1. Module 2: IT Professionals in an Enterprise
Course 6420A
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
Presentation: 45 minutes
Lab: 30 minutes
Module 2: IT Professionals in an Enterprise
This module helps students to understand the IT Professional roles (and their respective responsibilities) that may exist in a typical enterprise environment.
After completing this module, students will be able to:
Describe the IT professional roles.
Describe IT management and processes.
Describe options for the professional development of IT professionals.
Required materials
To teach this module, you need the Microsoft Office PowerPoint® file 6420S_02.ppt.
Important It is recommended that you use PowerPoint 2002 or a later version to display the slides for this course. If you use PowerPoint Viewer or an earlier version of PowerPoint, all the features of the slides might not be displayed correctly.
Preparation tasks
To prepare for this module:
Read all of the materials for this module.
Practice performing the demonstrations and the lab exercises.
Work through the Module Review and Takeaways section and determine how you will use this
section to reinforce student learning and promote knowledge transfer to on-the-job performance.
Make sure that students are aware that there are additional information and resources for the module on the Course Companion CD.

2. Module 2: IT Professionals in an Enterprise
Course 6420A
Module 2: IT Professionals in an Enterprise
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
IT Professional Roles
IT Management and Processes
Professional Development for IT Professionals

3. Lesson 1: IT Professional Roles
Course 6420A
Lesson 1: IT Professional Roles
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
Discussion: IT Professional Roles
Job Responsibilities of an Enterprise Administrator
Job Responsibilities of a Server Administrator
Job Responsibilities of a Desktop Support Technician

4. Discussion: IT Professional Roles
Course 6420A
Discussion: IT Professional Roles
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
What are some of the IT professional roles in an enterprise?
Question: What are some of the IT professional roles in an enterprise?
Answer:
Potential roles include:
Enterprise Administrator
Server Administrator
Desktop Support Technician
Help Desk
Security Administrators
IT Management
Application support
Database Administrator (DBA)
Mention that some roles like Enterprise Administrator may have specializations such as security or infrastructure.

5. Job Responsibilities of an Enterprise Administrator
Course 6420A
Job Responsibilities of an Enterprise Administrator
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
An enterprise administrator is typically responsible for:
High level tasks ü
Describe the tasks an enterprise administrator is responsible for. Be sure to give specific examples such as:
Planning: Designing the implementation of a new system.
Troubleshooting: Resolving problems the other support staff are unable to solve because this person is the expert. For example, an routing problem.
Team Management: Enterprise administrators are typically team leaders and must assign out responsibilities and monitor members of the team.
Discuss how an enterprise administrator may be a specialist in network infrastructure or other Areas.
Question: Why is the role of an enterprise administrator important?
Answer: Enterprise administrators have the in-depth knowledge that is required when dealing with complex situations. It is possible that smaller organizations will use consultants to fulfill this role.
Planning ü
Troubleshooting difficult problems ü
Team management ü

6. Job Responsibilities of a Server Administrator
Course 6420A
Job Responsibilities of a Server Administrator
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
A server administrator is typically responsible for:
Daily management of servers ü
Describe the tasks a server administrator is responsible for. Compare the tasks to those an enterprise administrator is responsible for.
Question: How is the role of a server administrator different from that of an enterprise administrator?
Answer: A server administrator is responsible for the daily tasks of server management. An enterprise administrator has the technical knowledge to be a server administrator, but also has additional knowledge that can be used to perform system planning and advanced troubleshooting.
Monitoring server performance ü
Resolving server level problems ü

7. Job Responsibilities of a Desktop Support Technician
Course 6420A
Job Responsibilities of a Desktop Support Technician
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
A desktop support technician is typically responsible for:
Deploying desktop computers ü
Describe the role of a desktop support technician. Describe the tasks that are involved in deploying and maintaining desktop computers:
• Imaging computers
• Driver updates
• Operating system troubleshooting
• Application troubleshooting
Question: Describe some of the daily tasks of a desktop support technician:
Answer:
Some tasks are:
Deploying desktop computers by using imaging software
Installing software patches
Troubleshooting software problems
Troubleshooting hardware problems
Updating hardware drivers
Maintaining desktop computers ü
A desktop support technician has more user interaction than some job roles

