Tag: #P2L

DevOps Engineering on AWS

Posted on | by Michael Parker | Leave a Comment on DevOps Engineering on AWS

 

What does a DevOps engineer do?

 

A DevOps engineer works with software developers, admins and system operators, IT operations staff, and others to supervise and facilitate code releases/deployments on a CI/CD basis.

 

What is DevOps?

 

DevOps (Development and Operation’s Collaboration) refers to several practices that encourage software development and IT operations professionals to work together to efficiently design and develop systems software. It strives to develop an efficient relationship between the two departments, resulting in quicker development and releasing of regular product updates. DevOps is a step before deployment, making sure everything is ready for a smooth, error-free release.

 

DevOps Engineering Responsibilities

 

  • Writing documentation for server-side features
  • System analysis of the current system in use and developing plans for enhancements and improvements.
  • Cloud deployment and management
  • CI/CD management and deployment
  • Continuous testing at different stages of the development cycle
  • Helping to implement a DevOps culture

 

DevOps Engineer Skill Set

 

A DevOps engineer requires a good balance between soft and hard skills to successfully implement a DevOps methodology.

  • Communication
  • Problem-solving and troubleshooting
  • Software development
  • Process-oriented
  • Product/project management
  • Deployment/configuration management

 

DevOps Engineering on AWS

 

P2L has partnered up with Amazon Web Services to create a 3-day AWS DevOps Engineering on AWS course.

 

The course focuses on the following skills:

  • Use the principal concepts and practices behind the DevOps methodology
  • Design and implement an infrastructure on AWS that supports one or more DevOps development projects
  • Use AWS CloudFormation and AWS OpsWorks to deploy the infrastructure necessary to create development, test, and
  • production environments for a software development project
  • Use AWS CodeCommit and understand the array of options for enabling a Continuous Integration environment on AWS
  • Use AWS CodePipeline to design and implement a Continuous Integration and Delivery pipeline on AWS
  • Implement several common Continuous Deployment use cases using AWS technologies, including blue/green deployment
  • and A/B testing
  • Distinguish between the array of application deployment technologies available on AWS (including AWS CodeDeploy, AWS
  • Opsworks, AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Amazon EC2 Container Service, and Amazon EC2 Container Registry), and decide which
  • technology best fits a given scenario
  • Fine-tune the applications you deliver on AWS for high performance and use AWS tools and technologies to monitor your application and environment for potential issues

Who is this course for?

System Administrators, Software Developers, and anyone looking to become a DevOps practitioner can benefit from the course.

Recommended Follow on Courses

 

  • DevOps – Running Container-Enabled Microservices on AWS application and environment for potential issues
  • Cloud Native – CN100: Docker Containerization Essentials
  • Cloud Native – CN120: Kubernetes Application Essentials
  • Business Analysis – DevOps Foundations

 

AWS is a great pathway to further your IT career by choosing to acquire comprehensive training right at the foundational level. Contact P2L to start your journey.

 

Cloudera Enterprise

Posted on | by Michael Parker | Leave a Comment on Cloudera Enterprise

Cloudera Administrator Training for Apache Hadoop 101

 

The key engineers from Facebook, Google, Oracle, and Yahoo came together to create Cloudera in 2008. The idea arose from the need to create a product to help everyone harness the power of Hadoop distribution software.

 

What is Cloudera?

 

Talend defines Cloudera as a software company that provides a structured, flexible, and scalable platform, enabling sophisticated analysis of big data using Apache Hadoop, in any environment. Cloudera allows for a depth of data processing that goes beyond just data accumulation and storage. Cloudera’s enhanced capabilities provide the power to rapidly and easily analyze data, while tracking and securing it across all environments.

 

Why should businesses use Cloudera Enterprise?

 

  • It creates a data hub for enterprise. The analysis of the acquired data from companies delivers great insights into business operations and helps them to make it better.  An enterprise-level data foundation can be established with this platform for better administration, management, and security.
  • Hadoop Administration. The data science world is always amplifying itself with new applications. Hadoop is also one that is continuously updating and upgrading. To manage this system and use data in the best way possible, enterprises use Cloudera Manager to easily manage and administer this system into any IT environment.
  • Partnership with big technology companies. Cloudera is associated with the biggest technology companies such as Google, Google Cloud, Intel, CISCO, SAP, etc. These platforms can be incorporated and used by an enterprise without any hassle. It means that the venture to use data will become even better as Cloudera collaborates with these platforms for producing and processing data.

