Overview of Major IT Certifications

In today’s competitive IT job market, an IT certification is often a prerequisite to get a high-paying job or a salary increase. Professional certifications are the best way to demonstrate your skills and expertise in any given technical field to present to prospective employers. Through education and certification, professionals gain the skills, knowledge, and validation needed to be recognized as an expert in diverse products or technologies. MCSE Certification, CCNA Certification, A+ Certification, and SAP Certification are a few of the many certifications or credentials an IT professional may achieve.

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Microsoft Certifications

Microsoft certification programs are considered to be the major advancement to gain both professional and education background. The Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification prove an individual's expertise in designing and implementing the required infrastructure for any type of business solutions based on the Microsoft Windows 2000 platform and Microsoft Windows Server System. Other Microsoft certifications include MCAD (Microsoft Certified Application Developer) certification, MCSA (Microsoft Certified Systems Analyst) and MCT (Microsoft Certified Trainer).

Cisco Certifications

The CCNA certification (Cisco Certified Network Associate) indicates a foundation in apprentice knowledge of networking with certified professionals able to install, configure, and operate WAN, LAN, and dial access services for small networks with 100 nodes or fewer. Operation and configuration services also includes but are not limited to use one but several of the following protocols: Serial, Frame Relay, IP RIP, IP, IGRP, VLANs, RIP, and Ethernet, Access Lists. CCNE, CCIE and CCNP are other Cisco certifications.

SAP Certification

SAP Certification is sponsored by SAP corporation - a leading business software (ERP, CRM and Supply Chain software) vendor. It is one of the few credentials in the world of business with additional value only issued to those professionals who demonstrated their abilities by passing demanding, process-oriented exams through rigorous study or direct experience.

A+ Certification

A+ certification is different from the others because it is not promoted by one company only, but by a whole group of PC manufacturers and other companies in the hardware market and its acceptance as an industry-wide credential offers additional benefits. A+ Certification prove the competency of entry-level service technicians in the computer industry and it is an internationally recognized testing program sponsored by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA).

Oracle Fusion Middle Ware core principles

What is Oracle Fusion Middleware?

Middleware has its roots in common integration tasks such as connecting software applications and exchanging data. Middleware makes a difference in the back office and on the front lines, where people and information meet.

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Over the years that followed, various technologies have emerged with the aim of making the development of distributed applications easier. Companies needed to integrate their existing applications and make them available to their entire organization. Many applications were hardware dependent, were difficult to monitor and maintain, and required large and powerful hardware. This is where middleware technologies began.
Middleware has come a long way, very quickly. Now, with standards-based integration and easy to use tools, a company’s internal IT resources are able to more easily integrate enterprise applications, maintain these integrations, and evolve these integrations to meet changing business needs.
Development tools provide graphical programming interfaces that make it so that IT programmers with no prior J2EE development experience can get up to speed very quickly. Integrations efforts are now greatly reduced with less coding involved.

Oracle Fusion Middleware is a comprehensive family of products ranging from application development tools and integration solutions to identity management, collaboration, and business intelligence reporting.
These products provide the critical software foundation needed to ensure corporate growth, insight, and control. With Oracle Fusion Middleware, you can leverage your investment in Oracle or any other vendor to make better decisions, secure sensitive information, streamline compliance initiatives, and mitigate risks. And because Oracle Fusion Middleware is modular and integrated, you buy only what you need, when you need it.
Fusion Middleware: Core Principles
Oracle fusion technology is based on five core principles:
• Model-driven: Modeled from applications, business processes, and business information
• Service & Event-enabled: Through extensible, modular and flexible applications and processes exposed as services
• Information-centric: Providing complete, consistent, and actionable real-time intelligence

• Grid-ready: With scalable, available, and secure architecture that is manageable on low-cost hardware
• Standards-based: Meaning it is open and pluggable in a heterogeneous environment
Oracle Fusion Middleware products provide the ability to:
• Orchestrate: Manage your business processes within a Service-Oriented Architecture
• Collaborate: Foster productivity with collaboration and content management services
• Protect: Manage risk and drive compliance with an unbreakable architecture and end-to-end identity management.
• Integrate: Improve your capacity for growth by integrating your existing applications and technologies
• Analyze: Improve insight into business operations with BI solutions and a common data model that turns information into action
• Use the applications, technologies, and skill-sets you already have with the Oracle’s middleware

