the devices and services strategy,” Moorhead concluded. “And that strategy is definitely paying off.”

Office for iPad can be downloaded from Apple’s App Store. The three apps range in size from 215MB (for PowerPoint) to 259MB (for Word), and require iOS 7 or later.

MCTS Training, MCITP Trainnig

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com