Android Easily Holds Top Smartphone Spot

Tuesday, 1 February, 2011

Android, the operating system by Google, accounted for 33.3 million of the 101.2 million smartphones shipped worldwide in the fourth quarter 2010, based on reporting from Canalys.

Where is the iOS? Running up well behind with 16.2 million phones shipping in the same timeframe.  That represents a 16 percent market share to Android’s 32.9 percent.  Research in Motion (producer of the Blackberry) came in just behind iOS with 14.6 million units for 14.4 percent market share.

Adding Verizon as a carrier is expected to let the iPhone catch up extensively to Android’s position in 2011, but the battle of the smartphones is only heating up with the addition of features such as 3D displays, dual-core processing and near field communications chips.

Continued sharp sales with no end in sight for both platforms represent a continually expanding environment for job growth in mobile application development.  GogoTraining’s mobile application development training courses for Android are releasing this February and updates to existing iPhone programming course to follow soon after.

Google Looking for Android Developers

Monday, 31 January, 2011

Google is looking to take a bigger bite out of the downloadable app market, according to the Wall Street Journal.  The market generated by the popularity of their Android platform is significant enough to warrant their decision to hire more developers to create in-house apps that can be sold.  In-house apps created by Google gather 100% of the revenue for the search giant, rather than the 30% share they receive for third-party apps.

Google’s mobile aspiration is just another example of a rapidly opening job market for mobile developers in both Android and iOS platforms.

Interested in Android programming? Coming in February:

Introduction to Android Programming

Advanced Android Programming

2011 Priority for CIOs: Cloud Computing

Friday, 28 January, 2011

According to a study published January 21 by Gartner, Cloud Computing is the top technology priority for CIOs in 2011.

Roughly 43% of the 2,014 CIOs surveyed for the study indicated they expect transactions with their company to occur over cloud-based platforms, bearing significant implications for things such as networking, security and data management.

The second highest priority was virtualization and third was mobile applications.  CIOs continue to focus on alleviating cost and time burden from IT infrastructure maintenance and are especially conscience about producing reductions due to the economy.

GogoTraining has what you need to start getting involved in Cloud Computing!

Cloud Computing Jobs See a Surge with Amazon

Wednesday, 26 January, 2011

Amazon has been moving itself into position to be a leading cloud and storage provider through Amazon Web Services. They recently posted a great many more jobs on technology job sites such as Dice.com.

Particular skills being sought include software engineering in Java or Ruby. Also those with strong networking protocol knowledge such as iSCSI, NFS v3/v4, CIFS or SMB. Developers and designers with knowledge and background around these technologies are sure to do well with Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), Simple Storage Service (S3) and Web Services divisions.

As usual, with an enterprise as large as Amazon investing heavily in a leading-edge technology field, project managers with experience and PMP certification will also be in need.

GogoTraining has what you need to dive right in to these great Cloud Computing jobs!

4 Reasons Why Tablet Use – and the Need for Mobile App Developers – Will Rise in 2011

Monday, 24 January, 2011

According to Deloitte, more than 25% of all tablets sold in 2011 will be purchased by enterprises and that figure is expected to rise in the following several years.  Four factors are cited as being responsible for enterprise adoption.

1. Consumer cross-over: As consumers continue to purchase and use tablet devices they inevitably discover their usefulness in the context of work such as email, network access and so on.

2. Tablet-Friendly Industry Adoption: Industries that lend themselves to tablet use in the context of their day-to-day operations will mean a strong uptake of the device into their workforce.  This includes verticals such as retail, manufacturing and healthcare.

3. Ideal Form Welcome at C-Level: Where laptops and smartphones create an actual physical block between the user and someone else, tablets lie flat on a table and can be used without interfering in that critical personal space – something noticed by executives.

4. Enterprise Software Providers Already Responding: The big names in ECM, CRM, ERP and other enterprise applications are already addressing requests by Fortune 500 customers asking for software and interface upgrades that enable tablets in the workplace.

What does all of this (particularly number four) mean for mobile application development?  More jobs! With such a mass scale adoption already started, development of apps for tablets – including integration with existing enterprise applications – is set to see a strong growth curve through 2011 and 2012, and likely longer.

Interested in Android programming? Coming in February:

Introduction to Android Programming

Advanced Android Programming

Trained, Certified Staff on Security Manager’s Wish List

Friday, 21 January, 2011

There have been many reflections on the breaches in security that came out of 2010.  Continued growth in Internet usage powered by hot technologies like social media, smartphones, tablets and cloud computing present significant implications for security.

A.N. Ananth, CEO of Prism Microsystems, offered some insight on a security manager’s wish list for 2011 based on recent developments.  Toward the top end?  Trained, certified security experts on staff.

“Every CISO feels understaffed for the challenges at hand,” writes Ananth.  “Most organizations have already made investments in security tools – but having a trained staff that knows how to use them for maximum effectiveness is as important as having those tools.”

GogoTraining offers training courses for two of the most sought-after security certifications, including:

CompTIA Security+ certification training courses

CISSP® certification training courses

Why Businesses Need ITIL Certified Professionals

Tuesday, 18 January, 2011

The business community has always thrived on service.  The fundamental best practice of serving customers has always been a necessary ingredient to long-term success and a sustainable business model.  You simply can’t expect to have staying power – whether you’re serving retail or business customers – and fail to think about their needs (and respond to them!). 

