By Guest Author Adrian Bates

Hello, my name is Adrian Bates and I have utilized GogoTraining to acquire three ITIL certifications: ITIL Foundations; ITIL Release Control and Validation Intermediate; and Planning Process and Optimization Intermediate Certification.

Here are a couple of tips and tricks that I use to identify what information is critical to absorb during training. Additionally, I listed a couple of tips that have helped me prepare for an exam.

Tip 1:

Prior to taking the training, I briefly reviewed the “Example Exams” within the module. I tended to focus on the “Question Rationale” portion of the test exam. This explains the reasoning behind how it was determined what the best answer is for each question.  There is an area within the question and rationale titled “Bloom’s Taxonomy Testing Level”. This portion explains what the candidate is expected to understand. This tends to help me during training as key parts of the course tend to stand out as critical pieces of information when reflecting on the example exams.

Tip 2:

Another key piece of information that assists with passing the exams is understanding the functional roles and responsibilities of each process. Each scenario speaks to a specific process and generally asks that you align the process or manager role accordingly.  If you have a fundamental understanding of the Capacity, Availability, Demand, Continuity processes etc…, you will have a higher chance of answering the question correctly.

Tip 3:

The last tip I have is that you thoroughly read the question being asked. Every scenario presents a challenge or obstacle that has to be overcome. Close attention must be paid to what question is being asked. For example, the question may ask something along the lines like; what is the best “approach” to create a successful continuity plan that addresses the issues listed by the Information Security Officer. The answers will vary, some of the answers are known as “distracters”. For example, one of the answers might illustrate a plan. The plan will sound great and may be best way to solve the issue. Keep in mind, you were not asked to solve the problem.  You were asked to assess the best way to approach the problem, and to create a plan that in the end will address the issues.  Again, it is very important that you read the question being asked slowly and to answer it as direct as possible.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my tips and tricks! My goal is to achieve ITIL expert and I have found this technique to be very helpful.  I have passed every exam on the first try and I strongly recommend GogoTraining when preparing for your exams.  Their training material is a great asset. The cost, accessibility to the site, support and training, in my opinion all receive good marks. You will realize this when you take the exam.

That is what the marketplace is saying. Sales of smart phones are expected to increase 20% (yes, 20%, that is not a typographical error) in 2013, accounting for over 50% of IT industry growth. Without it, anticipated growth is a mere 2.9%.

And within the smart phone market, who is the winner? Android phones ! With over 64% of market sales this last summer, the Android phones, specifically from Samsung leaped forward. So is anyone reading their email and accessing the internet on their PC anymore? Apparently, this is also a shrinking market as more and more people use their smart phones for these functions. People accessing the Internet through PCs will shrink by 15 million over the next four years, while the number of smart phone users will increase by 91 million. Trends are predicting that we’ll all walking around with smart phone and tablets, and PCs will become a thing of the past.

Imagine this brave new world as Aldous Huxley coined the phrase.  (Who’s he, you ask? He wrote a classic book – you remember those? Paper, binding, page numbers at the bottom, roughly 5 X 7 inches). Business conducted in coffee shops, parks, restaurants, subways, street corners. Corporate headquarters serving to bring groups together rather than house offices. Streets with standing desks position every several yards.

What about developing countries? Will they be left behind? No! They are one of the fastest growing markets for inexpensive smart phones. With the advent of several manufacturers producing $100 smartphones coupled with moves to 3G networks, these countries are joining this new world in spite of average earnings of a few dollars a day.

Lots to think about as we move into 2013!

Sources: Techcrunch.com, Gartner: Global Mobile Sales Down 2%, Smartphones Surge 43%, Apple Stalls as Fans Hold Out for New iPhone

Network World, IDC’s 2013 Tech Predictions: Mobile Devices, Emerging Markets Drive Growth

Beta.Fool.com, Smartphone Usage Expands in Emerging Markets

Ok, time for another Geek Trivia.  This time we’ll make it easier on you!

Which enterprise hardware and software company was founded in 1977 under a different name than we know it today?

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!

We found this Google Knol about setting up a private cloud computing environment using Eucalyptus and Xen.  Has anyone done anything like this?  What was your experience with it?

Also, check out GogoTraining cloud computing technology training!

Attention fellow star gazers! The Hubble Telescope program is celebrating their 20th anniversary and is putting together an intriguing project.

Share the way that Hubble has touched your life or tell us what the telescope means to you, and we’ll store your message in the Hubble archive alongside the full collection of the telescope’s science data. Generations from now, researchers looking for Hubble’s impact on society may read your message and better understand how one telescope changed the face of astronomy.

Go now to share your message and be included in the Hubble archive.