Windows desktop destined for long slide to oblivion, says Gartner

Microsoft's biggest technology shift in two decades means traditional Windows will account for just 10% of users' time by 2020

Computerworld - Microsoft will de-emphasize the Windows desktop in future releases of its operating system as usage of traditional Windows applications falls to just 10% of users' time by 2020, analysts said this week.

A quartet of Gartner analysts, led by Michael Silver, released a report Tuesday that spelled out the market research firm's prediction for what it described as a Microsoft-initiated "technology shift," the first in nearly two decades.

"Sometimes a new version of Windows represents more than a major upgrade," said Silver in the report Windows 8 Changes Windows as We Know It. "We call these 'technology shifts.' We don't see technology shifts too often."

In fact, for Gartner's money, the only other example in Microsoft's 37-year history was the shift from DOS to Windows NT technology that kicked off in 1993 and wrapped up with the 2001 launch of Windows XP.

"Windows XP was the first Windows version based on NT technology to be targeted at businesses and consumers, and signaled the end of the DOS technology era," Gartner said.

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Likewise, the emergence of WinRT -- the name for the new runtime and programming model linked to the Metro user interface (UI) and its touch-first apps -- is a technology shift. Namely, it's a shift away from Windows NT (the core of every edition prior to Windows 8) to WinRT and Metro.

That shift will probably run much like the one from DOS to Windows NT: A long process (eight years for the first shift to run its course) that for some time features both technologies (the DOS prompt remained key to Windows for years) and a gradual diminishing of the older technology's importance.

"Microsoft is not forcing anyone to eliminate Win32 applications or preventing developers from writing them, but Gartner believes that Win32 and the Windows Desktop will become less strategic over time," said the firm.

Most enterprises that adopt Windows 8 will continue to use Win32 applications and a traditional desktop browser through 2015, said Silver and his colleagues, but by 2020, users will spend less than 10% of their time on that platform, and thus on the desktop. By then, the browser and most applications, including what Gartner called "OS-neutral" apps, will run in Metro using the WinRT runtime.

That means Microsoft will likely spend little energy from this point forward improving the Windows desktop.

"Gartner expects Microsoft to include the Windows Desktop in future releases, but improvements will be relatively minor," the research firm said, comparing future support for the desktop to the longtime inclusion of the DOS command line in Windows.

Microsoft's bet on WinRT and Metro is, of course, huge, but it was necessary.

"Gartner believes Microsoft needs to make such a change, an idea we first suggested in 2006," said Silver's report. "Our hypothesis [then] was that having to support legacy products was becoming a drag on Microsoft, slowing innovation, and that Windows had become too large for any systems designer to implement radical changes."

In 2008, Silver and Gartner analyst Neil McDonald, who also contributed to this week's report, called Microsoft's then-current position "untenable," and said Windows was "collapsing" under its own weight of legacy code and the need to support old software, both its own and that from third parties.

Microsoft, Gartner said then, had to address the problem by building a Windows system able to run on low-powered and low-priced hardware -- this was years before Apple introduced its iPad -- by crafting an operating system that was "thinner, smaller and more modular."

The result, Windows 8's and Windows RT's adoption of the WinRT runtime and the corresponding Metro UI and apps, proved Gartner prescient.

But although Microsoft had to take the plunge to avoid eventual irrelevance, it's fraught with pitfalls, some of which critics have already identified.

The attempt to shoehorn two operating systems into one package -- a knock almost everyone has leveled at Windows 8 -- is "jarring," said Gartner, which expects that Microsoft will polish the rough UI edges and deal with other issues relatively quickly, perhaps with a 2014 release.

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The 10 most demanding jobs in IT

Emerson survey cites roles requiring 'Always-On' availability

What are the 10 most demanding jobs in IT?

Well, according to a survey by Emerson Network Power, a provider of high-availability data center infrastructure management products, they are:

1. Executive director/administrator
2. IT procurement
3. CIO
4. IT manager/director
5. IT operations
6. Data center manager
7. Engineering
8. IT security
9. Applications/software development
10. Database management

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LOOKING: Want a new IT Job? Now's your chance

Emerson surveyed 800 IT professionals from four regions -- the U.S., Asia, Europe and Latin America -- representing 17 work roles and 18 industries, at businesses ranging from 50 to more than 10,000 employees. Most questions were designed to gauge who and what role in IT was "Always-On" -- a reference to Emerson's business in power supplies -- and used an agreement scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree.

