Tools and Techniques for the IT Professional December 2009 features departments 9 ACADEMIC CONNECTION Does It Matter If Your Instructors Are Certified? 28 INTERFACE Take It to the Bank 34 INSIDE CERTIFICATION Certification: Creating the World as It Should Be columns 7 TECH CAREERS Buzzwords Your Resume Doesn’t Need 8 DEAR TECHIE Considering the Legitimacy of the Security Certified Program 10 TROUBLESHOOTING When IP Addresses Conflict 12 LOOK AHEAD Facebook Nation 37 ENDTAG Novelty or Nuisance? 14 CERTIFICATION 2009 Salary Survey 25 IT CULTURE Top Trends for 2010 31 JOB ROLES Database Administrators: It’s All in a Day’s Work 2 EDITOR’S LETTER ’Tis the Season for Green 3 DATA STREAM 5 VIRTUAL VILLAGE 11 WHAT WE LIKE 36 AD INDEX resources 2009 Salary Survey
Transcript
Tools and Techniques for the IT ProfessionalDecember 2009
features
departments9 ACADEMIC CONNECTION Does It Matter If
Your Instructors Are Certified?
28 INTERFACE Take It to the Bank
34 INSIDE CERTIFICATION Certification:
Creating the World as It Should Be
columns7 TECH CAREERS Buzzwords Your
Resume Doesn’t Need
8 DEAR TECHIE Considering the Legitimacy of the Security Certified Program
10 TROUBLESHOOTING When IP Addresses Conflict
12 LOOK AHEAD Facebook Nation
37 ENDTAG Novelty or Nuisance?
14 CERTIFICATION 2009 Salary Survey
25 IT CULTURE Top Trends for 2010
31 JOB ROLES Database
Administrators: It’s All in a Day’s Work
2 EDITOR’S LETTER ’Tis the Season for Green
3 DATA STREAM5 VIRTUAL VILLAGE11 WHAT WE LIKE36 AD INDEX
resources
2009 Salary Survey
columnsfeatures resourcesdepartments
2
2009 Salary Survey
ACADEMIC CONNECTION
INTERFACE
INSIDE CERTIFICATION
TECH CAREERS
DEAR TECHIE
TROUBLESHOOTING
LOOK AHEAD
ENDTAG
EDITOR’S LETTER
DATA STREAM
VIRTUAL VILLAGE
WHAT WE LIKE
AD INDEX
Top Trends for 2010
Database Administrators: It’s All in a Day’s Work
EDITOR’S LETTER
’Tis the Season for GreenWith the holiday season upon us, money is undoubtedly on peo-ple’s brains. It’s especially true this year, as we continue to pinch pennies, squeeze belts and generally tiptoe through the worst economic recession in 80 years. Yet while nobody knows where we’re headed, it’s generally agreed
the worst is behind us. This paradox of good and bad news was reflected in the results of our 2009 Salary Survey, which culled responses from more than 40,000 IT professionals in over 150 countries around the world. While the average total U.S. salary rose by 9 percent this year, to a healthy $96,677, the pace of growth was significantly slower than in the previous year, when salaries jumped by 15 percent.Pay cuts were also fairly prevalent in 2009, and more professionals reported smaller pay increases. A larger number of respondents also reported receiving no incentives or bonuses this year. However, if there’s a silver lining, it’s that certification can play a big role in upping an IT pro’s worth. According to our results, many of you received a raise after earning your most recent certification — and nearly a third got a raise between 10 and 20 percent. It appears the community has caught on, too: More than 30 percent of respondents added at least two certifications to their portfo-lios this year, compared with just 11.4 percent last year.The bottom line? Despite recent hardships and uncertainty in the market, the IT industry seems to be poised for continued growth, particularly in the fields of networking and security. Now that’s something to celebrate.Best wishes for a happy holiday season and a healthy (and prosperous) New Year.
CERTMAG.COM COMMUNITIES
CAREER DEVELOPMENT www.certmag.com/careers
DATABASE www.certmag.com/database
DEVELOPERS & DESIGN www.certmag.com/development
SECURITY www.certmag.com/security
STORAGE www.certmag.com/storage
SYSTEMS & NETWORKS www.certmag.com/networking
TRAINERS www.certmag.com/trainers
Michael Brannick President and CEO, Prometric
Peter Childers Vice President, Global Learning Services, Red Hat Inc.
Erik Ullanderson Manager, Certifications, Cisco Systems Inc.
Daniel L. Veitkus Vice President, Training Services, Novell Inc.
Bob Whelan Vice President and General Manager, Pearson VUE
Lutz L. Ziob General Manager, Training and Certification, Microsoft
editorial advisory board
Tools and Techniques for the IT ProfessionalVOLUME 11 ISSUE 12 December 2009
Certification Magazine (ISSN 1529-6903) is published monthly by MediaTec Publishing Inc., 318 Harrison St., Suite 301, Oakland, CA 94607. Subscriptions are free to qualified IT professionals and are issued in a digital-only format.
News & Notes for Certified ProfessionalsSurvey Shows Fear Rules in IT, Budget ReviewsA recent survey by Fasthosts Internet uncovered surprising behaviors by individuals conducting IT-related business deci-sions. It found that even as these individuals are becoming more hands-on in their IT management and are increasingly pressured to cut costs, they still let fear of service interrup-tion lead them to delay replacing equipment and may even end up paying more than they should to stay covered.Read more at http://www.certmag.com/read.php?in=3887.
Desktop Security Providers Unite Against ‘Scareware’It’s a common, somewhat frightening and potentially expen-sive experience: A user is on a Web site when a sudden pop-up alerts him that his computer is or may be infected with viruses and drives him to a site selling antivirus soft-ware. According to computer security firm Finjan, this practice, known as “scareware,” can net its practitioners as much as $10,000 a day. It’s not surprising, then, that this is a growing industry; a report released this past March by the Anti-Phishing Working Group found 9,287 bogus anti-malware programs in circulation in December 2008, a 225 percent rise from the beginning of the year.Read more at http://www.certmag.com/read.php?in=3879.
Land Rush in CyberspaceBeginning in 2010, the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is expected to create hun-dreds of new generic top-level domain names (gTLDs) and new country-code top-level domain names (ccTLDs).This has the potential to transform the Internet, but also represents a potential sizeable headache for trademark
holders of all types, as it will provide new territory for cyber-squatters to stake out. The move was approved for implementation in June 2008 and immediately drew out-rage from the intellectual property constituency. Read more at http://www.certmag.com/read.php?in=3881.
Apple Users More Likely to Enjoy Other Gadgets, Study ShowsIn an interesting — though not entirely surprising — study, Mac users were found to use other consumer electronics much more so than their PC-owning counterparts. The “Household Penetration Study,” conducted by NPD Group, found that 63 percent of households with a Mac also own an iPod; one-third own a DSLR cam-era and 18 percent own a 50-plus-inch LCD television. The numbers registered for overall computer owners were significantly lower in each case, according to a PC World article.The primary reason behind this finding is the fact that Mac owners appear to fall under a higher income bracket, thus allowing them the luxury of splurging on other gadgets and goods. More than a third of all Mac-owner house-holds reported earning $100,000 or more, compared to one-fifth of all consumers. Perhaps more shocking? Eighty-five percent of Mac users said they also own a PC.
Facebook or other social media users who post seemingly harmless
information — such as birthdays, pets’ names and children’s names — may need to think twice
before doing so.
columnsfeatures resourcesdepartments
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2009 Salary Survey
ACADEMIC CONNECTION
INTERFACE
INSIDE CERTIFICATION
TECH CAREERS
DEAR TECHIE
TROUBLESHOOTING
LOOK AHEAD
ENDTAG
EDITOR’S LETTER
DATA STREAM
VIRTUAL VILLAGE
WHAT WE LIKE
AD INDEX
Top Trends for 2010
Database Administrators: It’s All in a Day’s Work
Shopping Online Just Got EasierForget about the hassle of getting routed to a dozen dif-ferent Web sites before you’re able to make a simple pur-chase online. Amazon strove to consolidate a customer’s shopping experience as much as possible by introducing its new Mobile Payment Service for cell phones. The app essentially allows for single-click purchases, according to a PC World article. Other functions available to customers include obtaining refunds, canceling pay-ments and getting payments authorized.
Internet Testimonials to Become More TruthfulAs of this month, bloggers who receive freebies from advertisers in exchange for putting in a good word for their products could get in trouble if they don’t disclose that to fellow consumers when they write their product reviews, according to an AP article.It’s all part of an effort by the Federal Trade Commission to crack down on advertisers who pay bloggers and other reviewers in cash or kind to give their products good reviews. According to the article, advertisers who flout the regula-tions could get slapped with lawsuits.
Adolescents More Likely to Become Internet AddictsIn today’s fast-paced world, one could hardly imagine surviving without the
Internet. Excessive use of the Web, however, could prove to be debilitating. This issue is particularly prevalent among children and young adults both in the U.S. and abroad, according to a CNN article.The condition — typically displayed in adolescents who are depressed, hostile or have social phobia or ADHD — is more common in Asia, the article noted.Some of the most telltale symptoms include spending excessive time online and not being able to cut back vol-
untarily. In extreme cases, there could be withdrawal signs such as anxiety and irritability.
Does Facebook Aid Cybercriminals? Facebook or other social media users who post seemingly harmless information — such as birthdays, pets’ names and children’s names — may need to think twice before doing so. According to a CNN article, security experts say this type of information or “intelligence” could aid cybercriminals
and identity thieves who log on to Web sites and reset passwords to access others’ personal informa-tion for malicious purposes.
Google and Verizon Form PartnershipThe New York Times reported in October that Google made a deal with Verizon Wireless to offer handsets running its Android oper-ating system.Verizon, which is currently consid-ered to be the largest mobile net-work in the U.S., announced that it would release two Android phones before the end of the year. The two companies are also expected to work in tandem with manufacturers to design the handsets. 8– [email protected]
As an IT professional, being a CISA®, CISM® and/or CGEIT®:l Counts in the hiring processl Boosts your earning potentiall Enhances your credibility and recognition
ISACA® Certifications Certified Information Systems Auditor™ (CISA®)Certified Information Security Manager® (CISM®)Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT® (CGEIT®)
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For more information visit www.isaca.org/certmag.
TransAD CertMaghalf8x5.125:TransAD CertMaghalf8x5.125 10/16/09 6:42 AM Page 1
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ACADEMIC CONNECTION
INTERFACE
INSIDE CERTIFICATION
TECH CAREERS
DEAR TECHIE
TROUBLESHOOTING
LOOK AHEAD
ENDTAG
EDITOR’S LETTER
DATA STREAM
VIRTUAL VILLAGE
WHAT WE LIKE
AD INDEX
Top Trends for 2010
Database Administrators: It’s All in a Day’s Work
VIRTUAL VILLAGE
Connect With IT Professionals Join the discussion now.
FEATURED MEMBER
Tamal DasLotus asked: “I’ve got four years’ experience in the IT industry as a software developer, but lost my job because of the recession. What exams and/or certifications should I take in order to improve my chances of getting a job?”Ken Wagner responded: “You state that you’ve got four years doing software development — in what language? Do you want to continue down the route of software devel-opment, or do you want to change to IT support?”Join the discussion.
Would you like to be next month’s featured member? Post on the forum and we just may select you.
NAMETamal Das
AGE28
LOCATIONKolkata, India
TITLECurrently unemployed
CERTIFICATIONSCertified Lotus Professional 7.5
FUN FACTSome time back, I was helping my younger brother with DVD writing, but as I played the software I noticed it wasn’t working. I tried in vain to fix it all evening, when at last I noticed that the mode was not changed to DVD!
HOBBIESSurfing the Net, reading
ENTRY INTO ITI was trained at NIIT and was placed at a reputable company in Kolkata.
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2009 Salary Survey
ACADEMIC CONNECTION
INTERFACE
INSIDE CERTIFICATION
TECH CAREERS
DEAR TECHIE
TROUBLESHOOTING
LOOK AHEAD
ENDTAG
EDITOR’S LETTER
DATA STREAM
VIRTUAL VILLAGE
WHAT WE LIKE
AD INDEX
Top Trends for 2010
Database Administrators: It’s All in a Day’s Work
EDITOR’S BLOG
Are You Allowed to Tweet on the Job?If so, your organization is one of only a select few to allow employees to use various social networking sites — such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace — while on the clock. Read more. Start a CertMag blog.Here’s your chance to share your ideas with the CertMag community.
