Upcoming Microsoft Releases and Courses

I hear whispers surrounding Microsoft trainers and the very community itself. Microsoft themselves have been making information more and more readily available concerning some of their new upcoming releases. Its exciting times to say the least. I will be discussing some of the new upcoming releases in this blog. I will also provide what I can in the way of links to more information, beta downloads, things like that. I would welcome your comments and anything else that may provide more insight or information that can be discussed on these technologies. What are your thoughts on the new releases from Microsoft? Are they needed or is it too soon after their last new release? This is pretty much open for discussion. I also wanted to give you a site to review and explore; as well as the informaton listed below for each technology. The Microsoft products and services information is located on a site called Because It’s Everybody’s Business.

These are in no particular order, just the way I wrote them down:

Visual Studio 2010 and .NET 4.0 Framework – The next edition of Visual Studio and the .NET Framework will be released soon. I hear the exams will go live on or around July 2nd, unless something changes.  I saw a website that says Visual Studion 2010 will release on April 12th, click here for site. The site also gives you information on the different versions, Professional, Premium, Ultimate and Test Professional. Test Professional is a toolset for quality assurance teams. Ther is another site that I find particularly useful, it’s the What’s New in Visual Studio page. This is full of extremely useful information organized via a chart. The chart contains links to information about the new features and enhancements for the software product. Very nice. The last item that I have for you is a link to the Visual Studio Developer Center. This site has tons of informaton as well as links to other blogs specifically on Visual Studio. From what I have heard from Professionals and Developers alike, this new version has a ton of cool features and options. I haven’t seen much of them but I am anxious for a test drive with a Developer.  Based on previous experience, I know training will be coming out shortly if it hasn’t already. I prefer to wait for the exams to release so I know everything and then some is covered. This is the path Quickcert has decided to follow. Our training products will be produced in July 2010 with one of the best developer instructors in the business today, Christopher Harrison of Geek Trainer.

Sharepoint 2010 – The newest version of Sharepoint seems to be garning a ton of traction these days. I know from speaking with Sharepointers who say they are anxious to see if things have been fixed, especially on the server side of things. If you are intersted in finding out or simply want a central Sharepoint 2010 information site this is for you: http://sharepoint2010.microsoft.com/Pages/default.aspx - They even put an item on this page in the upper right corner an opportunity to download the beta for Sharepoint 2010. This is great for those of us that like to start tinkering around with the software as early as possible. Especially if you plan on possibly including it in a service or solution offering. Another blog that I find very useful in regards to Sharepoint is this one: The Microsoft Sharepoint Blog – The Official Blog of the Microsoft Sharepoint Product Group - What better place for all things Sharepoint then from the Product Group themselves. There is always a ton of screenshots and how to’s on this site. Bookmark it and use it, it will become one of your most valuable resources in the months to come.

Office 2010 – Ideas Are Everything: http://www.microsoft.com/office/2010/en/default.aspx - They have added the beta download, a list of the top ten benefits of Office 2010, What’s New in 2010, FAQ, videos and other items to answer any and all questions you might have concerning Microsoft’s newest Office product.

Exchange 2010 – This looks to be the first one that will be released. I believe it has already. Though I haven’t seen too much buzz about it which I find extremely strange.  There are a ton of resources online and available on this topic. One of the main sites I use is located here http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/2010/en/us/default.aspx. From this link you can find pretty much anything and everything you are looking for in regards to Microsoft Exchange 2010. There is a  Case Studies section with a few on example. There is a News & Reviews section – Detailing Microsoft position, Why should you upgrade and of course Launch News. On the far right there is the Try & Buy section. You also have the ability to reach further into Microsoft offerings from this piont. Anything and everything like I said that has to do with Exchange Server 2010 in one form or another will be found here or from here.

With the release of this new software from Microsoft, people are going to want to be trained to use it properly and some will want to achieve certification. With that in mind QuickCert will soon have those available to customers. They are striving to release their training, educational and of course certification courses at or near the official Microsoft product release dates. Instead of waiting several months for some form of curriculum to be released by Microsoft. Quickcert has made the committment to change the industry. They understand that the speed of certification seems slower than the rest of the industry. They are working diligently with their MCTs to provide the best training, released at the same time as the software product at affordable prices. This is not always feasible,  based on when the product is released.

As you monitor the release dates for the new products from Microsoft keep in mind that educational training and certification will soon be available to you.

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