There we three open-ended questions:

• How many hours per week do you work at your IT job? Include paid and unpaid hours.

• What are the most demanding aspects of your IT job?

• Please describe one or two situations that best illustrate how your IT job requires you to be Always-On: always available, always working at peak capacity and always accurate.

Respondents at the executive director/administrator level -- including administrator, leader, department head and director -- have hands-on involvement in every aspect of IT: strategic, operational and tactical. All say they work on many projects at once, and that their work requires a high level of intelligence. Only 25% agree or strongly agree that success depends on things out of their control; that they are accountable for success, and that translates into high job demands, the Emerson survey found.

IT procurement officials identified themselves as analysts, buyers, representatives, supervisors, consultants, directors and other leaders. More than half of respondents say they don't have control over their schedules and don't have time to do quality work. They indicate multiple pressures: urgency, demanding clients often in different international time zones, staying up on the latest equipment and filling pressing staffing needs.

CIO scores highest on "dependencies and multi-tasking," according to the Emerson survey. Responses show particularly high requirements to work on many projects at once and make important decisions quickly, and those decisions can be required any time. Other respondents say they have to be available to take emergency calls and have been tracked down even on vacation.

Demands of the job also include motivating and orchestrating the work of others. CIOs also indicate more than did any other IT role that they are responsible for a large part of the company's budget.

IT manager/director might be called on to put out fires or do routine work at any time, including nights and weekends, the survey found. Respondents say demands include juggling several projects at once, solving problems quickly and working at peak capacity at all times.

Respondents also say they have responsibility for a large portion of the company's budget and for leading the meetings they are in.

IT operations personnel include technician, manager, analyst, operator and specialist. They report working on high-stress projects with constant time pressure and responding to after-hours incidents, the Emerson survey found.

Data center managers were in the top three for "dependencies/multi-tasking," the top four for "availability" and the top five for "quick response." They also scored more than 30% higher than average in agreeing they don't control their own schedule -- 70% for data center managers compared to 45% on average.

Job demands and responsibilities include working fast, handling confidential information, troubleshooting, managing budgets, hardware maintenance and "everything," the Emerson survey found.

Engineers scored high in "dependencies, "multi-tasking" and "quick response." More than 80% agree or strongly agree that others depend on their work a great deal, 91% say they immediately read all messages received and 86% quickly respond to all inquiries. Thirty percent of the respondents work for consulting engineering companies, and "perfection" was cited as one of the job demands.

Making emergency decisions is noted as a typical demand of the IT security group. Eighty-nine percent of the security respondents agree or strongly agree they make important decisions quickly -- the highest score of all the IT roles.

But this group also scores lowest on quick response, the Emerson survey found. Sixty-one percent agree or strongly agree they quickly respond to all inquiries, but the average across the top 10 Always-On jobs is 76%. More than half of IT security respondents say that success depends on things out of their control.

Application and software developers are apparently able to concentrate on their work more than others. One-third or less report having no time for quality work and no time to think things through.

This group scores highest in quick response, though, the Emerson survey found. Eighty-seven percent of respondents say that others depend on their work a great deal; and job demands include developing new applications for the workplace or industry, some involving highly complex issues.

Database managers have a similar profile to application/software developers: 87% say others depend on their work a great deal, but 58% say they have no time for quality work and 47% say they have no time to think things through.

Those responses are consistent with the demands of the job, the Emerson survey concludes, which include working under pressure while troubleshooting various issues on a daily basis, often under tight project deadlines.

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Microsoft buys Yammer for $1.2 billion

Deal will boost the enterprise social networking capabilities in Office, SharePoint, and other Microsoft collaboration products

Microsoft has agreed to acquire Yammer, a maker of cloud-based ESN (enterprise social networking) software, for $1.2 billion in cash, a deal rumored to be in the works for the past week and a half.

Yammer, which was founded in 2008, will continue to be led by its CEO David Sacks as it becomes part of Microsoft's Office Division, headed by President Kurt DelBene, Microsoft said on Monday.

