How important is CompTIA Certification

The need to advance or improve one’s credentials has become an import factor in this growing world. To beat the competition one should do the certifications and be a step ahead from others. There are many certifications, based on the expertise you have in, you can choose the one most relevant. Out of many one is CompTIA, doing which you not only gets the recognition but also the growth you would want. CompTIA is one of the most valued certifications as it covers a variety of fields like computer networking, IT security, Linux programming etc.

One way to be ahead of others, in a growing world of competitive job market the need to advance or improve one’s credentials cannot be ignored. For the beginners of the IT field CompTIA A+ is the most recommended of all as it makes you perfect as a computer technician. Topics covered under A+ are as installation, preventative maintenance, networking, security and troubleshooting. The exam is internationally accepted and relevant, also it is vendor neutral. Many employers see it as the proof of your ability to work with computers. No wonder, experts call A+ certification as a step in the right direction to more advanced CompTIA certification.

Once you are done with CompTIA A+ certification, you would look out for the next level i.e. CompTIA Network+ which is even more important than the CompTIA A+ certification. This certification makes you efficient in running, maintaining, troubleshooting, installing, and configuring computer network infrastructures. Companies which have large number of computer networks, connecting many employees, this certification is for them. There is high demand for IT networking professionals, so getting your CompTIA Network+ certification is a good next step after you complete your A+ certification.

CompTIA A+ is the basic of all the certifications provided by CompTIA. Another important CompTIA certification is CompTIA Network+. This certification tests your proficiency in maintaining, running, troubleshooting, installing, and configuring computer network infrastructures. This is majorly in need in companies where hundreds of employees get connected to the network. After you complete your A+ certification, it’s always suggested to get CompTIA network+ certification too as it is in huge demand

There are many more certification offered by CompTIA, based on your interest and passion, you can choose the one which is more relevant for your career growth.

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Windows through the ages

 Twenty-five years later, we look back at Microsoft's popular operating system.

A Brief History of Windows
In 1985, Microsoft released version 1.0 of the graphical desktop operating system known as Windows. Over the next 25 years, the industry would see over 16 significant versions of the now-ubiquitous OS. In honor of this anniversary, let's take a look back at Windows' major revisions through the ages.

Special thanks to GUIdebook and GUI Gallery for help with the screenshots.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on November 16, 2010, but was updated by Brad Chacos on August 24, 2015 to include Windows 8, 8.1, and 10.

Windows 1.01 (1985)
The first version of Windows was a primitive affair. To avoid legal issues with the Mac OS, Microsoft had to ensure that application windows did not overlap and that there was no trash can to be seen. However, Windows 1.x did include a taskbar across the bottom of the screen.

Windows 2.0 (1987)
Windows 2.0 introduced overlapping windows and slightly improved graphics, while nixing the taskbar of its predecessor. It included a suite of familiar, simple applications (Paint, Terminal, Clock) and a file manager called MS-DOS Executive. Soon after its release, Microsoft ported Word and Excel to Windows for the first time.

Windows 3.0 (1990)
Windows 3.0 introduced a host of new features: Program Manager, Solitaire, support for VGA and virtual memory, and a new "3D" look. Third-party support was stronger than ever, which (when combined with the new features) made Windows 3.0 the first widely used Windows release.

Windows 3.1 (1992)
Windows 3.1 improved significantly upon its predecessor with the inclusion of scalable TrueType fonts, turning Windows into a serious platform for desktop publishing. This version also improved drag-and-drop functionality and OLE (Object Linking and Embedding), and it introduced multimedia support for the first time. And then there's Minesweeper...

Windows for Workgroups 3.1 (1992)
This version of Windows took the standard Windows 3.1 base and added native networking support--especially for LANs, which were gaining popularity in businesses at the time. It included relatively sophisticated networking tools along with the usual complement of simple Windows applications.

Windows NT 3.1 (1993)
Windows NT sprang forth from work on OS/2. It represented an entirely new 32-bit OS (previous Windows editions were graphical shells for MS-DOS) that targeted high-end workstation and server applications. Its first version sported a look and feel similar to that of Windows 3.1, but its underpinnings were completely original.

Windows 95 (1995)
Microsoft continued development of its DOS-based consumer OS line with Windows 95, which didn't require a separate DOS install. It introduced the now famous taskbar and Start menu, along with dozens of other improvements that garnered strong sales and cemented Microsoft's domination of the desktop-OS marketplace.

Windows NT 4.0 (1996)
Windows NT 4.0 integrated Windows 95-like interface improvements with the very stable Windows NT kernel, further advancing the NT line to a point where it became Microsoft's most popular business release for the next few years.

Windows CE 1.0 (1996)
Here we're taking a slight detour from our survey of desktop Windows versions to consider the first pocket version, Windows CE. This completely independent OS appeared alongside the advent of a new generation of handheld computers in the mid- to late 1990s, and it lives on as part of Windows Mobile today.

Windows 98 (1998)
Microsoft’s Windows 98 made the Internet Explorer Web browser an inextricable part of Windows, allowing Web pages to render in Explorer windows or on the desktop. It also added the quick launch toolbar and native USB support, among other features. It proved to be a popular (albeit unstable) OS.

Windows 2000 (2000)
As a member of the NT line, Windows 2000 added Windows 98's Web integration to a stable, relatively secure OS designed for workstation and server environments. It also eliminated the need for many reboots when people installed software or changed system settings. It saw heavy use as a desktop OS.

Windows ME (2000)
As the last gasp of MS-DOS-based Windows, this long-in-the-tooth, highly unstable release was reviled by users and critics alike. Windows ME emphasized multimedia and user-friendliness above all, but reality veered far from Microsoft's intentions and proved how badly we needed XP.

