This morning I sat and passed the 70-236 exam from Microsoft, which is titled TS: Exchange Server 2007, Configuring.

Passing this exam earns you MCTS: Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 - Configuration certification status, and also earns credit towards the MCITP: Enterprise Messaging Administrator certification.

I don’t like to dance around the exam NDA and give away too much about the exam content but I will offer the following advice and suggestions for training resources if you are planning to sit this exam.

• As with any Microsoft exam always review the Preparation Guide.
• In the absence of the official MS Press training kit I recommend Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Unleashed. At 1200 pages it is not an easy read, but it will go a long way to preparing you for this exam, the design and deployment exams, many real world deployment and migration scenarios including integration with other products such as Sharepoint, and is a handy desk reference for your daily Exchange administrative duties.
• Make use of the Technet Virtual Labs.
• If you are new to Exchange and like webcasts, the 24 Hours of Exchange Server 2007 webcast series is a good start.
• If you prefer reading documents, the Simple and Standard deployment guides are excellent reading.
• Either the Exchange Server 2007 Virtual Hard Disk or the Exchange Server 2007 Evaluation software for hands on experience.
• Know your Exchange Management Shell commands. This is essential for passing the exam. If you know the Exchange Management Console back to front but have not learned the shell commands you will fail the exam. At least 90% of the questions I faced involved selecting the correct shell command or commands to achieve the desired result.

Good luck.

This morning I sat the Microsoft certification exam 70-350 for ISA Server 2004.  I’d been putting this one off for a while, having already worked through the Microsoft Press training guide, a lot of whitepapers, and worked with the product for a lot of different customers over the last couple of years.  I passed the exam with plenty of room to spare.

Someone gave me the tip that the exam is not particularly difficult.  I tend to agree, but that would largely have to do with all of the work and study I’ve put into it beforehand.  ISA Server 2004 is a great product, and the new versions are excellent too.  The biggest hurdles in understanding it seem to be early on when you first start using it.

If you’re looking to do some training on ISA Server 2004 with the goal of certifying then I would strongly recommend the Microsoft Press training guide.  The books contents will thoroughly prepare you for the exam provided you work through the material properly and don’t skimp on the practical exercises or review questions.

You can also make use of the extensive ISA 2004 Technical Library on the Microsoft website.  The documentation there could be used for all of your training instead of using the training guide, but won’t take you through the subject in the same fashion.  However it does make for excellent complimentary material for your training and for your real world work with the product.

I would give you tips on which areas to focus on but really the exam questions I faced pretty well broadly covered the entire product.  There was no particular areas to focus on to the exclusion of others.  I would certainly recommend though that you do not sit the exam until you are thoroughly familiar with fundamental networking concepts such as subnetting and routing, and with the ISA Server 2004 networking model.

Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World is written by the internationally renowned security expert Bruce Schneier.  Bruce has authored several books on security and this one is a fascinating read that is sure to open your mind up to new ways of thinking about security in everyday business matters.  This book has definitely had a positive impact on the way I approach security in my daily work.  I feel it has opened up more potential for my career and has made some aspects of my job much more interesting and challenging.

You can read more about the book here.

# Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World
# Hardcover: 432 pages
# Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; 1 edition (August 14, 2000)
# ISBN: 0471253111

Protect Your Windows Network: From Perimeter to Data is written by two of Microsoft’s top security personnel - Jesper Johansson and Steve Riley.  Note that Jesper has left Microsoft for a new security role at Amazon.com.  I have been in the audience when both of these guys have presented and they always deliver a captivating and entertaining performance.  This book is no different - as someone who works in the Microsoft space I had a few eye-opening experiences in this book and loaded myself up with plenty of ammo to take into the workplace.

# Protect Your Windows Network: From Perimeter to Data
# Paperback: 608 pages
# Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional; Bk&CD-Rom edition (May 20, 2005)
# ISBN: 0321336437

If security interests you then these books make a great starting point, much better than just diving in with a hardening guide or technical whitepaper.