Windows Server 2003 End of Life: Time to Move Up!

The Windows Server 2003 end-of-life countdown has begun. Are you or your company still using Windows Server 2003? If so, I am here to give you a serious warning: Microsoft is ending support for Windows Server 2003 on July 31, 2015.

What does ending support really mean? Will the program cease to work? Will it go “poof” like a thief in the night? No. Windows Server 2003 will still boot up and operate like it always has. But, ending support means no more updates, no more fixes, and, most importantly, no more vulnerability patches to help stave off potential security attacks such as viruses and worms. That is the most important reason for moving up and out of Windows Server 2003, and soon. We at LearnKey have several 2012 R2 courses to help you with this transition. And, just as an added bonus, each course is mapped to a Microsoft exam. If you are a server administrator, you may as well update your certifications along with updating software. Or, maybe now is the time to get certified and take the next step forward in your career.

Our current Windows Server 2012 R2 course lineup consists of (with exams in parentheses for each):

Windows Server 2012 Installation and Configuration (70-410)

Windows Server 2012 Administrator (70-411)

Windows Server 2012 Configuring Advanced Services (70-412)

Windows Server 2012 Server Infrastructure Design and Implementation (70-413)

Windows Server 2012 Advanced Server Infrastructure Implementation (70-414)

Windows Server 2012 MCSA Skills Updates (70-417)

The first three courses (70-410, 411, and 412) map to the Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate certification (MCSA) for Windows Server R2. With courses the next two courses (70-413, 414) mapping to the Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) certification for Windows Server 2012 R2. The last course (70-417) helps you update a current MCSA certification.

If you are still using Windows Server 2003, avoid getting caught with no support and no safety net. To help you plan and implement your upgrade to Windows Server 2012, we would like to offer you a 30% discount on the online purchase of your Windows Server 2012 courses. Use coupon code: LK30BS at checkout.

*Only Single User License courseware qualify for discount.

Windows Server 2012: Designing and Implementing a Server Infrastructure 70-413

A few months back LearnKey released their 70-413 exam preparation course. Officially named Windows Server 2012 Server Infrastructure Design and Implementation, this video tutorial and training will prepare students for exam 70-413.

Authored by LearnKey expert Jason Manibog, students will be learn the skills required to implement, and maintain a Windows server and become competent in designing, deploying, and maintaining Windows Server 2012 infrastructure services. This new course is just one in a series of LearnKey’s Windows Server 2012 courseware.

Our hope is that through our courseware we may provide learners with the guidance, preparation, and skills they need to succeed. For more information and to learn about additional LearnKey products visit our website.

Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP) – Coming This Fall

I am excited to share with you today some information about our CASP exam preparation course. This course covers the objectives for the CAS-002 exam and will prepare you to successfully earn this CompTIA Certification.

This CASP certification course is perfect for those who are Security+ certified and are looking for the next step up in the world of a certified security expert. According to LearnKey expert Tom Carpenter, who is the expert for this course as well as our Security+ (SY0-401) course, this CASP training and assessment course is for those who are well-experienced in IT and in hands-on, practical security experience. Specifically, this certification targets those who have 10 or more years of IT experience and 5 or more years of hands-on, practical security experience.

So what makes this CASP certification so prestigious? For starters, CASP is approved by the U.S. Department of Defense to meet Information Assurance (IA) technical and management certification requirements. Furthermore, many top corporations, including Dell and HP, make this a staple for their advanced security personnel.

With the heightened awareness regarding overall information security and cyber-security, the demand for a cyber-security professional is high. In fact, according to careerinfonet.org, the job of Information Security Analyst is the second-fastest growing occupation for those with a college degree.

Exam CAS-002 itself covers five major domains: Enterprise Security; Risk Management and Incident Responses; Research and Analysis; Integration of Computing, Communications and Business Disciplines; and Technical Integration of Enterprise Components. For this 80-question exam, you will want thorough knowledge and experience in all five areas.

In the course, Carpenter points out that though the test objectives do not specifically mention knowing how to administer operating systems both from a Graphical User Interface (GUI) and via a command line, you will want to make sure you have that knowledge for this test.

So, if security is your interest and you have a combination of experience and certifications, this course is the next step in your security career. For more information on other LearnKey courseware check out our product listing on our website.