IBM ASM 92P1168

From a connectivity standpoint the E220s has a good collection of ports. Notably, Lenovo had to leave an optical drive out of the Edge E220s in order to deliver a smaller form factor, but was able to keep the rest of the ports you would expect on a portable business notebook.HP COMPAQ nw8440 Battery
The Edge E220s has a low light webcam that performed well in most situations. You can see a sample image taken with the webcam below. It’s no replacement for a higher quality webcam, but for a notebook of this size it performs as well enough you can see my stubble.HP COMPAQ nw8440 Mobile Workstation Battery

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The real magic comes from the built in VOIP software which allows you to focus the microphone on yourself, ignoring background noise, or to listen to the entire room and act as a speakerphone. We’ve seen this in action on the X220 and the X1, but it is still impressive to have a conversation over the built in Mic without the person on the other end of the call hearing coworkers and background noise.HP COMPAQ nw9440 Battery

We like the fact that the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E220s sticks to business with a lack of extra software installed from the factory. Our review model came with the ThinkVantage toolbox, which you’ll find on most ThinkPad notebooks, but not much else. This toolbox includes the VOIP optimization software we mentioned above as well as other system tools for controlling security, battery life and backup and restore options.HP COMPAQ nw9440 Mobile Workstation Battery

Like most notebooks the ThinkPad Edge E220s comes with a standard one year warranty, but businesses will appreciate the ability to add an extended warranty up to three years, and opt for extras like accidental damage protection and on site repair service. Warranty pricing varies with coverage, but runs up to $279 for a three-year depot warranty.HP COMPAQ nx7300 Battery

There’s no question that the $800 Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E220s offers a great value to business users and students. The compact size, hearty performance and wonderful keyboard come together in a package that makes us wonder how Lenovo can offer it all for this price.HP COMPAQ nx7400 Battery

The ThinkPad Edge E220s isn’t the thinnest or lightest business notebook, but the whole package comes together very nicely. We definitely wish that the display wasn’t glossy and that the battery lasted longer than 5 hours, but the great keyboard and sexy looks compensate well. If you want an ultraportable that won’t break your budget, the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E220s is one of our top picks.HP COMPAQ nx8200 Battery

The Philadelphia Public School Notebook is an independent, nonprofit news service serving thousands of supporters of the Philadelphia public schools. The Notebook serves as an information source and voice for parents, students, teachers, and other members of the community who are working for quality and equality in Philadelphia's public schools.HP COMPAQ nx8220 Battery

A group of concerned parents, teachers, and community members committed to improving public education founded the Notebook as a quarterly newspaper in 1994. We remain an independent journalistic enterprise, with nonprofit status backed by foundation and donor / member support.HP COMPAQ nx8420 Battery

The Philadelphia Public School Notebook is an independent,HP COMPAQ nx9420 Battery nonprofit news service serving thousands of supporters of the Philadelphia public schools. The Notebook serves as an information source and voice for parents, students, teachers, and other members of the community who are working for quality and equality in Philadelphia's public schools. A group of concerned parents, teachers, and community members committed to improving public education founded the Notebook as a quarterly newspaper in 1994. We remain an independent journalistic enterprise, with nonprofit status backed by foundation and donor / member support.HP COMPAQ 361909-001

Over our 17-year history, we have developed into a widely read and respected resource. Our newspaper has a circulation of 60,000 copies. Most of these are distributed free of charge through each Philadelphia public school and Free Library branch as well as through charter schools and over 250 community organizations.HP COMPAQ 361909-002

Each issue of the Notebook focuses on a theme of vital importance to public education in Philadelphia and contains both news and commentary in English and Spanish. The Notebook publishes the newspaper six times per year, a monthly NEWSFLASH, a daily blog, and community events and dialogues about education and education reform. Learn more about our offerings here.HP COMPAQ 372771-001

El Philadelphia Public School Notebook es un servicio de noticias independiente y sin fines de lucro que les sirve a miles de personas que apoyan las escuelas públicas de Filadelfia. El Notebook sirve como recurso de información y voz para los padres, estudiantes, maestros y otros miembros de la comunidad que están trabajando por tener calidad e igualdad en las escuelas públicas de Filadelfia.HP COMPAQ 381374-001

Un grupo de padres, maestros y miembros de la comunidad preocupados por mejorar la educación pública fundó el Notebook como un periódico trimestral en 1994. Todavía seguimos siendo una empresa periodística independiente sin fines de lucro financiada por el apoyo de donantes y nuestra fundación.HP COMPAQ 395794-001