 

P2L offers Cloudera courses to all levels of IT professionals. Here are the courses we offer :

 

  • Cloudera Administrator Training for Apache Hadoop. Apache Hadoop provides participants with a comprehensive understanding of all the steps necessary to operate and maintain a Hadoop cluster using Cloudera Manager. From the installation and configuration through load balancing and tuning, Cloudera’s training course is the best preparation for the real-world challenges faced by Hadoop administrators.
  • Cloudera Developer Training for Spark & Hadoop.  This course delivers developers’ key concepts and expertise to use Apache Spark to develop high-performance parallel applications. Participants will learn how to use Spark SQL to query structured data and Spark Streaming to perform real-time processing on streaming data from a variety of sources.
  • Cloudera University Security Training. This course, which is offered exclusively through OnDemand, introduces experienced system administrators to some of the tools and techniques that Cloudera’s Solution Architects use to protect the clusters that our customers rely on for essential business operations.

Contact P2L today to know more about Cloudera and how it can help your company.

Introduction to VMware vSphere : Install, Configure, Manage v7

Posted on | by Michael Parker | Leave a Comment on Introduction to VMware vSphere : Install, Configure, Manage v7

What is VMware?

VMware is a software solutions provider specializing in cloud and virtualization services that powers complex digital infrastructure. Released in 2009, VMware vSphere is a cloud computing virtualization platform that supports container-based application development.

 

Why take this course?

VMware vSphere is designed for the system administrator or system engineer who is rather new to virtualization or has never played with a virtual machine. Students will learn how virtual machines interact with the physical hardware that they’re running on and about the VMware ESXi, an enterprise-class, type-1 hypervisor developed by VMware for deploying and serving virtual computers. As a type-1 hypervisor, ESXi is not a software application that is installed on an operating system; instead, it includes and integrates vital OS components.

Students will be building and playing with virtual machines, so it will be helpful if the student already knows how to install and manage Microsoft Windows or Linux Operating Systems. It will also be helpful if the student has at least some networking and storage experience.

This course is recommended for system administrators and system engineers
A requirement to take this course : system administration experience on Microsoft Windows or Linux operating systems.

Here are the skills you will gain after taking this course : 

  • Describe the software-defined data center (SDDC)
  • Explain the vSphere components and their function in the infrastructure
  • Install and configure VMware ESXi™ hosts
  • Deploy and configure VMware vCenter® Server Appliance™
  • Use VMware vSphere® Client™ to manage the vCenter Server inventory and the vCenter Server configuration
  • Manage, monitor, back up, and protect vCenter Server Appliance
  • Create virtual networks with vSphere standard switches
  • Describe the storage technologies supported by vSphere
  • Configure virtual storage using iSCSI and NFS storage
  • Create and manage VMware vSphere® VMFS datastores
  • Use the vSphere Client to create virtual machines, templates, clones, and snapshots
  • Create a content library and deploy virtual machines from templates in the library
  • Manage virtual machine resource use
  • Migrate virtual machines with VMware vSphere® vMotion® and VMware vSphere® Storage vMotion®
  • Create and manage a vSphere cluster that is enabled with VMware vSphere® High Availability and VMware vSphere® Distributed Resource Scheduler™
  • Discuss solutions for managing the vSphere life cycle
  • Use VMware vSphere® Update Manager™ to apply patches and perform upgrades to ESXi hosts and virtual machines

Here is the course outline :

  • Course Introduction
  • Introduction to vSphere and Software-Defined Data Center
  • Virtual MachinesvCenter Server
  • Configuring and Managing Virtual Networks
  • Configuring and Managing Virtual Storage
  • Virtual Machine Management
  • Resource Management and Monitoring
  • vSphere Cluster
  • vSphere Lifecycle

These are the suggested follow-on courses

  • VMware NSX : Install Configure Manage v6.4
  • VMware vSphere : Optimize and Scale v6.7
  • VMware vRealize Lifecycle Manager : Install Configure Manage v8.0
  • VMware Horizon 8 : Deploy and Manage

If you’re interested in becoming a certified VMware professional, this is the perfect course for you!

Contact P2L today to learn more about this course.

 

 

 

 

.