Welcome to the LearnKey Team: Beth Ciaramello

Please join me in welcoming Beth Ciaramello to LearnKey, supporting our Veteran Services team as our Job Ready Manager. Beth will be leading a new initiative finding employment for the students who complete our Blue Ocean program. Beth is a former military veteran who joins the team with five years of experience as a Career Adviser and possesses the tools and skills necessary to successfully place students in careers related to their field of study.

We are thrilled to have her join our team and take a minute to learn more about Beth and her new role.

What is your professional background prior to being employed at LearnKey? I was with Everest College for six years. I started as the receptionist and quickly moved to Career Services. I was a Career Counselor for five years and successfully assisted over 500 graduates in meeting their professional goals.
What is your military background? I was in the U.S. Army and served as a Military Police for one year. I was injured and received an honorable medical discharge. I am honored and lucky to be able to serve veterans and students in my new role with LearnKey.
As the new LearnKey Veteran Services Job Ready Manager, how will your previous professional and military experience help you prepare veterans to find a job? As a Career Advisor for the last four years, I have a considerable amount of experience assisting graduates in finding careers in various fields. As a veteran, I also was the unofficial veteran liaison in the department, specifically writing resumes and preparing veterans for interviews.
As a veteran, in 50 words or fewer, describe how your skills and experiences will be a benefit to the LKVS team. The United States Military trains individuals to be disciplined, motivated, and have strong teamwork and camaraderie. I am diligent and motivated to ensure all our graduates receive the assistance they need to meet their goals. I also bring with me my loyalty and initiative to assist my coworkers with any challenge they may face.
What are the top three tips you would give to students who are just starting the job search?
1. Be Prepared – Graduates/students starting a job search should have all the tools to search for positions. For example, resumes geared toward the position, interview questions and practice, and research, research, research—know the companies they are applying to.
2. Stay Organized – Document the positions that they applied to and the results. This makes it easier to follow up with each company and know what to research when the interview is scheduled.
3. Stay Positive – The job-searching process can be overwhelming. It is essential to stay positive and focused on the goal no matter how long it may take to find the ideal career. If a student or graduate loses sight of their goals they can reach out to LearnKey or friends and family to help motivate them and stay on track. In addition, networking can be the best way to finiding the perfect professional position.
What five words would you use to describe yourself? Passionate, empathetic, energetic, adventurous, and strong.
What do you do in your free time? I love to travel, be outdoors, go hiking, camping, and swimming. I would rather listen to hours of music than turn on the TV. I enjoy spending quality time with my friends, family, and my dogs. I am addicted to new experiences and I see every day as an adventure and enjoy finding something new to learn.

With the overwhelming success of our Blue Ocean program, we are really excited to offer this new service to those who have completed the Blue Ocean program.

IC3 GS5 Key Applications – Coming Soon

LearnKey will soon be releasing their new IC3 GS5 Key Applications training and assessment later this summer, in advance of the anticipated release of the new Certiport IC3 GS5 certification exam later this year.

So, what can you expect in the new IC3 GS5 Key Fundamentals video-based training course?

The IC3 GS5 series has been split into three courses that will match the three exams that make up the IC3 GS5 certification. This will allow you to focus and prepare one exam at-a-time.
Throughout the course there are opportunities for learners to practice and reinforce the material in the course through quizzes and simulations that don’t require you to leave the training.
A project workbook to help you cement the concepts you’ll need to know and practice the skills you’ll need to demonstrate when taking the exam.

As the face of LearnKey’s IC3 series I would like to share a few tips I employed while I prepared for the IC3 exam:

Be Honest -Be honest with yourself in what you do and do not know. Remember, it’s okay to not know something – that’s why you are studying for the exam!
Take Notes – Write down the topics or ideas you encounter in the training that may be unfamiliar and then use your notes to find the information in the project workbook, glossary, and test to help you gain an understanding. Also, take the time to re-watch the sections of the training that cover the material in your notes.
Take Your Time – Rushing to prepare for an exam yields mixed results at best remember your’re not only practicing skills for use on an exam, you’re practicing skills you can use for life.
Set a Reasonable Deadline – I just told you to take your time, but there are those among us (and yes, I am sometimes one) who may just continue to take time. So, set a goal or a deadline when you plan to take the exam. This will also help you to better plan your study and training time.
Have Fun – Above all, have fun with it.

This course has a team of IC3 certified writers and designers. We have redesigned and retooled everything to improve the learning experience and make the IC3 series the best LearnKey courseware yet!

