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.

CompTIA - Providing Certificates for IT

Based in Lafayette, Colorado, Hovig Barbarian handles logistics for Quicksilver Scientific, where he has worked since May 2020. Hovig Barbarian enjoys learning new skills through Khan Academy, and has earned certificates through Cisco Networking Academy and CompTIA.

CompTIA is the world’s leading tech association that offers education and certifications, and also works with the public sector and as philanthropists. Established in 1982, the organization serves as an advocate for the $5 trillion information technology industry and the world’s more than 50 million professionals.

CompTIA offers certificates in cybersecurity, infrastructure, and a set of four core certifications known as IT Fundamentals, A+, Network+, and Security+. These certifications benefit those pursuing careers in IT infrastructure and cybersecurity, and each certificate helps professionals build their expertise and makes them more desirable employees.

To help those pursuing certification, CompTIA offers expert-designed self-study tools, which include printed and eBooks and video training as well as online learning courses. The nonprofit also offers instructor-led training from experts who know the exams and offers other helpful resources, including practice tests.

Learn more about these certifications by visiting www.comptia.org.

Shooting a “Robin Hood”

A data analyst with a background in IT, Hovig Barbarian has overseen logistic operations for Lafayette, Colorado’s Quicksilver Scientific since 2020. Outside of the professional arena, Hovig Barbarian counts archery among his favorite hobbies. Mr. Barbarian once overcame the odds to make a “Robin Hood” shot. This rare feat involves spitting an arrow that is already sticking out of the bull’s eye of an archery target.

Of course, the Robin Hood shot gets its name from the legendary heroic outlaw character of English folklore. The Robin Hood character famously accomplished this incredibly tricky shot in a shootout with his archenemy, the Sheriff of Nottingham.

In the days of Robin Hood, his eponymous shot would have resulted in a split or splintered wooden arrow. The modern aluminum and carbon arrows of today produce Robin Hood shots in which one arrow enters the hollow core of another.

Archers contend that different types of arrows are significantly more or less likely to result in a Robin Hood shot. Regardless of the equipment used, shooting a Robin Hood remains an extremely uncommon occurrence.

 

Common Beginner Mistakes in Archery

Colorado-based Hovig Barbarian manages logistics at Quicksilver Scientific in Lafayette. He is responsible for receiving products, bottling, and overseeing quality assurance. In his time away from work, Hovig Barbarian enjoys archery.

Without consistency and proper form, many new archers may make these common mistakes:

- Using the wrong bow

Before choosing a bow, archers should consider one based on their current shooting skill and personal needs. The choice also depends on the size, weight, and shape that archers prefer.

- Having poor form

Proper form is essential for every archer. Form affects balance, the ability to hit the target, and the shot's strength. Proper stance, the foundation for the shot, affects the archers’ center of gravity. A solid posture equals a stable aim and strong shots. Maintaining proper posture while shooting requires constant practice.

- Taking too long when aiming

Many archers take a long time to aim, thinking it will result in a better shot. This is a false assumption since drawing an arrow builds tension that worsens when the arrow is not released. This often results in a heavy and shaky hand, which makes hitting the target difficult.

 

The Stand - A Stephen King Epic that Still Resonates

Based in Boulder, Colorado, Hovig Barbarian is a logistics executive who has implemented a strict quality assurance process at Quicksilver Scientific. An avid reader, Hovig Barbarian enjoys the work of Stephen King, from Dreamcatcher to The Stand. The latter novel was more than 800 pages when published in 1978 and has since been extended to a 1,150-page version that reflects the author’s original intent.

In a plot that ties into pandemic events, the book centers on Captain Trips, a weaponized flu virus strain that is released from a testing facility and spares only a few immune people as it traverses the globe. These survivors are left with varying levels of “dark” powers and form societal groups that reflect the values within them. Most notably, Mother Abagail leads a peaceful offshoot in Boulder, while Randall Flagg, the Dark Man, creates a Las Vegas group that is dictatorial and relies on violence.

Combining elements of the supernatural with an exploration of social complexity, King deftly utilizes this post-Armageddon scenario in presenting the “good” survivors in Colorado traveling to Las Vegas to confront the “bad” survivors. The epic battle between communities that ensues is noteworthy in that it does not focus on physical confrontation, but pitches hearts, minds, and beliefs against each other, and forces people to make a choice.

Reflecting The Stand’s relevancy to the events of the pandemic, the lengthy novel has been recast as a 2020 CBS series that stars Whoopi Goldberg as Mother Abagail and Alexander Skarsgård as Randall Flagg.