If you were wondering, it’s true.  Project Managers can benefit directly from three of the new ITIL 4 courses.  If you are interested in benefiting from this intersection and advancing your career this article is here to help guide your path.

Background

ITIL 4 starts with Foundation and then branches into advanced 2 paths:  (1) The Managing Professional Path and (2) The Strategic Leader Path.  Both paths have courses that map to the Project Managers Mission.

#1 ITIL 4 Strategic Leader

The course with the highest level of intersection, where Project Management is “testable” is found in the Strategic Leader Path.  The course, Digital & IT Strategy (DITS), is the Strategic Leader capstone course.  It is designed for Managers and requires a minimum of 3 years management experience.

• DITS focuses on the importance and challenges of creating an appropriate digital strategy to enable success across departments and organizations.
• It also looks at how the digital business strategy can (and should) be integrated into the IT strategy and aligned with the wider organization’s goals.
• Students apply the concepts via 4 graded assignments which are required in order to take the certification exam.

How to Become an ITIL 4 Strategic Leader

In order to achieve the Digital & IT Strategy Certification (DITS), candidates need to have achieved the ITIL 4 Foundation and ITIL 4 Direct, Plan & Improve Certifications and have a minimum of 3-year management experience.  Prerequisite classes include:  ITIL 4 Foundation and ITIL 4 Direct, Plan and Improve (DPI).

#2 ITIL 4 Managing Professional

The other two courses are found in the ITIL 4 Managing Professional Track.  This track consists of 4 courses of which 2 of them are highly recommended for Project Managers:

• Direct, Plan & Improve (DPI) – This class as it focuses on the governance and strategy requirements necessary to deliver improved/new/changed services, etc. It’s one that is most like some of the context of Project Management.
• Drive Stakeholder Value (DSV) – This class discusses the stages of the customer journey and how to manage each stage.

What’s Left?

The other two courses in the Managing Professional track include Create, Deliver & Support (CDS) and High Velocity IT (HVIT).  These classes are more IT specific and look at how to manage service design and support, and how to exploit the various disruptive technologies.  The intersection is not as strong for Project Managers, but just in case you are interested, here are the details:

• Create, Deliver & Support (CDS) – This course talks about the creation of services using the service value chain and operational support.
• High Velocity IT (HVIT) – This course is the most technical (digital technology), and focuses on the five objectives of HVIT (valuable investments, fast development, resilient operations, co-creating value, and assured conformance) and the methods to fulfill these objectives.

If you have any questions or we can help in any way – Contact US or Call US at 877.546.4446

The IT Service Management Success Program (ITSMS) is Here!

Valentine’s Day Special Offer – $597 (List Price $1,997)

With the increase in PeopleCert exam prices that took effect February 1, 2022, and our mission to deliver the highest quality courses at an affordable price, we worked very hard over the last several months to create a program design to give you access to the highest quality training at a price you can afford.  When you join the ITSMS you will receive 20 courses valued at over $4,500 with Instructor Q&A Support included for a onetime membership fee of $597 and that’s not all.

Join the Program Today and Receive:

• Lifetime Access
• 20 courses/100+ hours of content valued at over $4,500
• $150 off every PeopleCert exam voucher purchase
• Free Take2 with every PeopleCert exam voucher purchase (List Price $89 each)
• Unlimited Instructor Support to answer your questions – Priceless

 What Courses are Included?

• ITIL 4 Foundation*
• ITIL 4 Managing Professional Transition*
• ITIL 4 Control, Deliver & Support*
• ITIL 4 Drive Stakeholder Value*
• ITIL 4 High-Velocity IT*
• ITIL 4 Direct, Plan & Improve*
• VeriSM Foundation
• Introduction to Project Management
• Project Management Integration
• Project Scope Management
• Project Schedule Management
• Project Cost Management
• Project Quality Management
• Project Physical and Human Resource Management
• Project Communications Management
• Project Risk Management
• Project Procurement Management
• Project Stakeholder Management
• Agile Project Management and Latest on PMBOK 7th Edition 
• Project Management Processes Illustrated and Explained

Club Benefits

• Lifetime Access
• Receive 20 courses/over 100+ hours of training valued at over $4.500
• Save $150 every time you purchase a PeopleCert Exam
• Receive a Free Take2 with every PeopleCert Exam Purchase
• Over 100 PDUs Available
• Unlimited Instructor Support to Answer Your Questions

Join the Club Today

If you have questions about the club or would like to learn about Team Discounts,  contact CustomerService@GogoTraining.com or call us at 877.546.4446 Today!

