In my last post, I claimed that empirical data indicates that Nicholas Carr is wrong and that IT does indeed still matter. In today's article, I will take my claim up one more notch and assert that only (I)T will matter.

Perhaps Carr’s claim was just a bit premature? Maybe it takes a few more years until IT jobs begin to disappear in the big cloud? Many so-called analysts have been claiming for a while that the rationalization and automatization effects of cloud computing will cost IT jobs.

I believe that these claims are fundamentally flawed because they are based on the false assumption that the realm of IT doesn’t grow anymore. This kind of analysis only takes into account what we do today with IT and then projects that rationalization effects will require fewer IT pros.

The reason why comparisons to technologies such as electricity (Carr’s favorite) are totally beside the point is that innovation in IT is still rapidly growing, whereas those technologies that have indeed been commoditized haven’t seen any noteworthy innovations since their maturation process peaked. Or did you discover any new breathtaking features or capabilities on your power outlets lately?

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In this poll about IT employment, I asked how the number of IT pros in your organization has changed in the last four years, mostly because I was interested to find out if Nicholas Carr's claim, that IT doesn't or won't matter, can be measured.

The results are somewhat surprising to me. More than 1,000 4sysops readers took part in this poll. At the time of this writing, 36% said that the number of IT pros decreased, 34% said that the number of IT pros increased, 20% said that the number of IT pros didn’t change, and 10% didn’t know whether the number changed or not. (Note that these numbers can change again; see my comments below.)

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If you have problems to convince management about your ideas to improve IT in your organization, you'll find some valuable tips in this article.

You learn about a new IT product, or how better to deploy an existing technology and you can envision these taking shape in your environment, but then, a subtle wave of pessimism sets in. Management often fails to grasp the value of technology. In my view, it’s not their responsibility, rather, it’s yours to help show them the value of a particular IT solution for your company. This can seem like an uphill battle but it’s one worth fighting for.

Technology for most businesses is an expense that hurts the bottom line. Expenses are meant to be reduced to a bare minimum and that’s how most of them are looked at and managed. Some of you reading this can readily recall occasions past and perhaps present where a good idea that may require an investment of time and money is dismissed. It’s discouraging and can sap the enthusiasm we have for technology and how it can improve the business. To avoid this, you have to follow a few rules. But let me give you an example first.

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In this post, I explain why I think that IT certifications are indeed overvalued.

More than 600 IT pros took part in this poll, and the majority (58%) thinks that IT certifications are overvalued. 21% believe that they are undervalued, and the same portion thinks that IT certifications have just the right value.

Usually, 600 is a significant number of participants for such a survey. However, it is interesting to note that it is different this time. When the poll started, even more IT pros felt that IT certifications are overrated by organizations. I am not completely sure about the numbers, but I think after the first 100 votes or so this option got about 65% of the votes. The difference in the result at the time of this writing can’t be explained by statistical variations.

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This book is for people who want to set up a small network with Windows 7.

4sysops readers have the chance to win one of 10 eBooks of the new Microsoft Press book "Network Your Computers & Devices Step by Step". If you want to take part in this raffle please send an email to . The deadline of this contest is March 8, 2011

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The IT field is flooded by the proliferation of certification training from Microsoft, Cisco and others. Are IT certifications overvalued by employers? Please take part in this poll!

When I started in IT, IBM dominated the computer market. There were no certifications and training was provided primarily to businesses data processing departments. Microsoft, Dell, EMC and Cisco had not been born. I took data processing courses comprised of programming and computer science concepts, since my institution did not have a CS minor. I was hired after graduation as a programmer for a bank and was immediately sent to IBM school for DOS (Disk Operating System) and COBOL (COmmon Business-Oriented Language). Then I was sent to the same IBM school for JCL (Job Control Language). Most of you haven’t heard of IBM DOS, COBOL and JCL.

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This is a list of free e-books that are useful for Windows administrators. It will be regularly updated.

You didn’t get the right books for Christmas? Then check out this collection of free e-books for Windows administrators. I have copied a short description from the publisher for each book.

The list is by no means complete. If you know of another good free e-book that could be of interest for Windows administrators, please post the link as a comment below or send me an email.

I will update this page regularly, so you might want to bookmark it. If you spot a book that is no longer available as a free e-book, please let me know.

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The majority of the 10 most popular posts on 4sysops are how-to articles about common administration problems. Surprisingly, the most popular article in 2010 was about rearming Office 2010.

Another good year has passed for 4sysops. Traffic has increased by about 60 percent (now about 350,000 page views) per month, with about 5,200 RSS subscribers and 1,700 Twitter followers. I want to thank all 4sysops readers for their loyalty and all 4syops sponsors for their continuous support. Blogging for 4sysops has been a lot of fun. I also want to thank all other bloggers who have been writing for 4sysops and those readers who submitted free admin tools.

In this post I listed the most popular articles that have been written in 2010. There a few older articles that still get more traffic, like the all-time high post about different methods of how to reset a Windows password. I didn’t include those in the list.

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4sysops is looking for experienced Windows administrators who would like to share their wisdom. Aside from the good feeling gained from helping other admins and the incredible fame that comes with the job, you can also earn some extra money. You can blog regularly, every now and then, or just once.

