How IT Is Changing And How PowerShell Will Save Your Job

Eeek!  That sounds dramatic!

I attended the Minasi Forum 2008 conference in Virginia Beach over the last week and learned loads from some serious brains like the aforementioned Mark Minasi, Jeremy Moskowitz, Don Jones, Greg Shields, Todd Lammle and many others.  We shared a beer or two as well 🙂

The keynote was given by Don Jones and the subject was how IT was changing and how we had to change with it or become and endangered species.  Don sees that the mid-level IT pro is becoming a rare occurrence.  People are either going to be junior or senior with no in-between.  And the only way to become senior is to learn, adapt and automate.  Much of this is obtainable using solutions like Dynamic Systems Initiative, i.e. System Center.  The key solution will be PowerShell.  Microsoft is including PowerShell in all new products.  It’s in Exchange 2007, SCOM 2007, Virtual Machine Manager and, of course, Windows Server 2008.  The administrator who can master PowerShell can automate much of his/her job and have more free time for more interesting engineering work.  I’ll be the first to admit that I have neglected this technology but I now realise I can’t anymore.

Coincidentally, Don also has authored and published a couple of E-Books on PowerShell.  I attended two classes he gave on the subject this week and they were excellent.  A colleague in the USA highly recommended them.  Don also has a rather cool looking PowerShell editor for sale.