Business Communication Style Assessment

Posted on | by Michael Parker | Leave a Comment on Business Communication Style Assessment

There is a light bulb in the middle of the blackboard. Around the light bulb are 6 circles drawn with a chalk with lines all emphasizing the light bulb

 

People’s business communication style is different from their everyday communication style which they use when they are outside of the company, when they are at home, or when they are with friends. This is because there are professional expectations for your conduct at work that don’t exist at home. Think of a business communication style as a combination of your personality type, your worldview, and your focus at work.

We all have different communication styles and most of the time we can adapt them depending on who is listening, or who we are talking to. It is important to understand a person’s communication style because of the psychological effect of communicating with them and the way they want to be communicated with. When the style aligns, your communication flows, it leads to better retention of information and the listener is at ease with the conversation.

 

Here are the 4 business communication styles and their strengths and challenges :

Transcender

Your question is usually “What?”. You value results, doing and achieving. You know your objectives. You are down-to-earth, direct and decisive. You are energetic and make quick decisions.

Strengths

As a Transcender, you get along best with other Transcenders outside of work. But you may argue frequently with Transcenders at work, but usually over the best ways to do things and without emotion. You get along well with Systematicians because they are “Why?” people who are focused on accuracy and facts.

Challenges

Strategists and Socializers are more difficult for you to work with, because they both like lengthy discussions, and are much more concerned about the importance of ideas and relationships than you are.

 

Strategist

Your question is usually “Why?”. You value innovation, ideas and theories. You know your master plan. You are imaginative, charismatic, provocative, creative, but sometimes unrealistic.

Strengths

As a Strategist, you get along with other Strategists because they too are passionate about their ideas and the possibilities of improving the world. You get along well with Socializers because they are “Who?” people, and are always ready to share stories and have a lengthy conversation. 

Challenges

Transcenders and Systematicians are more difficult for you to work with, because they both focus on brevity and are either too heavily focused on the results (the What) or the details of “How” which are not as interesting to them as the “Why”.

 

Socializer

Your question is usually “Who?”. You value people, teamwork, feeling, cooperation, beliefs and values. You know relationships. You are empathetic, warm, perceptive and sensitive.

Strengths

As a Socializer, you get along with other Socializers, especially and can discuss common friends at length. You also get along with Strategists or “Why” people who are passionate about their ideas and happy to discuss them. 

Challenges

Transcenders and Systematicians are more difficult for you to work with, because they both focus on brevity and are either too heavily focused on the results (the What) or the details of “How” which are not as interesting to you as the “who?”, or the people involved.

 

Systematician

Your question is “How?”. You value facts, procedures, organization, analysis, proof and details. You know their methodology. You are patient, factual, systematic, wordy and unemotional.

Strengths

As a Systematician, you get along very well with other Systematicians especially if your logic and observations agree. You also get along with Transcenders or “What” people and appreciate their brevity and results focus.

Challenges

Strategists and Socializers are more difficult for you to work with, because they both engage in dialogue that strays from the topic or are too focused on their feelings and relationships rather than how the job should be done.

 

P2L’s Business Communication Style Assessment can help you further understand your communication style and how you can adjust your style to better communicate with your colleagues, clients, and business partners by identifying theirs.

 

Microaggressions in the Workplace

Microaggressions in Your Workplace & How To Tackle Them

Posted on | by Michael Parker | Leave a Comment on Microaggressions in Your Workplace & How To Tackle Them

Microaggressions in Your Workplace: What Are They and How To Tackle Them With This Course

Although we see the shift towards more diverse workplaces, it is necessary to recognize that there is still room for growth when it comes to inclusivity and creating a safe environment. Microaggressions are a common and unfortunate occurrence in many professional spaces, where an individual’s biases towards members of marginalized groups transform into behaviors that communicate subtle yet negative attitudes towards that person. Employee interactions do not need to contain harsh language or offensive behavior to be considered a microaggression, rather it is the implicit actions that cause feelings of indignity amongst targeted individuals.

Even though these actions may seem small or insignificant, they can take a mental toll on those subject to it. It might lead to feelings of inadequacy and isolation, which can contribute to larger mental health struggles, such as depression. A lack of confidence and the motivation to succeed is a recipe to kill employee morale. They are unable to perform due to a lack of belief in their personal power, which can be attributed to their unsupportive workplace environment.

It is crucial for employees from stigmatized groups to feel heard, so they are assured their presence is absolutely needed for any competent workforce.