VIRTUAL VILLAGE
Connect With IT Professionals Join the discussion now.
FEATURED DISCUSSIONS
Career Changing and Remote AbilitySteelelt asked: “I’ve been designing and devel-oping Web sites for about nine years and have been pretty successful doing it from home. I’m considering a change into another IT field, such as system admin. Is there a market for any types of network/Web/system admins who work remote from home?” Ken Wagner responded: “There is a market for remote work; however, those jobs are aimed at experienced system admins. Unless you’re willing to go from your current level to an entry level of another branch of IT (and that includes a drop in salary), I would say stick with your current track, but maybe branch out into Web application development. However, if you do want to make the move into the IT support field, the certs I’d recommend would be the A+, Net-work+, MCDST and the MCITP: Enterprise Sup-port Tech/Consumer Support Tech.”Join the discussion.
Improvement in Career as Well as CafeLotus asked: “How can I take advantage of IBM Lotus Notes certification to help improve business in my Internet cafe?” Join the discussion.
Academic Connection GroupPierre Bernard asked: “Has anyone tried to convince academia to add certifications to their college or university curriculums or programs? If so, have you had any success?”Join the discussion.
FEATURED GROUPInterested in networking with your peers on matters pertain-ing to academic tracks in the IT arena? Then sign up to join the Academic Connection group on the CertMag Network and start networking today.
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2009 Salary Survey
ACADEMIC CONNECTION
INTERFACE
INSIDE CERTIFICATION
TECH CAREERS
DEAR TECHIE
TROUBLESHOOTING
LOOK AHEAD
ENDTAG
EDITOR’S LETTER
DATA STREAM
VIRTUAL VILLAGE
WHAT WE LIKE
AD INDEX
Top Trends for 2010
Database Administrators: It’s All in a Day’s Work
TECH CAREERS
Buzzwords Your Resume Doesn’t NeedDAVE WILLMER
One of the most difficult tasks in your search for employ-ment can be writing a resume that stands out. Not only must you communicate everything that’s crucial about your employment history, but you also need to do so in a limited amount of space. In order to accomplish these goals, many job candidates resort to buzzwords — terms they’ve seen on other resumes, industry jargon or even words picked from the thesaurus simply because they sound impressive. While buzzwords may seem to add an air of credibility to your resume, they are often unwelcomed by hiring man-agers. The reason: Buzzwords are usually vague. A hir-ing manager may think you’re trying to hide something unfavorable about your work history or exaggerate your responsibilities or accomplishments.Following are some buzzwords you should keep off your resume. “Experienced in” or “familiar with”: Terms like these — which include similar phrases such as “extensive background in” or “working knowledge of” — do little to explain the depth of your experience. For example, if a job candidate claims to be “familiar with HTML,” does that mean the person knows how to use the language to program Web pages, is aware that it’s a language for coding Web pages or has simply heard of the term? And if the applicant does know how to program using HTML, how many years of experience does he or she have? Hir-ing managers will want to know the answers to questions such as these, so be specific when describing your expe-
rience, including duration of time and how you’ve used that experience to benefit previous employers.“Responsibilities included”: Many job seekers use their resumes to feature a laundry list of past duties and responsibilities. While it’s important to give hiring manag-ers an overview of what you’ve done, keep in mind that they don’t need a refresher course in what a database administrator does. “Implemented,” “authored” and “utilized”: These are just some of the “buzzverbs” that find their way into resumes. Many people use them because they want to sound knowledgeable or sophisticated, but they can actually have the opposite effect. There’s nothing wrong with using the term “wrote” instead of “authored” or “used” instead of “utilized.” After all, they’re straightforward, easy to understand and get the same point across as their buzzverb counterparts. “Excellent written skills”: Written skills are becoming more and more important for IT professionals to pos-sess, especially as tech workers communicate with oth-ers throughout the organization on projects and propos-als. But as the old saying goes, show, don’t tell, the hiring manager about your abilities. Demonstrate with your resume and cover letter that you know how to get your ideas across on paper — or on the computer screen — through clear and concise writing and by carefully check-ing for any typos or grammatical errors before submitting your application materials.
“CISSP,” “MCTS,” “MCITP”: Even if you know what these acronyms stand for, there’s no guarantee that the human resources professional who first sees your resume will. Avoid “alphabet soup” by always spelling out terms that nontechnical people may be unfamiliar with.
The Key to the BuzzSome people confuse buzzwords with keywords, so it’s important to make that distinction. Unlike buzzwords, keywords are terms that hiring managers actually look for — as do the resume-scanning software programs many companies use — to identify promising applicants. Keywords describe the position or the requirements for the job. As a result, it’s beneficial to include them in your resume. To determine which keywords you should use, read through the job description and pull terms from there. If you’re applying for a position as a software engi-neer, for instance, you would want to include the pro-gramming languages applicants should have experience with — Java or C++, for example — and specific phrases used in the job posting, such as “data-intensive applica-tions” or “run-time complexity.” Keep in mind, though, that you should include only those keywords that accu-rately describe your professional background. 8
Dave Willmer is executive director of Robert Half Technology. He can be reached at [email protected].
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ACADEMIC CONNECTION
INTERFACE
INSIDE CERTIFICATION
TECH CAREERS
DEAR TECHIE
TROUBLESHOOTING
LOOK AHEAD
ENDTAG
EDITOR’S LETTER
DATA STREAM
VIRTUAL VILLAGE
WHAT WE LIKE
AD INDEX
Top Trends for 2010
Database Administrators: It’s All in a Day’s Work
DEAR TECHIE
Considering the Legitimacy of the Security Certified Program
Ken Wagner:The SCNS, SCNP and the SCNA from the SCP are valid secu-rity certifications; after all, the SCNP and the SCNA meet U.S. Department of Defense Directive 8570 for Information Assurance Technical (IAT) Levels II and III, respectively. You will not find the SCP range of certs on all surveys as it is more of a specialist certification than a more common mainstream certification like the Microsoft Certified Sys-tems Administrator (MCSA) or Microsoft Certified Sys-tems Engineer (MCSE). Professional certifications are not there to take the place of experience but to reflect a person’s experience and job responsibilities. With this in mind, for the companies that actually do their research and don’t just pull buzzwords out of thin air, such as asking for a MCSE for an entry-level position, there are two trains of thought:
1. When a company lists a particular cert, they expect the candidate to have a certain amount of experience.
2. When a company lists a certain amount of experience as a requirement, they desire that the candidate have a certificate that reflects that.
Can I guarantee that if you take and pass the SCP certifi-cations that companies will be falling over to hire you for a new position? The answer is no; no one can guarantee you a job after completing anything unless you get it in iron-clad writing.
Wayne Anderson:Security Certified credentials are a relatively new addi-tion to the industry and as such have not seen the wide-spread adoption of more established offerings like the GIAC Security Essentials Certification (GSEC), the Certi-
fied Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) from (ISC)2 or the Security+ from CompTIA. This is not, however, necessarily a reflection on the credential itself. As Ken notes, these credentials are accepted as part of the Department of Defense’s Directive 8570.What the Department of Defense did was issue a man-date that individuals working as technical staff or man-agement staff in an information capacity need to be held to an acceptable standard of security understanding to be able to maintain that role. It said that depending on the kind of environment the person works in and what they do, there are three levels of credentials that they might need to achieve. Offerings from Security Certified were accepted for Levels II and III, the latter being the most advanced of the current Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) designated environment sensitivities.What this means is that the federal government has decided that some of the Security Certified offerings are comprehensive enough to meet the security needs to pro-tect highly secured environments, alongside more estab-lished credentials such as the CISSP. 8
I am looking into getting some security certifications, and the ones I am considering are those from the Security Certified Program (SCP). I wanted to see if they are a legitimate security certification provider before I spend my money. They offer three certifications: the Security Certified Network Specialist (SCNS), Security Certified Network Professional (SCNP) and Security Certified Network Architect (SCNA). The problem I am having with these certifications is that I don’t see them on any salary survey list, nor do I see companies requesting people have these certifications.
– Cornell Hunter
Ken Wagner is an IT network manager and part-time IT lecturer in the United Kingdom. He has lived in the United States, Asia and Europe. Wayne Anderson is the global manager of technical training development and certification for Avanade, a global Microsoft-focused consultancy. They can be reached at [email protected].
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2009 Salary Survey
ACADEMIC CONNECTION
INTERFACE
INSIDE CERTIFICATION
TECH CAREERS
DEAR TECHIE
TROUBLESHOOTING
LOOK AHEAD
ENDTAG
EDITOR’S LETTER
DATA STREAM
VIRTUAL VILLAGE
WHAT WE LIKE
AD INDEX
Top Trends for 2010
Database Administrators: It’s All in a Day’s Work
ACADEMIC CONNECTION
Does It Matter If Your Instructors Are Certified? DAVID ANDERSSON AND KARL REIMERS
Deciding on a college, university or institute is an impor-tant aspect of your educational process. Knowing the instructors’ level of teaching experience and the success of former students can offer some indication of the edu-cation you will receive. For IT students, there’s another component that should be addressed, and that has to do with certifications.Certifications have grown in popularity as well as stature in recent years. Once relegated to individuals who either could not or would not complete a four-year degree, IT certifications are fast becoming a necessity when work-ing in the IT field, regardless of the degree you’ve earned or your experience. It’s now coming to the forefront that instructors with IT certifications may also indicate a more apt and fluid learn-ing environment, so an important question to pose when researching different colleges is whether the teachers you will have are credentialed, not just degreed.Whether you’re looking at a four-year post-secondary school or a two-year program, the faculty will have the greatest impact on your academic success, and their ability to adapt and associate the changes in IT advance-ments to real-world applications can be vital.The rapidly changing landscape of IT has created a grow-ing demand for credentialing among businesses trying to keep up. That means there are indications already surfac-ing that certified individuals, regardless of their educa-
tional background, may outperform their formally degreed counterparts. When you consider the impact that teachers have on students, those that are able to improve the class-room experience and simplify the material being discussed can lead their students to greater success in the long term.Do you want an education that prepares you best for the real world, or one that simply shuffles you through the gates to place a diploma in your hand? Granted, there will be plenty of healthy debate regarding this issue, but the research and current evidence indicate a strong corre-lation between success in the classroom and a teacher who has certifications in IT.Imagine this scenario: You’re sitting in an IT class discuss-ing Microsoft system engineering. Your instructor is a fine person who earned his degree in computer science or IT many years ago and certainly knows what he talk-ing about. However, technology has changed in the years since he was in school, and if he has only been teaching in those years since, and conducting research as mandated by most colleges and universities, then there is a potential gap in what he understands and the technology that is cur-rently in the market or being taught. Textbooks can only go so far before that real-world experience comes into play.Certification as a MCSE or CCNP or CompTIA’s vendor-neutral Network+ or Security+ certifications would indi-cate that the instructor has kept current with the changes in technology and would therefore be in a better position to
assist his students in understanding the intricate dynamics that make the IT industry such an amazing field to work in.The question then lies in where to look for this informa-tion about teachers at potential colleges or universities. If you’ve decided on a potential college, for example, it’s time to ask pointed questions of the admissions counsel-ors. Some college Web sites will have this information available for review, but this isn’t always the case.You will be investing your time and money in the college of your choice; it’s important to know what you’re paying for. You may find that there are few instructors teaching at these institutions who have certifications, and it may behoove you to continue your search if you feel that this factor of an IT education is critical, or you may consider if you’ll do well with the traditional professor model.If the admissions office of the college or university can’t answer these questions, then visit the IT department and discuss your concerns with the dean or chair of the department. Don’t let ineffective administrative issues prevent you from learning as much as you can about your future program. 8
David Andersson teaches in the IT department of American Military University. Karl Reimers chairs the department of computer information systems and accounting at Mount Olive College. They can be reached at [email protected].