[ Also on InfoWorld: Bill Snyder breaks down the Facebook-Instagram buy and signs of the new dot-com bubble. | Discover what's new in business applications with InfoWorld's Technology: Applications newsletter and our Technology: Microsoft newsletter. ]

"Yammer will be an important addition to Microsoft's cloud services and this acquisition underscores our commitment to helping customers move to the cloud. Together we'll deliver the most complete solution in the marketplace," DelBene said during a press conference to discuss the deal.

Becoming part of Microsoft will give the Yammer team a boost in expertise and resources that will allow the product to reach "massive scale," Sacks said.

"Microsoft is one of the few software companies whose products are household names. Today's announcement signals the beginning of our plans to make Yammer one of them as well," Sacks said.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said Yammer has struck a balance between fostering "viral" adoption of its product while also giving IT departments security and management features they need.

"The so-called consumerization of IT is a trend which I think perhaps more than almost any other company out there Yammer has gotten right," Ballmer said.

ESN software provides Facebook- and Twitter-like capabilities adapted for workplace use, including employee profiles, activity streams, discussion forums, microblogging, wikis, idea generation software, joint document sharing and editing as well as tagging, rating and reviewing of content.

ESN products have become popular in recent years as tools that, when properly implemented and adopted, can improve the way employees collaborate and communicate, leading to increased efficiency and productivity, by complementing traditional applications like email and instant messaging.

Spending on ESN products grew almost 40 percent last year to $767.4 million, and is expected to grow at a 42 percent compound rate through 2016, when it will reach almost $4.5 billion, according to IDC.

Yammer competitors include Jive Software, NewsGator, Socialtext and Tibbr. In addition to ESN specialists like Yammer, larger software vendors have also been adding ESN features to their broader collaboration suites and enterprise applications, including IBM, Oracle, Salesforce.com and Cisco.

With the Yammer software, Microsoft puts itself in a position to improve the ESN capabilities in its communication and collaboration products like Office, SharePoint and Lync, an area in which Microsoft has been seen as trailing competitors.

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"This immediately makes Microsoft a stronger competitor in the enterprise social market," said Larry Cannell, a Gartner analyst. "It's a recognition by Microsoft that today's information worker isn't just focused on content. They need help working together and building relationships with others."

Microsoft didn't give specifics as to how it might integrate Yammer's technology into its products. It said Yammer will continue to develop its software, maintaining "its commitment to simplicity, innovation and cross-platform experiences." Microsoft will also work to accelerate Yammer's adoption in conjunction with complementary Microsoft products like SharePoint, Office 365, Dynamics and Skype.

"The key question is, how do we bring productivity, communications and collaboration from Microsoft into the Yammer world, and how do we surface people's professional social-networking relationships inside of what people do every day in Microsoft Office and other business applications, and we think there's just a tremendous, tremendous opportunity in doing both of those things," Ballmer said.

Microsoft seems to be approaching the acquisition with the right attitude of learning from Yammer's success and not interfering with its team and its development process, Cannell said. It's key for Yammer to be able to continue innovating in this space, he said.

Rob Koplowitz, a Forrester Research analyst, said Microsoft is choosing the best option for integrating Yammer into its business: Yammer is retaining a lot of independence, it will be part of the Office division and its cloud-based model will be supported.

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Reports: Windows Phone 8 will switch to desktop kernel

Windows Phone 8 will move from its current Windows CE kernel to the same Windows NT core that Microsoft employs on the desktop, according to two separate reports. The revamped smartphone operating system will reportedly gain four screen resolutions, microSD support, NFC (near field communication), and more -- but will apparently still run apps written for Windows Phone 7.
Windows Phone 8 will support multicore processors and native BitLocker encryption, and integrate in many ways with the upcoming Windows 8.

Those are just a few of the features mentioned in a Pocketnow.com report Feb. 2, many of which were subsequently confirmed by Paul Thurrott in a same-day posting on his Supersite for Windows. Pocketnow claimed its information came from a Microsoft-produced video meant for Nokia executives and hosted by Windows Phone manager Joe Belfiore.