*Offer Rules:  This offer is valid for the first 100 people to join or until February 29^th – whichever comes first.  This offer may not be combined with other offers.

All ITIL classes are Accredited by PeopleCert and PeopleCert requires that individuals purchase exam vouchers prior to training.  As a valued member of the ITSMS Program you will receive a $150 exam voucher discount and a free Take2 with every ITIL exam you purchase.  The discount is based on PeopleCert’s published pricing.  All program discounts and instructions will be sent to you in your welcome letter.

ITIL© (the IT Infrastructure Library), is the most widely used process driven framework in the field of service management today.  It’s been around since the mid to late 80’s and it’s all about how to deliver effective and efficient services.  Since its inception, ITIL has been adopted by about 90% of the Fortune 500 companies in the world (AXELOS presentation November 2018).

In the 80’s, it was all about how IT could use a process to better deliver services to the organization.  Fast forward to today and everything is about delivering services inside and outside of the business.  It’s what makes or breaks a company.  So why do Project Managers Need ITIL?

1. All Project Managers service customers – internal and external. ITIL enables Project Managers to better align the services they deliver to the needs of the businesses and customers it supports.
2. Project Managers need to earn PDU’s in order to maintain their PMP Certification. PDU’s are available for completing study in ITIL.  What better way to stay current?
3. ITIL is so widely adopted that having a minimum of the ITIL Foundation Certification will enable Product Managers to find themselves more qualified for promotions and exciting new jobs.

The current ITIL version is V3.  V3 is made up of 26 processes.  ITIL 4 is being released Q1 2019 and expands on ITIL V3 to address the delivery of services in the digital age.  If your organization is currently V3 centric, then the V3 Foundation Course will give you the understanding you need to start your journey into ITIL.   ITIL 4 will release in Q1 of 2019 and it will be the next step to understanding how your organization can benefit from a process-driven framework.  We expect that most V3 organizations will stay V3 through 2019 as ITIL 4 will be released throughout 2019.

Once ITIL 4 is released, organizations will need to train their people on ITIL 4 in order to best determine how to adopt and adapt it into their organization.  The ITIL 4 Foundation course will be released Q1 2019.  It is a great way for ITIL Certificate holders from Foundation to Expert to come up to speed on ITIL 4. The remainder of ITIL 4 courses will release the second half of 2019.  Gaining an understanding of ITIL 4 in 2019 is going to be important in helping your organization prepare.  We expect the ITIL V3 to ITIL 4 migration will begin in the 2020 timeframe.

Moral of the story?  ITIL is here to stay and if you are a Project Manager, there is tremendous benefit to achieving ITIL Foundation Certification.

Take 35 hours of PMI accepted online, gamified, interactive Project Management training –  Start Today!

Despite innovations, disruptions, and rapid changes, IT is one industry that continues to survive and thrive

Contrary to popular misconceptions, the information technology sector is flourishing and will continue to employ skilled workers in large numbers. Factors like automation and new technologies only open new opportunities for your IT career path.

Technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics, scientific advancements like space exploration and medical procedures, provide tremendous opportunities for IT experts.

For IT professionals in the US who are scared of outsourcing, fear not! Most of the outsourced jobs are mundane, repetitive jobs which will be automated sooner or later.

However, the innovative IT jobs are on the rise. In addition, there are numerous opportunities for someone who is a tech wizard.

If you’re interested in knowing what an IT professional’s career path looks like, keep reading….

