The Certifications That Matter Most

Every once in a while, IT training gurus step back and compile a list of the certifications that seem to matter most at that particular moment. The latest list, via Infoworld, is out now, and you can use it as a planning tool if you want to direct your career in a new direction. The highlights: 

Microsoft (MCSE, MCITP, MCTS)

Few businesses get along without a hearty helping of Microsoft-powered equipment, and the company offers a raft of specialized training programs for those who service its products. 

CompTIA (A+, Network+, Security+, Linux+)

The nonprofit Computing Technology Industry Association offers popular vendor-neutral certifications--a good option if you're seeking a consultant who has a mix of experience beyond a single brand. Among the certification options, the basic A+ [8] requires 400 hours of hands-on experience.

Cisco (CCNP, CCNA, CCiE)

Among the most popular certifications in the industry, the basic Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) covers installing and managing medium-size networks. It requires a passing mark on a $250 exam, and certification lasts for three years.

Apple (ACSP, ACTC)

A help-desk pro with Microsoft skills may not know how to manage Macs. For shops that rely on Apple products or use a mix of operating systems, Apple Certified Support Professional (ACSP) and Apple Certified Technical Coordinator (ACTC) cover basic support skills as evidenced by passing marks on tests that cost $200 and $400, respectively.

International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (CISSP)

If your company deals with proprietary information and has deep security needs, Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is known to be rigorous. People who qualify for it must have worked for at least five years in areas such as security architecture and design, and then must pass a $599 exam and pay an annual renewal fee.

Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA)

This advanced certification is reserved for IT security consultants and auditors with five years' experience. The test costs $415 or more. Tech consultants who earn this seal of approval enjoy a median annual salary of $87,000.

Project Management Professional (PMP)

This well-respected certification is for people with some college education and at least three years of project management experience. The median salary for PMP-certified IT project managers is $89,000.

Be sure to check out the entire article, which digs into that age-old question: How much do certifications really matter in the real world?

-- Don Willmott

The Certifications That Matter Most

Backlink: http://career-resources.dice.com/articles/content/entry/the_certifications_that_matter_most

Hype vs. Reality: What digital channels are the most effective in 2010?

There is a lot of hype around new digital channels, but little evidence is published to back this up. So I will. Here is the evidence from one global campaign in 2010 to demonstrate how different digital channels compared.

I hear the questions every week: "Should we start with Facebook or email?" "Should we use Twitter and Mobile?" "Is email obsolete? My first response is always that it depends on the objectives, the strategy and the audience since starting with the tools is putting the "cart before the horse".

A common strategy is to recruit and mobilise large number of people to put public pressure on a person, government or company. In this context, they often want to get people to participate in an online action like signing a petition or sending an email to a target.

So given I had access to a large pool of data for a large global multi-channel campaign I was involved with over the summer of 2010, I decided to try and provide the evidence for the value of each channel.

The Case: 1GOAL Campaign

Over the summer of 2010, I was hired by the 1GOAL campaign to head-up their e-campaigning (starting from building a website). This was a global campaign focusing on ensuring governments committed to achieving universal primary education by 2015 as they had committed 10 years ago in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

It was a campaign organised around the FIFA World Cup and had tremendous potential. This potential was because it was endorsed by FIFA, has over 200 world-class footballers as supporters, had other high profile supporters like Shakira, Desmund Tutu and Queen Rania of Jordan as well as having an amazing line-up of support from mobile network providers, broadcasters, large digital sites (Facebook, Twitter, Meetup, MSN), etc.

Post originale: http://www.frogloop.com/care2blog/2010/11/17/hype-vs-reality-what-digital-channels-are-the-most-effective.html

CHART OF THE DAY: Facebook Paying The Most In Tech (GOOG, AAPL, CSCO, AOL, EBAY)

How is Facebook getting so many talented employees?

Well, it's a cool product, it has pre-IPO stock, and it's small enough that an engineer feels like he or she can really make a difference at the company.

Of course, there might be another, more old fashioned reason too -- Cold hard cash. According to Glassdoor.com (via CNBC) Facebook is paying the highest base salary in the tech world on average for engineers. Even when factoring in bonuses, Facebook still pays the most.

Facebook's base salary is $110,500 on average for software engineers. Next closest is Cisco with $105,720. Google is fifth with $98,814. But, throw in the bonus and Google is second best paying.

This information runs contrary to what we've heard from a source familiar with Facebook who says the company is fairly strict about not paying high salaries. But, Glassdoor's information is based on at least 28 employees anonymously self-reporting data.

Follow the Chart Of The Day on Twitter: @chartoftheday

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Post originale: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/alleyinsider/silicon_alley_insider/~3/UgdXKUSHgww/chart-of-the-day-software-engineer-salary-2010-11

Help Fast Company Find the Most Influential Women In Tech 2011 (Fast Company Now)

... so that we can find it) A check-in (on services like Miso and GetGlue, but also on Foursquare and Gowalla, etc. -- again using #wt11. keep in mind, these may be a little harder for us to find as their data isn't necessarily open to listening tools). Be sure to include as much of the following information as possible: name, title, and why you're nominating the person. A link to their...