Microsoft's Joe Belfiore, said to have provided Windows Phone 8 details
Source: Pocketnow.com

Pocketnow didn't post the video, though it did offer the still image reproduced above to bolster its story. Author Evan Blass paraphrases Belfiore as saying that Windows Phone 8 will "use many of the same components of Windows 8" and that areas of heavy overlap include "kernel, networking stacks, security and multimedia support." Developers will apparently have the ability to reuse massive chunks of code when "porting an app from desktop to phone."

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In his own posting, Thurrott suggested that Windows Phone 8 "will be based on the Windows 8 kernel and not on Windows CE as are current versions." Nonetheless, applications developed for Windows Phone Mango (the current version) will apparently continue to play well on the upgraded platform.

According to both sources, Windows Phone 8 will include the same 128-bit, full-disk BitLocker encryption that currently runs on Windows -- the better to appeal to businesses possibly looking for an alternative platform to Research In Motion's BlackBerry, Apple's iOS or Google Android. A "Data Smart" feature will give WiFi hotspots priority over using the smartphone's cellular connection, in turn reducing data usage.

Thurott noted a Skype application, SkyDrive integration, secure payments via near-field communication (NFC), camera improvements and Internet Explorer 10 Mobile as other additions.

Will it help?

Microsoft has launched a renewed push for Windows Phone, centered on the Mango software update and new devices from Nokia and other manufacturers. As a platform, it has so far struggled for adoption in the broader smartphone marketplace, trailing Google, Apple and RIM.

Data from research firm Nielsen suggests that Microsoft owned 7.3 percent of the U.S. smartphone market in the third quarter of 2011, down from nine percent earlier in the year; much of that decline was due to users abandoning the antiquated Windows Mobile platform, something that Microsoft executives say they anticipated.

While Microsoft regularly declines to provide Windows Phone sales figures, CEO Steve Ballmer described the platform's market share as "very small" during a July 11 keynote speech at the company's Worldwide Partner Conference. Could Windows Phone 8's features help change that?

Why Microsoft should make its own tablets (and phones and PCs)

It looks like Microsoft plans to build and sell its own tablets, competing with its own partners. Great idea!

Computerworld - The All Things D site reported this week that Microsoft on Monday intends to announce its entry into the tablet hardware business.

While Microsoft does make hardware -- mice, keyboards, Xbox, Kinect, Zune, Surface and other products -- it has not yet made desktop PCs, laptops or tablets, opting instead to embrace a partner strategy of third-party OEM manufacturing.

Pundits will no doubt say that Microsoft has a case of Apple envy and suggest that the company is finally embracing the highly successful "Apple model," in which the operating system maker also makes its own hardware.

In fact, Microsoft's announcement will be more in line with the "Google model."

The Google model is to have it both ways -- making hardware, but also licensing your OS to hardware partners who make products of their own. Google partners with OEMs for smartphone handset and tablet hardware. But it also acquired Motorola, which makes Android hardware.

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The Motorola acquisition isn't Google's first foray into hardware sales and direct competition with hardware vendors. Google launched its Nexus One smartphone handset in early 2010. Although that phone was technically manufactured by one of Google's partners, HTC, it was sold by Google and branded as a Google phone. As it turned out, Google didn't like the support part of the hardware business and decided to exit that line of work for a while, but it had let its partners know that it was willing to compete with them.

Traditionally, the assumption has been that you must either partner with hardware companies to manufacture systems for your operating system (the Microsoft model) or not allow other companies to make hardware for your platform (the Apple model).

A hybrid approach has been considered suicidal because competing with your partners puts you in a gray area where you have hardware competition and fragmentation, but you also have a smaller number of partners who are also less committed and more distrusting.

But times are changing.

Microsoft's application of the Microsoft model to mobile hasn't worked out. A big partnership with Nokia has been a flop. The software vendor has fared badly in the mobile market, far outpaced by Apple, which uses the Apple model, and Google, which uses the Google model.

When Google announced its bid to acquire Motorola -- effectively declaring its intention to compete with its hardware partners -- many pundits predicted disaster for the company. But the disaster never happened. Google is getting away with it. Android OEMs are continuing to churn out more innovative and exciting hardware, and they don't seem vexed by the prospect of competing with the company that makes the operating system they use.