It’s difficult but interesting

Working in the IT industry is not a cakewalk. But then, nor is it in any other industry!

If you have an affinity for technology and enjoy working on new complex challenges, the IT industry is for you.

You might have heard numerous stories of IT professionals who work day and night in their offices without even the time to go home just for a few hours.

It’s true. There are times when they have to slog and stretch. However, what most of the people ignore is the fact that a large number of people in this industry are highly passionate about their job. They enjoy their work more than anything else, which is the reason for their sustainability and growth despite the work pressure.

Working in the IT industry lets you apply your analytical mind, logic, and creativity.

If you want to become a successful IT professional, you must have passion, persistence and stamina.  If you do, success will be yours.

Career paths in the IT industry

Information technology is a vast industry with 100s of specialties. Some are discussed here:

Database Administrator

Big Data’s a revolution. Every enterprise generates massive volumes of data through its customer interactions, which is needed for analytics. This is where a DBA plays a key role.

Graphic Design

It’s where the creativity meets technology. If you’re a skilled artist, becoming a graphic designer is the right career for you.

Video Game Developer and Tester

Advancements in technology and graphic designing have made video games more sophisticated than ever. There’s tremendous scope as a games developer or tester.

Animator

Animators get to show their skills to a far greater extent now than ever. From animated movies to live action films, and advertisements and games, animation offers tremendous scope.

IT Security

The advancements in IT have also increased the threats. Viruses and malware are pretty common, and there’s always a requirement for more skilled IT security professionals to deal with the threats.

Programming and Coding

Coding shall never be out of the fashion. Most of the top entrepreneurs such as Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerburg started out as coders. There’s immense scope in this field.

Project Manager

This comes as an advanced career path once you’ve moved up the ladder in the IT industry. As a project manager, you get to manage people and entire projects.

Conclusion

IT industry continues to offer significant scope for those who are willing to work hard and smart. Learn IT courses and programming languages online to move one step ahead towards building an exciting career in the IT industry.  If you’re looking to begin a new career, browse our course catalog and see how easy it is to get started in an IT career.

GogoTraining announced yesterday that it will offer ISO/IEC 20000 Foundation and Associate Bridge Courses beginning in June 2013, rounding out it’s curriculum in the ISO/IEC 20000 topic area.

The ISO/IEC 20000: IT Service Management Foundation Bridge course offers you an expedited method of learning about ISO/IEC 20000, the international family of standards around Service Management, by recognizing your ITIL® Foundation certificate. Learn what needs to be in place to manage the Service Management processes and initiatives, and the contents, requirements and use of a Service Management System (SMS). Explore the fundamental concepts around what you ‘must’ do in an adapt and adopt initiative in Service Management.

The Associate Bridge course focuses on the Service Management System (SMS) – internationally accepted requirements for managing Service Management initiatives. These requirements, briefly covered in ITIL, are clearly documented and supported in the standard. Additionally, this course will focus on the similarities and differences between ISO/IEC 20000 and ITIL processes as well as the benefits of deploying the PDCA model.

The Associate Bridge course allows one to fast-track into the study of ISO/IEC 20000. Recognizing the student who has already gained a Foundation Certificate in ISO/IEC 20000 and who has earned at least two (2) ITIL® Practitioner (v2) or Intermediate (2007/2011) certificates, the requirements of the Associate certificate in ISO/IEC 20000 have been reduced.

2011 is the latest version of ISO/IEC 20000 standard set dealing with IT Service Management. GogoTraining offers the Foundation and the Associate courses which provide an excellent basis for companies to implement and use IT Service Management according to the internationally accepted ISO/IEC 20000 standard. The programs developed by EXIN supplements the essence of ITIL® with the quality- and consistency- thinking of the ISO approach, and also adds role-based thinking to it. The EXIN IT Service Management qualification is an extremely practical exam program. With an ITSM certificate, you can show that you are able do a professional job of IT service management. Get a fresh start in 2013 – check out these courses on GogoTraining.

Revenge of the nerds?!