4sysops is very much focused on Windows administration, which allows you to address specific technical matters that you encounter at your day job. These are a few possible topics:

• A how-to article about a typical administration task (e.g., how to activate Office 2010 network-wide)
• A solution to a Windows administration problem (e.g., a workaround for a roaming user profile issue)
• A script you want to share (e.g., a PowerShell script you wrote to automate an administration task)
• Review of a tool you use at work (e.g., review of your favorite RDP manager)
• A description of a project at work (e.g., how you deployed Windows 7)
• Explanation of a Windows function (e.g., dynamic memory in Hyper-V)
• Comments on news relevant to Windows administrators (e.g., a summary of the latest rumors about the next Windows Service Pack)

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I recently attended REMIX10, which is an Australian-based conference for developers and designers. There were lots of highly-creative people wandering about, and even an IT pro like myself was able to pick up a few pearls of wisdom from our coding colleagues. One particular point which struck me was that developers and IT professionals are often working for and supporting the same customers, and I did a write-up of my thoughts on this subject here.

And that got me thinking a little bit more on the subject. As IT professionals we all deal with users. It’s inevitable. It certainly isn’t what most of us signed up for, which seems rather unfair. I don’t know anyone got into the IT industry because of a personal passion for customer service.

Over time you start to notice a pattern emerging, in that you keep giving the same advice to people, time and again. As an IT professional, this is confusing. After all, if someone sends you a useful link on how to solve a problem which you might come across again, you’d keep the link handy, just in case. Wouldn’t you? Of course you would, so why don’t users do the same? And more to the point, why can’t users remember their own passwords, the ones which they selected themselves?

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When the first article with the title “Windows 7 GodMode” appeared in my RSS reader, I didn’t even click it because I already suspected that this was just another blog post that tries to attract attention at any costs. But now, as almost all major news sites reported about this super secret and super powerful Windows 7 feature, I also have to say a word or two about it. Of course, there is no such mode in Windows 7 that would justify the involvement of the term “God” by any means. This “God Mode” is nothing else than an undocumented folder that allows you to access certain Windows configuration applets directly. This just saves you some time because you don’t have to navigate through the Control Panel to reach the corresponding function.

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Shane Shields, a systems’ administrator writing for Toolbox.com, addressed a topic that has already preoccupied me for a while. Why do people often get so emotional in discussions about operating systems? After all, it is only software. Of course, such disputes also took place on 4sysops. The problem with discussions where emotions play an important role is that objectivity gets lost easily. Since 4sysops is a blog for IT professionals, I focus on technical matters most of the time. However, every now and then, I can’t help myself but post one of those articles which are pre-destined to evoke emotional discussions. In this post, I will explain why I do so.

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Some days ago , I outlined why I believe that Mac OS X is no match for Windows 7 when it comes to the decision which OS is the best choice for the corporate network. Today, I want to tell you the main reason why I also wouldn’t use a Mac privately. I just have to let this out publicly at least once. My aversion against Macs has nothing to do with OS features, overpriced hardware, or the ecosystem. You won’t believe it, but it is this “I am a Mac” adverts that I find quite repulsive. Their main message is that if you want to look like a cool, stylish surfer and not like a dumpy business guy, you really need to be a Mac. That is, using a Mac is not enough, you have to show everyone that you are a Mac.

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The Windows community has spoken. The five best Windows websites 2009 are:

WINNER: sevenforums.com Runner Up 1: windows7center.com Runner Up 2: 7tutorials.com Runner Up 3: 4sysops.com Runner Up 4: maximumpcguides.com

I am honored to have reached the fourth place in a contest where 65 websites have participated. Many thanks to all who voted for 4sysops!

I’ve never believed that I would be among the top five in this contest considering that 4sysops targets only a small group of Windows users whereas most of the other sites have a much broader audience.

However, there are probably quite a few other great Windows websites out there. Feel free to link to your favorite sites (preferably for Windows admins) in a comment. Don’t be ashamed to link to your own Windows website.

The Windows Club is conducting a contest for the best Windows Website 2009. A board of 11 well-known judges narrowed the list from 60+ sites and 4sysops made it somehow into the top ten. Readers can now push their favorite site to the top five finalists by voting for them. I don’t think that 4sysops has a real chance to win the award considering that there are some high-profile sites among the top ten. But it would be nice if I get at least a few votes. However, before you vote for 4sysops in an act of mercy, you should check out the other semi-finalists. Perhaps you find a great new site you didn’t know before.

Here is the complete list (in no particular order):

winhelponline.com, windows7center.com, 4sysops.com, bhandler.spaces.live.com, intowindows.com, maximumpcguides.com, msigeek.com, windowsvalley.com, sevenforums.com, 7tutorials.com

You can also vote here on 4sysops through the widged in the sidebar.

By the way, 4sysops has also been nominated for the Windows IT Pro and SQL Server Magazine 2009 Community Choice Awards (CCA). Nomination has officially ended yesterday, and finalists voting will start on August 17. Don’t worry, I will keep you up-to-date to ensure that you won’t miss this happening.