Thursday, November 30, 2006

ITIL "In the Trenches" @ New Horizons




ITIL Training Experiences at New Horizons

We’ve had a lot of successful classes lately. Over the last 5 classes the pass ratio has been over 95%. Our students are really studying hard to prepare for the exam. I’ve found some common threads throughout my conversations with our clients and here are a few of them.

One of the biggest problems most people have with ITIL is trying to fit their organization to ITIL. That is matching your departments to the ITIL processes. Ultimately, this is what we want to do when we implement ITIL’s best practices, but in preparing for the exam, it can cause confusion. The ITIL process will take several years. Getting everyone versed on the terminology, how the flow of information in the Processes works in your organization, and then actually making your organization work with ITIL best practices can take some time. We at New Horizons can help in getting your staff up to speed on the concepts and the Foundations certification.

ITIL boils down to providing quality Customer service and making more effective and efficient changes in your IT infrastructure. The Customer here is usually your end user in the business unit. We are there to support the business. If you provide outsourced IT to an organization, it’s a little easier to understand this concept. For too long, IT has answered “NO” to the “Customer’s” requests when those requests might have ultimately made the company more money. Understanding the customer service aspect is another major stumbling block for many in learning ITIL.

A third area that many people have difficulty getting in the ITIL mindset relates to the way their company actually implements it. There HAS to be support from upper management, not only IT but management in the business unit(s). If we don’t understand this, then ITIL will be less useful. It becomes a sales process that IT will have to learn and get good at doing. For far too long we have missed the business side of what we do.

ITIL can be a great way to help your organization make the changes in your IT infrastructure that will support the business or your company. We at New Horizons are primed and ready to help you with that implementation.

The ITIL training catalogue/schedule at our centers can be found here

Free Training with Microsoft Software Assurance



*What is Microsoft Software Assurance?
Software Assurance (SA) provides an easy way for Microsoft’s Volume Licensing customers to stay current with the latest and most innovative Microsoft products. Under the SA program, customers acquire the right to install any new release of products covered in the agreement during the term of their coverage. Companies can acquire tomorrow’s technology at today’s prices and have the ability to spread payments annually instead of paying up front.
Under the Software Assurance Training Program, your organization can receive electronic training vouchers for select courses that can be exercised for private and public instructor-led courses at our centers in Houston and Lafayette.

A select number of qualifying Microsoft Technical courses will be offered as part of the SA Training Voucher Program. For more information on how your organization can take advantage of this exclusive offer, contact a New Horizons Account Executive today at 713.552.1414.

*When does the Software Assurance Training Program expire and how can my company learn more about Software Assurance and the courses that qualify?
The Software Assurance Training Program is an annual program. SA training vouchers are valid for 180 days from the date they are created. For more information on Software Assurance and the available courses, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/programs/sa or contact your local New Horizons Account Executive at 713.552.1414

*How can I learn more about the Software Assurance Training Program?
Please contact a local New Horizons Account Executive at 713.552.1414 to walk you through the process.




Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Need Free Training?


No training budget but have training needs ?


You may qualify for training sponsored by Microsoft if your company has purchased Microsoft software licenses. Contact your New Horizons representative at 713-552-1414 to find out how you can receive complimentary training for your staff under the Microsoft Software Assurance program.

Sunday, November 26, 2006

What is RSS?

IE 7.0, Vista, Office 2007 and other new releases of Microsoft products will now have ways to harness RSS. RSS (news feeds) is poised to become ubiquitous in our daily internet lives. RSS or "really simple syndication" is basically a way to keep an aggregated "inbox" of all your frequently used online content.

Microsoft has a great article explaining this technology.

http://www.microsoft.com/atwork/manageinfo/rss.mspx

Monday, November 20, 2006

Be Informed: New Horizons "Elevate Newsletter"



Issue: October 2006


This issue covers topics: "Microsoft Office Productivity", "Information Systems Protection" & "Business Skills"

Plenty of information for all levels of users. You can never have enough tips and tricks.




Want to know about Vista?