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2009 Salary Survey
ACADEMIC CONNECTION
INTERFACE
INSIDE CERTIFICATION
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DEAR TECHIE
TROUBLESHOOTING
LOOK AHEAD
ENDTAG
EDITOR’S LETTER
DATA STREAM
VIRTUAL VILLAGE
WHAT WE LIKE
AD INDEX
Top Trends for 2010
Database Administrators: It’s All in a Day’s Work
TROUBLESHOOTING
When IP Addresses ConflictAVNER IZHAR
A: An IP address conflict is a network problem that is caused by having two network devices (computers, printers, routers, firewalls, etc.) with the same IP address on the same broadcast domain, local area network (LAN) or virtual local area network (VLAN) at the same time.The IP protocol, version 4, requires every network device to have a unique identifier — an IP address — in order to func-tion properly. When two network devices have the same identifier, the traffic that needs to get to them will be incon-sistent. It might be that all the traffic will end up in only one of them, or that one packet will go to one and another will go to the other. This is unacceptable and can cause major disrup-tion in the transferred information, and therefore network devices that implement the IP protocol are programmed to detect and avoid those conflicting conditions.The detection mechanism is usually based on a probe address resolution protocol (ARP), where the host sends a broadcast ARP probe packet upon the interface configu-ration — either manual or dynamic addressing network (DHCP). At this point, a host with a conflicting address will reply to the probe packet and will cause the newly con-
figured host to stop using its newly assigned IP address. When this happens in a DHCP, address renewal or a reboot will cause the conflicting device to request a new address and to eliminate the conflicting conditions. According to your description, this is probably the case. RFC 5227 is cov-ering this mechanism in depth for the deep-diving readers.An IP address conflict is almost always a configuration mis-take. While software bugs are the exception to that, I have yet to see one that causes this. It can be a mistake made by the network administrator in a DHCP-based network or by another user if the addresses are allocated manually in your network. In a DHCP environment, it can be caused by having two DHCP servers on the same network, or by hav-ing long address lease time and hosts that do not have a battery-based clock, which keeps track of time while they are turned off, like a VMware guest OS in suspended mode. Another common DHCP scenario is when an excluded range is not allocated for devices that have a static IP in a DHCP-controlled subnet. In a static or manual addressing network, a user might assign an address that is not avail-able and create a conflict by doing that.
The way to detect and fix these conflicts depends on the network size. In a small office environment — up to 10 network devices — you can check the settings on all of them and find the conflicting device. In larger networks, it can take days to cover all network devices, and a bet-ter approach is to use the media access control (MAC) address to track down the conflicting device.The first step is to find the two conflicting MAC addresses. You can usually find this info in the event log of a Win-dows-based device — sometimes the error message itself will contain the conflicting device’s MAC address. Once the address is identified, you can use the network switches to track down a network device by running a query against the layer two forwarding table and finding out what port is connected to the conflicting address. In a Cisco-switching-based network, the command “show MAC-address-table” will display the entire layer two for-warding database, and by using the question mark, you can learn how to leverage additional parameters to show only the information you want, because in a large net-work, the results can be multiple pages long. 8
Q: Every now and then, I get a pop-up on my work computer that reads, “There is an IP address conflict with another system on the network.” This happens at times when I need my network the most, but, in order to recover, a reboot is required. So far I have been unable to find out what is causing it.
Avner Izhar, CCIE, CCVP, CCSI, is a consulting system engineer at World Wide Technology Inc., a leading systems integrator providing technology and supply chain solutions. He can be reached at [email protected].
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2009 Salary Survey
ACADEMIC CONNECTION
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INSIDE CERTIFICATION
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TROUBLESHOOTING
LOOK AHEAD
ENDTAG
EDITOR’S LETTER
DATA STREAM
VIRTUAL VILLAGE
WHAT WE LIKE
AD INDEX
Top Trends for 2010
Database Administrators: It’s All in a Day’s Work
A Cord-Free FutureCommonplace electronics may go completely cordless in the next few years. According to a CNN article, wireless electricity isn’t too far off. One way that wire-less electricity could function is by converting power from an electrical socket into a magnetic field that is then sent through the air at a specific frequency — a technology called magnetically coupled resonance.
“Five years from now, this [tech-nology] will seem completely normal,” Eric Giler, CEO of WiT-ricity, said in the article. Giler’s company, which was developed from a Massachusetts Institute of Technology research team, is one of several groups working on the concept. (Check out his demonstration of the technology at TED.com.)
Wireless electricity, in whatever form it may appear, could have huge societal and environmental implications. Elimi-nating the need for power cords could lead the way for the adoption of electric cars, while decreasing the production of disposable batteries could benefit the environment, the CNN article stated. Additionally, wireless electricity
could simply make recharging laptops, cell phones and MP3 players much more convenient.
The Smart Phone WarThis fall, The Wall Street Jour-nal reported that Dell will build a mobile phone for AT&T using the Android platform, likely available in early 2010. This is exciting news on the mobile device front, as it has the potential to further diversify the booming smart phone market.
The phone is Dell’s first foray into cell phone development. Dell’s phone will be based on Android, a mobile operating system running on the Linux
kernel. Originally begun as a small startup, Android was acquired by Google and then folded into the Open Handset Alliance. It’s been available as open source software since last year.
Its key features are high adaptability to third-party appli-cations and libraries, a high rate of compatibility with vari-ous networks and support of a range of media formats and hardware. It’s billed as easily maintained and able to sup-port open-air download of applications, without the use
of a PC. Further, it supports a high level of functionality in touch-screen usage.Application of Android was already seen in the mobile phone market in Google’s HTC Dream — often referred to as the gPhone — but to date that has seen sales of roughly 1 million, compared to BlackBerry’s estimated 28.5 million and iPhone’s more than 21 million. We’ll see whether Dell’s input will make for a sleeker, smarter design that captures the public’s imagination and excels Google’s entrance into the mobile phone market.
eBay to the RescueOne of our editors has a cell phone that’s been on its last legs for a while, but recently it developed a new quirk. If it’s touched with damp fingers, it dials itself until it dries out. (It really likes the number seven.) Plus, while it’s hap-pily dialing that one number — without stopping — our editor can’t access text messages or dial out. While she can accept incoming calls, whoever is calling hears the number seven beeping over and over. Needless to say, it makes holding a conversation a little tough.She looked into buying a new phone, but she didn’t want to have to renew or extend her contract. So, after sending out numerous feelers and asking around, she discovered — dum, dum, dum! — eBay sells phones sans contracts. Now all she’s got to do is perfect the fine art of bidding online. 8– [email protected]
When social media meets international politics, fireworks doubtless ensue. Although it may be uncomfortable for some to watch, it’s yet another sign that these tools are fast becoming a mainstream means of interaction and communication — and another sign that we need to get serious about how we use them.It wasn’t always this way. In the beginning, Facebook was a simple Web-based service that allowed Harvard students to get to know each other a little better. Since escaping from the halls of its Ivy League birthplace, Facebook has become infinitely more than that. With 300 million users across the globe — and counting — it’s a country in and of itself, a virtual ecosystem where the conflicts of the greater world play out in mostly blue, black and white hues and in dozens of languages.
The Virtual World Meets the Real OneAnd how it plays out is — like the real world its users occupy when they’re not updating their status or uploading pictures from their smart phones — not always pretty. Ongoing skirmishes over whether the Golan Heights are part of Israel or Syria, who owns the Kashmir region and whether or not Tibet’s capital Lhasa is considered part of China continue to illustrate social media’s ability to mirror broader society.This isn’t necessarily a negative trend. The fact that we can even have this level of interaction on what was once little more than a simple online bulletin board is a sign of social media’s growing pervasiveness and influ-
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ence. It’s also proof positive that as 2009 segues into 2010, social media has become significantly more fundamental to our lives than many of us may have previously thought.For example, in the wake of the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia, debate has flashed back and forth over the status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the breakaway terri-tories at the center of the conflict. Despite Russia’s claims that Sukhumi, the Abkhaz capital, is Russian, according to Facebook, it’s in Georgia. Supporters on both sides have been lining up on their respective fan pages, launching verbal bombs at each other in a virtual continuation of the long-since-quelled military conflict.
Times Have ChangedIn an earlier age, such interaction might have played out in front of embassies or consulates. It might have involved far fewer participants, and it would have received far less total attention — from the media as well as regular folks — as it would today. The level of discussion would con-sequently be lower, which would minimize the potential for true dialogue to take place. While much of the Geor-gia-Russia online dogfight remains barely publishable and often juvenile, the fact that venues have emerged for some sort of exchange opens up an admittedly small opportu-nity for more meaningful dialogue.Somewhere in the tens of thousands of single-minded sup-porters, there’s a small minority of people who might be open to constructive exchanges with their supposed ene-mies. It’s a fascinating twist that social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, still largely seen by most users as relatively trivial channels for the minutiae of everyday life, can be used for such potentially world-changing dis-cussions.
Impossible to PredictIt’s an evolution the founders of these services likely never envisioned. I doubt Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg appreciated how influential some seemingly small archi-tecture decisions — how to populate a list of countries, how to define a territory, whether to allow users to regis-ter under “occupied territories,” among others — would have such profound real-world implications for so many users. As he sat in his dorm room barely six years ago, he couldn’t have appreciated how a simple online communi-cations tool would evolve into a global force for change.Predicted or not, the tools have become the global village equivalent of the town square. And arguments that used to take place on benches in the shadows of cafes and church
steeples now fly across transoceanic cables and satellite links. The implications for users — both consumer and business — who choose to use social media are clear:• The context within which personal and business com-
munication takes place has changed radically and per-manently.
• Sensitivities surrounding something as simple as your choice of hometown can ignite debates that may harm you or your business.
• The number of stakeholders touched by social media continues to increase at an accelerating rate — which only exacerbates communication-related sensitivity.
Against this backdrop, individuals and businesses can no longer afford to dive into social media without some sort of plan that is both strategic and tactical. Companies will increasingly dictate what employees can and cannot say when they use these services, and acceptable use poli-cies that deal specifically with these tools will become the norm rather than the exception.Whether such limitations are right, moral or legal is ulti-mately for individuals and the courts to decide — and will likely never be decided to anyone’s satisfaction. But greater discipline surrounding social-media-based mes-saging will happen regardless, as these fast-evolving plat-forms become more precise mirrors of broader society. 8
Carmi Levy is a technology journalist and analyst with experience launching help desks and managing projects for major financial services institutions. He offers consulting advice on enterprise infrastructure, mobility and emerging social media. He can be reached at [email protected].
In the beginning, Facebook was a simple Web-based
service that allowed Harvard students to get to know each
other a little better. Since escaping from the halls of its Ivy League birthplace,
Facebook has become infinitely more than that.
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2009 Salary Survey
ACADEMIC CONNECTION
INTERFACE
INSIDE CERTIFICATION
TECH CAREERS
DEAR TECHIE
TROUBLESHOOTING
LOOK AHEAD
ENDTAG
EDITOR’S LETTER
DATA STREAM
VIRTUAL VILLAGE
WHAT WE LIKE
AD INDEX
Top Trends for 2010
Database Administrators: It’s All in a Day’s Work
CERTIFICATION
Fifteen months ago, the world watched in horror as stock markets plummeted, debt skyrocketed, banks collapsed and the credit industry imploded, plunging the global economy into the worst recession since the Great Depression. No one knew what the next day, week or month — let alone year — had in store.Suffice it to say, not much has changed. Though economists have pointed to early signs of recovery, we’re all still waiting with bated breath for some kind of certainty to emerge. This year’s CertMag Salary Survey received more than 40,000 responses from IT professionals in over 150 countries around the world — from Pakistan to the Philippines, from Bulgaria to Bangladesh. The good news is, despite the continued eco-nomic ambiguity, the results of our survey pointed to a few
To know where we’re going, we need to look at where we’ve been. This year’s CertMag Salary Survey polled more than 40,000 professionals in over 150 countries around the globe to give you an in-depth analysis of the year’s financial repercussions.BY CERTIFICATION MAGAZINE EDITORIAL STAFF
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stable trends within the IT industry that could provide profession-als with some direction for the coming year. First, IT has been widely recognized as a growth industry — even in this climate — and our numbers reflected that. In 2009, the aver-age U.S. total salary, including benefits and incentives, was a gen-erous $96,677. That is a 9 percent gain over last year’s average of $88,640. However, this growth represents a slowdown from that of the previous year, when average total salaries jumped a dra-matic 15 percent.Also reflective of the times was the number of IT professionals who are experiencing pay cuts. About a quarter of you said you’ve either had your pay cut in the last year or expect to have your pay cut in the coming year. Fewer people reported getting incentives or bonuses this year, too — dropping from 41 percent of respondents in 2008 to 34 percent in 2009. However, again proving the value of cer-tification, many respondents reported receiving a raise after earning their most recent certification, with 30 percent of you saying that raise was between 10 and 20 percent. Then again, most of you (52 percent) said that raise was 5 percent or less, whereas last year the most common raise amount was 5 to 10 percent.Also indicating the power of certification was the number of respon-dents who added more than two certifications to their portfolios this year. This figure jumped from 11.4 percent of respondents in 2008 to more than 30 percent in 2009, while the total number of people who earned at least one cert this year was more than 67 percent. Tellingly, a full 96 percent of respondents from the top five countries with the highest salaries said they were certified. In the U.S., the top five highest-paying certs varied a bit this year from last year, although the general content areas stayed pretty much the same. The cert that commanded the highest salary this year was the Brocade Certified Network Engineer (BCNE, formerly FNCNE) with a whopping average total salary of $146,250. This
In 2009, the average U.S. total salary, including benefits and incentives, was a generous $96,677. That is a 9 percent gain over last year’s average of $88,640.