En nuestros 17 años de historia nos hemos convertido en un recurso ampliamente leido y respetado. Nuestro periódico tiene una circulación de 60,000 copias. La mayoría de ellas se distribuye gratuitamente en cada escuela pública y biblioteca pública de Filadelfia, en cada escuela chárter y en sobre 250 organizaciones de la comunidad.HP COMPAQ 395794-002

Cada edición del Notebook se enfoca en un tema de vital importancia para la educación pública en Filadelfia y contiene tanto noticias como comentarios en inglés y español. El Notebook publica el periódico seis veces al año, un boletín NEWSFLASH mensual, un blog diario y también eventos y diálogos en la comunidad sobre el tema de educación y reforma educativa. Haga clic aquí para saber más sobre lo que ofrecemos.HP COMPAQ 395794-261

The is a portable notebook stand that offers 12 degree angle for ergonomic typing and airflow. The primary selling point of the AViiQ Portable Quick Stand is that it is collapsible, which makes it easy to carry around. However, stability and the high angle weaken what would be an otherwise useful accessory.HP COMPAQ 398875-001

While some notebook stands are too bulky to take with you, the AViiQ’s weighs only 5.5 ounces and collapses flat to fit in the notebook compartment of your computer bag. The AViiQ Portable Quick Stand is so thin, you will barely notice it is there.HP COMPAQ 398876-001

The stand is made from four long slices of plastic that look metallic. They are held together by silicone rubber that comes in five colors, allowing you to find one that fits your style. AViiQ says that the Portable Quick Stand will work with smaller notebooks like the MacBook Air or larger 17? computers.HP COMPAQ HSTNN-DB06

The stand has a 12 degree angle which raises the notebook off the table offering increased airflow for cooling and a higher angle for those who prefer this angle while typing. People who have good touch typing form will like that angle.HP COMPAQ HSTNN-DB11

Unfortunately, like many users, we are lazy and rest our wrists on the front part of the laptop. As a result the angle is a little too high for comfortable typing. Very few of our staff find this kind of angle useful for typing. The good news is the stand can be used at a lower angle, even if it was not designed to be used that way. Below you will see what we mean.HP COMPAQ HSTNN-DB29

As you can see, when you fold the edge with the smaller pieces in on itself instead of putting them at the base of the triangle, the angle is much lower. This is a more comfortable angle to use while typing.The AViiQ Portable Quick Stand is quick and easy to set up, just press along the folded edge and it turns into a triangle that forms the base of the stand.HP COMPAQ HSTNN-I04C

There is a bit of a trick to make the stand work without your notebook sliding off. Our MacBook Air has two rubber feet on the bottom. We positioned the apex of the triangle just below those feet and it stays in place (see above). Another option is to have the top groove grab the back edge of the lid of your laptop (see below). This won’t help if your laptop doesn’t have a lid that folds back as low as the back edge of the MacBook Air’s lid.HP COMPAQ HSTNN-LB11

If you place the top of the Quick Stand against the MacBook Air’s flat metallic base, the notebook will slide off of the stand. Also, the AViiQ Portable Stand is a little unstable while you type, especially for those who bang on a keyboard. If you are a heavy typer the notebook will bounce a little while on the stand. Finally, you cannot use the stand on your lap at all.HP COMPAQ HSTNN-OB06

At $39.99 the AViiQ Portable Quick Stand is on the high side. While the portability is a nice feature, the weaknesses above make the Portable Quick Stand too expensive for us to recommend. Typically stands in this price range offer more functionality and importantly a sturdier base to type on.HP COMPAQ HSTNN-UB11

If you are looking for a way to protect your MacBook Pro keyboard or for a way to learn common application shortcuts, the KB Covers keyboard covers for Apple notebooks are a great solution that won’t feel like you’re trying to type with a sheet of rubber between your fingers and the keyboard.HP COMPAQ PB992A

carries a number of keyboard covers designed to help you master applications like , learnas well as. These covers work with the MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and there are also models available for the Apple keyboard. We had the opportunity to review the Photoshop, Mac OS X shortcuts and Clearskin KB Covers for this review.HP Compaq 6510b Battery

KB Covers come in a variety of models to serve a wide range of users. We believe that Photoshop and other specialized application users will be some of the primary customers, but the inclusion of an OS X keyboard shortcut keyboard means that these covers are also a nice accessory for new Mac owners. The Clearskin covers are a good fit for users that want some keyboard protection without obscuring any keys.HP Compaq 6515b Battery

The KB Covers skins are soft and flexible, allowing for a nice typing experience while on your MacBook Pro keyboard. The edges of the keys are somewhat firm which takes some adjustments in typing styles if you don’t often hit the center of the keys, but within a week we had adapted to the new feel.HP Compaq 6710b Battery

Apple to audit suppliers after pollution concerns, groups say

Apple plans to hire a third-party auditing firm to investigate 15 of its suppliers suspected of violating environmental regulations, according to local environmental groups that met with the company Tuesday.

