100 Years of ibm: timeline
When was the company formed?
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Today, IBM holds more patents than any other US company. Who awarded the patent for traffic signal timing system in 1930?
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What first programming language was invented in 1957 by John Backus?
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IBM has been a part of U.S. space policy since the beginning of the national space program in the 1950s. When did IBM technology guide the Apollo mission to the moon?
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In 1997 Deep Blue chess-playing supercomputer beat World Chess Champion. Who was he?
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When did IBM's supercomputer Watson win on the TV show Jeopardy?
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WRITING ACTIVITIES
Read the texts and write the summary using the phrases in the LANGUAGE BOX to help you.
LANGUAGE BOX |
WRITING A SUMMARY
The subject (matter) of this paper / article / text / chapter is … The present paper focuses on / deals with / is devoted to / discusses the questions / problems / issues of … This paper presents a new / complex / structural approach to the study of … . The aim of this paper / article / text / chapter is to find some optimal ways of… This paper aims at… The present work is aimed at … One of the main / principal objectives … central / key / ultimate … goal … main / particular … purpose … major / primary … task … of this paper is to investigate / establish / discuss / analyze …. The author points out / emphasizes / analyzes The research rests on / focuses on / involves observations of… This method / approach … helps to investigate / illuminates / offers a clear / serves for / aids in … Thus the problem of … is a serious and important one. Therefore the problem of … is of current importance. To conclude, this paper has explored / investigated / shown / established … The author comes to the conclusion that… Finally the author outlines / concludes / emphasizes /… that … In conclusion it is said / stated that … |
HISTORY OF COMPUTERS
Text 1. The First Computer
Fig. 1. Zuse Z1
While there was no single person that is widely credited with inventing the computer, many view Konrad Zuse and his Z1 machine as the first in a long line of innovations that have given us the computer of today.
Konrad Zuse was a German whose claim to fame is the creation of the first freely programmable mechanical computing device in 1936. Zuse’s Z1 was the first of a long line of calculators. Zuse’s Z1 was created with a focus on 3 basic elements that are still necessary in today’s calculators: have a control, to have a memory to store the results and to perform calculations.
Later Konrad Zuse created the Z2 and Z3. The innovations to his computers were quite important. The Z2 was the first fully functioning electromagnetic computer and the Z3 was the first fully electronic and digital computer that included the ability to be programmed. The Z3 was programmed with a binary floating point number and switching system. It even included storage which used tape in the form of old movie reels. In those days most business machines used punched paper, however in Germany at the time, paper was extremely expensive.
Text 2. The Harvard Mark I Computer
With World War II blazing on, the US government realized the need to be more innovative to gain the upper hand. Much of the focus was on making rockets and ballistics more precise, so it required complex calculations.
At Harvard, the first of the MARK series computers were being built. The MARK I began in 1944. This computer was huge and
filled a room that was 55 feet long by 8 feet high. It contained an amazing array of components. In fact, in all it had over 760,000 parts. It was loud and clicked and clanged like a huge factory. However, the MARK I turned out to be a success. It was utilized by the US Navy for calculations of ballistics. It performed well for the next 15 years, being in service till 1959.
The MARK I used prepunched paper tape, it could perform a wide variety of calculations including addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and it was able to hold and reference a previous result used in its calculations.
It even had the capability to compute numbers with up to 23 decimal places. As for the vastness of this machine, it was not only loud and had hundreds of thousands of parts, but included 500 miles of wire. While the computer itself was high tech for its time, the output was not digital, the MARK I used a simple electric typewriter to display results. Speed was also lacking with a typical multiplication computation taking from 3 to 5 seconds.
Text 3. The ENIAC Computer
Fig. 2. ENIAC |
The ENIAC computer is known as being one of the most important achievements in computing. The computer was commissioned during WWII and it was used by the US military for ballistics research for computing tables. The ENIAC stands for Electrical Numerical Integrator and Calculator. It was developed by John Mauchly and J. Prosper Eckert. The ENIAC used vacuum tubes instead of electric motors and levers to speed up calculations. ENIAC was originally |
designed starting in 1943, however it wasn’t built and ready for operation until 1946.