Network+ 2015 Training N10-006, Test Prep and Assessments are here!

LearnKey will be releasing their newest CompTIA Network+ N10-006 training and assessment course later this month. This 10-hour video-based training course will cover the Network+ 2015 exam CompTIA recently released.

This course is geared for all styles of learning and we have made many new enhancements to make this course better than ever. Read below to learn about some of the top features of this course:

Several pre-assessment tests and post-assessment tests to help you sharpen your skills in your test prep time for this course. There are over 600 practice questions in this course to help you get ready for the exam.
A project workbook with over 100 practice exercises consisting of hands-on labs, conceptual design exercises, and troubleshooting exercises to sharpen your test and real-life skills.
Interactive labs you can use to try simulated networking concepts and practice for possible performance-based questions on the test.
The project workbook is a major and important feature with this Network+ course and a model for future courses. There is a vast increase in the number of real-world exercises, situations, and examples. The workbook will be released simultaneously with the video and test prep portion of this course.

Our goal with this enhancement is simple: To give you many avenues of learning for the Network+ exam.

So, as your humble course author, here are my four tips for success in this course:

Pace yourself. Mix up your time with videos, taking practice questions, and doing the exercises and interactive labs. Learning is always more enjoyable when you are not in one medium for too long.
The objectives have changed about 30 percent when you compare this to the previous iteration of Network+, the Network+ 2012 course. If you have studied in the past for Network+, make sure you spend ample time on the newer topics, especially the newest wireless standards and the types of specialized networks covered (industrial and voice, just to name two).
Practice the concepts covered in this course. Far too often, people view a course, read a few cheat sheet notes, take one or two test prep exams and then think they are ready for the test. Take the time to get some practice time in. It will really sharpen your learning.
In the project workbook, make sure you study and know the topics in the “Points to remember for test (and beyond)” sections.

Have fun in your journey to become a member of the Network+ certified club!

United Federation Teachers union formally announces NICE initiative and LearnKey was there!

Two weeks ago Kim Johnson and I had the pleasure of attending the formal announcement of the UFT’s newest CTE initiative, “National Industry Certification for Educators,” (NICE) in New York City at the UFT Headquarters. It was great to attend the actual press conference where UFT President Michael Mulgrew along with Partnership for New York City President and CEO Kathryn Wylde, Mayor Bill de Blasio and AFT President Randi Weingarten.

We also attended a round table discussion to discuss how the model involves working closely with industry partners to provide educators with access to courses designed by industry partners so that they can earn industry credentials that meet established standards.

Four “boot camps” will launch this summer to certify 100 teachers in graphic arts, automotive technology, educational technology, and information technology. Those teachers will then share what they learned with their colleagues in an effort to create a cadre of industry-trained instructors.

LearnKey has been selected to work with the UFT teacher center in producing curricula and provide online resources that teachers can access and utilize through the program so they can be successful in the program. Sterling Roberson, Vice President of CTE for the UFT has been working on this program well over a year and it’s great to see him be acknowledged for his efforts. He also made an announcement regarding the NICE initiative back in February during the CTE annual awards presentations.

I want to recognize and congratulate Kim Johnson, our very own Director of Client Services, for her hard work in spear heading and producing the NICE initiatives first teaching project (Excel workbook) in collaboration with NICE advisory board members.

We will continue to share our involvement in the program and keep you posted on our progress!

Regards,

Jeff Coruccini

CEO/LearnKey

Welcome to the LearnKey Team: Jason Manibog

Today we are thrilled to announce that Jason Manibog will join LearnKey as our resident expert IT Instructor. Jason is a seasoned Microsoft Certified Trainer with over a decade of award-winning classroom experience and another seven years of experience building, authoring, and delivering on-camera and live demos in a large variety of e-learning courses. Adding Jason, who has the perfect blend of experience and training skills, enables LearnKey to continue to deliver the best possible learning experience through our IT & Career Ready Certification courseware.

Some of you may recognize Jason. While it is possible you might have seen him sinking some putts at a local golf course, you probably have seen him in some of our previous IT courses, such as SharePoint 2013, Windows Server 2012 Server Infrastructure Design and Implementation, and Windows Server 2012 Advanced Server Infrastructure Implemention.

