I am sure that few of you have not heard me say (or write) that it is an exciting time to be an IT Professional. I have said it so often that I am sure it is sounding like a 'line'.
The thing of it is, it's true. We are at a point in time where a whole slew of new product versions are about to be released nearly simultaneously; products that touch us all in a very big way - products that we all use every day.
Windows Vista will change the way we look at our computers; it delivers to the end user features, functionality, and security that we have been screaming for since I don't know when. Goodbye Start button, hello Aero Glass, impromptu secure networks, and real data security. Installation - one or one thousand - has been streamlined, and if you are deploying on different hardware you are going to love the new BDD instalation!
Microsoft Office has always been a bundle of different software packages that were packaged together. If you looked close enough it was easy to see that these programs were not written by the same people. Now the Office System has been completely rewritten with not only the same look-and-feel, but features like the ribbon bar will make your experience easier and uniform from Word and Excel to PowerPoint and Publisher.
Other packages launching include Exchange Server, SharePoint, and ISA. All different, all new, and all things that will touch us all.
One of the arguments I have heard from people is that the new look and feel to Windows and Office will make life harder. There is no doubt that everyone from the occasional user to the seasoned expert will need to spend some time feeling their way around the new features, and looking for old ones in different places. I remember spending fifteen minutes trying to change the default file locations for templates in Word. How quickly we forget that we have not always done things the way we do now; The transition from Windows 9x to Windows 2000 changed everything, and for the better. This is the case with the transition from XP to Vista and from older iterations of Office to Office 2007. It was worth it then, and it is worth it now.
One somewhat drastic change coming is with the certifications, and those of us who have known the old MCP certs for years will have to learn a new system: Don't try to get your MCSE on Longhorn Server because there will not be one. Instead you can look forward to earning your Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist (MCTS) and Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) on specific technologies. As the new certs come on-line it will be easier to demonstrate your knowledge to a specific technology because that is how they are geared, such as MCITP: Systems Administrator or MCITP: Database Administrator. It will take some getting used to but from what I can see it will all be worth it... to us, and to our clients and employers.
Now how long will it be until I can announce the launch of Longhorn Server, Cougar Server, and Centro? Stay tuned and have a great week-end.