The total cost of the ENIAC was $500,000. While it was originally built for ballistics it was used for weather forecast, random number studies and even wind tunnel design. The ENIAC was enormous.
Regarding speed, the ENIAC was blazing
fast for the technology in those times. It one second, the ENIAC could perform 5,000 additions, 357 multiplications or 38 divisions. The speed of the ENIAC was about 1,000 times faster than any other calculating device during that era. The ENIAC stayed in operation until 1955.
Text 4. The First Random Access Memory (RAM)
In 1946, RAM or Random Access Memory was first introduced and started to be utilized as an effective data storage device. While the ability to use a cathode ray tube was being studied for several years, the Williams tube was the first RAM to be utilized in computers. RAM is an easy way to store computer instructions that can be used over and over by the computer without unnecessary programming.
The first RAM was actually a metal
detector plate that was in position close to a vacuum tube which detected the difference in electrical charges. On a CRT screen, one can see the difference between these charges as either a dot or pixel of green or black. With the advent of RAM, rewiring each time a new program was no longer necessary and programming itself became more convenient and quicker.
This type of memory was used until core memory took over in 1955.
Text 5. The Manchester Baby and Manchester MARK I
With plenty of innovations taking place in the 1940′s after the war, faster and more complex computers were being built on both sides of the Atlantic. England had its own successes with early computers specifically the Manchester Baby and the Manchester MARK I. The Manchester Baby was developed by Telecommunications Research Establishment and it decided to build a computer based on the Williams tube.
One of the designers Tom Kilburn devised an even more impressive way to store data than the current Williams tube was able to handle. Kilburn’s new innovation allowed the storage capacity to include 2048 bits of information.
The Manchester Baby was the first computer to use a stored program, it went live in 1948.
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Text 5. The UNIVAC
Fig. 3. the UNIVAC
Besides the ENIAC, one of the most popular computers of the past is the UNIVAC.
The UNIVAC stands for Universal Automatic Computer. It was built and developed by those that created the ENIAC computer. Instead of working for the US military, the UNIVAC was first sold to the US Census Bureau that required a computer for complex computations dealing with the explosion in the US population. In 1946, the US Census Bureau gave a $300,000 deposit for the development and creation of the UNIVAC. In fact, the UNIVAC was now owned by the Remington Rand Corporation which sold the first UNIVAC at a loss in the hopes that later sales of the computer would pay back their initial investment.
The UNIVAC computer was extremely cutting edge for its day. It was fast and able to handle many computations. In fact, it can add in 120 microseconds, multiply in 1,800 micro seconds and divide in 3,600 microseconds. All in all it was one of the fastest and most innovative computers of its day. In fact, the UNIVAC received public praise and notoriety when it was used to predict the next president of the United States.
Text 6. The Integrated Circuit. The Chip
One of the biggest innovations to the computer was the integrated circuit (IC) or the chip as it is now known. In fact, the chip has made the computer extremely powerful and affordable so that practically everyone in the world today can own a computer. The chip has had an enormous influence on reducing the cost of the computer, literally cutting it by a factor of a million to one.
The chip was actually invented by two different entities at about the same time without either entity knowing about the other. However, both companies were extremely smart and combined their licensing agreements to take advantage of the huge market for the technology. In the first few decades of computer creation, in order to make a computer more powerful or add innovation, it usually required more and more parts, however with a chip, everything can be placed on an extremely small piece of silicon.
The first commercial integrated circuits or chips were sold in 1961. While first bought up by the military they later were used in the first mobile calculators. While the first chip had one transistor, three resisters and one capacitor which fit on a space less than a square inch, today’s chips are much smaller and can hold more than 125 million transistors.
Text 7. The First Microprocessor
Fig.4. Intel 4004
While the IC chip (integrated circuit) had already been developed, Intel was the first to put a complete microprocessor or computer on a single chip. The first Intel chip to do so was the 4004.