Often, these comments and behaviors are not intended to be acts of aggression. What may seem like an innocent remark to make to a colleague, could actually be an insensitive comment that reveals hidden prejudices about an unchangeable part of the other’s identity. It is the lack of awareness of our own inherent biases that can make us perpetrators of such behavior.

 

What does this mean for your company?

In today’s age, it is intolerable for corporations to neglect the current racial climate and continue to discriminate against minority groups. We have learned that the collaboration of different backgrounds is what creates the strongest and best solutions. A failure to address these issues can often result in massive financial losses for companies. In some extreme cases, boycotting from consumers might force a company to spend excess money on rebranding entirely in order to avoid further PR hiccups.

In terms of employee productivity, those who are subjected to microaggressions from others can experience ostracization and feel less inclined to participate in and support their company. They will also become less efficient as they struggle to keep themselves motivated in a space where they feel uncomfortable or unwanted. Any successful company understands the need to educate their employees on the differences that make us unique and human, and how these are to our collective advantage.

 

How can we overcome microaggressions?

Rather than staying silent when we notice someone making an inconsiderate comment, we should speak up and address why the statement is problematic. This should be done in a polite and informative manner, because the goal is to spread awareness and not cause defensive or reactive behaviors. The context of the situation should be reframed, so it is understood that the person making the remark is the one at fault, not the person being targeted. Those who are victims of microaggression and vocalize their feelings are often told to stop being sensitive and that it is simply a joke. However, it is not their duty to “toughen up”, but it is the duty of others to be more conscious of their prejudices and take action in unlearning them.

Facilitating group exchanges of ideas can also aid this problem, as individuals will have the opportunity to learn from one another and can see the positive impact that different perspectives bring.

P2L’s microaggressions course will explore more details regarding microaggressions in the workplace in an effort to inform employees on the dangers of allowing them to occur. It will also discuss different methods on how to address personal biases and steps that can be taken to unlearn them to build a more inclusive work environment.

The dates for this course are as follows:

March 11th, 2021: 9am to 12pm et

May 18th, 2021: 11am to 2pm et

August 26th, 2021: 9am to 12pm et

November 16th, 2021: 1pm to 4pm et

We look forward to your attendance!

 

What should you take away?

Everyone has implicit biases, even if they don’t align with our declared beliefs or values. It is a natural part of human thinking, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be unlearned. We create unconscious associations everyday without even meaning to, but it is every individual’s duty to at least acknowledge this. Being introspective and challenging the beliefs that dominate our personal narrative is critical to overcoming the prejudices that limit us. Embracing diversity is integral to building a bright and creative worldview.

Microsoft Azure: Cloud computing enabling access to different devices

Microsoft Azure Fundamentals: THE ULTIMATE BEGINNER COURSE TO START YOUR CLOUD SERVICE LEARNING JOURNEY

Posted on | by Michael Parker | Leave a Comment on Microsoft Azure Fundamentals: THE ULTIMATE BEGINNER COURSE TO START YOUR CLOUD SERVICE LEARNING JOURNEY
If you’re interested in learning about how Microsoft Azure’s cloud computing services work, you’re in for a treat.
We all are aware of how cloud services are one of the most sought-after skills in the Tech industry. Every business requires its expertise to be able to reach the level of our competitors and leave a mark in the market.

Five core benefits of cloud computing

1. Cost Savings:
Simple access to your company’s data while you’re on the cloud will save time and money when it comes to starting a new project. Therefore, many cloud-computing services are pay-as-you-go, which is good news for those concerned about overpaying for functionality they don’t need or want. In addition, the pay-as-you-go method often refers to the data storage space used to represent your customers and clients, meaning that you only pay for what you need and are not paid for what you don’t. This will result in lower costs and higher returns.

2. Flexibility:
You’ll have more time to devote to the facets of your business that directly impact your bottom line if you rely on an outside company to manage all IT hosting and infrastructure. Computing on a local server through the cloud allows companies more versatility. Furthermore, if you need additional bandwidth, cloud-based service will provide it immediately rather than needing a complicated (and costly) upgrade to your IT infrastructure. This increased independence and versatility can have a huge effect on your company’s overall performance.

3. Security:
The full-time role of a cloud host is to carefully track security, which is much more effective than a traditional in-house system. Similarly, to avoid addressing the likelihood of internal data theft, keeping confidential information offsite will potentially be much better. Through encrypting data, hackers, and individuals not allowed to view information find it difficult to access it.  Security settings through cloud-based services act as an additional security measure.

