Exam 70-488 Developing Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013 Core Solutions

Exam 70-488 Developing Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013 Core Solutions

Published: 20 July 2013
Languages: English, Chinese (Simplified), French, German, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil)
Audiences: Developers
Technology: Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013
Credit towards certification: MCP, MCSD

Skills measured
This exam measures your ability to accomplish the technical tasks listed below. The percentages indicate the relative weight of each major topic area in the exam. The higher the percentage, the more questions you are likely to see on that content area in the exam.

Please note that the questions may test on, but will not be limited to, the topics described in the bulleted text.
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Plan and design SharePoint sites (10-15%)

Manage the site life cycle

Create a delayed site collection, manage site collection disposition, identify inactive site collections, back up and archive site collection data

Create content types

Subscribe to published content types, choose appropriate content type creation, use Schema Development, create content types using Object Model, create site columns, use content type inheritance

Manage content type behaviours

Manage event receivers, manage workflow associations, manage policies, manage document templates

Implement site provisioning

Create site definitions, create web templates, implement feature stapling, implement custom provisioning code

Preparation resources

Build sites for SharePoint 2013
Content type definitions
Creating site definitions for SharePoint

Implement authorisation and authentication (10-15%)

Implement user authentication

Create a custom claims provider, create a custom sign-in page, create a custom membership provider, package and deploy a custom claims provider, package and deploy a custom membership provider, authenticate a user from a client application

Implement application authentication and authorisation

Use the SharePoint App TokenHelper class, specify the App permission request scope manifest and permission request manifest, specify permissions for Office Store apps, specify permissions for Corporate Catalogue Apps, specify permissions for remote apps to access SharePoint data

Plan and implement user authorisation

Create custom role definitions, create custom permission levels, maintain permissions, implement impersonation, plan and implement anonymous access, create a custom role manager

Preparation resources

Authentication in SharePoint 2013 learning roadmap
Authentication, authorisation and security in SharePoint 2013
Authorisation and authentication for apps in SharePoint 2013

Access and manage data (10-15%)

Design solutions to handle large amounts of data

Create efficient CAML queries and views, choose appropriate APIs, create and use indexed columns, use Object Model Overrides, use Content Iterator, implement cross-site queries

Access data contained in SharePoint

Access data using server-side object model, access data using client-side object model (CSOM), access data using REST API, access data using out-of-the-box Web Services, access data using a custom Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) service to facilitate integration with an existing application

Store configuration data

Implement a hierarchical data store, implement a property bag, implement web.config, implement SharePoint List, implement credential storage

Preparation resources

Collaborative Application Markup Language (CAML) schemas
Data access options for apps in SharePoint 2013
Managing application configuration

Implement SharePoint solutions (15-20%)

Manage SharePoint Object Life Cycle

Implement Object Life Cycle management for SPWeb, implement Object Life Cycle management for SPSite, implement Object Life Cycle management for other objects, implement Object Life Cycle management with Windows PowerShell, implement Object Life Cycle management for SPContext

Upgrade solutions and features

Implement versioning of features and solutions, upgrade features and solutions, implement assembly versioning, build components for in-process request routing

Determine a solution structure

Select feature scope and visibility, define feature dependencies, define solution dependencies, organise SharePoint project items, structure app packages

Create sandbox solutions

Scope features to constraints, identify SharePoint artefacts that can be used in sandbox, access data outside of sandbox scope, configure and troubleshoot sandbox solution deployment, upgrade sandbox solutions, implement solutions validators

Create a no-code solution

Configure no-code customisations for the SharePoint 2013 platform, create XSLT for web parts, create and upload JavaScript files, create Display Templates

Preparation resources

Upgrade to SharePoint 2013
Build farm solutions in SharePoint 2013
Create SharePoint 2013 no-code solutions

Implement the user experience and information architecture (10-15%)

Implement branding

Incorporate designer outputs, use Design Manager functionality, apply custom themes, export the design, create Master Page, create a channel

Implement navigation

Create a custom navigation provider, create taxonomy-based navigation, create search-driven navigation, configure global/current navigation

Customise UI elements

Customise the ribbon, customise the edit control block (ECB), customise the status bar and notifications, customise the modal dialogue window, customise the upgrade notification, select areas for focus on content