He is a great guy and I recently had a chance to interview him, as this was a pretty exciting hire for LearnKey! He has worked with several of our production and writing staff members previously, therefore, we know he’s all about our core values: ease, value, and trust. He’s always been professional and easy to work with, has great value in the accuracy of his work, and our team members went out of their way to tell me how much they trust his delivery of our content on camera. Day one and he already has raving fans in the company!

Please take a minute to learn more about Jason through a fun Q&A:

What is your educational background? I majored in Communications and minored in Speech at Cal State University Dominguez Hills. Growing up, I was always told I talked too much, so I figured that is what I should do. More recently, I have been a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) for six years now. I have multiple Microsoft, CompTIA, Adobe, and other industry-recognized certifications.
What is your professional background prior to being employed at LearnKey? For most of the past 15 years, I have been a computer trainer in the classroom and have done the occasional business consulting (and even built courses for LearnKey!). I have also authored several computer training books specifically for the computer training center market.
Describe effective learning techniques or ideas you hope to bring to LearnKey courseware. I always try to use a good mixture of the three main methods of learning: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic (using humor works, too). Plus, I try to make the material relate to real-life situations as much as possible. My goal is to help people reach both their certification and career goals.
What five words would you use to describe yourself? Energetic, driven, humorous, kind, and caring.
What are three tips every student learning online could benefit from?
1. If you feel like studying, study. If you don’t, don’t. The worst time to try to take a course is when you don’t feel like doing it.
2. Take breaks from watching and practice. The courses we build will have plenty of chances for practice.
3. Try to relate any learning to a real-life situation. For example, if you are trying to learn Excel, build some Excel files for items such as a home budget or expenses. In other words, don’t just take the course, DO the course.
In 50 words or fewer, describe what skills and knowledge you will bring to the LearnKey team. I have always tried to be as versatile of an instructor as possible, both in being able to write and deliver courses and explain things in many different ways. My goal is to bring that forward with the outstanding team I am privileged to join.
If you could be a super hero, what would you want your superpowers to be?
1. Cure multiple sclerosis.
2. Reverse this trend of more and more empty hair follicles on my head.
3. Get better at golf.
What do you do in your free time? Spend time with my beautiful wife Joan and our two adorable cats, Ivey and Luske. And, continue the never-ending quest of trying to be halfway decent at golf. I also watch a ton of baseball and hockey.

We are glad to have you on our team, Jason, and are looking forward to your positive impact on our courses!

It’s coming – New IC3 GS5 video training and assessments

At LearnKey we are super excited about producing the new IC3 GS5 training and assessments through our video-based training courseware that covers 100% of the objectives to help you learn and pass the Certiport IC3 certification exam.

Our expert knows IC3, which is why we are proud to introduce Wyett Ihler as our IC3 GS5 expert for this course, and the entire team members supporting him in the production of this course are all IC3 certified! Wyett is a certified LearnKey expert who has assisted in the publishing process on hundreds of LearnKey courses. His kind spirit & knowledge coupled with the way he communicates are great qualities that will come across throughout the course.

Another positive about this production is our IC3 GS5 New and Improved Course is based on feedback from students and teachers so we can achieve our mission, which is to drive the ultimate learning experience! Benefits of IC3 GS5 are:

100% IC3 objective-based
Simplified and streamlined presentation
Written, created, and presented by IC3 Certification holders
Course will be offered as three separate courses matching the IC3 exam. (Key Applications, Computer Fundamentals, and Living Online)
Includes inline quizzes and activities to keep your knowledge in check
Comprehensive student workbook providing real world application projects

At LearnKey, a Better Learning Systems company, we will continue to work with industry experts and partners to ensure our courseware has the perfect mix of training, pre and post assessments, and exam simulations to meet not only our education (K-12 & Higher Ed) clients but also industry teachers and military students so they can obtain their dream job and career!

Coming soon will be some back stories on what the author, writers, designers, and production team are doing to make this real fun too!

New Course Release: Windows Server 2012 Advanced Server Infrastructure Implementation

Check out our new Windows Server 2012 Advanced Server Infrastructure Implementation course.

In LearnKey’s Windows Server 2012 Advanced Server Infrastructure Implementation course, students will learn the skills required to design, implement, and maintain a Windows Server. Join LearnKey expert Jason Manibog as he prepares students to become competent in designing, deploying, and maintaining a Windows Server 2012 infrastructure service. This course will prepare students to take exam 70-414.