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bumped last year’s top cert, the Brocade Certified Fabric Designer (BCFD or BCSD), which had an average salary of $120,770 last year, to No. 4 this year.Rounding out the top five highest-paying certs in 2009 were: (ISC)2 Information Systems Security Architecture Professional (CISSP-ISSAP) with $136,060; Brocade Certified SAN Manager (BCSM) with $136,020; Brocade Certified Fabric Designer (BCFD or BCSD) with $135,600; and the (ISC)2 Information Systems Security Man-agement Professional (CISSP-ISSMP) with $134,100.As evidenced by these results, a general focus on network and security issues continues to be a growing trend — and lucrative career choice — within the IT industry.The cert that connoted the lowest salary was the CIW – Certified Internet Web Professional, with an average salary of $59,290. This was followed by the Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Techni-cian (MCDST) with $62,030; the Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT) with $63,420; the HP: Accredited Platform Specialist (APS) with $64,180; and Dell certification with $67,190.This is not too surprising given that many of these certs corre-spond with entry-level jobs or jobs that are not particularly “hot” right now.No doubt about it: The past year has had its ups and downs. But as the results of the 2009 CertMag Salary Survey show, there are rays of light to be seen in the IT field. And while a certain level of uncertainty remains, IT professionals can use it as an opportunity to explore the new specializations or career paths that continue to emerge as the industry develops.– Agatha Gilmore
Identifying Today’s IT Professional: Who Are You?Before delving into an analysis of the survey data, we first must understand who was answering the questions. Here’s a rundown.According to survey responses, dudes continue to dominate the industry, with 90 percent of you being men. And it’s still a young person’s industry. The largest number of responses (27 percent) came from the 25 to 29 age group, followed by the 30 to 34 demo-graphic (roughly 21 percent). The under-25 group stayed consis-tent with prior surveys, containing less than 12 percent of the
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respondents. There was a slight downturn in the older groups this year, with less than 16 percent in the 35 to 39 age range; less than 10 percent from 40 to 44 years old; 7 percent from ages 45 to 49; and just 5 percent from the 50 to 54 age group.More than half of you have received higher education of some sort. Approximately 42 percent of you have a bachelor’s degree, and 22 percent have a master’s degree. Nearly 12 percent of you have received technical training but no degree, and nearly 10 per-
cent have just a high school diploma.Survey respondents are also over-whelmingly global. Respondents logged on to fill out the survey from 167 countries spanning the globe. We even had one respondent from North Korea. Following previous Salary Survey trends, the majority of respondents live outside the United States, but the largest single group within the survey remained the U.S., with 7,130 respon-dents out of the 26,075 who told us where they live. That 27 percent total represents a significant drop from last year, however, when it was nearly 40 percent. The Indian contingent grew again this year, with 16.7 percent of
responses — up from 14.6 percent in 2008. China was the biggest area of growth, though, with 4.2 percent of the total responses. It bumped the United Kingdom — which had 4 percent — from the third spot. Canada held steady with 4 percent, the same as last year.Among North American respondents, the highest percentage are in California (8.5 percent), followed by Texas (7.2 percent). The number of respondents from Virginia held steady this year, with nearly 6 percent. Ontario, Canada, had 5.2 percent of responses, followed by Illinois with 4.1 percent and Florida with 4 percent.More of you are working less regularly. About 89 percent of respondents are currently working full time, compared with 94 percent in 2008. Only 3 percent work part time, and 4 percent are unemployed, compared with 2 percent in 2008. About 4 percent
The majority of respondents live outside the United States, but the largest single group within the survey remained the U.S., with 7,130 respondents out of the 26,075 who told us where they live.
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2009 Salary Survey
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AD INDEX
Top Trends for 2010
Database Administrators: It’s All in a Day’s Work
(ISC)² Certification and Accreditation Professional (CAP) 108.47(ISC)² Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) 108.63(ISC)2 Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLPCM) 122.39(ISC)² Information Systems Security Architecture Professional (CISSP-ISSAP) 136.06(ISC)² Information Systems Security Engineering Professional (CISSP-ISSEP) 124.14(ISC)² Information Systems Security Management Professional (CISSP-ISSMP) 134.1(ISC)² Systems Security Certification Practitioner (SSCP) 97.863Com 96.5Brocade Certified Fabric Designer (BCFD or BCSD) 135.6Brocade Certified Fabric Professional (BCFP) 122.92Brocade Certified Network Engineer (BCNE) 146.25Brocade Certified SAN Manager (BCSM) 136.02CCDA 105.35CCDP 111.42CCENT 63.42CCIE Routing and Switching 120.13CCNA 87.79CCNA Security 85.54CCNA Voice 84.61CCNP 101.02CCSP 104.81CCVP 104.93
Check Point Certified Security Administrator (CCSA) 108.4Check Point Certified Security Expert (CCSE) 115.88Citrix Certified Administrator (CCA) 91.74Citrix Certified Enterprise Administrator (CCEA) 99.75CIW - Certified Internet Web Professional 59.29CompTIA A+ 69.47CompTIA Linux+ 77.87CompTIA Network+ 71.67CompTIA Project+ 79.85CompTIA Security+ 82.45CompTIA Server+ 78.02CTP - Convergence Technologies Professional 75.82CWNP: CWNA 94.15Dell 67.19EC-Council CEH Certified Ethical Hacker 99.9EMC Proven Professional – Implementation Engineer (EMCIE) 101.77EMC Proven Professional – Product/Technology Specific 110.11EMC Proven Professional – Storage Administrator (EMCSA) 105.6EMC Proven Professional – Technology Architect (EMCTA) 125.75GIAC Certified Forensics Analyst (GCFA) 105.71GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH) 101.15GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst (GCIA) 99.24
GIAC Security Essentials Certification (GSEC) 95.46Hitachi Data Systems Certified Professional 119.53HP: Accredited Integration Specialist (AIS) 93.36HP: Accredited Platform Specialist (APS) 64.18HP: Accredited Presales Consultant (APC) 94.85HP: Accredited Presales Professional (APP) 90.33HP: Accredited Systems Engineer (ASE) 92.14HP: Certified Systems Administrator (CSA) 103.18HP: Certified Systems Engineer (CSE) 90.68HP: Master Accredited Systems Engineer (Master ASE) 105IBM Certified Application and Solution Developer/ System Administrator – WebSphere 90.59IBM Certified Application Developer/ System Administrator - Lotus 83.76IBM Certified Database Administrator/ Application Developer - DB2 87.69IBM Certified Operator/ Administrator (IBM i or AIX and Linux) 90.35IBM Certified SOA Associate/ Solution Designer 101.84IBM Certified Solution Advisor/ Deployment Professional - Tivoli 102.5IBM Certified Specialist – IBM Systems Storage 99.8IBM Certified Specialist – System x and BladeCenter 81.61
IBM Certified Specialist/ Application Developer - Rational 97.93IBM Certified Specialist/Systems Expert - Power Systems (AIX and Linux) 97.77IBM Certified Specialist/Systems Expert - Power Systems (IBM i) 93.14ISACA Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT) 130.75ISACA Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) 120.23ISACA Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) 104.8Juniper Networks Certified Internet Associate – Enterprise Routing 95.98Linux Professional Institute (LPI) 83.38Microsoft MCDBA 93.31Microsoft MCDST 62.03Microsoft MCITP 82.26Microsoft MCPD 79.16Microsoft MCSA 80.95Microsoft MCSA 2003 82.34Microsoft MCSE 95.2Microsoft MCSE 2003 87.79Microsoft MCTS 79.88Microsoft MOS 70.93MySQL Database Administrator 93.48Nortel Certified Design Specialist (NCDS) 102.63Nortel Certified Support Expert (NCSE) 97.78Nortel Certified Support Specialist (NCSS) 89Nortel Certified Technology Specialist (NCTS) 87.74Novell CNA 92.33
Novell CNE 98.03Oracle DBA Certified Associate (OCA) 86.44Oracle DBA Certified Professional (OCP) 96.95Other 91.37Project Management Institute PMP 109.76Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) 91.99Red Hat Certified Technician (RHCT) 89.13SANS GIAC 105.78SAS Certified Advance Programmer for SAS9 71.87SAS Certified Base Programmer for SAS9 71.12SNIA Certified Storage Network Professional 107.73Sun Certified Business Component Developer (SCBCD) 93.91Sun Certified Enterprise Architect (SCEA) 108.36Sun Certified Java Associate (SCJA) 84.52Sun Certified Java Developer (SCJD) 107.4Sun Certified Java Programmer (SCJP) 93.75Sun Certified Network Administrator (SCNA) 105.31Sun Certified Security Administrator (SCSECA) 97.04Sun Certified System Administrator (SCSA) 107.22Sun Certified Web Component Developer (SCWCD) 88.52TIA CTP 79.87UNIX 103.71VERITAS 102.4
Figure 1: Top Certifications by Salary Certification Average Salary (x $1,000)
Certification Average Salary (x $1,000)
Certification Average Salary (x $1,000)
Certification Average Salary (x $1,000)
Certification Average Salary (x $1,000)
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2009 Salary Survey
ACADEMIC CONNECTION
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Database Administrators: It’s All in a Day’s Work
are students. The majority of you — 60 percent — work an average of 40 to 50 hours per week. Nearly 68 percent of respondents have been with their cur-rent employer for less than four years; 14.2 percent have been with that employer for less than a year, 12.1 percent for one year, 19.9 percent for two years and 14 percent for three years. Just over 10 percent have been with their current employer for more than 10 years. According to the survey, 43 percent expect to change jobs in the coming year, while 57 plan to stay put.The size of the companies that respondents work for is all over the board, with the majority (64 percent) working for companies with fewer than 5,000 employees, but 26 percent working for companies with between 5,000 and 100,000 employees. Further, nearly 17 percent of respon-dents work for companies with fewer than 50 employ-ees, while 10 percent work for companies with more than 100,000 employees.The majority of respondents have been in the IT industry for less than 10 years — nearly 36 percent had less than five years’ experience and 28 percent had five to 10 years’ experience. Nearly 11 percent have been in IT for more than 20 years.According to the survey, almost 93 percent of you are cer-tified in a technical field, with many of you receiving your first certification within the last three years. Almost 20 percent of you received your first cert in 2009, 17 percent in 2008 and 12 percent in 2007. The percentage of respondents holding three or more certs was up significantly this year to 52.1 percent, com-pared with 35.5 percent last year. About a quarter of you hold one certification, and 21 percent hold two.