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Apple has been holding talks with the groups after they accused the tech giant of failing to control the pollution caused by its suppliers in China.

Apple's Beijing office did not immediately respond to a query about the groups' claim, although it has previously said it is committed to ensuring its suppliers meet environmental and labor standards.

The groups' previous investigations have found environmental problems at the facilities of 27 suspected suppliers of Apple products. In one case, the pollution from two manufacturers was linked with a rise in cancer rates in residents living nearby, according to a report issued by the environmental groups in August.

Apple sent five employees to speak with the five Chinese environmental groups. Two of the employees came from Apple's U.S. headquarters and were in charge of supply-chain management. Apple requested the environmental groups not to reveal the employees' names to the press.

During Tuesday's meeting, Apple acknowledged that 15 of 22 of the suppliers the group has identified are in fact manufacturers of the company's products, according to Wang Jing Jing, vice director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, a group which attended the talks.

But Apple didn't identify to the group which 15 suppliers of the 22 were the right ones, according to members of environmental groups that attended the meeting. They believe Apple should publicly release the information to keep the company and its suppliers more accountable.

"What Apple has been doing is positive," said Li Chunhua, the secretary general of the Green Stone Environmental Action Network, who participated in Tuesday's meeting on a conference line. "But we want them to be more open with their supply chain. They didn't do more in this area."

Apple's meeting with the environmental groups comes shortly after a factory believed to fabricate the aluminum casings for laptops was forced to shut down by the Chinese government.

Catcher Technology, a supplier for Apple's MacBooks, temporarily closed their facility last month after nearby residents complained of unbearable odors coming from the facility.

Samsung becomes biggest smartphone vendor as Android's market share grows

Samsung became the biggest smartphone vendor in the world during the third quarter, and Android's market share has surpassed 50% for the first time, market research company Gartner said on Tuesday as it reported on phone sales to end-users.

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Worldwide smartphone sales totaled 115 million units in the third quarter of 2011, up 42% from the third quarter of 2010. However, smartphone sales slowed compared to the second quarter, a consequence of the economic situation and of consumers holding out for new models, including the iPhone 4S, according to Roberta Cozza, principal analyst at Gartner.

Android and Samsung were the big winners among smartphone operating systems and vendors, respectively.

Samsung became the worldwide number one for the first time, selling 24 million smartphones, three times as many as it sold during the third quarter last year.

Samsung's support for Android, and the availability of a wide variety of low-cost smartphones running the OS, helped Android grab a 52.5% share of the market: 60.5 million smartphones based on the various versions of the OS were sold, according to Cozza.

Worldwide, Nokia is still the second biggest smartphone vendor and Symbian the second most popular smartphone OS. Consumers bought 19.5 million Symbian-based smartphones, giving the OS a 17% market share. Smartphones based on Symbian are still popular in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Nokia's first smartphone running Microsoft's Windows Phone OS, the Lumia 800, has gone on sale in Germany, and will go on sale France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK later this month. Microsoft reached a new low during the third quarter as its operating system software now only has a 1.5% share of the smartphone market.

To compete with the Google camp and Apple, Nokia needs to expand its product portfolio and work with Microsoft on more ways to differentiate from the competition, according to Cozza. At the same time, Microsoft needs to add support for hardware features like LTE (Long-Term Evolution), which is becoming increasingly important.

"We don't expect to see a major impact on sales until the second half of 2012," said Cozza.

Apple sold about 17 million iPhones in the third quarter, an annual increase of 21%, but down nearly 3 million units from the second quarter of 2011, perhaps because potential buyers were waiting for the launch of the iPhone 4S, which came in the fourth quarter. That makes iOS still the third most popular OS, with a 15% market share, and Apple the third biggest smartphone vendor.

Now that the iPhone 4S has been released and is doing well, Cozza expects Apple to bounce back during the last three months of 2011. With the iPhone 4S and the lower pricing of older iPhone models, Apple is a formidable competitor, according to Cozza.