4. Important Insights:
There are pieces of useful, actionable knowledge concealed in the millions of bits of data that accompany your consumer transactions and business operation, just waiting to be found and acted upon. You can easily incorporate monitoring mechanisms and generate personalized reports to analyze information within the company when your data is stored in the cloud. You may enhance efficiencies and develop action plans to achieve organizational objectives based on these observations.

5. Mobility:
Cloud computing enables digital access to corporate data through smartphones and other different devices, which is a perfect way to ensure that no one is ever left behind. This feature helps employees with busy schedules or who live far away from the corporate office to stay in touch with clients and colleagues at any time. For better work-life balance, you can use the cloud to provide easily accessible information to sales workers who fly, freelance employees, or remote employees. As a result, it’s not unexpected that businesses that emphasize staff morale are more likely to expand cloud storage.

What course can help me get started in learning more about cloud computing?
To solve this issue, the biggest IT course provider P2L has partnered up with Microsoft Azure to create a course that will help emerging businesses and individuals become aware of the fundamentals of cloud services provided with Microsoft Azure preparing them for future success.

P2L provides multiple courses on IT but the best part about this particular course is that it requires no prerequisites. Therefore, anyone who desires to learn is welcome to join the course.

What am I learning?
It is a full-day course which means you will be leaving the course with substantial skills and knowledge. Here is a quick look into what content you will be learning:
?The fundamental concepts of cloud computing.
?The key services offered by Microsoft Azure
?Microsoft Azure: Protection, Privacy, Compliance, and Trust
?Pricing and support models presented by Microsoft
The complete course consists of 4 main modules. It will provide foundational level information of general cloud computing concepts which consist of  Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service(PaaS), and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). Computing models that include Public, Private and Hybrid clouds will also be discussed. 
All key Microsoft Azure services and solutions along with its services concerning security, privacy, compliance, and trust will be covered. Finishing off the course with essential pricing and support models offered by Azure.   

What’s next?
After successfully completing the course you will be able to use your knowledge towards the preparation of the Microsoft Role-Based Certification Exam. There are many other suggested courses that you can also take to take your learning journey to the next step.

According to job listings on LinkedIn, Indeed, and other recruiting platforms, the demand for people educated on clouding services is increasing. See how this course partnered with Microsoft might help expand your hiring or promotion opportunities.







Eight Insights for Leaders if Your Team Needs to Work Remotely

Posted on | by Michael Parker | Leave a Comment on Eight Insights for Leaders if Your Team Needs to Work Remotely

Eight Insights for Leaders if Your Team Needs to Work Remotely

Many organizations are asking their employees to work from home. Putting that into practice, however, can prove difficult. So, what steps can we take to ensure a smooth transition from the office to the home? And how can leaders best manage their virtual teams?

by Leah Clark

https://bit.ly/3daeND0

How to Avoid Social Fading

Posted on | by Michael Parker | Leave a Comment on How to Avoid Social Fading

We all know the saying “Presence is Power”, so naturally that begs the questions what does lack of presence feel like?

Not very powerful, I suppose.

The longer our society spends in social distancing, the more intense that feeling is likely to become, right?

I recently spoke with an artist who described the feeling of social distancing as – “Being painted in all white on a blank canvas. You are still there, but you have completely faded into the background.”

I thought about it over the weekend and came up with a solution-

Take 15 minutes each morning to call 3 people you haven’t spoken to in a long time. Old friends, relatives, long-lost colleagues. Don’t think about who you are going to contact, until you do it. Make it spontaneous. Tell them you only have 5 minutes, you have another call to make, you just want to get in touch to make sure they are alright.

Contact with people whom you know will set the tone for making more calls and setting up more web meetings. You may find that with the time saved by not travelling from place to place to meet in person, you will have a better sense of connection by the end of the week.

 

Michael Parker

CEO of P2L

“Using Virtual Tools to Engage your Clients”

Posted on | by Michael Parker | Leave a Comment on “Using Virtual Tools to Engage your Clients”

These are some great virtual tools from Duct Tape Marketing. They will help you stay front of mind with your clients.  So use them to get the attention of the people who matter most to your company. And persuade them that you are the right fit.

http://bit.ly/2TUROVa