The number of respondents who added one new certifica-tion in the past year ticked slightly downward, however, from 38 percent in 2008 to 37 percent in 2009. There was a corresponding drop in the number of respondents who did not add a cert to their portfolio this year, from 34 percent in 2008 to 33 percent in 2009. There was also a significant rise in the number of people who added more than two certifi-cations, from 11.4 percent last year to 30.2 percent this year. – Mike Prokopeak
Cash Is the CulpritIt’s been a rough couple years for IT professionals. While their primary concerns from 2008 haven’t changed much, they have been reordered.This year’s Salary Survey respondents reported their top three extreme concerns are the job market, job security, and compensation and benefits. Other areas of concern include recertification or maintaining skills and employer support for certification — which, rather tellingly, both have monetary components.Pay cuts were more popular than anyone would’ve liked in 2009, with some 14 percent of survey respondents report-ing their pay had been cut in the past year, while about 12 percent expect to have their pay cut in the coming year. Ouch.Not surprisingly, the economy also did a number on job perks. Some 41 percent of respondents got incentive compensation or a bonus in 2008, but only 34 percent of respondents indicated they received incentive compensa-tion or a bonus in 2009, while 65 percent said they did not. Though base salaries jumped a bit in 2009, more than 42 percent of respondents intend to change jobs in the
coming year. There could be many reasons for this, from employees anticipating company downsizing to employ-ees experiencing things on the job that would prompt them to explore other opportunities when available or when the economy rebounds.Overwork might be another reason IT pros are eyeing the door. Despite many reduced or stagnant salaries, 59 per-cent of respondents work more than 40 hours per week, and more than 15 percent work in excess of 50 hours per week.The Salary Survey did reveal some good money news, however. After receiving their most recent certification, about 36 percent of respondents received a raise, though about half reported that raise was 5 percent or less. About 15 percent said the raise was at least 10 percent; roughly the same number said it was between 15 and 20 percent; and 5 percent of respondents said they received a raise of more than 50 percent. Judging by the survey results, it also appears that boosting one’s cache of skills via certification is a smart move no matter the market conditions, as certifications were cred-ited with helping respondents get those pay increases. Around 47 percent said they think their most recently earned certification played a role in them getting a raise. Furthering their certification portfolios also contributed to respondents’ career progression. Roughly 1 in 5 respon-dents received a promotion in the first year after receiving their most recent certification.Certifications also are credited with helping IT professionals get along better in this volatile market. More than 85 percent of respondents agree that since they’ve become certified, there is a greater demand for their skills. More than 86 percent said
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2009 Salary Survey
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Database Administrators: It’s All in a Day’s Work
becoming certified has improved their problem-solving skills, and roughly the same number report that achieving certifica-tion has increased their productivity on the job. There’s noth-ing like a little focused study to take one’s mind off money problems and rapidly emptying cubicles.Despite the benefits of certification, the Salary Survey results showed a lack of certification support from employ-ers. Here again, it’s likely money is the culprit. Some 11 percent of respondents report their employers were not at all supportive of their efforts to certify or recertify their skills. Then again, about 77 percent said their employers gave them at least some support.Outsourcing, once a huge IT career headache, continues to lose teeth year-over-year. It did not affect 63 percent of this year’s survey respondents, which represented a drop of 1 percentage point from last year. In fact, 31 percent of this year’s respondents reported they benefited from out-sourcing — up 6 percentage points from last year. These perhaps unlikely beneficiaries were either retrained or repositioned within their companies.Reskilling seems to be a popular way to combat the reces-sion, as 37 percent of respondents have added at least one new certification in the past year, and 18 percent have added two. Further, 84 percent plan to pursue additional certifications within the next 12 months. So either there’s relief on the horizon, or IT professionals are gearing up to deal with the next wave of madness.– Kellye Whitney
The Demographics Effect Demographic factors such as gender, age and level of edu-cation have traditionally played a role in shaping the sal-
ary earnings of IT professionals. Sure enough, this year’s findings didn’t stray from these fundamental expectations.Judging by the survey results, women continue to comprise a relatively small segment of the IT industry, accounting for 14.1 percent of this year’s respondents. This number represents an increase of a few percentage points from previous years, although it should be noted that this year we are only factoring in responses from our U.S.-based respondents. Interestingly, the most prominent salary bracket for both genders — again, we’re looking at U.S. data only — was the $100,000 to $109,999 range, with 10.5 percent of males and 8.4 percent of females reporting said earnings. The $110,000 to $119,000 salary range proved to be the second most popular among respondents, with 6.4 percent of males and 6.9 percent of females figuring into this category.Another trend that’s in keeping with previous years is the salary earnings gap that arises as a result of age. As might be expected due to lack of experience and creden-tials, more than half of individuals who are 18 years of age
and under, as well as those between the ages of 19 and 24 (16.4 percent), fell into our lowest annual salary bracket, earning less than $20,000 this year.Meanwhile, the majority — 11.4 percent — of those between the ages of 25 and 29 reported an annual income of $60,000 to $64,999, while the majority of individuals between the ages of 30 and 34 reported an average salary of $70,000 to $74,999. Not surprisingly, most of the indi-viduals in several consecutive age groups — ages 35 to 64, collectively — reported earning an annual salary of between $100,000 and $109,999 this year. Like last year, there appears to be a drop-off in salary earnings among our eldest respondents — those who are 65 years and older. While the majority (8.8 percent) of respondents in this age group reported earnings of $90,000 to $99,999, the same number of individuals also reported earning less than $20,000 this year. As suggested in the past, this finding isn’t an anomaly and could be attributed to the fact that some of these individuals may have chosen to be employed only part time, thereby resulting in the sig-nificantly lower annual income. Further, we continue to see that education level also is a factor in determining annual salary. In findings that appear to deviate slightly from last year’s research, the majority of U.S. respondents who are currently in school (9.3 percent) reported earning less than $20,000 this year — compared to an average annual salary of $46,490 last year. Consider-ing last year’s responses factored in global survey takers, this discrepancy is all the more significant, and one might wonder if the recession played a role. Then again, the majority of individuals with a profes-sional degree seemed to fare better, reporting earnings of
Reskilling seems to be a popular way to combat the recession, as 37 percent of respondents have added at least one new
certification in the past year, and 18 percent have added two.
21
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between $55,000 and $74,999. These are significantly higher than last year’s average annual salary of $28,790.Another finding is that the majority of individuals in each of the other groups — including those with a high school diploma, a two-year associate’s degree, technical training, bachelor’s degree and master’s degree — reported annual earnings between $100,000 and $109,999 this year. These results are somewhat surprising given the vast difference in qualifications and skill sets that exists among these groups.What has remained constant, however, is the fact that the major-ity of those who possess a doctorate command the highest annual salary among all groups — 11 percent of those with a doctorate reported earning between $110,000 and $119,999 this year.Finally, associations can also be drawn between annual salary and the number of years IT professionals are affiliated with a particu-lar organization. Unlike last year, when the majority of employees who had been with their companies for less than a year reported one of the lowest average annual salaries, this year that group, as well as the majority of those who have been with their employer for four years, reported the highest earnings of all the groups: between $110,000 and $119,999. We should note, however, that discrepancies such as this could have resulted from the fact that this year we’re taking into account the most frequently occurring salary range instead of the average annual salary.– Deanna Hartley
Certification: A Cost-Effective Pursuit?Achieving certification, especially in the current economy, may be easier when you don’t have to worry about the cost. Fortunately for the majority of you, your employer took that burden off your mind. According to the 2009 Salary Survey, 51.7 percent of you had your most recent certification paid for by your employer. However, about 28.8 percent of you were stuck paying your own way. The remainder had their certifications funded by a variety of different sources: reimbursement by their employer (8.7 per-cent); splitting the cost with their employer (6.8 percent); vendor/voucher (5.7 percent); government/GI Bill (1.4 percent); grant (0.7 percent); scholarship (0.5 percent); and having a friend or rela-
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tive pay (0.3 percent). A small number of respondents, 2.7 percent, had their certifications paid for by other sources.Interestingly, compared with 2008, the percentage of employers footing the bill has increased, while the percent-age of respondents paying for themselves has decreased.While preparing for certification, 19.8 percent of respon-dents spent between $100 and $199 on materials. However, 18.2 percent of respondents managed to get by using free — or no — resources, as they did not spend any money on materials. The next most common amounts spent were $50 to $99 (12.9 percent), $200 to $299 (11.5 percent) and $500 to $999 (8.8 percent).Overall, about 69 percent of respondents spent less than $300, 79 percent spent less than $500 and 88 percent spent less than $1,000 on materials. These figures are comparable to those seen in last year’s survey.As far as training and seminars go, nearly half of all respon-dents bypassed these entirely (48.1 percent). Those who did engage in training and seminars mostly spent larger sums of money. The next highest percentage of respon-dents, 10.1 percent, spent $2,000 to $2,999. Meanwhile, 9.5 percent spent $1,000 to $1,999; 6.5 percent spent $3,000 to $3,999; and 5.1 percent spent $500 to $999.In studying for their certification exams, respondents got the most use out of practice exams, on-the-job training and self-study books. These were the top three resources in both the 2007 and 2008 Salary Survey, as well. This year, roughly 70 percent of respondents rated practice exams as extremely or very valuable, while nearly the identi-cal number rated on-the-job training the same way and about 66 percent felt similarly about self-study books. The fourth, fifth and sixth most valuable study materials were
instructor-led training at a training center (41.4 percent); product documentation (38.8 percent); and computer-based training and simulations (38.5 percent).The survey found significant levels of nonuse for the remainder of the rated study materials. In fact, all of these resources showed higher levels of nonuse than they did in last year’s survey. Community and technical college courses had the highest level of nonuse at 71.3 percent, followed by vendor-authorized boot camps at 62.3 per-cent, brain dumps from Web sites at 59.2 percent, Internet mailing lists and newsgroups at 57.5 percent, and online universities and e-learning at 56.5 percent. Compared with 2008, there was a slight decrease in the quality of resources. Slightly more than 64 percent of respondents said that the quality of learning materials was excellent or very good, while 59.5 percent felt simi-
larly about the quality of the test or exam they took. Nearly 59 percent thought the overall quality of their educational experience was very good or excellent, while 50.8 per-cent felt the same about the comprehensiveness of train-ing programs and 42.2 percent said the same about the quality of instructors. These were all decreases from last year’s survey.So how did respondents feel overall about the value of their most recent certification for the price they paid? Nearly 48 percent felt the value for the price paid was excellent or very good, while almost 24 percent thought it was good. However, 10.7 percent said it was fair and 4.2 percent said it was poor. These figures are comparable to last year’s data, so opinions on the benefits of certifica-tion for the cost have not changed much since 2008.– Erin Green
How Specialization Factors InSpecialization: The word itself should conjure up posi-tive images. After all, “special” means unique, it means one stands out — in this economic climate, does it mean recession-proof? Not necessarily. Trends such as “hybrid jobs,” which are positions that blend IT with expertise in another industry — health care, for example — require much more than simply an IT specialization. Often, they entail obtaining another degree in a different subject. And similar trends such as “doing more with less” and budget cuts continue to steal more of the thunder that normally comes with a specialization.As you might expect, then, this year’s Salary Survey results paralleled the finicky nature of job marketability. While
Employer paid 100%
You paid 100%
Reimbursed by employerYou and employer
shared the costVendor/Voucher
Other
Government/GI Bill
Grant
Scholarship
Friend or relative
51.7%
28.8%
8.7%
6.8%
5.7%
2.7%
1.4%
0.7%
0.5%
0.3%
Who paid for your most recent certification?