The Intel 4004 was able to put a central processing unit, memory, input and output controls on one super small chip. This chip had huge implications to almost anything digital and as the years went on, Intel was able to create smaller, more powerful chips that actually cost less.
The personal computer of today has the Intel 4004 chip and the ability to be incredibly powerful and affordable for the consumer.
Text 8. The First Apple Computers
Fig.5. Apple 1
During the mid 1970′s, there were plenty of hobby computers for sale, however many were difficult to put together, they had plenty of indistinguishable switches and could be programmed by using difficult languages.
Steve Wozniak was a computer hobbyist and started Apple Computers with his friend Steve Jobs. At first they showed off the Apple I computer.
The Apple I came equipped with a single circuit board, video interface, 8K of RAM, a keyboard and was made with affordable components including the 6502 processor that cost only $20.
While about 200 Apple I computers were sold in 1976, in 1977, at the first West Coast Computer Faire, the Apple II was released with many of the same components, an increase of RAM and a floppy disk drive. While the first Apple computer sold for $666.66, the second was a little more polished and more expensive.
During 1977, the Apple II, the Commodore Pet and the Radio Shack TRS80 all became available for the home. With both Apple II and TRS80 computers using floppy disk drives, it now was easier for software developers to create and sell programs to the masses. One company that started to grow and even trademarked their name in 1977 was Microsoft.
Text 9. The IBM PC and The Apple Macintosh
Fig.6. IBM PC
IBM has had an enormous influence on the computers that we use today. In the late 1970′s IBM developed a personal computer known as the PC. It went on to be released to the public in August of 1981. The IBM PC grabbed the attention of the public. Since the IBM PC was based on the shelf parts and had an open architecture, many businesses would be able to support and even start to build computers of their own.
The first IBM PC had a 4.77 MHZ Intel 8088 microprocessors, 16 KB of RAM, two 160K floppy drives and even an optional color monitor.
While the IBM PC definitely took off, not only for consumers, but small and medium businesses, Apple computers still continued to be dominant in the market. In 1984, the Apple Macintosh was released. The Apple Macintosh had one of the first GUI (graphical user interfaces) that made computing much more attractive and easy to use. In addition, the Apple Macintosh also had an 8 MHZ processor, 128K of RAM, a floppy disk drive and a monitor, it went into production from January of 1984 to October of 1985 and cost around $2,500. However, it lacked in memory and was difficult to use with its one single floppy disk drive.
Text 10. Microsoft Windows Software
With the personal computer market in the early and mid 80′s many companies realized that a graphical user interface was the best way to operate and perform tasks on a computer easily. While several companies created operating systems for PC’s, none
stuck, because there was no support. However, Microsoft had the backing of the computer makers specifically IBM which helped them to legitimize their product and sell their OS Windows. Apple did not license out either its hardware or software to third parties reducing the growth of their computer market share. Windows was originally announced late in 1983, but didn’t come to market until two years later with Windows 1.0.
With the later editions of Windows 2.0 and 3.0 Microsoft included desktop icons and many of the features that are now a staple of home computing today.
During the late 80′s WISYWIG programs (what you see is what you get) were introduced including updates of word processing software and updated spreadsheet programs to make these computer programs for home and small businesses easier and more powerful to use.
UNIT 3. IT DEVELOPMENTS
READING ACTIVITIES
Read the text and find the answers to the following questions.
What frustrating problem does Bluetooth solve?
Who first developed Bluetooth?
In what ways is Bluetooth particularly suited to portable systems?
What do Bluetooth devices share with microwave ovens?
List some devices that are suitable for use with Bluetooth.
Why is Bluetooth suitable for use on aeroplanes?
What factors provide security for Bluetooth communications?
How is the output power level of the transmitter set?
Why is there no collision detection in the Bluetooth specification?
Why are all devices on a piconet synchronised and controlled by a master device?
Choose the best answer to the question: What are the consequences of Bluetooth having the following characteristics?
