Microsoft buys office networking site Yammer

Microsoft has confirmed it has bought the office social network site Yammer for $1.2bn

The business, which is four years old and has five million users, operates like Facebook for communication within companies.

Read the rest of the article here: BBC News - Microsoft buys office networking site Yammer

LPI Certification Testing Moving to Single Vendor

LPI Certification Testing Moving to Single Vendor

Effective July 1, 2012, Linux Professional Institute (LPI) exams will be delivered exclusively with Pearson VUE. The LPI program offers a comprehensive series of examinations with which to demonstrate competency in various aspects of the Linux operating system. The LPI program is vendor-neutral and covers versions of Linux from many different sources.

• June 30, 2012 – Last day to register for an exam at a Prometric Test Center
• June 30, 2012 – Last day to take an exam at a Prometric Test Center
• July 3, 2012 – First day candidates are able to use a Prometric voucher with Pearson VUE

Further details here

ISACA's CISM, CRISC Among Highest-Paying IT Certs

ISACA's CISM, CRISC Among Highest-Paying IT Certifications

ISACA’s Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) and Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) credentials have been named two of the highest-paying IT certifications in the latest Foote Partners’ IT Skills and Certifications Pay Index (ITSCPI). The recognition shows that employers are investing in professionals with specific IT skill sets that demonstrate the knowledge and expertise to address current and emerging challenges such as cloud computing and big data.

Full Story here

Skype launches in-call ads

Skype launches in-call ads

In the kind of emetic doubletalk that can only be produced by highly-trained university professionals, Skype has justified its launch of in-call advertising by saying the move will let people “have meaningful conversations about brands in a highly engaging environment”.

Admittedly, it’s proven devilishly difficult over the years to turn the popular free-but-proprietary-VoIP platform into a river of gold: first, its founders only struck a paying vein by selling to eBay, and now Microsoft is having a shot at “monetizing” Skpe.

Full Story here

StarWind SAN Software - Free to VMware, Microsoft, and Citrix Certified Pros

StarWind High Availability SAN Software Is Free to VMware, Microsoft, and Citrix Certified Professionals

StarWind Software Inc., an innovative provider of iSCSI SAN software and VM backup technology, announced today that the company offers free license keys of its best-of-breed High Availability SAN solutions to VMware vExperts, VMware Certified Instructors (VCI), Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVP), Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCT), Citrix Technology Professionals (CTP), and Citrix Certified Instructors (CCI). The not-for-resale (NFR) license keys are available for non-production use, including: course development, training, lab testing, evaluation, and demonstration purposes. The offer includes such solutions as StarWind iSCSI SAN and StarWind Native SAN for Hyper-V both enhanced with a powerful VM Back-up Plug-in.

Full Story here

New HP Server Solutions Architect

New HP Server Solutions Architect

Hp have released a new Server Solutions Architect certification,the certification focuses on the new HP ProLiant Generation 8 (Gen server systems and HP Integrity. Upgrade paths from APC - HP Integrity Servers [2010] and from APC - HP ProLiant Server Solutions [2010] certifications are also available.

Learn more here

MCSD Reinvented for the Cloud

MCSD Reinvented for the Cloud

Microsoft has reinvented the MCSD for the cloud and the future of the applications marketplace. The MCSD addresses new skills and a broader audience, including next generation of developers who thrive on leading edge technology.

The first MCSD certification, called MCSD: Windows Metro Style Apps , is for developers who want the skills to create amazing apps for Windows 8. With Windows 8, developers can build these applications using multiple programming approaches, including C# and HTML5 with JavaScript, that work across devices.

More information here

CCIE Security Exam Refresh

CCIE Security Exam Refresh

The Cisco CCIE Security Written and Lab exams have been revised to v4.0. Written exam topics v4.0 and lab exam topics v4.0 are now available and the first administration of the updated exams is scheduled for November 2012

More information here

LinkedIn Passwords Leaked By Hackers

LinkedIn Passwords Leaked By Hackers

Social networking website LinkedIn has said some of its members' passwords have been "compromised" after reports that more than six million passwords had been leaked onto the internet.

Full Story here

Microsoft MCSE: Desktop Infrastructure Launched

Microsoft MCSE: Desktop Infrastructure Launched

Prove you can enable flexible and reliable access to corporate resources across devices by earning the Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE): Desktop Infrastructure certification.

The new MCSE cert covers the following exams:

• Exam 70-410: Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012 *1
• Exam 70-411: Administering Windows Server 2012
• Exam 70-412: Configuring Advanced Windows Server 2012 Services
• Exam 70-415: Implementing a Desktop Infrastructure*2
• Exam 70-416: Implementing Desktop Application Environments*2

*1 Exam 70-410 is available as a beta exam starting June...