Prime Time for IT Skill Education Based on IT Industry Activity

Monday, 14 March, 2011

Expanding activity and energy in the IT industry is indicating a good time for investing in IT skill education and certification.  Based on activity, the economic outlook in the industry and in general is much stronger than in recent years.  Early adopter of key skill sets are likely to see above-average career opportunities.

In 2010, mergers and acquisitions in the technology sector have picked up significantly over recent years which is signaling a return of confidence by technology companies.  Overall this bodes well for the economy as the disposition of the tech industry is often found to be a bellwether for the overall economy.

According to John Shea of Berkery Noyes, mergers and acquisitions indicate how people are viewing the economy 3-4 years in the future. Not only did activity rise but the prices paid were at pre-recession levels.  In 2010 there were 1,121 transactions in the software industry versus 819 in 2009.  Value of those deals was up over 100% as well.  Niche software, business software and infrastructure software saw the most activity, according to the Berkery Noyes report.

Increased M&A activity in the previous year coupled with renewed vigor in enterprise-level pursuit of significant projects such as entering Cloud Computing and enabling workforces with tablets and custom mobile apps are all indications of how investing in an information technology career – new or existing – is likely to provide positive returns over the coming years.

Interested in enhancing an existing IT skill or acquiring a new one? Check out GogoTraining’s online IT training course catalog.  From Oracle certification exam prep training to Android mobile development training program, there’s something for everyone.

Major Hiring Initiative at Microsoft for 2011

Monday, 28 February, 2011

Microsoft confirmed with Dice.com they are looking to fill a wide range of technical positions across key groups.  Their focus on cloud computing and mobile development (both smartphones and tablets) is generating a significant, ongoing demand for fresh talent.

Software engineers, program management engineers and software testing engineers are being sought in the United States.  Their gaming division is looking to add software engineers as they pursue development of a new version of the popular Halo title.

Microsoft confirmed with Dice.com that around 2,400 positions are to be filled in software engineering and research along with another 400 in general IT positions.  Whether you have experience or not, we strongly suggest obtaining GogoTraining online technical training in order to beef up your resume and make you more hirable for employers like Microsoft.

Mobile Development, Cloud and Security Needed ‘aSAP’

Thursday, 17 February, 2011

The latest large employer looking for mobile developers is SAP, one of the leading providers of business software.  Their model of how they meet market demands involves their Global Business Incubator, which essentially is a venture developer that creates nearly autonomous teams of people to act like a start-up company.  These teams are tasked with fulfilling a specific need in the market.

One such new team is the Consumer Mobile Initiative focused on “leveraging consumer’s adoption of smartphones and SAP technology to redefine consumer shopping experience in and around the store” (per many of the current SAP job postings for developers).  The new team has already developed market pilots with a handful of leading retailers and consumer product concerns in the American and European markets.

Specific areas of growth in SAP will be mobile development, cloud computing and security as they continue to pursue development using their Global Business Incubator model.

Those interested in meeting the need of SAP and other enterprise software providers in these growing areas can make use of IT training courses from GogoTraining, such as:

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

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