It is good at avoiding conflicting signals from other sources.
The transmitter output level is kept as low as possible.
It uses power-saving modes when devices aren't transmitting.
BLUETOOTH
As portable computing devices get smarter and more capable, connectivity frustrations increase.
This is where Bluetooth comes in. The brainchild of Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Nokia and Toshiba, Bluetooth is a microwave high-speed wireless link system that's designed to work with portable equipment. To that end, it's low power, very small and very low cost. It uses the same frequencies as existing radio LANs (and, incidentally, microwave ovens) to create a secure 1 Mbit/s link between devices within 10m of each other. These devices can be laptops, PDAs, cellphones, wired telephone access points, even wrist watch devices, headphones, digital cameras and so on. With them, your notebook PC will be able to access your cellular phone and thus the Internet — without your having to take the phone out of your pocket. Files can be exchanged and communications set up tor voice and data between just about any device capable of handling the information.
Bluetooth operates in the unlicensed SM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) band at 2.45GHz, which is globally available for products.
There's 89MHz of bandwidth allocated here, and since Bluetooth is very low power, it actually radiates less than most national and international standards allow non-transmitting devices to leak as part of their normal operation. This is key, as it allows the technology to operate without restriction on aircraft.
As befits their status as radio frequency experts, Ericsson and Nokia developed the RF side of Bluetooth. The link works in a similar way to the IFEE 802.11 wireless networking system, with a packet-switching protocol based on fast-frequency hopping direct sequence spread spectrum. In other words, it constantly switches channel to avoid interference. It changes frequency 1,600 times a second through 79 frequency bands. It's expected that this will be so good at avoiding conflicting signals from other sources that the transmission power can be kept very low.
Security is taken care of through the frequency hopping and 40-bit encryption. As the system uses radio, it сan work through some barriers — briefcases, shirt pockets and desktops, for example — but it won't carry through office buildings. The power level of the transmitter can be varied, with feedback from the remote side of the link used to set the output to the lowest level commensurate with error-free operation. This saves power and increases the usable density of devices. The device can operate at up to 1mW (an optional power amplifier can increase this to 100mW) and the whole lot consumes between 8mA and 30mA at 2.7V. Various power saving modes can be used when a device isn't transmitting, trailing oil speed of response for battery life. These work with current levels between 300рА and 60pA.
Within the 10m radius of a unit, up to 10 independent full-speed piconets can operate, with bandwidth reduced proportionately if more than this is in use. Each can handle up to eight devices, and can be further subdivided into separate services: 432Kbit/s full duplex data, 72l/56Kbit/s asymmetric duplex, or 384Kbit/s third generation GSM. Each channel can also support three 64Kbit/s full-duplex voice channels. An optional variation in modulation technique would double the basic data rate to 2Mbit/s.
Power consumption and cost were very significant factors in Bluetooth’s design, and it was decided not to make the system a fully-fledged LAN. As a result, there's no collision detection. All devices on a piconet are synchronized to a master device and are controlled by it to prevent simultaneous so operation on the same frequency. Any device can be a master, and is elected dynamically when the link starts up.
The standard is open and royalty-free to members of the Bluetooth special interest group.
Match the terms 1-7 with the statements A-F.
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Mark the following as True or False. Correct the false ones.
Bluetooth is an expensive system.
Bluetooth devices can communicate at a distance of up to 20m.
The SM band is available throughout the world.
Bluetooth has a very low radiation level.
Each Bluetooth connection operates at one fixed frequency.
Bluetooth signals will pass through walls of buildings.
The master Bluetooth device is determined when a link is first established.
Fill in the blanks with the right word or word combination.
As portable ________ __________ get smarter and more capable, connectivity frustrations increase.
Bluetooth is a microwave ________-_______ ________ system that's designed to work with portable equipment.
Bluetooth operates in the __________ SM band at 2.45GHz, which is globally available for products.
Bluetooth is very _______ power.
The power level of the __________ can be varied.