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some normally top-performing specializations remained strong in salary numbers, others continued their down-ward slides. Some stayed in line with last year’s reports.On the high end, security garnered the greatest number of respondents who make more than $200,000 (2 percent). Security is one area that has bounced back and forth between first place and lower down the top five in recent years, placing fourth last year in terms of average salary by specialization.The majority of respondents in a wide range of special-izations reported an average salary range of $100,000 to $109,999, including application development; database administration; IT instruction; security; software pro-grammer; strategic systems design and implementation; storage design and implementation; network design and implementation; network management; IT project plan-ning and implementation; and information assurance. Of those, storage design and implementation led the pack, with 17 percent of respondents reporting that particular salary range. This comes as no surprise, as this same spe-cialization took second place in last year’s Salary Survey.This year, in addition to having the most respondents mak-ing $100,000 to $109,999, strategic systems design and implementation also had about 9 percent of its respon-dents making $110,000 to $119,999; 7 percent with $120,000 to $129,999; 5.5 percent with $130,000 to $139,999; and a little over 3 percent with $150,000 to $159,999. This spe-cialization was in first place last year in terms of salary by specialization.In third place last year was information assurance — a specialization only introduced into the Salary Survey two years ago. The field remained strong in this year’s results,
with 11.1 percent of its respondents reporting an annual salary between $120,000 to $129,999; 5.8 percent report-ing $130,000 to $139,999; and almost 5 percent making between $150,000 and $159,999. As noted last year, this area keeps its strength due to the increasing pressures toward privacy compliance, secure systems and risk man-agement.Last year, database design and implementation rounded out the top five salaries by specialization with an average salary of $91,030. This year, the numbers skewed quite a bit lower for that specialization, with the most common salary being between $75,000 and $75,999. That said, IT instruction continued the impressive strides it made last year, as did network management. Cooling off a bit, perhaps, was network devices; last year it aver-aged a salary of about $68,500, while this year we found most pros making between $50,000 to $54,999. And, while last year saw a difficult showing for Java development, the field this year demonstrated a likely rebound, with its strong response in the $100,000 range. On a similar note, the software programmer specialization made an impres-sive 9.1 percent showing in the $100,000 to $109,999 range — last year, this area saw an average salary of about
$68,000. Application development and database adminis-tration also enjoyed nice results, with the majority of its respondents’ salaries in the low $100,000s.Feeling the pinch this year, telecommunications integra-tion had a most commonly cited salary range of $55,000 to $59,999, compared with almost $76,000 last year. Singing the same tune as last year is the IT generalist spe-cializing in small to medium networks, which reported a salary in line with last year’s average of $62,500.As for lower-salary-tier IT specializations on the slump, Web development seemed to continue its downward trend from last year, with about 17 percent of its respon-dents indicating that they earn less than $20,000. Help desk support this year found its most common response at $35,000 to $39,999 (12.4 percent), with similar percent-ages of respondents hanging out in the ranges of $30,000 to $34,999 (9.7 percent) and $40,000 to $44,999 (11.1 per-cent). The average salary for help desk support last year totaled about $46,500.With such a tumultuous economic year behind us, who knows what the long-term effects will do to IT salaries in the coming year — or if an economic rebound might accelerate the highest and lowest money-makers alike. Only time will tell what the fiscal fiascos of 2009 have truly done to salaries by specialization.– Elizabeth Lisican
The Global ProIf there’s one thing that the Certification Magazine Sal-ary Survey always makes clear, it’s that our readership is an international bunch. The 2009 Salary Survey was no
Security garnered the greatest number of
respondents who make more than $200,000.
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exception. We had responses from 167 countries around the globe.As always, the majority of Salary Survey respondents were located outside the United States. While the U.S. made a strong showing, as it does each year, it dropped from having more than 39 percent of respondents last year to having about 27 percent of respondents this year. The drop speaks to the continual globalization of IT and may reflect the ongoing economic recession as well. Economic conditions have led many U.S. organizations to offshore their IT processes to focus on their core business.Further reflecting this trend, the number of Salary Survey respondents located in India grew from 14.6 in 2008 to 16.7 in 2009 — the second highest showing in the sur-vey. In another indicator that IT processes are shifting East, China pulled past the United Kingdom with the third most respondents this year — 4.2 percent. In the past decade, China has overtaken the U.S. as the world’s lead-ing exporter of devices such as mobile phones, laptop computers and digital cameras, so it makes sense that IT pros are a growing group there. The United Kingdom, meanwhile, moved down to fourth — with 4 percent of respondents hailing from there, down 0.8 percent from 2008. Canada saw a similar slip into fifth place, with 3.2 percent of respondents this year compared with 4 per-cent last year.This year’s Salary Survey saw a large increase in respondents in Brazil, up from 1.8 percent last year to 2.7 percent this year. This reflects how growing mar-ket maturity and political stability have allowed Brazil to become an attractive destination for IT outsourcing in recent years.
Another large shift was seen in respondents located in Pakistan, moving from 0.8 percent in 2008 to 1.8 percent this year. For years, Pakistan’s neighbor to the west, India, has been a dominant market for IT, consistently second to the U.S. in the number of IT pros based there, accord-ing to our survey. As the focus of U.S. military conflict has shifted to this region, many see IT as the best hope for the future of Pakistan as an emerging market, which could explain growth in this space.
Last year’s Salary Survey had Norway, Switzerland, Aus-tralia, Denmark, the U.S. and the U.K. as its top performers in terms of salary — in that order. This year sees those same six countries performing strongly. More than 12 percent of respondents in Norway are making $110,000 to $119,999, and another 11 percent are making between $100,000 and $109,999.
Switzerland, meanwhile, also performed well, with the majority of Swiss respondents (13.5 percent) making between $100,000 and $109,999. Just over 11 percent of Swiss respondents make between $110,000 and $119,999, and the same amount are making between $120,000 and $129,999.
The majority of respondents in Denmark (18.9 percent) are making between $100,000 and $109,999. The second largest group (11.8 percent) make between $95,000 and $99,999.
The U.S. is a bit down the scale this year. Just over 10 percent of U.S. respondents reported making between $100,000 and $109,999. Another 6.5 percent of U.S. respon-dents make between $110,000 and $119,999.
Nine percent of respondents from Australia reported sala-ries of $100,000 to $109,999. Just over 8 percent reported making between $80,000 and $84,999.
The U.K. usually has a strong showing, but this year, the majority of U.K. respondents (8.6 percent) reported mak-ing between $50,000 and $54,999. Another 6.7 percent make between $60,000 and $64,999. Only 4.4 percent make between $100,000 and $109,999.
Last year’s Salary Survey had Vietnam, Sri Lanka, India, the Philippines and Pakistan as its lowest performers in terms of salary — in that order. These countries had simi-larly low numbers this year, with 82.6 percent of respon-dents in the Philippines, 76 percent of respondents in Pak-istan, 74.8 percent of respondents in India, 73.5 percent of respondents in Sri Lanka and 70.6 percent of respondents in Vietnam earning less than $20,000 a year. One thing to note here: India continues to be a lower-level performer in terms of salary, as does neighboring Pakistan, despite IT growth in both countries.
In recent years, Bangladesh had moved up a bit from the bottom in terms of salary, yet this year’s Salary Survey sees 80.4 percent of respondents there making less than $20,000 a year. Meanwhile, Bulgaria, Jordan and Thailand — the lowest ranked performers in past surveys — are performing a bit better. Nearly 56 percent of respondents in Bulgaria, 62.1 percent of respondents in Jordan and 66.7 percent of respondents in Thailand reported making less than $20,000 a year in 2009. 8
– Daniel Margolis
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IT CULTURE
Top Trends for 2010KEN STERNBERG
It’s no secret that people are holding on tight to their money these days. Businesses are no exception. Throughout 2010, IT professionals can expect that nearly all aspects of purchasing, operations and training will be governed by financial risk. Senior executives will be asking themselves, “How do we spend most efficiently to get the most in return?”However, this doesn’t necessarily mean budgets will be slim going forward.“People are taking a much more proactive approach to their IT and technology structure. You can only pack it on ice for so long,” said John Reed, district president for Texas, Oklahoma and Ten-nessee at Robert Half Technology. In fact, according to the com-pany’s most recent Edge Report, IT hiring is poised for dramatic growth.“IT was the No. 1 area that managers were hiring for — that was very encouraging,” said Reed, who noted that previously cus-tomer service hiring was first, followed by sales staff, and then marketing and creative. “From a business perspective, your com-pany is either moving forward or being passed by competitors.”
What does the next year have in store for the information technology field?
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For this reason, executives will be examining what they need to do to take advantage and move ahead and what enhancements are needed to ensure their companies’ health for years to come.
It’s About Money, Honey“Today, CIOs have been shocked into the realization that budgets have been cut, things have changed, and they’re left holding the bag,” said Jeff Weber, managing director for Protiviti’s IT effectiveness controls practice. “We’re spending our time helping our clients prepare for the next 12 to 18 months: How can I have the right people in the right positions to help meet market demands? They’ve been forced to reconcile parts of the company that never were doing anything.”According to Brett Chambers, IT director for Purdue Uni-versity’s College of Liberal Arts, 2010 will be character-ized by an overarching “need to be more economical with IT expenses. Due to a combination of the economy, down-sizing, bloated solutions and technology changes, there will be an ongoing push to consolidate resources, justify costs and centralize complexity,” he said.He added, however, that the upside to this is “new invest-ments need to be made in server infrastructure and virtu-alization technology to support these changes.”
More Specialists, Increased Collaboration“Across the globe, we’re seeing a talent gap between business needs and people with the right skills,” said Fred Weiller, director of marketing for Learning@Cisco. Mar-ket analyses by Cisco showed that over the next three to
five years, about 2 million IT networking specialists will be needed. That’s double the current level. “We always hear in mainstream media that there are no jobs. If you look up networking, it will be the highest growth field in the U.S. until 2016,” Weiller said.Weiller said he also expects to see increased collaboration among numerous vendors to serve the same customer — in other words, less orientation toward a single product and more dedication to finding solutions for a customer’s specific needs. “It’s going to take some time for companies to be compli-ant with each other. It’s a significant new direction driven by the markets, by customers,” Weiller said, noting that such joint efforts could ultimately save clients money.
Vendor-Neutral CertificationVendor-neutral certification also will grow more impor-tant and popular, Weiller said.
“If you don’t have vendor staffing partners on hand, you’ll need more staff,” he said. “It also matters how quickly you can react to different conditions. Fewer people with broader knowledge can act faster. [It’s an] inevitable part-nership of various players.”Weiller also pointed out that the Department of Defense now defines specific learning outcomes and desired skill sets, and he predicted the future implementation of health care IT standards as well.“You will see standards emerge among certain industries. Organizations have aligned to that,” he said.
Rapid Merging of Business and Technology CulturesStronger partnerships between technology and business are all but certain over the coming year, said Brian Bar-nier, a principal at Value Bridge Advisors and a member of ISACA’s Risk IT Task Force. As a result, risk management will play a larger role.“The world is increasingly concerned about risk. There’s a need to get a more complete view of IT risk as it applies to the overall business,” Barnier said. Traditionally, risk analysis was left “to those poor people tagged with dealing with [it] ,” Barnier said. Weiller said companies will increasingly look for people “who understand the business [first], then come up with a technical solution.”Barnier also pointed out that finance, technology and other corporate departments all use different assess-ment methods, and Weiller said businesses are begin-ning to realize “they have to get out of the piecemeal method.” To help this process along, the Risk IT Task
“There’s a need to get a more complete view of IT risk as it applies
to the overall business.” – Brian Barnier, Principal,
Value Bridge Advisors
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Force plans to release a Risk IT Framework and Practitioner Guide that would include a glossary of procedures being used in the industry, along with maps to other standards and practices.
Such a large focus on risk within IT also has its downsides, Chambers said.
“I expect to see IT professionals being held to more strict accountability standards, and I expect these will go overboard before they nor-malize,” he said. “While accountability is not a bad thing, I fear that some overreactions in legislation will retard the growth of technology for some years to come until we have legislators that are more technology-savvy.”
More Virtualization, for Real At Purdue, Chambers recently replaced 35 older servers with a cluster of five new machines that create additional virtual servers. Taking a slice from a physical server and dividing it virtually “lets you leverage your technology and save money,” he said. “I expect to see much more widespread adaptation of virtualization of servers, data storage and application virtualization. I also expect to see an increase of open-source use in most sectors of IT due to budgetary constraints. This will be a time for open source to prove itself as a viable business strategy or die trying.”
One possible disadvantage to using more virtual servers, however, is IT staff potentially “working ourselves out of a job because you don’t need as many people to manage as many servers as you once had,” Chambers said.
Along with this, help desk jobs may be marginalized or outsourced because applications will be standardized for delivery via the Web. “I can also see it getting harder to gain entry into the IT fields without specialized knowledge and training,” Chambers said. He and Barnier agreed that security and risk auditing will come to the fore over the next year or so. “IT audit and security will continue to be a strong field, and I see even more jobs related to this being created soon,” Chambers said. “These include compliance officers, foren-sics, etc. A close second will be the network and server engineers that understand virtualization and how to get the most out of server hardware for the least expense.”
The Golden EMR EggA bright spot in IT’s near future is the impending U.S. requirements around electronic medical records (EMR). This will open many IT career paths, said Lior Blik, presi-dent and CEO of NITConnect and CIO of the Hoboken Uni-versity Medical Center.