Windows XP (2001)
At long last, Windows XP integrated Microsoft's stable and mature NT OS line with its 9x line of consumer OSs. The result was the company's most popular operating system to date--a release that provided a colorful new interface and security enhancements while retaining backward compatibility with previous versions of Windows.

Windows Server 2003 (2003)
Windows Server 2003 continued the tradition of NT-based server OSs while including interface improvements that had arrived with Windows XP two years earlier.

Windows Vista (2007)
By 2007, Microsoft was feeling the heat from Mac OS X, which made Windows XP look two decades out of date. The folks in Redmond answered with a new OS dubbed Windows Vista, cloaked in the flashy, translucent Aero interface and sporting larger icons, Gadgets, and a new Start menu. Critics weren't impressed.

Windows Server 2008 (2008)
Windows Server 2008 was essentially the server version of Windows Vista--minus the dizzyingly flashy Aero environment. Microsoft had long since learned that fancy, colorful graphics didn't go over well in business circles.

Windows 7 (2009)
With Microsoft getting a shellacking in the press for the Vista debacle, the OS giant rushed a successor to market that addressed many of Vista's problems. The result was Windows 7, which gained critical praise and renewed Windows' viability in the face of threats from both mobile platforms and Apple.

Windows 8 (2012)
Then there was Windows 8, which was nothing short of an epic flop after the stunning success of Windows 7. Windows ditched the Start menu in favor of a full-screen “Start screen” glittering with shifting Live Tiles tied to Windows apps—a new sort of software, delivered through the Windows Store, that consumed your entire screen and didn’t play nice with traditional desktop software. Many core settings were hidden behind invisible “hot corners,” and the Live Tile and desktop portions of the operating system had entirely separate settings in entirely separate areas.

The desktop-to-app dichotomy was jarring at best, and frustrating at worst. Despite Windows 8’s impressive under-the-hood tweaks and convenient cloud features, PCWorld officially recommended that happy Windows 7 users stick with Windows 7.

Windows 8.1 (2014)
Windows 8.1 wasn’t a full-fledged new release, but this free update smoothed over many of Windows 8’s most egregious sins. Users could opt to boot to the desktop rather than the Start screen, and the Start button made its return—though not the Start menu; clicking the Start button merely dropped you onto the Start screen. Microsoft also introduced helpful new tutorials with Windows 8.1 to help users become accustomed to the radical new Windows 8 experience.

Windows 10 (2015)
Finally, an operating system that Windows 7 users can happily upgrade to.

Windows 10 simultaneously re-embraced the desktop experience (by shoving Windows apps into desktop Windows, bringing the Start menu back, and introducing virtual desktop support) and pushed Windows into the future by embracing an “operating system as a service” ethos. Rather than being a mostly stationary release destined to be replaced by a major upgrade three years from now, Microsoft plans to constantly update Windows 10 with new features and services.

Windows 10 is easily one of the best operating systems Microsoft has ever released, and it’s stuffed with all sorts of new features and productivity-enhancing tricks.

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VMware rounds out data center virtualization stack

VMware has added more components to its software-defined data center, updating vCloud, NSX and its OpenStack distribution

VMware has updated its stack of data center virtualization software, rounding out capabilities that allow an organization to run an entire data center operation and related cloud services as a single unified entity.

Among the new additions are components to the vCloud Air suite of software for running cloud services. The company has expanded its network virtualization software to provide more ways of moving a workload across a data center. And it has also released a new version of its OpenStack distribution for running cloud workloads.

VMware's vCloud Air is the company's answer to the success of cloud service providers such as Amazon Web Services. The software lets organizations run their own IT operations as a set of cloud services. It also provides a unified base for multiple cloud service providers to offer vCloud services that interoperate with each other as well as with customer's internal vCloud deployments.

The VMware vCloud Air now has a number of new options for storing data, such as vCloud Air Object Storage for storing unstructured data. It features built-in redundancy, eliminating the need to make backups. The data can be accessed from anywhere in the globe as well.

The company also has a new database-as-a-service, called vCloud Air SQL, which provides the ability to store relational data on a pay-as-you-go model. Initially, vCloud Air SQL will be compatible with Microsoft SQL Server, but plans are to make it compatible with other relational databases.

The company has updated its VMware vCloud Air Disaster Recovery Services, which provide a way to ensure that operations continue even if the enterprise's data center goes offline. It now has a new management console for testing, executing and orchestrating disaster recovery plans.

VMware also updated its software for virtualizing network operations. VMware NSX 6.2 allows a virtual machine to be copied across a single data center, or even two different data centers, while retaining its networking and security settings.

NSX 6.2 now can recognize switches through the Open vSwitch Database (OVSDB) protocol, providing new ways for the users of such switches to segment their physical servers into smaller working groups. VMware NSX 6.2 also has a new central command line interface and a set of troubleshooting capabilities, called TraceFlow.

VMware says NSX is now being used by more than 700 customers, with over 100 cases being used in production deployments.

VMware vRealize Operations, which provides a single interface to watch the operational health of applications running on VMware, has been updated to include capabilities to find the best set of resources within a data center to place a workload. It also does rebalancing to move workloads around for most efficient use of data center resources.

Also on the management side, the company has updated its logging software, which is now capable of ingesting 15,000 messages per second. The software also now offers new ways to chart and search through operational data.

The newly released VMware Integrated OpenStack 2 is based on the latest release of the open source OpenStack software, which was codenamed Kilo and released in April. The new release has a load-balancing feature as well as the ability to automatically scale up workloads should they require more resources.

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