________ _________ and cost were very significant factors in Bluetooth’s design.
The standard is open and _________-_______ to members of the Bluetooth special interest group.
Read the text FUTURES and find the answers to the following questions.
What is Professor Cochrane completely convinced of?
What is stored in the professor's signet ring?
What will change dramatically when we start using rings like these?
What is the ВТ lab developing with artificial intelligence?
What effect are the professor's AL experiments having on evolution?
What does the professor see as the negative side of the electronic revolution?
What was the result of combining the Internet with TV?
What developments does the professor suggest in the field of biotechnology?
According to the professor, what will happen by the year 2015?
FUTURES
Talking to Professor Cochrane is probably as close as you can get to time travelling without leaving the current dimension, as his vision stretches far into this century and beyond. His seemingly unshakeable conviction is that anything is possible if you really put your mind to it.
Designed for the 21st century, Peter Cochrane's signet ring is built around a chip that holds all the details of his passport, bank account, medical records and driving licence. According to Cochrane, it's set to revolutionise shopping.
The ring is already a fully operational prototype, but it will be some time before you'll be trading your credit card in for the ultimate fashion accessory. It's not just jewellery that's set to get smarter.
One of the biggest projects down at the Lab is looking at artificial intelligence as a way of creating software programs, networks, telephones and machines with a degree of intelligence built in. By sensing their environment, they should be able to develop new capacities as demands change. ‘I have software that is breeding, which is interchanging genes and creating adaptable behavior. This means you'll see the network come alive – it will watch what you do and it will adapt.’
It doesn't stop here, though, as ВТ has taken artificial intelligence one step further and created machines that are solving their own problems. 'We've created solutions that a human being could never have dreamed of. We have solutions, and although we don't understand how they work, they do work. We're effectively increasing the speed of evolution', says Cochrane.
It's already good to talk, but with artificially intelligent phones on the way it will be even better. Cochrane is at present working on smart phones that can translate English into German, Japanese and French in real-time. ‘Some of it’s rocket science, but a lot of it's extremely simple. What we've built is a kernel of understanding inside a machine that extracts meaning from the sentence itself - at the moment we can do simple things such as phrase books’, he says.
The system uses a non-linear approach that sends English to the understanding kernel in the machine and then fans it out to all the other languages simultaneously.
There's no doubt that Cochrane is putting a lot of faith in intelligent machines, particularly when it comes to cutting through the deluge of information that he says is the downside of the electronic revolution. BT's solution is the development of intelligent agents that watch, learn and start communicating.
It's not all work down at the Lab, though. BT's also involved in an on-going trial that it claims will revolutionise our leisure time, in particular the way we watch TV. ‘We put people on the Internet and broadcast TV at the same time, so that the people at home could actually influence what was happening on their TV sets. As a result, it became interactive and therefore more active.’
ВТ has its fingers in multiple pies and has made biotechnology another core focus of R&D. ‘Personally, I think hospitals are very dangerous places to be. There are lots of viable alternatives. For a start, we can stop bunging up hospital wards by putting people online.’ ВТ has already developed a pack for heart attack victims that monitors their progress and uploads information via a radio link back to the hospital.
So what will the future hold for us if Peter Cochrane and his futurologists have their way? Well, by the year 2015, it's likely that we will be eclipsed by a supercomputer more powerful than the human brain. And if that's got visions of Terminator dancing in your head, don't worry - Cochrane's got it covered. ‘I'd really hate one morning to find myself considered an infestation of this planet. Our inclination is to nurture life and not to destroy it. Before we let loose a bunch of artificial intelligence, we ought to be thinking through the necessity of building in a number of rules that hold your life as a human being sacrosanct.'
(Adapted from 'Futures, Celebrity Squares', Professor Peter Cochrane, PC Pro Magazine, February 1998).
Match the terms 1-7 with the statements A-F.
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Mark the following statements as True or False. Correct the false ones.
ВТ has a lot of new ideas that will astound people.
Jewelers that can store large amounts of personal data has started to replace credit cards.