8. Lesson 2: IT Management and Processes
Course 6420A
Lesson 2: IT Management and Processes
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
What Is ITIL?
What Is MOF?
What Is an SLA?
What Is Change Management?
Incident Management
Incident and System Documentation

9. Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
Course 6420A
What Is ITIL?
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
The IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a set of books with best practices for IT service management
You can describe to students that ITIL is a set of books, and that there is a large education and certification industry built around ITIL.
Some books in ITIL version 3 are:
Service Strategies
Service Design
Service Introduction
Service Operation
Continuous Service Improvement
Discuss with students how understanding ITIL helps people performing the enterprise administrator, server administrator, and desktop support IT roles.
Question: How do best practices help professionals in each IT job role perform better
Answer:
Enterprise administrators use best practices to design support systems and implement new systems.
Server administrators use best practices to better understand how to support their systems efficiently.
Desktop support technicians use best practices to better understand how their role in the organization is essential for customer satisfaction of users and understand why processes are in place.
References:
ITIL home page,
Wikipedia ITIL page,
Following best practices can:
Reduce costs
Improve customer satisfaction
Improve productivity
Understanding ITIL allows all IT professional roles to increase their performance

10. Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
Course 6420A
What Is MOF?
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF):
Describes proven team structures and operational processes
Applies best IT practices
Improves the efficiency and quality of IT operations
Is based on ITIL
Describe what MOF is and the MOF components. Emphasize that MOF is based on ITIL and that Microsoft has added additional processes and procedures based on internal experience and customer interaction.
Discuss with students how understanding MOF helps people performing the enterprise administrator, server administrator, and desktop support IT roles.
Question: How does MOF differ from ITIL?
Answer: MOF adds to ITIL by providing more specific guidance on how to organize IT support based on the experience of Microsoft, Microsoft partners, and Microsoft customers.
MOF Components:
Team model
Process model
Risk management model

11. Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
Course 6420A
What Is an SLA?
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
A service level agreement (SLA) is an agreement between an IT group and an organization that defines expectations for IT system performance
Describe the type of metrics that may be included in an SLA:
• Availability: Uptime
• Performance: Response times for applications
• Recovery times: After a disaster such as server failure
Compare and contrast the various types of SLAs.
Discuss how understanding SLAs helps people performing the enterprise administrator, server administrator, and desktop support IT roles.
Question: Why should IT professionals be aware of the SLAs in their organization?
Answer: An SLA defines service expectations. An IT professional should know the terms of any SLA that affects their area of expertise. This ensures that the IT professional understands any problem resolution methods that are defined and understand the level of service that the IT professional is expected to provide.
SLA type
Description
Internal
An agreement between two departments within the same organization
External
A formal, legally binding contract
Informal
A verbal agreement between the IT service provider and the organization
Formal
A written, usually signed, agreement

12. What Is Change Management?
Course 6420A
What Is Change Management?
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
Change management is the process by which changes are approved, implemented, and monitored
Describe change management and the benefits of implementing a change management process. To allow students to better understand how change management results in better coordination of changes, give an example of a system change that can affect multiple systems:
• The IP address of a Domain Name System (DNS) server being changed can affect Active Directory® and many other servers, applications, and clients.
• Retiring an server many result in some applications not being able to send notifications.
Discuss how understanding change management helps people performing the enterprise administrator, server administrator, and desktop support IT roles.
Question: Why should all IT professionals be aware of the change management process?
Answer:
Enterprise administrators use the change management process as part of their planning for system changes. Change management provides a format structure for getting feedback from business units and other areas of IT.
Server administrators are aware of the change management processes to know under what circumstances they can make a change. In emergencies, it may be acceptable to perform changes without a formal approval process.
Desktop support technicians do not typically participate in the change management process for overall IT systems. However, being aware of the process ensures that they understand why it takes a long time to implement changes that may initially appear to be simple.
Change management may include:
A formal process
A change management board
Change management benefits:
Better coordination of changes
Reduced incidents of changes causing unintended results

13. Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
Course 6420A
Incident Management
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
The process for managing an incident is defined in an SLA
A user calls the help desk 1
If unresolved after 30 minutes, the problem is escalated to the responsible server administrator 3
The server administrator attempts to resolve the problem 4
The Help desk attempts to resolve the problem 2
If unresolved after 1 day, the problem is escalated to the enterprise administrator 5
For example:
Describe some variations of how incidents are handled within organizations. For example:
• User unable to log on
• Exchange server failure
• WAN link is down
Emphasize that the process for incident management varies by the type of problem. For example, problems that affect a higher number of users are typically escalated more quickly.
Discuss how understanding incident management helps people performing the enterprise administrator, server administrator, and desktop support IT roles.
Question: Why is it important to have a formal process in place for incident management?
Answer: A consistent and reproducible process ensures that incidents are resolved in a timely way. Having a predefined process to follow reduces stress during the incident.

14. Incident and System Documentation
Course 6420A
Incident and System Documentation
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
Documentation is an essential part of system maintenance
Properly updated documentation simplifies:
Change management
Troubleshooting
Disaster recovery
Describe how documentation simplifies system management. For example:
• Help desk software can track incidents over time.
• An asset inventory lets you know how many existing systems can be upgraded to a new operating system.
• Application documentation allows you to ensure all applications are configured properly after disaster recovery.
Discuss how documentation helps people performing the enterprise administrator, server administrator, and desktop support IT roles.
Question: How does documentation help each of the IT professional roles?
Answer:
Enterprise administrators can refer to documentation during planning.
Server administrators can refer to documentation during troubleshooting and disaster recovery
Desktop support technicians can use a knowledge base to determine if a problem already has a known resolution.

15. Lesson 3: Professional Development for IT Professionals
Course 6420A
Lesson 3: Professional Development for IT Professionals
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
Certifications
Windows Server 2008 Certifications
Options for Formal Training
Other Learning Resources
Microsoft Technical and Support Resources
Soft Skills for Successful IT Professionals

16. Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
Course 6420A
Certifications
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
Certifications:
Show a defined level of expertise with products and technologies
Offered by many vendors
Microsoft certifications:
Explain how certification is a benefit for students and hiring managers by providing a consistent set of criteria for evaluation.
Also, provide a brief description of each Microsoft certification. Relate these certifications to job roles.
Question: Which of these certification types is most relevant to you?
Answer: Answers will vary. The technology specialist certifications are relevant to those updating specific technical skills and those just starting in the industry. The professional credentials are most relevant to those wanting to show a higher level of expertise and the ability to implement multiple technologies.
Architect Series: The Microsoft Certified Architect program allows companies to easily identify experienced, trusted, IT architects that have completed a rigorous industry-drive peer validation process.
Professional Series: Professional credential validate a comprehensive and current set of skills required to be successful in the job, providing a reliable indicator of performance.
Technology Series: Technology Specialist certifications let you target specific Microsoft technologies and gain in-depth skills for working those technologies.