As information technology has grown in prominence among business users, many of us became caught in a technology trap where the tech took center stage and it was up to customers to conform.  The result has often been problems with cost, efficiency and consistency as technology is adopted due to a less-than-whole perspective on who will use it and why.

Back in the 1980’s, the proliferation of information technology across different departments in the United Kingdom government was occurring at a pace that left things like consistency, relevance, applicability and utility behind.  It sounds strange because these are just the sorts of things information technology is supposed to support or even introduce into an environment.  But rapid adoption by multiple points within the same entity (e.g. the UK government) makes for a lack of continuity and a resulting jumble of confused and colliding implementations.

Enter ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library), a set of standards first envisioned in the late 1980’s by the Central Computer Telecommunications Agency (a division of the UK government).  This blossomed over the years into many volumes of publications covering best practices for IT management, application and service.  The focus remained on Service Management; specifically, a perspective on IT management that is centered on the customer’s perspective of IT.

This customer-centered approach represents a major competitive opportunity for businesses in 2011 and beyond.  Due to several years of difficult economic conditions the corporate lens is focused on finding ways to save costs and create efficiency, and ITIL certainly offers both of these advantages.

Those with ITIL certification have an opportunity to stand out in this economy.  Being able to bring this sort of perspective is a difference maker for those already employed or seeking a new position.  Companies large and small are looking for an edge and the user-focused best practices of ITIL make a strong business case for accomplishing real savings in any and all IT investments moving forward.  Businesses are already well-educated on the importance of this after several decades of technology deployments with very mixed results.

If you are currently employed and in the position to manage IT services, consider obtaining ITIL certification training that will enable you to get certified.  By making a case for efficiency and cost control you may be able to get your employer to pay for it.  If you are unemployed and looking to secure a new position that includes IT service management then ITIL certification could be a way to distinguish yourself.
 
Employed or not, taking a page from the ITIL philosophy on IT management and singing the tune of customer-focused service is sure to be one that resonates with today’s top employers.

Critical Deadline for Internet Protocol: Are You Ready?

Monday, 17 January, 2011

Can you imagine your city running out of addresses?  Imagine building a new home or office but having no way to tell anyone how to find it.  Imagine this happening only a year from now and you have little time to ramp up on the solution.

It’s not imaginary.  This is exactly what is happening with the Internet.  The current Internet protocol (IPv4) has been used since 1981 and is what allows us to find anything on the Internet.  One of the problems with IPv4 was an inherent limitation on the number of addresses that could be deployed on that version.

The successor – Ipv6 – solves not only the “IPv4 address exhaustion” problem but also streamlines how addresses are assigned, makes multicasting part of the base spec (rather than an option), and advantages in mobility and extensibility.

Migrating from IPv4 to IPv6 has become a growing priority.  The American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) recommends that all servers in the Internet be prepared to serve only IPv6 clients by January of 2012.

You can use the GogoTraining course TCP/IP In Action taught by industry expert David Zimny as a way to get a head-start on learning and understanding IPv6.

This course covers practical methods for migrating to IPv6 and offers several approaches for seamless communications between IPv4 and IPv6.  A great deal more is covered regarding this important topic, so learn more about prerequisites, objectives and an outline.  You may also view some course previews!

Do you have a local group discussing IPv6 migration?  Share a link to it here as a comment.

Geek Trivia: Kids Play

Friday, 14 January, 2011

What is the name of the famous open-source author who has three children, all of whose names inspired the naming of technologies he developed?

Know the answer? Post it here as a comment. 

The first right answer gets a free T-Shirt of YOUR CHOICE from ThinkGeek.com. We’ll post the answer and winner soon, so subscribe to the blog!

Project Management to Ramp Up in 2011

Friday, 14 January, 2011

Major employers are looking to return to projects that were postponed or abandoned in recent years due to the tightening of budgets.  Industry experts believe these projects are coming back and are in need of expert management.  As part of Monster’s 2011 IT Employment Outlook, David Marceau (a VP with an IT staffing agency) said, “IT hiring will pick up as companies implement projects they put off during the recession and rehire those laid-off project managers.”

“Project managers in companies will become more in demand, along with IT business analysts who can bridge the gap between business and process,” said Tammy Browning, SVP at a Philadelphia-based staffing firm. “Those were the first people to go, but it’s also where we have the biggest gap in the industry between what’s forecast and what’s needed to execute on company plans.”

Have you been practicing project management and need to obtain your PMP® certification? Now is the time!  Companies are looking for project managers with a combination of experience and training.  It is essential to round out your real-world application of project management with a PMP® certificate.  This will not only boost your already-practiced skills but also help validate your value.  GogoTraining offers some of the best online, self-paced project management training available for the PMP® certificate.

Need to Train for Your PMP®?

GogoTraining offers a two-course series that will prepare you for your PMP® certification exam.

These courses are taught by industry-expert Neal Rowland, MEd, PMP®, ITIL®.  Neal is a professional trainer and instructional designer who is certified in Project Management, IT Service Management, and Dispute Resolution.  Beyond being a PMP®, Neal also contributed to the 4th edition PMBOK published by the Project Management Institute (PMI).

Already Have Your PMP®?

Build your skills while earning PDUs (professional development units) with the following classroom-quality online and self-paced project management courses led by leading experts.