BT's smart phone can only translate English into one other language at a time.
Intelligent agents can help users deal with an overload of information.
Watching TV will be a more active pastime in the future.
The professor thinks that humanity will be destroyed by very powerful computers in the future.
WRITING ACTIVITIES
1. Summarize the key ideas of Professor Cochrane on the future of Information Technology. Give your own comments. Write about 250 words.
2. Search for the latest developments in one area of Information Technology. Make a summary of your findings and write a report. Your report should have the following sections:
Introduction (area of IT).
Body of the report (technology involved, spheres of applications).
Conclusion (possible future developments).
Use appropriate linking words or phrases in the LANGUAGE BOX to help you.
LANGUAGE BOX |
LINKING WORDS
Also, although, as a result, consequently, therefore, moreover, thus, however, in addition, for example, firstly, secondly, thirdly, in particular, in contrast, to sum it up, finally, it is clear that.
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UNIT 4. CAREERS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
READING ACTIVITIES
Work in groups of three. Read your text A, B or C and complete the table. You may not find information for each section of the table.
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Text A. How to become a programming expert
The primary requirements for being a good programmer are nothing more than a good memory, an attention to detail, a logical mind and the ability to work through a problem in a methodical manner breaking tasks down into smaller, more manageable pieces.
However, it's not enough just to turn up for a job interview with a logical mind as your sole qualification. An employer will want to see some sort of formal qualification and a proven track record. But if you can show someone an impressive piece of software with your name on it, it will count for a lot more than a string of academic qualifications.
So what specific skills are employers looking for? The Windows market is booming and there's a demand for good C, С++, Delphi, Java and Visual Basic developers. Avoid older languages such as FORTRAN and COBOL unless you want to work as a contract programmer.
For someone starting out, my best advice would be to subscribe to the programming magazines such as Microsoft Systems Journal. Get one or two of the low-cost 'student' editions of С++, Visual Basic and Delphi. Get a decent book on Windows programming. If you decide programming is really for you, spend more money on a training course.
Text B. How to become a Computer Consultant
The first key point to realise is that you can't know everything. However, you mustn't become an expert in too narrow a field. The second key point is that you must be interested in your subject. The third key point is to differentiate between contract work and consultancy. Good contractors move from job to job every few months. A consultant is different. A consultant often works on very small timescales - a few days here, a week there, but often for a core collection of companies that keep coming back again and again.
There's a lot of work out there for people who know Visual Basic, С++, and so on. And there are lots of people who know it too, so you have to be better than them. Qualifications are important. Microsoft has a raft of exams you can take, as does Novell, and in my experience these are very useful pieces of paper. University degrees are useless. They merely prove you can think, and will hopefully get you into a job where you can learn something useful. Exams like Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer are well worth doing. The same goes for Novel Linux Certification. However, this won't guarantee an understanding of the product, its positioning in the market, how it relates to other products and so on. That's where the all-important experience comes in.
Here's the road map. After leaving university you get a technical role in a company and spend your evenings and weekends learning the tools of your trade - and getting your current employer to pay for your exams. You don't stay in one company for more than two years. After a couple of hops like that, you may be in a good position to move into a junior consultancy position in one of the larger consultancy companies. By the age of 30, you've run big projects, rolled out major solutions and are well known. Maybe then it's time to make the leap and run your own life.
Text C. How to become an IT Manager
IT managers manage projects, technology and people. Any large organization will have at least one IT manager responsible for ensuring that everyone who actually needs a PC has one and that it works properly. This means taking responsibility for the maintenance of servers and the installation of new software, and for staffing a help-desk and a support group.
Medium to large companies are also likely to have an IT systems manager. They are responsible for developing and implementing computer software that supports the operations of the business. They're responsible for multiple development projects and oversee the implementation and support of the systems. Companies will have two or three major systems that are probably bought off the shelf and then tailored by an in-house development team.
Apart from basic hardware and software expertise, an IT manager will typically have over five years' experience in the industry. Most are between 30 and 45. Since IT managers have to take responsibility for budgets and for staff, employers look for both of these factors in any potential recruit.