Instead of the worst of both worlds, Google appears to be enjoying the best of both worlds, gaining the benefits of a hardware company (control and patents), while also gaining the benefits of an operating system company that partners with hardware OEMs (a thriving ecosystem, broad innovation and market choice).

Apparently, Microsoft wants the same thing. And why not? Microsoft has succeeded with a variation of the Google model in some areas. The company's mice and keyboards, for example, have sold well, even though third-party hardware makers have offered similar products for the larger Windows PC marketplace. Admittedly, it's a little different because we're talking about peripheral devices that don't run Microsoft operating systems directly. But still.

Microsoft has also succeeded with the Apple model. For example, one of Microsoft's most successful products is the Xbox gaming console. In that case, Microsoft sells the operating system and the hardware, and it even created and runs the associated Xbox Live online service. Like Apple, Microsoft goes it alone, not seeking partnerships with third-party manufacturers to make competing Xbox hardware systems.

And, of course, Microsoft succeeds with the Microsoft model. Microsoft Windows can't be described as anything but a major business success story. The model is to make the operating system software and rely entirely on partners for PC hardware.

But that's the past. The future looks less rosy for Microsoft Windows and the Microsoft model.
Why the Microsoft model won't work in the future

There are two reasons why Microsoft needs to move to the Google model for all of its product lines.

First, the world is becoming increasingly mobile. The so-called PC market is simultaneously becoming more mobile (more laptops, fewer desktops) and increasingly obsolete. Apple's post-PC world is clearly the future of all computing. That's why Windows 8 is so heavily optimized for tablets and touch.

The Microsoft model worked great for the old-and-busted desktop PC world, but it doesn't work so well for the new-hotness mobile and touch-tablet world. With computing "appliances," seamless integration is the highest virtue.

The world has changed, and the model that works is also changing.

Second, Microsoft can't rely on its OEM partners anymore. If you go to, say, BestBuy, to shop for a low-cost laptop, as I did recently, it's clear that Microsoft Windows systems on the low end (sub $1,000) are garbage.

These devices are bloated with crapware (cheap software loaded on the systems by OEMs as part of negotiated deals that offset price discounts), covered with ugly, sloppily applied stickers, and made from flimsy, cheap-feeling materials like plastic or wobbly metal. They look like junk.

The Apple table at BestBuy is 10 feet away, and for $1,000 you can buy a MacBook Air with zero crapware, no stickers and the highest quality materials (unibody aluminum). Their screens look far better, and their performance is shockingly superior. They're displayed in an appealing and uniform way, with Internet running and everything ready to go and available to try (I spent 20 minutes trying to escape from a Dell system's "demo mode" so I could try the machine out myself. I eventually gave up.)

Nobody washes a rented car. Likewise, discount PC OEMs don't treat Windows machines with love and respect, as Apple does with Apple machines.

Higher-end Windows PCs offer a better experience than the low end models, but the cheap systems are destroying the Microsoft brand in the minds of consumers.

That's why Microsoft has launched its own retail stores. Microsoft is willing to invest in retail stores as a way to gain some control over its brand image. But that's not enough.

Microsoft needs to create its own premium, high-quality desktops, laptops, tablets and phones for the same reason that automakers like to have high-end car models in their lineups. The upscale models create a "halo effect" for the brand -- an aura that extends to even the cheapest vehicles.

It's a new world. Rather than viewing Microsoft as a competitor, Microsoft's OEM partners should and, I believe, will welcome Microsoft's participation in the hardware end of the business, because the company can create a halo effect that extends to the entire platform and benefits everyone. Nobody in the Windows world would benefit from an Apple takeover of the market.

There is absolutely no way Windows can compete as a tablet operating system against Apple's iOS -- unless Microsoft takes direct control by making its own integrated tablets, as Apple does with the iPad. And even then, it's a long shot.

In general, though, Microsoft appears to be waking up to the new reality. That reality is that nobody except Apple can succeed with the Apple model. And the Microsoft model is yesterday's news.

That leaves the Google model as Microsoft's one hope for success in the post-PC world.

