A Contributed Article by Brian Jensen, Dell.
Virtualization Skills to Brush up on for Business during the Holidays
With all the festivities and parties both away from and at
the office during the holiday season, IT professionals are oftentimes granted
the gift of some slow or down time at the office. This potential slow time
leading up to and during the holidays is a great time for IT professionals to
brush up on their core virtualization skills. Take the time this holiday season
to revisit basic virtualization skills, because it is the practice and mastery
of the fundamentals that true greatness is achieved.
Virtualization in its simplest form can be defined as the
removal of software services from its actual hardware to a virtual (sometimes
called cloud) based location. The virtual system is very similar to the
original software and hardware system. Using a controlling host software
application, platform virtualization produces a simulated virtual system.
Application virtualization allows for the real time dynamic distribution of
computing applications. By merging and allocating storage properties into a
virtual, single root system, storage virtualization is accomplished.
Here are three basic and fundamental business virtualization
skills to brush up on during the holidays:
Virtual Desktops and Operating
Systems
Do not forget the first virtualization skill, which is that
desktop virtualization deals with virtual desktops. It is critical as an IT
professional that you are an operating system (OS) expert, when it comes to the
virtualization of desktops. Reading the Windows
7 Resource Kit is an excellent way to learn most of what there is to know
in regards to that operating system.
Learning the ins and outs of applications is the first place
to start. Look into the Windows Installer and realize how files behave as they
are copied during installation. Get a copy of the Application Compatibility
Toolkit. It is available for free from Microsoft. Comprehend the relationship
created, when Google for (WinSxS) and DLLs (Dynamic Link Libraries) work
together.
Have a working knowledge of how the Windows registry
operates. More than likely you will be moving a decent number of applications
to the virtual system, so it is imperative that you understand how the Windows
registry operates, as you install those apps. It is important to know how the
registry and apps work together as you attempt to move apps to the virtual
system. Understanding the Windows registry will also help you determine which
apps to install on the virtual system.
Deployment Business
Solutions
The second skill to brush up on is your grasp and
understanding of the assortment of Windows deployment options. Every time a
system user is logged in, a new occurrence of Windows is basically deployed,
because of the method of building the majority of virtualization solutions
around shared disks and master images. Review and gain a real understanding of
Microsoft's complete suite of desktop virtualization deployment technologies
and services, such as the Windows Automated Installation Kit, WinPE, Deployment
Image Servicing and Management (DISM), and ImageX. To get more information on
business solutions, click here.
Understanding
Security Updates
Lastly, focus your attention and time on understanding the
security updates employed by Microsoft, since they moved on from Windows XP.
Three security changes implemented by Microsoft that require your expertise are:
AppLocker along with domain joins, ASLR (Address Space Load Randomization), and
turning on and off Bitlocker.
During the slower time this holiday season, do not ignore an
opportunity to brush up on your business virtualization skills. Many times
application changes, deployment preferences, and security updates are neglected
by IT professionals. Use the opportunity of the holiday season to help you stay
ahead of the game.
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About the Author
Brian Jensen works with Dell. In his spare time he enjoys
traveling, cooking and spending time with his family. He has a passion for
learning and writing about all things technology. For more information on
business technology, Brian recommends this link.