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ITS Feda - Keeping you up to date with what's new in IT
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Welcome to the August edition of the ITS Feda Newsletter. We've added an Editors Corner to this edition and if you don't like it please let us know, otherwise we will carry on with it in future editions. The newsletter menu (below) offers quick navigation of the news articles in this email so you can quickly scan the topics and choose if you want to read more on those relevant to you. We always like communication with our customers to be two-way so please let us know about any changes you would like to see and anything you would like us to publish more information on. Menu New Training Catalogue out soonITS Feda appoint new cross-platform Novell / Microsoft engineer Novell Novell ZENworks Configuration Manager (ZCM) out now! Advanced Technical Training (ATT) in XEN Virtualisation and Clustering on SUSE 10 Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Community Technology Preview Free Microsoft Official Training Vista exam now included in MCSA/MCSE path Symantec Symantec knocks 'em dead at Anti Virus 'Fight Club' Editors Corner 25 years of the CD Should you be taking sides in the great Linux divide? The Editor has a rant |
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New Training Catalogue out soon Lots of you have kindly said you found the last one very useful so we hope you’ll remember to order your new free catalogue in September. As in interim measure, everyone ordering from today onwards will receive both a copy of the current catalogue and a copy of the new one when it becomes available. |
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ITS Feda appoints new cross-platform Novell / Microsoft engineer ITS Feda is delighted to announce the appointment of Rebecca Foster as a member of its engineering team. Rebecca has recently moved from the States where she worked as an IT trainer and consultant for a number of leading organisations including Novell and New Horizons. Rebecca's engineering and training certifications are impressive, in addition to her Novell and Microsoft qualifications; she is also an experienced Certified Novell Instructor (CNI) and a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT). Keith Watts, Operations Manager of ITS Feda commented, "ITS Feda has always sought to employ industry leading engineers, able to undertake support, training and consultancy roles. This is important in ensuring that our team has real world skills and are fully up to date on the latest technologies. Many of our customers have cross platform networks, it was therefore important that any new team member has the best possible mix of skills. Rebecca fully fits the needs of our customer base; we are delighted to welcome her on board". Rebecca will be based jointly in Hertfordshire and Bristol. |
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Novell ZENworks Configuration Manager (ZCM) is out now For those of you who missed Novell’s announcement on the 10th of August, this product is now available. If you have ZENworks Desktop Management or the ZENworks Suite with maintenance or upgrade protection either as standalone or part of a bundle like the Novell Open Workgroup Suite, you will get ZCM Standard Edition. There are also Advanced and Enterprise editions with additional features that you can upgrade to for an additional charge. See the full announcement details here |
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Advanced Technical Training (ATT) in XEN virtualisation and Clustering on SUSE 10 Starts 13th November 07. This ATT course, ‘XEN Virtualization and High Availability Clustering on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10’ is only 4-days long and offers intensive hands-on teaching of skills not available in the normal Novell public courses. We are the only centre in the UK offering this course. Check out the course information here |
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SQL Server 2008 Community Technology Preview Check out the latest ISOs, on demand webcasts, whitepapers, code samples, forums and info on Microsoft SQL Server 2008 here. |
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Free Microsoft Official Training You wouldn’t believe it but lots of people are missing out because they may not be aware, or may have forgotten that they have access to free training. If you are a mid to large commercial or government organisation (not education, sorry) and you purchased Software Assurance with your Microsoft Licensing, you probably have some free Software Assurance training vouchers on your licence administrators email. If you’re not sure, ask the people you bought your licences from. If it turns out you do have some Software Assurance vouchers gathering dust in an email inbox please use them quick before they expire and you lose them! Each voucher entitles one person to one day of free technical training with qualifying Microsoft centres, such as ITS Feda. For example, if you had 2 vouchers, you could book on a 5-day course and only pay for 3 days of it, or get it free if you had 5 vouchers. It’s worth spending a few minutes checking this out. If you do have Software Assurance Training vouchers and want to redeem them, please email training@itsgroup.org.uk and we’d be happy to help. |
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Vista exam now included in MCSA/MCSE paths This means if you pass the 70-620 Vista exam, you not only instantly qualify as a Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist ( MCTS): Windows Vista, Configuration, but it also counts as one of your core exams towards the Windows Server 2003 MCSA or MCSE certification as well. Hoorah! The training courses relating to this exam can be found here. Microsoft has also added a host of new exam options to the elective lists. Check it out here. |
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Symantec knock’s em dead at Anti Virus ‘Fight Club’ Not only has Symantec’s Norton AntiBot product won the coveted ‘Editor’s Choice’ label from PC Pro magazine this month but Symantec’s Anti Virus tools for Linux came joint 1st in the Anti Virus ‘Fight Club’ at the Linux World Conference in San Francisco. Symantec was one of only 3 products that managed to kill 100% of the viruses thrown at it, beating off a number of other highly reputable Anti Virus products who sadly underperformed. (More details on the AV Fight Club can be found here). The awards cabinet at Symantec’s offices must warrant a whole floor to itself by now. Reassurance, if you ever needed it, that using Symantec products is the best way to keep your systems safe. ITS Feda is a Symantec Silver Partner and can supply all your Symantec product needs. |
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Editors Corner ITS would like to make it clear that they will not be held responsible for the personal opinions of the Editor, unless you like them, in which case they were all our idea. If you don’t they have nothing to do with us and we don’t even know her!25 years of the CD Tony Smith at The Register has been kind enough to remind us all that the Compact Disc is 25 years old this month. If you feel inclined to celebrate you could do so by playing ABBA’s ‘The Visitors’ as it was apparently the first CD ever pressed. If the thought makes you queasy you could refresh yourself by downloading something else onto your ipod instead, and reflect that if current trends continue you may be contributing to the death of the CD and the rise of its replacement as you do so. Old technologies fade away but unfortunately it appears ABBA will be with us for ever… |
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Should you be taking sides in the great Linux divide? The Editor has a rant. Whether you worship or fear Linux you cannot deny its increased growth and acceptance in recent years. IDC is forecasting an annual growth rate of 23% and that’s before the expected surge from the developing world really kicks in, but an ideological schism has been grabbing press headlines in recent months and the debate still rages; is the Novell SUSE Linux deal with Microsoft ‘sacrilegious’ as some Linux purists claim or simply a common sense business decision? Well I guess it depends on whether you view software as a religion or a tool. It’s true that some people feel a brand loyalty that can become almost evangelical, but can dogmatic views inhibit us in gaining the interoperability needed to access tools that could improve our networks? Speaking personally I would choose to preach tolerance and inclusiveness in the Operating System community; let the Apple users put down their shiny colourful rolled up poster-bats, let the Microsoft users turn off the xenophobic forcefields and the Linux users stop chanting and waving the incense of outsider geekiness. It’s all good software people, and if Novell have held out the hand of friendship to Microsoft in order to make their SUSE Linux products accessible for Microsoft users and vice versa I’d call it a declaration of neutrality and a step forward for consumer choice. So maybe you should take a side. Your own. Because the gates of ‘vendor lock-in’ are finally creaking open. And that can’t be a bad thing. ITS Feda partners with Novell, Microsoft, Apple and host of other vendors. You could call us software agnostics. Our religion is making it work for you, whatever you chose. Call us on 0870 145 1600 or email enquiries@itsgroup.org.uk |
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Thanks for taking the time to read this newsletter. As always, your feedback is both welcomed and encouraged. |
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ITS Feda Ltd |
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