70-664 Q&A / Study Guide / Testing Engine / Videos

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QUESTION 1
You work as a Network Administrator at Certkingdom.com. You have been asked to deploy Lync Server
2010 as a VOIP telephony and video conferencing solution for the company.
Company management is concerned about the possible network load imposed by the VoIP and
video conferencing features of Lync Server 2010.
To manage the network bandwidth used by the system, you configure Call Admission Control.
How can you enable the Call Admission Control feature?

A. By running the Set-CsNetworkInterSitePolicy cmdlet.
B. By running the Set-CsNetworkConfiguration cmdlet.
C. By running the Set-CsCpsConfiguration cmdlet.
D. By running the Set-CsVoiceConfiguration cmdlet.

Answer: B

Explanation:

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QUESTION 2
You work as a Network Administrator at Certkingdom.com. The company’s communication system is
provided by a Lync Server 2010 infrastructure.
You have configured a bandwidth policy to limit the network bandwidth used by real-time audio
and video sessions.
You want to override the policy for the Managing Director of the company.
What type of policy should you create first to enable you to override the bandwidth policy for the
Managing Director?

A. You should first create a Conferencing Policy.
B. You should first create a Client Version Policy.
C. You should first create a Voice Policy.
D. You should first create an External Access Policy.

Answer: C

Explanation:

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QUESTION 3
You work as a Network Administrator at Certkingdom.com. You are configuring a new Lync Server 2010 infrastructure.
You want the company phone number to be displayed in the format +11112222333 when users on
the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) receive calls from users using the Lync Server
system.
Which cmdlet should you run?

A. You should run the Set-CsVoiceConfiguration cmdlet.
B. You should run the Set-CsNetworkInterSitePolicy cmdlet.
C. You should run the Set-CsVoicePolicy cmdlet.
D. You should run the Set-CsLocationPolicy cmdlet.

Answer: C

Explanation:

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QUESTION 4
Your work as a Network Administrator at Certkingdom.com includes the management of the Lync Server
2010 infrastructure.
The Lync Server 2010 infrastructure includes a Mediation Server pool that includes three servers
named Certkingdom-Med1, Certkingdom-Med2 and Certkingdom-Med3.
You need to take Certkingdom-Med3 offline for maintenance.
Which two of the following steps should you perform to allow you to take Certkingdom-Med3 offline without
disconnecting any current calls in progress?

A. Navigate to the Lync Server 2010 Topology Builder.
B. Navigate to the Lync Server 2010 Control Panel.
C. Modify the properties of the Mediation Pool.
D. Modify the properties of Certkingdom-Med3.
E. Create a new Mediation Pool.

Answer: B,D

Explanation:

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QUESTION 5
You work as a Network Administrator at Certkingdom.com. You are in the process of deploying a Lync
Server 2010 infrastructure for the company.
You have configured dial-in conferencing and verified that it is functioning properly.
You now want to notify users about the availability of the feature. The notification should include
introductory instructions such as the initial PIN and the link to the Dial-in Conferencing Settings
webpage.
What is the easiest way to send the notification with the required information to the users?

A. Open the Lync Management Shell and run the New-CsAnnouncement cmdlet.
B. Open the Lync Management Shell and run the Set-CsPinSendCAWelcomeMail cmdlet.
C. Open the Lync Management Shell and run the New-CsConferenceDirectory cmdlet.
D. Open the Lync Management Shell and run the New-CsConferencingConfiguration cmdlet.

Answer: B

Explanation:

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What is the recertification policy for the MCITP certification?

What is the recertification policy for the MCITP certification?

Where as the old Microsoft exams would expire if you did not sit a “refresh” exam within three years, the MCITP does not expire on the same policy. The new MCITP credential only expires when Microsoft ends their mainstream support of that particular technology. For instance, if you get certified as a MCITP:Server Administrator in Windows Server 2008, your certification will remain valid until Microsoft stops mainstream support for Server 2008, which is planned for 2013. In saying that, just because the MCITP credential expires, it does not mean it is worthless, it still reflects your level of knowledge with that technology, which most likely has a large over-lap with the new technology.

MCITP Certification
The MCITP Certification is Microsoft’s new industry standard of IT qualification. This new IT certification makes it easier for IT professionals to gain internationally recognised certifications that display their technical knowledge and skills. The MCITP Certification has a more targeted syllabus framework which makes getting certified a much simpler process versus the old MCP system.