Nearly all IT managers have at least a first degree if not a second one as well. Interestingly, many of them don't have degrees in computing science. In any case, the best qualification for becoming a manager is experience. If your personality is such that you're unlikely to be asked to take responsibility for a small team or a project, then you can forget being an IT manager. You need to be bright, communicative and be able to earn the trust of your teams. Most of this can't be taught, so if you don't have these skills then divert your career elsewhere.
Now share information from your text with others in your group to complete the table for each of the occupations described.
For which of the careers described are these statements true? More than one career may match each statement.
You may work for only a few days or a week for a company
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It's a good idea to buy books on languages such as С++
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You are responsible for developing and implementing the software a company needs to run its operations
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It's worth paying for a training course if you get serious about this career
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Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer is a useful qualification for your career |
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Your objective is to become self-employed
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It's important you have the right personality to lead a team
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Study these job requirements. Then try to match the requirements1-6 to the following list of jobs A-F.
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Visual Basic Developer
IT Engineer (Network & Database)
Web Developer
Network Support
E-commerce Consultant
Team Leader
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Read the text and answer the following questions.
Why is an IT Certification so important for both experienced and non experienced workers?
What are the best IT certifications for 2012?
BEST IT CERTIFICATIONS FOR 2012
Certifications give experienced workers a chance to master their skills and knowledge. Certifications prove how dedicated a professional is to be in the field they work in. For fresh graduates, it gives a hiring advantage over the competitors. It is a given IT industry fact, that an inexperienced but certified professional, is a better choice than a non-certified one. A certificate can be used as a proof of competency.
Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) tests the skills and expertise in a specific technology. For example, the MCTS ASP.NET certification focuses on the .NET 3.5 ASP.NET suites. There are currently 20 specializations, with 5 broad subject categories which are Office, .NET framework, SQL Server, Windows and business intelligence. This is the first level of certification exams for Microsoft.
Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCTIP) is useful for experienced professionals. It tests the ability to use Microsoft technologies in performing an IT job, like database administrator or server administrator. To have this exam, one or more compulsory MCTS certifications are to be obtained first.
CompTIA A+ is a vendor neutral certification that covers multiple operating systems and technologies. It ensures basic knowledge of software and hardware components. It is intended for professionals, with at least 500 hours of hands-on experience, as the questions are based on practice, not theory. The A+ certification is especially used as a bench mark for computer support technicians, as the key exam areas are installation, networking, maintenance and troubleshooting of computer systems.
Apple Certified Technical Coordinator (ACTC) targets entry-level system administrators, who provide support and maintain Mac OS X client server environment.
Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) is the best Linux certification. It carries out practical exams. It deals with basic system administration. It is the mandatory base exam for higher Red Hat certifications like RHCE.
Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) is a certification from the nonprofit International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC2). It deals with information and network security. It is highly regarded as an information systems standard. It requires a minimum of 5 years, full-time, security work experience.
Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) is an ethical hacker or penetration tester employed by a company to penetrate or hack into the network or computer systems, so that weaknesses in the security system can be exposed. As illegal hacking is rapidly becoming a serious threat in any organization, ethical hacking is gaining popularity as a popular testing method for network security.
Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC) is information security certification. GIAC measures an individual's specific knowledge areas in the field of information security, for nearly 20 job specific responsibilities, like firewall analyst, intrusion analyst or security expert to name a few.
Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) is an advanced certification for experienced professionals in the field of information security. A CISM certificate exam validates an individual's management skills and know-how of large enterprise-level information security handling. It has been accredited by the ANSI and requires at least 5 years of work experience in IT security.
Project Management Professional (PMP) certifies the management know-how and skills of an IT professional in handling projects and tasks at a managerial level within a budget and time limit.
Match the certification titles 1-5 and its description A-E.