“Health care is rated No. 5 in IT spending. Now, they’re trying to catch up,” he said. Blik estimates that converting paper records to electronic records during the next five years will cost the average 1,000-bed hospital about $20 million and the average 200- to 300-bed hospital about $5 to $10 million. There are already many EMR software applications being sold to health care providers, with many more in the pipeline. And every application will need IT staff to help medical personnel learn to adapt and use them, Blik said.“One of their challenges is to bring their infra-structure up to date,” he said. “Every type of infra-
structure will have to be brought up to speed. The industry is going to need a lot more people that understand EMR. It will need any IT personnel that are familiar with the various aspects of EMR, especially EMR analysts. It takes years to adopt an EMR system, and it’s a great opportunity for IT people to go into the health care market now.”Chambers added that some other interesting technology trends to watch for are the adoption of wireless power, more powerful netbooks with the potential to replace desktops, location-aware devices (GPS enabled), and augmented real-ity devices. And although the cost savings may not be imme-diate, there will be a larger push toward “green” technology — something that may even become mandatory, he said. 8
“People are taking a much more proactive approach to their IT and technology structure. You can only
pack it on ice for so long.”
– John Reed, District President, Robert Half Technology
Ken Sternberg is a Massachusetts-based freelancer writer who has covered wine, food, alternative fuels, technology, corporate emergency planning and many other topics for business and consumer publications. He can be reached at [email protected].
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For the past 80 years, Waterfield’s main mission has centered on showcasing dependability. The financial services com-pany’s tagline is “legacy of trust,” because while it has seen the economy through decades of ups and downs and innova-tions, its commitment to quality service has remained a top priority. With offices in Irvine, Calif., and Tulsa, Okla., Waterfield is an umbrella of compa-
nies made up of Waterfield Bank, Water-field Financial Services and Waterfield Technologies. “We run a very unique business,” said John Marino, chief operating officer. “We’ve got an online bank that’s effectively one of the drivers of our business, so a lot of the things that we’re doing across all of the organiza-tions are really about facilitating and help-ing the customers of that online bank.”
INTERFACE
Take It to the Bank ELIZABETH LISICAN
Waterfield’s IT professionals help maintain a legacy of trust.
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Database Administrators: It’s All in a Day’s Work
Because the technologies portion of Waterfield’s busi-ness deals with providing multichannel business solutions to clients such as GE Capital, Citibank and CenterPoint Energy, it looks for a couple of different flavors in terms of IT hiring, Marino said.“The IT folks we hire in the bank are very different than the IT folks we hire in the technology firm,” he said. IT professionals at Waterfield fall into six different cate-gories, or “buckets,” Marino said, which include systems and business analysts, IT network and infrastructure, application development, operations support, infrastruc-ture support and project management.“On the operations and IT infrastructure side, we’re focused on network maintenance, operating systems and the various systems that go into maintaining a bank infra-structure — so, all the firewalling [and] routing,” Marino said. “We’ve got a fairly extensive NBLS network that’s linking our office infrastructure, so being able to have solid telecommunications skills and combine that with the software we’re using, from an operations perspective, are the things we’re looking for from our IT and network sup-port folks.”In operation developers, Marino looks for strong integra-tion understanding — how to tie systems together.“We’re primarily a Microsoft shop, so we’re building solu-tions atop .NET and some not as broadly oriented devel-opment tools, and so that’s why I go back to the specific integration skill set,” Marino said. “We use some tools that are proprietary to our industries. “On the Waterfield technologies side, we do a lot of work in the voice and call center space. It’s not like you build everything in just raw .NET or visual studio, so we are
building solutions in those buckets where broad under-standing of application development is critical.”On top of that, Waterfield seeks professionals with solid comprehension of an agile system development life cycle (SDLC) and an understanding of how, from a development perspective, agile methodologies can be deployed in an enterprise in a responsible manner and can improve the underlying business.“Operations support folks: Those guys have got to have a very broad understanding,” Marino said. “They’re mas-ters of all things, but they don’t have a specific depth com-petency a lot of times because they’re troubleshooting a variety of systems. So, for those guys, they’ve got to have a good comprehension of networking, good solid compre-hension of database, understanding how the database infrastructure ties into the applications. They also have to have general knowledge of application development because sometimes there’s troubleshooting and those kinds of things that are involved.”When it comes to training new IT hires, Waterfield takes a role-model-driven, lead-by-example approach.
“We’re small enough that we don’t have a fully regimented training program, but what we do is work hard at pairing up those folks with the leads in the respective groups they’re going to be moving into,” Marino said. “So, when I hire a project manager, I’m attaching him to the hip of the other project managers for a period of time, bringing him up to speed — really not doing anything but observing, watch-ing, listening, understanding.”Still, Waterfield strives to provide an atmosphere that supports its IT professionals on whichever path they wish to take.“We do sit down with them when they’re brought on to understand where they’re trying to head,” Marino said. “Some of our guys are very content developing and love the challenges that it brings day to day. Other guys want to be CTOs in five, 10 years, so we try to help them adopt career paths to move in that direction.”In turn, to attract Marino’s attention, a prospective employee should demonstrate a rich education and back-ground — although certification still matters from a regu-latory perspective.“We’ve got to have guys who obviously are trained and certified in what they’re doing,” Marino said. “We’ve got to prove to a number of folks — from our auditors to regu-lators to examiners — that we’ve got qualified individuals in their positions.”In the non-bank portions of the business, Marino wants IT professionals who understand financial services and understand what application development means, espe-cially with the approach Waterfield takes to development. “I think a lot of that background is very relevant,” Marino said. “A lot of times the process and certified way of doing
Waterfield strives to provide an atmosphere
that supports its IT professionals
on whichever path they wish to take.
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things isn’t the way we necessarily would like to do things, taking care of our customers.”However, Marino was quick to reassure that a non-finan-cial services background is “not a deal-breaker.”“We’re bringing folks in from other industries on a regular basis,” he said. “I would prefer [financial services experi-ence], but it’s not required.”If one is seeking a project management role with Water-field, then soft skills take the stage. Good communicators who are able to think both technically and nontechnically and constantly adjust between the two will likely win heavy consideration when vying for a project manage-ment position at Waterfield.“In our company, the way project managers work, they’re really the liaison on specific engagements between the customers and the development team,” Marino said. “We practice in different technical development disciplines, and not all technical disciplines are the same.“I want good thinking skills. I want patient, objective folks who are clearly not letting pride and ego get in the way of doing their job. They’re very willing to admit that they’re always learning. Those are the kinds of things that are important.” Interviewees may find themselves relating memories from their high school jobs.“We love to ask about their very first employment options — where they took a job when they were 12 or 14 or 16,” Marino said. “For us, it gives insight into what kind of peo-ple they are. Are they self-driven, are they motivated? Are they putting themselves into a position to be accelerated, or do they need to be fed? Do we need to plan on having a very structured process for this person to be successful?
We realize that not all of those personality types work in a small company.”For instance, if someone needs a lot of structure at work, or a defined 12-step process to the next annual review, Waterfield may not be the best place for that person, Marino said. “And, conversely, we’re able to find folks who started working early, know what it means to get the job done and are willing to seek out ways. We find those folks certainly add a lot of value to the company.”Waterfield’s IT team seeks experienced professionals — and also those just out of school. In fact, the company embraces interns.“We’re specifically looking for internships as a way to bring in young talent still in school — if they’re not in a full-time undergraduate [program], then they’re maybe going to junior college or vocational school,” Marino said. “We’re very open and willing to realize that not everybody has the same opportunities.
As for infrastructure support roles, Marino wants expe-rienced professionals. Otherwise, there’s lots of room for younger professionals.“On the application development front, our programmers, guys who are building code, frankly, I really like the young guys,” he said. “I really like folks who are just out of school, have new fresh ideas. Stuff turns over so frequently that we love getting motivated energy infused into the com-pany through young new hires.”Once they settle into their roles, new hires can embark on a variety of career paths.“I’ve got intern positions that fit into some of my buck-ets; for instance, I’ve got interns in my application devel-opment group,” Marino said. “Certainly, for those kinds of individuals, they can move into a career where they become leaders in their respective fields. I think that we try and leave the door open. In a small company, though, I think it’s always a tough question.”Ultimately, though, it’s about becoming invested in the business at Waterfield, Marino said. In keeping with the company tagline, Waterfield emphasizes its strategic mis-sion when training all IT hires.“Our IT guys don’t just understand how to write code, but they understand how it applies to the business, and I think that’s probably one of the differentiators for us,” Marino said. “We like the motto, ‘We’re big enough to serve and small enough to care,’ and I think for us, it means that it really ties into all of our technical positions being able to contribute to the business.” 8
Waterfield wants IT professionals who understand
financial services and understand what application
development means, especially with the approach
it takes to development.
Elizabeth Lisican is a freelance writer based in Chicago. She can be reached at [email protected].
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JOB ROLES
Database Administrators: It’s All in a Day’s WorkMEAGAN POLAKOWSKI
How safe is my credit card information online? Can customer ser-vice employees access my flight information 24 hours a day? How accurate is the information being presented in the database? How meaningful is it?These are just a few of the questions that might come across the desks of database administrators (DBAs). For this reason, data-base administration plays a critical role in an organization, said Craig Thorsted, MBA, CISA, who serves as a course mentor for Western Governors University in Utah. “In some cases, if a database goes down for a large organization like an airline, they could be losing $100,000 an hour for that infor-mation not being available,” said Thorsted, who himself has more than 14 years’ experience as a DBA.Without a doubt, the life of a DBA is never boring.
Database professionals work behind the scenes to ensure information is kept readily available, accurate and safe.
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Path to DBAThorsted first became interested in database work when he was in the U.S. military. He helped with the initial development of a network called MILNET (Military Network), which essentially laid the groundwork for what we now know as the Internet. As exciting as his involvement in this project was, Thorsted saw much room for improvement — a realization that fueled his passion for the work.For example, when working for Tooele Army Depot, which maintains massive stores of ammunition and parts, Thorsted said he recog-nized the mainframe computer was highly inef-ficient.“There was no real-time processing involved. And there was no ability to relate things,” he said, explaining that all the data was housed in “flat files” — files with no structured relationships, mak-ing them harder to interpret. “[So] we initiated several projects using some of the first Unix systems coming out of Berkley to look at some rela-tional databases that were coming into existence back then,” he said.Thorsted also spent time at Saudi Aramco, Saudi Ara-bia’s government-owned oil company, where he worked on many projects related to database administration, pro-gramming and development, business analysis and proj-ect management. In the U.S., he has worked with a num-ber of large companies including Starwood Technologies, Iomega, Agilent Technologies and Browning Arms.
The Life of a DBAWhat does a DBA do day in and day out?“Typically, in [the] day of a database administrator, depend-ing upon the system that he is maintaining and administer-ing, he’s going to make sure that data somehow has been backed up,” Thorsted said.“[He] is going to be looking at logs to see if there were errors that were generated.”DBAs also monitor access to the system by setting up roles and rules to ensure the data is only being accessed by the appropriate individuals. Thorsted said DBAs often ask themselves, “Who’s access-ing the system? Do they have authority to be accessing the system? And if they do, are there only certain por-tions of data that’s stored out there that they should have
access to? Certainly, you don’t want somebody out on the manufacturing floor to go in and look at payroll data,” he said.Considering that the integrity of a company’s data must be maintained at all times, the DBA’s role is a 24x7 responsibility. In a small IT shop, one person may bear that responsibility and use a pager around the clock. In larger organiza-tions, the responsibility may be shared by multi-ple professionals, and in some cases, there may be staff in-house 24 hours a day.Another important function the DBA performs is tuning, which essentially means going in and tweaking the different language and queries in the database to make sure it’s working correctly and efficiently. “If you have a poorly written query that’s going out and getting data, and it takes too long, it
can end up being a bottleneck on the system,” Thorsted explained. “And so [the DBA will go] back and tune it. Oftentimes, there are changes that need to be made to the data structure.”One exciting part of a DBA’s job is the logic games that often are played to figure out how to relate certain infor-mation within the database. For example, Thorsted said the Mormon church has invested heavily in databases for genealogical research. The tailoring of a database to rep-resent an ancestral relationship can be quite interesting and challenging. “How do you hook grandfather to great-grandfather and go back 10 generations? That in itself is becoming a very interesting field for some database people because of the
The knowledge set required of a DBA today is becoming more and more complex with new trends such as cloud computing and
virtualization.