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Each MCITP Certification specialization is made up of a number of targeted MCTS exams and a final MCITP exam which brings all your knowledge and skills together resulting in a professional level certification. For instance, to get certified as a MCITP Server Administrator, you must pass two MCTS Exams – 70-640 and 70-642 and also pass one MCITP Exam – 70-646.

How to gain a MCITP Certification
Candidates after a MCITP Certification will generally already have a few years experience with Microsoft Server operating systems. They will then build on their knowledge and skills by enrolling in a training course or if going down the self-study route, buy a few study guides and books. Time to study for a MCITP Certification will vary in length depending on which specialization you are aiming for and how much time you have on your hands.

When the candidate feels adequately ready, they will sit each exam at a MCITP Testing Centre. Exams can be taken in any order, but generally you attain passes in all MCTS Exams then sit the final MCITP Exam. You will receive a MCITP Certificate in the mail after each certification you gain.

MCITP Certification Lifecycle Policy
The new generation of MCITP certifications have a new lifecycle compared to the old certifications.

MCTS Certifications will stay valid until Microsoft discontinues mainstream support for the related technology
MCITP Certification will require renewing every three years or the certification will lapse.

If you are eager to get certified, first look at purchasing some MCITP books or enrolling in one of many MCITP Training courses. To find out more about each specialization follow the links below.

Windows Client
MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Support Technician on Windows 7
MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Administrator on Windows 7
MCITP: Consumer Support Technician on Windows Vista
MCITP: Enterprise Support Technician on Windows Vista

Windows Server
MCITP: Enterprise Administrator on Windows Server 2008
MCITP: Server Administrator on Windows Server 2008
MCITP: Virtualization Administrator on Windows Server 2008 R2

Microsoft SQL Server
MCITP: Database Administrator 2008
MCITP: Database Developer 2008
MCITP: Business Intelligence Developer 2008

Microsoft Office Project Server
MCITP: Enterprise Project Management with Microsoft Office Project Server 2007

Microsoft Exchange Server
MCITP: Enterprise Messaging Administrator on Exchange 2010
MCITP: Enterprise Messaging Administrator on Exchange 2007

Microsoft SharePoint Server

MCITP: SharePoint Administrator 2010

Microsoft Lync Server

MCITP: Lync Server Administrator 2010

OpenFlow and Cisco OPEN's feedback loop

The northbound SDN interface may limit OpenFlow's role and thwart commoditization

During its SDN conference call this week with Morgan Stanley and other participants, Cisco officials talked often about how a "feedback loop" is vital in its vision of a programmable network. This feedback loop would provide analytical data on users, sessions and applications gathered from the network to define policies and orchestration routines to be programmed back into the network.

The feedback loop is integral to Cisco's SDN architecture - the Open Programmable Environment for Networking, or Cisco OPEN. With a southbound interface, policy, orchestration, operational support and billing support applications tell the network what to do; but a northbound interface takes intelligence from the network to share with those applications so the applications themselves can make intelligent programming decisions based on that network intelligence.

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RELATED: Cisco software defined-networking products on tap in June
The northbound interface might be the key to Cisco's SDN strategy, as Brad Casemore points out here. OpenFlow is more of a southbound interface that directs switches from a centralized controller. The Open Networking Foundation, of which Cisco is an active participant, is looking to ruggedize and standardize OpenFlow as much as possible for this task.

RELATED: OpenFlow, Software-Defined Networking and the Enterprise WAN
But Cisco doesn't want its switches to be dumb servants to a one-way southbound SDN interface, be it OpenFlow or any other. Cisco prides itself on building intelligent networks. It invests billions in custom ASICs and software to build up and maintain intelligence in its hardware, and it makes many more billions back from its 70% share in switching, 80% share in enterprise routing and nearly 60% share in service provider routing. This is the value that Cisco refers to when it says, as it did this week in the Morgan Stanley call, that SDNs should harness the entire value of the underlying network.