During the fourth quarter, the battle between the Android camp and Apple will be especially cutthroat in the U.S. HTC won the top spot during the third quarter, but Apple in second place and Samsung in third place are just behind, Cozza said.

Microsoft wasn't the only OS vendor heading downward: Research In Motion (RIM) recorded new market share lows in both the U.S. and worldwide, at 10% and 11%, respectively. It sold 12.7 million units, enough to make RIM the fourth-largest smartphone maker, and BlackBerry OS the fourth largest OS, according to Gartner's data.

HTC may the biggest smartphone vendor in the U.S, but the company is only the fifth-largest vendor worldwide. It sold about 12 million smartphones.

Beyond smartphones, worldwide sales of all types of phones totaled 440.5 million units in the third quarter, up 5.6% from the same period last year. The five biggest vendors are Nokia, Samsung, LG Electronics, Apple and ZTE.

acebook places third: Companies young people want to work for

Facebook is the third company that Americans want to work for. Only two other companies were ranked higher by young professionals this year: Google and Apple.

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Facebook placed third this year in a ranking of how attractive an employer is among professionals in the US. This is a huge win for the social networking giant, considering it is just a 7-year-old company.

The results, which reveal how working professionals perceive organizations as employers, are based on a survey conducted by employment data and consulting firm Universum. The company asked 6,698 young professionals with one to eight years of experience between June 17, 2011 and September 30, 2011.

Respondents were asked to pick as many as five ideal employers out of a list of about 200. They could also write in candidates, and a total of 17,950 companies were evaluated. You can see the top 15 in the table above.

8.90 percent of young workers said they wanted to work for Facebook. Only two companies ranked higher: Google (19.67 percent) and Apple (12.74 percent).

Robots v. humans: Real steel or dumb metal?

Robots are making huge strides in space, on the ocean floor and even in the dentist office

Right from the start let's agree that the argument of humans or robots is getting close to being a dead heat in some areas. With advances in artificial intelligence and complex software, many robots are close to performing some duties better than their human counterparts.

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For example, NASA and General Motors built the 300 pound Robonaut2 - or R2 - a robot that is capable of using the same tools as humans and now works alongside them in space onboard the International Space Station. R2 can use its hands to do work beyond the scope of prior humanoid machines and can easily work safely alongside people, a necessity both on Earth and in space, NASA stated. It is also stronger: able to lift, not just hold, a 20-pound weight (about four times heavier than what other dexterous robots can handle) both near and away from its body. Granted the robot takes up valuable space station space, but it doesn't have to be fed or go to the bathroom - major advantages in space.

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Other robots such as the Octoroach being developed by UC Berkeley researchers can crawl into all manner of super-secret surveillance or emergency recovery applications that the human body just could not. The Octoroach is an eight-legged, sensor-laden, battery-powered device that can find its own way around a room and climb over obstacles. Its compliant, rather than rigid legs let it effectively mimic a cockroach scrambling across the floor.

Other robots such the REMUS 6000 autonomous underwater system recently conducted a 3,900 square mile search of Atlantic Ocean bottom looking for the deep-sea wreck site and black boxes from Air France Flight 447, which crashed off the coast of Brazil two years ago. The autonomous undersea vehicles are designed to operate in depths up to 6,000 meters (19,685 feet or 3.73 miles) and are capable of staying underwater for up to 20 hours. Human searches of the area never found anything, but the bots did.

But while robots can in certain areas achieve what humans cannot, you only have to look as far as say the products that are thought of and designed by the humans at Apple. Or look at the way humans can interact as a group to bring about social change -at least sometimes anyway. Getting robots to act as a group is a science that is only beginning to take shape.

Humans, at least some of them, still have feelings and emotions that robots just cannot mimic. Though some robots are getting close. Japanese researchers this year showed off a dentistry-training robot that can flinch, gag, blink and try to carry on a conversation with cotton stuffed in its mouth - effectively mimicking a real human visit to the dentist.

Still the notion that robots will at some point outperform us all is an interesting though scary proposition. In the current movie "Real Steel" a washed up boxer "teaches" a "sparing bot" how to fight in the ring with success. But in the movie the humans take control over the bots from time-to-time to help them box. Still, for purposes of our human v. robot argument, the movie was set in 2020 and the idea that robots could learn and perform boxing as a skill no longer seems that far-fetched.