The WNY Technology Blog

As a young IT professional, I find that it is important to keep up to date on new technology, being that this is an industry that strives on innovation. However, this is easier said than done. Some IT professionals will be blessed to have an employer who will pay for training with the new technologies, while others are left to fend for themselves. The downside of being self taught is the lack of resources available; some of us will turn to books, some will try to use demo versions, some will go to the forums, and some will dive right in.

Since I fall into the self taught category, I have always looked for an edge or a way to help simplify the learning process. Prior to achieving an MCSA, I would scour the Internet looking for ways to understand and learn Microsoft’s technology. Throughout my searching, I stumbled upon Microsoft’s TechNet Events & Webcast section . TechNet was nothing new to me; however, the amount of training that TechNet offered was; the most important part was that the training was free of charge.

What TechNet Has to Offer

TechNet offers three main flavors of teaching; the first would be the traditional webcast. Some of the webcasts offered are on-demand, allowing you to download them and view them at your leisure. While other webcasts are live, requiring you to join at a live meeting at a specified time. For those of you that are more hands on, TechNet also offers virtual labs. Each of the virtual labs is designed to help perform specific tasks. For example, there is a virtual lab for “Using APPCMD Command Line or UI with IIS 7 in Windows Server 2008” in which “after completing this lab, you will be able to add sites, bindings, and application pools via APPCMD, as well as learn to delete sites and Application Pools.” Last but not least, for those of you who learn on the go, TechNet also offers Podcasts. The Podcasts are offered in both WMA and MP3 format, which will allow for compatibility with most portable devices. In short, TechNet offers:

• Webcasts
• Virtual Labs
• Podcasts

There are multiple subject matters including but not limited to: Active Directory, Windows Migration Strategies, Desktop Optimization, Enterprise Search, Group Policy, Internet Information Services, Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft Forefront, Microsoft Office System, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, Microsoft System Center, Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, Scripting, Security, SQL Server, Unified Communications, Windows Server 2003/2008, Identity and Access Management, and Windows Vista.

So if you are in the market of gaining some professional experience in the Microsoft arena, visit TechNet.