This is why Cisco is proposing Cisco OPEN, which is intended to open up the network with APIs at layers other than just the data and control plane, which is where the popular OpenFlow protocol is targeted. Cisco may cede the southbound data/control plane interface to OpenFlow; but all other interfaces at all other layers in Cisco OPEN are likely to be Cisco, including the northbound one that collects network analytics and delivers it to the control applications and creates the feedback loop -- or to Cisco, the value of SDN.

Cisco said during the Morgan Stanley call that SDNs and OpenFlow will not commoditize its hardware. Hardware will only be commoditized when value is not created. OpenFlow in and of itself does not create value for Cisco, even though IDC says OpenFlow hardware, software and services will be a $2 billion market by 2016. But OpenFlow within the context of Cisco OPEN does create value for Cisco.

Rather than commanding - controlling -- the SDN army, OpenFlow becomes just another foot soldier with a specific role in the lower ranks of the Cisco OPEN feedback loop.

Most OpenOffice users run Windows

However, Apache's download stats might not tell the whole story

Nearly 9 out of 10 downloads of the new version of OpenOffice have been for Windows machines, rather than Linux, according to recently released statistics from Apache.

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Of the first 1,000,663 Sourceforge downloads of OpenOffice 3.4, 87% were Windows users, 11% were running Mac OS, and just 2% were on Linux, the team said.

A Reddit discussion, however, highlighted that these statistics could be misleading, due mostly to the fact that Linux users tend not to simply download programs from the Internet.

"Even before it was forked, how many Linux users were going to download it direct from openoffice.org instead of getting it direct from the software repository for their distribution of choice?" asked user houseofzeus.

That said, many others argued that the success of LibreOffice -- a relatively recent fork of OpenOffice -- has undercut the older product's market share across operating systems.

"The LibreOffice fork is MUCH more popular in the Linux community. I prefer it to OpenOffice.org anyways due to various improvements," wrote aliendude5300. LibreOffice's shorter load times were widely cited as the central advantage.

OpenOffice's lack of recent success, argues a recent Unixmen article, is partially due to the folding of the Oracle team that largely fueled the development of the office suite. Since OpenOffice was handed over to Apache, that organization has attempted to compete directly with the successful fork -- and, according to most, has made little headway.

For its part, Apache stated in March that it has had to spend a great deal of time migrating infrastructure over from Oracle and rework "copylefted" components to ensure that they comply with Apache's licensing policy.

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Ethernet switching gets specialized

Dell'Oro Group says Ethernet growth will be spurred by data center, other specific requirements

Growth in the Ethernet switch market is now being driven by specialized devices for specific applications, rather than evenly across all customer deployments.

These are the findings of market researcher Dell'Oro Group, which noted that growth in the market from 2003 to 2008 was across all segments -- low-end unmanaged switches, mid-range fixed PoE devices and high-end modular systems. The market nearly doubled in that time period, from $10.7 billion to $18.5 billion.

But since the market recovered in 2010 from the recession of 2008-2009, it shifted toward a single segment of customer deployment: the data center.

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"We believe this shift to be a fundamental transition and we predict that products deployed in the data center will be the growth engine of the Ethernet switch market over the next few years," Dell'Oro said in a statement. "We see intelligence moving back from the edge and into the data center core for easier management particularly as enterprises virtualize and outsource to the cloud."

The shift has significant ramifications for Ethernet switching vendors, Dell'Oro asserts. With the migration in the data center toward 10 Gigabit Ethernet for server access, vendors are coming out with unique products optimized for those, and other specific deployments.

Vendor market shares will be affected by these disparate requirements, and many will be forced to specialize in only certain deployment locations or partner with other vendors to offer customers complete Ethernet switching portfolios, Dell'Oro says.

"Manufacturers can no longer develop a switch for one customer deployment location and modify it into a second location and expect success," the firm states.

And vendors that currently have more exposure in the data center will likely increase their Ethernet switch market share as the overall market becomes more data center focused, Dell'Oro notes.

The Layer 2/3 data center switching market grew just under 6% from 2010 to 2011, to $6.6 billion, according to Dell'Oro. The top three vendors were Cisco, HP and Dell.

The entire Layer 2/3 Ethernet switch market was $19.8 billion in 2011, essentially flat with 2010 but up 31% from 2009, according to Dell'Oro.