A report ranking the best jobs in 2013 is chock full of IT roles, with database administrator, systems analyst, software developer and Web developer achieving rare air.

According to the recent U.S. News and World Report findings, reported on recently in InfoWorld, those positions took up nearly half the “top ten” spots on the list. Computer programmer, IT manager and systems administrator roles cracked the top 25.

The ranking of 100 jobs was based on the hiring demand using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics findings and scored out through salary, job prospects, growth potential and other factors.

Though these factors don’t universally grade out at the high end for each and every IT job on the list (for example, IT manager roles rank high for stress level, but also top out on potential with a projected 18 percent employment growth rate in the next decade), the “in-your-face” presence of so many IT roles among the upper echelon of this list signals that, indeed, techies are in high demand these days.

Are you behind in newer technologies, or need a fresh career in IT? Look at GogoTraining’s curriculum offerings. Training can move your career in new directions.

Source: CompTIA IT Career Blog

Whether you’re an active job seeker in the ever-changing IT industry or an entrenched veteran in need of new challenges, your New Year’s resolutions are ready-made.

A clear takeaway from the recent article in CIO.com offering career resolutions is all IT pros need to evolve along with the industry. As organizations gear up to add staff in an IT job market expected to hit the ground running in the year to come, your organized competitors for those jobs are already doing much of the following:

• Expand your sphere of influence to understand the big-picture business side of the industry you target
• Chart out a career map which includes a skills analysis, plan to bridge skills gaps and network of peers and mentors
• Build a current, dynamic personal website to market your “brand”
• Keep on top of your social profile by searching for yourself to see what comes up, much like your prospective hiring manager would
• Proper interview follow-up can pay under-appreciated dividends
• Get out of the comfort zone with new classes, seminars and industry introductions

Check out GogoTraining’s expansive list of video based courses and try something new – shake it up!

Source: CompTIA IT Careers Blog

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Let’s start with turning that acronym back into words: Data Center Infrastructure Management. So what is this, and why are we hearing more and more about it?

Wikipedia defines it like this: Data center infrastructure management (DCIM) is an emerging (2012) new form of data center management which extends the more traditional systems and network management approaches to now include the physical and asset-level components. iTracs defines it as “…a relatively young term that represents an emerging class of IT physical infrastructure solutions…”.

So what’s making DCIM such a hot commodity? Management is craving for information on the tens of thousands of data assets under their supervision. An iTracs article put it this way: “They need to be able to see, understand, manage, and optimize the myriad of complex interrelationships that drive the modern data center – one of the most complex entities on earth. They need holistic information and visibility into the entire IT infrastructure, information that that is instantly meaningful and actionable. (Fragmented device-level data is no longer of much use to them.)”

iTracs further described what DCIM can do for an organization:

• Locate, visualize, and manage all of their physical assets within an integrated “single pane” view of the entire infrastructure
• Automate the commissioning of new equipment, reducing the need for error-prone, time-consuming manual tasks like walking the floor to confirm what can go where
• Automate capacity planning with unparalleled forecasting capabilities, including the use of “what if” scenarios
• Reduce energy consumption, energy costs, and carbon footprint – save the planet while you’re saving potentially mlllions
• Align IT to the needs of the business – and maintain that alignment, no matter how radically those business requirements may change and grow

Data Center Journal provides a solid list of options for software:

1. APC by Schneider Electric StruxureWare for Data Centers
2. iTracs Converged Physical Infrastructure Management
3. Emerson Network Power Trellis
4. Nlyte Suite
5. Rackwise Data Center Manager

Companies are now more able to plan and manage their systems better with this improved infrastructure approach, and of course there are decreased costs which are always a good thing. So if this is something you’ve been thinking about, now’s the time to learn as much as you can about it and implement a plan.

Resources:

http://wikipedia.com

http://www.itracs.com/what-is-data-center-infrastructure-management/

http://www.datacenterjournal.com/it/data-center-infrastructure-software-whats-out-there/#!prettyPhoto