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
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1. |
Red Hat Certified System Administrator |
A |
… certifies the management know-how and skills of an IT professional at a managerial level. |
2. |
CompTIA A+ |
B |
…. is the first level of certification exams for Microsoft. |
3. |
Certified Ethical Hacker |
C |
… is Linux certification.
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4. |
Project Management Professional |
D |
… is especially used as a bench mark for computer support technicians. |
5. |
Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist |
E |
… is a popular testing method for network security |
Complete the sentences according to the information in the text.
A certificate can be used as a …
proof of high salary
proof of competency
proof of knowledge.
IT Certification is important for …
both experienced and non experienced workers
experienced workers only
fresh graduates.
Microsoft Certified IT Professional is useful for …
non-experienced workers
experienced professionals
fresh graduates.
Apple Certified Technical Coordinator targets …
top-level system administrators
both top and entry-level system administrators
entry-level system administrators.
Certified Information Security Manager is a certification in …
the field of information security
the field of installation of computer systems
the field of network security.
WRITING ACTIVITIES
COVER LETTER AND CURRICULUM VITAE (CV)
A resume or CV is a summary of your educational qualifications and work experience. A cover letter or a letter of application is the letter that accompanies your resume when you send it to a company. Both of the documents are vitally important in the job application process.
Study the key information about a cover letter.
COVER LETTER
Start the cover letter by mentioning your address and date. Provide complete postal address so that the recruiter can easily contact you. Mention the employer's name, designation, company’s name, and address below your details. The Recruiter has few minutes or seconds to quickly glance through your resume. Therefore, the first paragraph of your cover letter should include the details of the job profile you are looking for, your technical competencies that make you eligible for the job, the technical and interpersonal skills In the second paragraph of IT cover letters, mention the details of previous work experience and projects. Because you are applying for job in IT sector, you need to place emphasis of technical skills. Those applying for team lead or team consultant position need to mention their technical and interpersonal skills. Provide the details about the domain you worked on, the front end, back end you are well versed with, the web technologies you used. Provide the project you worked for and the clients you worked for. Mention details such as “Work in finance domain, developed android web software for XYZ Company” or “Worked on Perl CGI technology” or “have experience of using Tomcat server and web sphere”, etc. Fresher applying for IT jobs should mention their project and internship details. Even if you do not have much work experience, mention the software languages that you know and your proficiency level in using them. Explain your projects and the details of your contributions such as “Created the software design of the project, drafted the CLD, DFD of the system, helped in designing the interactive GUI of the website”. Avoid mentioning the names of software languages that you are not well versed with. Students can mention the details of various gizmo or technical inter-college programs or competitions. Provide information regarding your participation and contribution in creating technical tools or software. If your project or presentation received any prize during any well-known inter-college competitions, then mention it in your cover letter. College students who have attended any seminar of IT experts on emerging new technologies or any other technical topic can mention about it in brief in the cover letter. End the letter by thanking the recruiter for considering you for the job opening and mention your interest in attending the interview. Make sure you sign the letter before sending it. Provide the details of the documents enclosed in the letter. Your IT cover letters should represent your resume and should not be a copy of your resume. Your cover letter should be readable and error free. It is essential that you use a readable font style and size. The cover letter should contain 3 – 4 paragraphs.
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Study the samples of cover letter for IT jobs (Appendix 1). Complete the first paragraph of the cover letter. Then write two more paragraphs, explaining the reasons for applying and describing your skills and qualities. Provide complete postal address so that the recruiter can easily contact you. Mention the employer's name, designation, company’s name, and address below your details.
Pay attention to the Writing Tips (Appendix 3).
Dear Mr. _____,
I am writing to apply for a position of ______________, which you advertised in today’s _________. I am very excited by the opportunity you offer and believe that I have the personality and qualifications you are looking for. …
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Study the information about CV.
CURRICULUM VITAE
Your CV is a summary of your professional/academic life until now, and it usually concentrates on your personal details, education and work experience. Your CV's goal is to get you a job interview. To do this, your CV must be:
Your CV is the summary of your professional life. There are usually 5 general headings of information to include:
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