Source : Fast Company Now

Explore : Business

Post originale: http://wik.io/info/US/228838684

WorldWinds Selects Slidell as Home to One of Most Powerful Computer Systems in the New Orleans Area

WorldWinds, Inc. Selects Slidell Center as New Home to One of the Most Powerful Computer Systems in the New Orleans Area - SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO RUN STORM SIMULATIONS FOR HURRICANES

Slidell, LA--- WorldWinds, Inc., has installed one of the most powerful computer clusters in the New Orleans area at Slidell’s Gause Boulevard Complex.  WorldWinds purchased the system to run storm surge simulations for historical and hypothetical hurricanes that will be used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to develop new flood zone maps.  WorldWinds' executives think it is an ideal location for the new computer cluster because of its high level of security and multiple sources of backup power, allowing for work without interruption.  The Slidell Gause Boulevard Complex also houses Textron Marine and Land Systems and the St. Tammany Parish Coroner's Office.

The site once served as home to the former NASA Slidell Computer Complex where NASA first placed computers in 1962 to support Saturn space vehicle construction at the Michoud Assembly Facility in eastern New Orleans.  The NASA Slidell Computer Complex was one of the most powerful in the country.

Those early computer systems were strikingly different from today’s sleek and modern machines.  The old systems would often fill an entire room with thousands of circuit boards, card readers, printers, and racks of tape drives.  Additionally, an army of technicians were needed to toggle switches, mount tapes, and repair equipment, which failed every few days.

Dan Yeates, Superintendent of Public Operations for the City of Slidell reminisces, “Contractor’s cars filled the entire parking lot at Gause Boulevard and Robert Road.  A large room housed key punch operators who typed instructions and data onto punch cards that filled many boxes.”  John Autry, Slidell's Information Systems Manager, added, “The systems were so fragile that if the lights blinked, the maintenance engineers would start running towards the computers like they were firemen to protect the equipment.”

In stark contrast, the new computer cluster purchased by WorldWinds, Inc. fits in two racks only six feet tall by four feet wide.  It is housed in the computer room in the basement of the building, and only requires two WorldWinds' staff members to operate it.  Hurricane storm surge simulations will run around the clock on the new computer, with much of the operation unattended.

“Storm surge simulations that previously took days to run on our old computer system now take only a few minutes”, explains Elizabeth Valenti, WorldWinds CEO.  “The new hurricane storm surge simulations will be used by FEMA to determine the likelihood of flooding in coastal areas as a result of hurricane water and winds.  A high performance computer is needed for the model runs in order to correctly position levees, roads, and channels.”

The model estimates the water level at each 30-foot grid point every 15 minutes, given the characteristics of a simulated hurricane (size, forward speed, maximum winds).  Model runs will initially be made for Georgia and northeast Florida while new flood maps for the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts were produced shortly after Hurricane Katrina.

WorldWinds, Inc. continuously gathers weather and ocean information from many sources and packages it into usable products for the public.  This wealth of information is evaluated, assembled, and disseminated through a network of computers located across the southeastern US.  In addition to running storm surge models, WorldWinds, Inc. provides customized weather information for mariners and emergency responders.  In cooperation with Baron Services, detailed satellite images, sea surface temperature maps, buoy observations, and wind forecasts are transmitted via the XM WX Satellite Service, http://xmwxweather.com.  To help fishermen in their quest, WorldWinds developed a product called FishBytes that identifies preferred fishing locations.  It is available on the same XM WX Satellite Service.

###

WorldWinds, Inc. develops cutting edge technology from NASA, the US Navy, NOAA, and other government partners into state-of-the-art products and services that benefit the public.  WorldWinds is an active member of the EIGS geospatial technology cluster of the Magnolia Business Alliance (MBA). MBA’s goal is to impact economic development by serving as an advocate for small and medium sized businesses.  For more information about WorldWinds, Inc., visit www.worldwindsinc.com.

 

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Emerging Economies Among The Most Vulnerable to Climate Change

Some of the world's fastest-growing economies - including India and Bangladesh - are also the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, according to a new report. The nations at the most extreme risk are those already dealing with high poverty levels, dense populations, exposure to climate-related events, and a reliance on flood- or drought-prone agricultural lands, according to the Climate Change Vulnerability Index compiled by Maplecroft, a UK-based consulting group.

The report says 16 nations are at "extreme risk," with Bangladesh topping the list because of significant poverty levels, its dependence on agriculture, and the government's lack of capacity to adapt to climate change. While India is already one the world's largest economies, its vulnerability to climate-related events could scare off foreign investment in the coming decades, the report says. Among the 25 nations characterized as most at risk, 12 are located in Africa. Among the nations considered "low risk" are Norway, Finland, and Iceland. Reprinted with permission from Yale Environment 360

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The 11 Most Useless iPhone Apps Ever

iPhone apps can be great. Some keep you up with the news, track your finances, or give you the weather.

But most of Apple's 300,000 apps are ridiculously useless. The following list identifies 11 of the worst.

Click here to see the apps>

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See Also:

• Addictive iPhone Game Fruit Ninja Hits 2 Million App Sales
• How Apple Screwed The Stick Wars App Maker Out Of Big Bucks

Post originale: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/alleyinsider/silicon_alley_insider/~3/nwbjGUxJ0UA/most-useless-apps-iphone-2010-10