17. Windows Server 2008 Certifications
Course 6420A
Windows Server 2008 Certifications
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
MCTS certifications:
Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Configuration
Windows Server 2008 Networking Infrastructure Configuration
Windows Server 2008 Applications Platform Configuration
MCITP
Server Administrator
Enterprise Administrator
Describe each of the MCTS certifications for Windows Server® Each of certifications consist of a single exam.
The Server Administrator requires:
Active Directory, Configuring (70-640)
Network Infrastructure, Configuring (70-642)
Pro: Windows Server 2008 Administrator (70-646)
The Enterprise Administrator requires:
Applications Platform, Configuring (70-643)
Configuring Microsoft Windows Vista Client (70-620) or Deploying and Maintaining Windows Vista Client and 2007 Microsoft Office System Desktops (70-624)
Pro: Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Administrator (70-647)
Also, provide information about how current MCSAs and MCSEs take a single exam to be certified as an MCTS.
• MCSE = all MCTS certifications
• MCSA = Active Directory Configuration and Networking Infrastructure Configuration
Question: Which of these certifications are most relevant to you?
Answer: Answers will vary widely depending on student experience and current situation. Most students will initially obtain MCTS certification in Active Directory Configuration and Networking Infrastructure Configuration.

18. Options for Formal Training
Course 6420A
Options for Formal Training
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
Classroom training
Distance learning
Describe the characteristics of each type of training:
• Classroom training
Usually 1-5 days per course
Set time and date
Allow you to get out of the office
• Distance learning
More flexible timing
Still includes an instructor and classmates
• E-learning
Completely online training
Highly flexible timing
Typically shorter courses with very focused content
Often includes online labs
• Self-study
Completely independent
Not online, typically book based
May include resources to build you own lab
Question: Which of these training options do you prefer?
Answer: Answers will vary. Many students will prefer classroom training because it gets them out of the office and allocates time specifically for learning.
E-learning
Self-study

19. Windows Server 2008 Classroom Courses
Course 6420A
Windows Server 2008 Classroom Courses
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
Some Windows Server 2008 Classroom courses are:
Course 6420: Fundamentals of Windows Server 2008 Network and Applications Infrastructure
Course 6421: Configuring and Troubleshooting a Windows Server Network Infrastructure
Course 6424: Fundamentals of Windows Server 2008 Active Directory
Course 6425: Configuring Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services
Course 6435: Designing a Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure
Course 6436: Designing a Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Infrastructure and Services
Course 6437: Designing a Windows Server 2008 Applications Platform Infrastructure
Provide a brief overview of the content in these courses and how they relate to the certifications.
If student interest warrants, obtain a list of scheduled courses at the local training center and highlight them for students.
Question: Are there additional Windows Server 2008 classroom courses that you will be taking to meet your career goals?
Answer: Answers will vary, but in most cases, yes. Additional courses beyond this course are required to obtain certification and learn detailed technical knowledge about Windows Server

20. Other Learning Resources
Course 6420A
Other Learning Resources
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
Peers
Books
Describe each of the other learning resources. Discuss the potential benefits and drawbacks to each of the other learning resources.
Question: Will you use any of these learning resources to learn about Windows Server 2008?
Answer: Answers will vary, but in most cases, yes. Many students will use additional books, Web sites, and peers.
Magazines
Web sites
User groups

21. Microsoft Technical and Support Resources
Course 6420A
Microsoft Technical and Support Resources
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
Microsoft technical and support resources include:
TechNet
Microsoft Web site
Microsoft blogs
Phone support
Microsoft consulting
Describe each of the Microsoft technical and support resources. Ask students which of these resources that they use.
Question: Have you used any of these support resources?
Answer: Most students will have used the Web-based services. Some students may have used phone support to solve a specific problem or been part of a project where Microsoft consulting has been engaged.

22. Soft Skills for Successful IT Professionals
Course 6420A
Soft Skills for Successful IT Professionals
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
Successful IT professionals have the following non-technical skills:
Project management
Organization and prioritization skills
Teamwork and collaboration
Verbal communication skills
Business writing
Describe each of the non-technical skills and why they are a benefit to IT professionals. Ask students which of these skills they find to be of the most benefit to them.
Question: How will you obtain these soft skills?
Answer: In some cases, you can take formal classes to increase these skills. In other cases, simply being aware of need allows you to focus on improving you skills. Acquiring a mentor can also help to improve soft skills.