Visit Paul Thurrott’s “SuperSite Review-Five years in the making”

Very comprehensive.
http://winsupersite.com/reviews/winvista.asp

If you want a great podcast to listen to on this topic then download or play “Shiny Happy Vista”
http://www.twit.tv/ww5

Thanks for stopping by.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Lets Get Started

We at New Horizons welcome you to our little corner on the Blogosphere!


While we’ve been here in the Marathon Oil Tower since 1995, we continue to grow and evolve. Our new local website, being phased in over the remainder of 2006, will have some new and exciting functionality and information. In the very near future, we will have RSS feeds to allow you to subscribe to points of interest, we will have Podcasts with information regarding new initiatives and offerings, we will have technical “how-to’s” and “tips and tricks” from our technical staff and you will be able to tour our facility online.


In addition to our new website and blogs, the industry is abuzz with our new delivery methodology called Mentored Learning (see other blog listings for information on Mentored Learning). This delivery method incorporates the best of Instructor Led Training (ILT) and self-paced study. Mentored Learning is dynamic, personalized training that will have you rethinking the way you take classes!


Microsoft recently went Gold (RTM-“released to manufacturing”) with Windows Vista. In addition to Vista, Microsoft Office ’07 is also being released. Although, the majority of us will have to wait to purchase these products mainstream in January of 2007, we at New Horizons are primed and ready to provide the very best training on these new exciting software technologies. While these new releases from Microsoft are much anticipated, there is plenty of time to get ready for your classes now. Our “First Look” series of classes gives you a peek at Microsoft’s new direction and all the exciting new features.


Thanks for visiting our website and blog and we look forward to assisting with your knowledge transfer needs.


Todd Parker

General Manager

New Horizons of Houston

New Horizons of Lafayette

5555 San Felipe, Suite 1500

Houston, TX 77056

713-552-1414


Monday, November 13, 2006

Testimonials



Company Contact

Mark Tucker

Vice President of Marketing

714-940-8201

Mark.Tucker@newhorizons.com



THE FORTUNE 100 CHOOSE NEW HORIZONS


New Horizons Selected as Training Provider by Every Company

Listed on the Fortune 100


ANAHEIM, Calif., November 6, 2006 – New Horizons Computer Learning Centers, Inc., the world's largest independent IT training provider, today announced that all 100 companies listed in Fortune magazine's 2006 ranking of America's 100 largest corporations and over half of the Global 100 have selected New Horizons as their training provider.


New Horizons has provided training to over 23,000 employees of the Fortune 100 companies during the last 12 months. Based upon an audit from an independent research company of student evaluations, New Horizons training yielded a collective 3:1 benefit-to-cost ratio for these companies.


In addition to a positive training ROI, the learning evaluation also concluded:

  • 75 percent increase in skill or knowledge was noted by employees upon leaving the training;
  • 69 percent of employees experienced a significant increase in productivity;
    • 75 percent of employees state that the training received was a very worthwhile investment.


These statistics are based upon data from student survey responses collected immediately after training was received and again two months after the employees returned to their jobs. The data is then objectively and independently analyzed by Knowledge Advisors, a learning analytics company, to provide reporting on key performance indicators.




"Due to our breadth of offering and global presence, New Horizons is uniquely qualified to meet the complex needs of large organizations," said Mark Miller, New Horizons president and chief executive officer. "New Horizons is the only training provider that can offer a consistent level of quality training anywhere in the world while also providing flexible and specialized solutions that map our clients learning needs to their organizational objectives."


About New Horizons Computer Learning Centers

Anaheim, California-based New Computer Learning Centers (NEWH.PK) was named the world's largest independent IT training company by IDC in 2005. New Horizons is a subsidiary of New Horizons Worldwide, Inc. Through its Integrated Learning offering, New Horizons provides customer-focused computer training choices with a wide variety of tools and resources that reinforce the learning experience. With more than 280 centers in 56 countries, New Horizons sets the pace for innovative training programs that meet the changing needs of the industry. For more information, or to find your nearest New Horizons Computer Learning Center, visit www.newhorizons.com.



# # #