Training in Tech Support a Need for Help

A resident of Boulder, Colorado, Hovig Barbarian works at Quicksilver Scientific, Inc, a nutraceuticals company. In addition to his role in logistics with this company, Hovig Barbarian is a member of CompTIA, an organization comprised of IT companies around the world.

According to a CompTIA survey, the need for technical support skills for help desk operations has increased. Much of the reason behind this need relates to helping desk professionals gain technology-related skills essential in their daily work. According to the survey results, respondents ascertain that technology skills are needed in cybersecurity, securing networks, mobile devise issues, software-as-a-service and cloud activities, and remote work.

Companies are also reiterating the importance of customer satisfaction. To deliver a positive customer experience, companies are looking at artificial intelligence and automation to assist with help desk activities such as classifying and routing requests, chatbot sessions, resetting passwords, single-sign on, asset upgrade notifications, and ticket follow-up.

Billy Summers - A Letter to Small Town

An information technologist specialist from Boulder, Colorado, Hovig Barbarian works for Quicksilver Scientific, Inc. An avid reader of Stephen King novels, Hovig Barbarian has read many of the author’s novels, including The Stand, It, The Shining, Dreamcatcher. His personal favorite The Dark Tower series.

Known for mixing the macabre with the normal, King’s works can only be described as spine-chilling, creepy, and very dark, and as with his other works, this one is expected to be similar. In August 2021, Stephen King's fans can start buying his newest novel, Billy Summers.

The book is about Billy Summers, a decorated war vet and one of the best assassins. He is a murderer for hire, but his mark has to be truly a bad guy. As readers encounter Summers, they learn that he wants to leave the life of a killer for hire. However, before he leaves, he decides to do one last job.

Described as a love letter to small-town America, the book is about those brave enough to avenge the crimes of extraordinarily evil men. Billy searches for redemption in a plot that features love, luck, and fate and one that is sure to be a page-turner for readers. The book is available for preorder on Amazon.

Free Coursework Available through the Cisco

An experienced IT professional, Hovig Barbarian oversees logistics with Quicksilver Scientific in Lafayette, Colorado. Hovig Barbarian has taken advantage of a number of opportunities for learning new technologies over the course of his career, including through the Cisco Networking Academy. Currently, Cisco’s academy offers a range of free online classes that serve as a solid base for careers in IT.

Three free courses with a significant amount of material to work through are Networking Essentials, Linux Essentials, and Programming Essentials in Python. Each of these courses takes about 70 hours to complete, providing an excellent base of knowledge for further exploration. Another 70-hour course offered by the organization is called Entrepreneur, which teaches people how to connect what they love doing with the issues that drive them.

In addition to these longer courses, Cisco offers a 20-hour course called Introduction to Internet of Things, and a 15-hour course called Introduction to Cybersecurity. Cisco also provides certification roadmaps on where to go from these courses for people with very specific career goals, to ensure they get all the skills they need.

CompTIA Updates Server+ Certification

Currently head of logistics with Quicksilver Scientific in Lafayette, Colorado, Hovig Barbarian spent nearly a decade in IT support at Josak Shipping. Over the course of his career, Hovig Barbarian has used a number of resources to increase his technical skill base, including CompTIA. This organization provides a range of technical certifications across many platforms.

Recently, CompTIA launched a new Server+ Certification exam along with novel learning products that provide self-paced lessons, as well as live online training. This certification is meant for professionals who manage and troubleshoot both virtual and physical servers in data centers across the globe. The changes to the exam and course were made in collaboration with tech experts from many industries.

Much of the new material emphasized on the Server+ exam deal with cloud computing concepts, as well as virtualization of servers. Also, the new exam focuses on both on-premise and hybrid server environments, including server administration done in person and remotely. These changes reflect a new move in server management toward virtual environments, and the need for professionals in this area to be able to handle virtualization.