23. Lab: Developing a Training Plan
Course 6420A
Lab: Developing a Training Plan
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
Exercise 1: Review Information about Microsoft Learning Resources
Exercise 2: Create a Training Plan
In this lab, students will develop a training plan.
Exercise 1
In this exercise, students will review information about Microsoft Learning resources.
Exercise 2
In this exercise, students will create a training plan.
Before the students begin the lab, read the scenario associated with each exercise to the class. This will reinforce the broad issue that the students are troubleshooting and will help to facilitate the lab discussion at the end of the module. Remind the students to complete the discussion questions after the last lab exercise.
Note: The lab exercise answer keys are provided on the Course Companion CD. To access the answer key, click the link located at the bottom of the relevant lab exercise page.
Estimated time: 30 minutes

24. Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
Course 6420A
Lab Review
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
What factors did you need to consider when developing your training plan?
Why did you select the certification goal that you did?
Question: Why did you select the certification goal that you did?
Answer: Answers will vary. Students should be selecting a certification goal matches the skill set that they anticipate for their job. For example, a person seeking an entry level certification may be best suited to obtaining a desktop-related certification before focussing on server level certifications.
Question: What factors did you need to consider when developing your training plan?
Answer: As part of developing a training plan, you are limited by the time available and your budget. In many cases, completing a training plan may take a year or two because the training must be completed in addition to employment and family time.

25. Module Review and Takeaways
Course 6420A
Module Review and Takeaways
Module 3: IT Professionals in the Enterprise
Review Questions
Real-world Issues and Scenarios
Best Practices
Review Questions
Point the students to the appropriate section in the course so that they are able to answer the questions presented in this section.
Question: Which job role is an entry-level position most likely to be?
Answer: The majority of entry-level positions are Desktop Support Technicians and Help Desk Support. In most cases, you cannot obtain a Server Administrator role without first performing some desktop support.
Question: Why is having an SLA in place beneficial to IT professionals?
Answer: An SLA is beneficial to IT professionals because it defines expectations. From those expectations, appropriate system design and support decisions can be made. When an SLA is not in place, informal expectations may be unrealistic for support.
Question: Which type of training is the most effective?
Answer: Answers will vary. Many students may believe that classroom training is the most effective. However, the type of training that is most effective varies from person to person.
Real-world Issues and Scenarios
You can either discuss possible solutions for the scenarios at the end of the module or assign these scenarios as homework for the students. If you assign the scenarios as homework, you should provide some high-level hints that might help the students solve the problem stated in the scenarios. You can also do a follow-up debriefing the following day on some of the scenarios that have been assigned as homework to students.
Scenario: You have been a Server Administrator managing Windows-based networks for the last ten years. You have worked for three companies, the last of which had three physical locations and over 5,000 users. As part of your job, you have been designing the implementation of new systems. Which Microsoft certification is the next logical step for your career progression Answer: The Microsoft Certified Architect or Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Enterprise Administrator will both help with the progression of your career goals. If you want to focus on design-level tasks, then the MCA is most appropriate. If you want to focus on the application of technical skills at a high level, then the MCTIP: Enterprise Administrator is most appropriate.
Scenario: You are the IT manager for Contoso Ltd. Your organization does not have a formal change management process in place. When a Server Administrator wants to make a system change, the administrator verifies that no users are in the system, and then makes the change. Usually the administrator sends out an message to other administrators, but occasionally this is forgotten. Recently some changes have resulted in system downtime that has cost your company thousands of dollars. Describe a change management process that you could implement to reduce unexpected downtime due to changes. Answer: A change management process should include a formal evaluation of change requests and documentation of those requests. When evaluating change requests, representatives from all system areas should participate. This reduces the chance that a change in one system will unexpectedly impact the operations of other systems. A weekly change meeting should be scheduled to evaluate the changes requests.
Best Practices
Help the students understand the best practices presented in this section. Ask students to consider these best practices in the context of their own business situations.