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logic that has to be applied when you have things such as second marriages, you have deaths, you have remar-riages, you have different countries,” Thorsted said.
Essential SkillsAs with any IT area, it is imperative that a professional have a number of specialized technical skills. A couple of the most critical are an understanding of the database structure and knowledge of SQL. Another important technical capability is a firm grasp of the principles of business modeling and entity relation-ships. In other words, you must know how to set up rela-tionships among your data. Thorsted noted that the knowledge set required of a DBA today is becoming more and more complex with new trends such as cloud computing and virtualization.“The cloud is basically this huge part of the Internet out there, and the end user may not really care where he gets the data, but of course the database administrator does,” Thorsted said. “He has to understand where all of that information is coming from.”All these new complexities are creating pathways for a number of database specialties. These might include data warehousing, data analytics, database security and medi-cal informatics. Database security in particular is a hot area at the moment. “Just ask Amazon about that,” Thorsted said. “Accessibil-ity to credit card information was a big issue for Amazon that almost brought them down. And who got into it, and how did they get there?” It’s the DBA’s job to find out.Just as important as these technical skills, Thorsted added, are excellent interpersonal skills. Communicat-
ing effectively both in written and oral form is “one of the most critical elements for DBAs,” he said. “It’s just a basic skill that’s absolutely necessary.”When it comes to academic background, most DBAs will have a degree in computer science or information tech-nology. Their education must include elements such as operating systems, programming — Java is a particularly good one to know at the moment — and, of course, data-base knowledge.There are a number of database-related certifications out there, both at the novice and advanced levels. Thorsted recommended one particular elementary course from CIW.“[The Database Design Specialist] is a very fundamental thing that teaches the student about the basics of data-base design and implementation,” he said.Another entry-level cert is the OCA (Oracle Certified Associate), which includes several exams, including one on SQL and one on basic database administration. Ora-cle also offers eight advanced database administrator tracks: Performance Management, High Availability Grid, Security, Manageability, Data Warehouse Administration, Linux and Storage Server.MySQL also offers certs at various levels, including Asso-ciate, DBA and Cluster DBA. Other offerings include Microsoft SQL Server by Microsoft, which offers Micro-soft Certified Technology Specialist, Microsoft Certified IT Professional and Microsoft Certified Master.Like many in the IT industry, Thorsted said he believes that certifications, while important, mean little without real-life experience to back them up.
“I think in today’s world, [certs are] becoming more criti-cal, but it has to be done hand in hand with experience,” he said.
Where to Go From Here?If you have an interest in database work, this is the right time to jump on the bandwagon. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), database administration will be among the fastest-growing occupations through 2016.“Employment of these computer specialists is expected to grow as organizations continue to adopt and integrate increasingly sophisticated technologies,” the BLS Web site states. “Job increases will be driven by very rapid growth in computer systems design and related services.”Thorsted echoed this optimism. He said the best areas to look at are the medical field — where the challenges for a DBA are novel and endless — and government, or gov-ernment contractors. Another prime area is Web-based businesses, which have increasing requirements for the safety and security of their data online.“There are so many commodities being sold on the Inter-net these days — just look at eBay, or look at Google, and the type of engines they have to maintain,” Thorsted said. “There are a multitude of different careers [in the data-base space], and it’s not going to go away. It’s only going to expand.” 8
Meagan Polakowski is a freelance writer based in Traverse City, Mich. She can be reached at [email protected].
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Certification: Creating the World as It Should BeBY RANDY RUSSELL
Certification programs try to identify individuals with a set of knowledge, skills and abilities that allow them to perform a par-ticular role. Most try to align closely to prevailing practices in the field. But certification programs should aim higher and elevate practice in the field.Most certification exams begin with a job-task analysis (JTA). In a JTA, people in the role being tested participate in a structured exercise similar to what someone in a role should know and be able to do. The aim of a JTA is to describe the world as it is. This descrip-tive approach is most effective when applied to roles in which change is gradual. Double-entry bookkeeping has existed for cen-turies. While practices do evolve and change, accounting practices are relatively static for periods of years. Therefore, it is appropriate for an accounting certification to describe the world as it is.Rapidly evolving new products and technologies make IT quite dif-ferent. New technologies might represent a significant change in how certain IT objectives are achieved. New technolo-gies might even change the objectives themselves. If
Certification programs have the power to be prescriptive rather than just descriptive. Exercising this power is an objective for Red Hat.
a technology vendor intends to certify people in their use of new technologies, it must describe the world as it will become.
Furthermore, practices can become entrenched and remain com-monplace even though best practices evolve that advise against the older ones. For example, many organizations use Telnet for the purpose of connecting to and administering remote UNIX and Linux hosts, even though this approach has long been recognized as a security risk due to vulnerability in its authentication method. Consequently, a suitably representative JTA focus group might identify Telnet as an exam objective for a system administration exam because of its continued use in the field.
By making this a requirement, the certification program effectively advances the bad practice by enshrining it as an exam objective.
Sometimes certifications should be prescriptive and describe the world as it should be.
What does this mean in practice? Consider Red Hat’s flagship certi-fication, Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE). Red Hat’s certification team believes it would be doing its customers a serious disservice if it promoted the use of Telnet for remote system administration by making it an exam objective. Instead, for years, Red Hat has expected people taking the RHCE exam to know how to implement and use Secure Shell. Secure Shell provides better functionality
more securely. In doing this, Red Hat tests for the world as the company believes it should be and feels confident
that this leads to better security practices in the
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field. Once practices improve, what was once prescriptive becomes descriptive.This year, Red Hat had a new opportunity to reflect on the notions of descriptive versus prescriptive exam objectives. Red Hat recently launched the JBoss Certified Application Administrator (JBCAA) program in support of its JBoss middleware product line. To explain how descriptive ver-sus prescriptive has come into play, some background on the technology is needed.At the core of Red Hat’s JBoss product line is the JBoss Enterprise Application Platform. The core of the core is the JBoss Application Server. One can think of an application server as a Web server that provides additional functional-ity for running particular kinds of code. In the case of the JBoss Application Server, the code is in Java. The appli-cation server effectively reduces the amount of new code an application developer must write when creating appli-cations used to buy shoes, books, plane tickets, etc. It also allows the code to run faster and to provide functionality that might be difficult to create in a stand-alone application.JBoss is an open source software project (actually, many under a single umbrella). Just as Linux arose from the desire to run an inexpensive, customizable UNIX-like oper-ating system, JBoss was created to provide an inexpensive, customizable competitor to the large, expensive application servers on the market. It has made its greatest inroads with the developer community. A developer might work in a shop that uses a competing, proprietary application server for production, but will still often use the less expensive and more configurable JBoss environment for development.Over time, the effectiveness of JBoss technology has led organizations to move beyond using JBoss for develop-
ment to using it in production environments. Right now much of the setup, administration and monitoring of JBoss Enterprise Application Platform is being handled by appli-cation developers — that is, by the people who write the code that is deployed to the application server.Application developers might have deep knowledge of Java and application development, but that does not necessarily mean that they understand how best to set up JBoss Enterprise Application Platform, deploy appli-cations in a production environment, monitor the server and in general ensure that everything is working properly. They understand their application better than the platform on which they will run it. Consequently, there are things they probably could or should be doing to ensure success-ful deployment but might not be.On the other hand, the production operations groups that manage the underlying systems on which the application server runs often are more conversant in operating sys-tems and networking than in a more narrowly specialized technology such as an application server, so if administra-tion falls to them, there are — again — things they could or should probably be doing but are not. Right now, the role of a JBoss application administrator is not as sharply defined as, say, the roles of Linux system administrator and network administrator. One would not find many people using this technology whose job title matches the role, even though the technology has a large user com-munity. Rather, what one finds are people in other, related roles who are taking on these responsibilities in addition to others. Consequently, a strictly descriptive approach to defining the JBoss application administrator role would have likely produced a set of exam objectives around just getting things set up to where they are good enough.
Red Hat expects to accomplish more with its programs. It is not enough to measure whether people can get things set up just good enough.In developing the JBCAA exam, Red Hat conducted a job-task analysis and performed many of the steps necessary to describe the world as it is. However, in that process, and in further development of Red Hat’s work model, the company involved a lot of people in a variety of roles for whom administering an application server is not their pri-mary responsibility. These included support engineers, developers and enterprise architects. Rather than asking questions such as, “What do you as an application admin-istrator do?” Red Hat asked, “What would you expect or require an application administrator to do?”The result is that Red Hat’s exam objectives not only describe the practices in the field, but also prescribe tasks and practices that ensure better coordination of efforts among the various roles that interact with JBoss Enter-prise Application Platform. By describing and prescribing, Red Hat moves the ball and begins to elevate practice. A JBCAA will interact more effectively with developers, architects and support engineers than the ad hoc admin-istrators of today.Consider the words of one successful pilot JBCAA can-didate — someone who has won awards and recognition for his work with JBoss: “That was certainly one tough exam, but I will say, I went back and started implement-ing some of the things that were on the test that I wasn’t doing but should have been.” 8
Randy Russell is director of certification programs at Red Hat. He can be reached at [email protected].
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</ENDTAG>
Novelty or Nuisance?DEANNA HARTLEY
The human race has become so incredibly intelligent that we’ve found a variety of means by which technology or technological devices can essentially take over our work, or simplify it, at the very least. The bulk of these advance-ments serve to improve our quality of life; however, do they come at a certain cost? I found myself pondering that very question over the past couple of days after perusing a couple of online articles. Let’s face it: Humans are highly creative beings who thrive on trying to reach their full potential, and the motivation to simplify various aspects of our lives often drives us to immensely innovative pursuits. As technologies continue to advance in scope, the possibilities of inventing, modify-ing or improving appear to be boundless. Of course, it would take more than just a column to ramble on about the great strides people have made to facilitate continual advancements and breakthroughs in science and technology — most of which serve to simplify and drastically raise our quality of life. But I will cite just a few examples of technological advance-ments that some may embrace and others may consider somewhat controversial.Say you’ve made out-of-town holiday plans, but are dread-ing the drudgery of flying. Well, the good news is that the folks at the Department of Homeland Security are working on one of their latest airport screening projects, with the goal of making your travel plans easier and safer.
The project, which is still partially in the development phase, is aimed at finding a solution to shorten the seem-ingly never-ending security lines and relieve travelers of the hassle of removing their shoes, belts and other items that may trigger the alarm and warrant additional security measures. It also serves to create a safer environment for airline passengers by exploring a more fundamental answer to the nation’s pressing security concerns. According to a CNN article, what the technology will eventually do, instead of actually trying to locate weap-ons or explosives or other forbidden items, is to evaluate a traveler’s physiological signs — including heart rate, eye movement and fidgeting — in order to determine if he or she is suspected of trying to inflict harm of any kind to fel-low passengers. Now, I could see how some might be wary of a system that, in a sense, seems to invade our sense of personal space. However, in light of the fact that the ultimate intent is to further the good of the community, the sacrifice seems rather small.Another recent development that’s inherently intriguing is one that aims to simplify the job of a manager, supervisor or employer in the workplace — even though it may not sit well with some of their subordinates. To put it simply, employees who only appear to be focused, hardworking and productive under the boss’s watch have another thing coming. A certain group of individuals
dreamed up a software solution that would be the eyes and the ears of the employer by “spying” on employees’ every move via e-mails, phone calls and other electronic means. Closely monitoring communications and inter-actions internally as well as externally will in turn allow employers to receive feedback on how diligent or poor of an employee someone actually is. Suffice it to say, the implications for implementing such an initiative are huge, both for employers as well as employees.On the one hand, it easily allows employers to reward good behaviors and penalize unwanted ones. The ramifi-cations for employees, on the other hand, are just as big, as they are now more prone to being questioned, exam-ined or challenged for their actions. So is this overarching idea novelty or nuisance? Once again, I can sympathize with both parties and am still on the fence about whether the larger good overrides the cost. After all, would it benefit an employer to find out that Bob in the sales department plays Tetris between sales calls, even though at the end of the day he produces his expected targets? Generally speaking, there are bound to be positive as well as negative implications associated with any given development or product. There are some where the potential advantages are abundantly clear and others we may need to accept with a grain of salt because they serve a greater purpose. 8– [email protected]