Preparation resources

Overview of Design Manager in SharePoint 2013
SharePoint 2013 Design Manager branding and design capabilities
Managed navigation in SharePoint 2013

Create business processes (10-15%)

Create event receivers and timer jobs

Plan the use of event receivers or timer jobs, create remote event receivers, create a work item timer job

Create SharePoint Designer workflows

Plan the type of workflow and associated forms (site, reusable, list, InfoPath), use custom actions, create workflow definition, create reusable workflows for content types, import and export Microsoft Visio workflows, export a workflow to a SharePoint solution

Create and deploy Microsoft Visual Studio workflows

Create custom actions, create a workflow definition, create external connectors, deploy a workflow as part of a SharePoint solution or app, upgrade a SharePoint 2013 Visual Studio workflow, plan the type of workflow and associated forms

Preparation resources

SharePoint 2013: Use event receivers to handle events in apps for SharePoint
Creating a workflow by using SharePoint Designer 2013 and the SharePoint 2013 workflow platform
Develop SharePoint 2013 workflows using Visual Studio

Create Office apps (10-15%)

Plan and design applications

Choose a hosting location, specify a starting location, specify a licensing model, specify permission requirements, select a user experience for apps

Create applications

Create provider-hosted applications, create auto-hosted applications, create SharePoint-hosted applications, apply chrome control

Package and deploy apps

Package an application, publish to Corporate Catalogue, publish to SharePoint store, publish to Microsoft Azure, manage trust relationship with other providers

Manage the App Life Cycle

Upgrade an application, remove an application, manage licensing, manage usage tracking

Preparation resources

Development life cycle for apps for Office
Build apps for SharePoint
How to: Update, unpublish and track your apps with metrics in the Microsoft Seller Dashboard

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QUESTION 1
You are preparing to make sure that the app’s credential store as per the technical prerequisites.
Which of the following actions should you take?

A. You should consider configuring the Server and Password properties.
B. You should consider configuring the User Name and Server properties.
C. You should consider configuring the Client and Server property.
D. You should consider configuring the Password and User Name properties.

Answer: D

Explanation:

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QUESTION 2
You are preparing to deploy the package as per the prerequisites.
Which of the following actions should you take?

A. You should consider making use of the file that has the .ini file extension.
B. You should consider making use of the file that has the .config file extension.
C. You should consider making use of the file that has the .xml file extension.
D. You should consider making use of the file that has the .app file extension.

Answer: D

Explanation:

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QUESTION 3
You are writing code to create the Completed field as per the prerequisites. You need to include
an enumeration of the Microsoft.SharePoint.Client namespace in your code.
Which of the following is the enumeration you should make use of?

A. The ListTemplateType enumeration.
B. The BaseType enumeration.
C. The ODataType enumeration.
D. The ChoiceFormatType enumeration.

Answer: D

Explanation:

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QUESTION 4
You are preparing to make sure that the error that occurs when deploying the app does not occur.
Which of the following actions should you take?

A. You should consider deploying the app to Wayland Industries’ Public-facing site.
B. You should consider deploying the app to Wayland Industries’ Development site for tasks app.
C. You should consider deploying the app to Wayland Industries’ Search site.
D. You should consider deploying the app to Wayland Industries’ Personal My Site.

Answer: A

Explanation:

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QUESTION 5
You are preparing to write code to apply term set navigation in keeping with the prerequisites.
Which of the following is a method that should be included in your code?

A. The GetAsResolvedByWeb method.
B. The GetAsEditable method.
C. The GetCustomizableStringDefaultValue method.
D. The GetResolvedAssociatedFolderUrl method.

Answer: A

Explanation:
Reference:
NavigationTermSet.GetAsResolvedByWeb method (Microsoft.SharePoint.Publishing.Navigation)

Exam 70-337 Enterprise Voice & Online Services with Microsoft Lync Server 2013

Exam 70-337
Enterprise Voice & Online Services with Microsoft Lync Server 2013

Published: 06 November 2012
Languages: English, Japanese
Audiences: IT professionals
Technology: Microsoft Lync Server 2013
Credit towards certification: MCP, MCSE


Skills measured
This exam measures your ability to accomplish the technical tasks listed below. The percentages indicate the relative weight of each major topic area in the exam. The higher the percentage, the more questions you are likely to see on that content area in the exam.

Please note that the questions may test on, but will not be limited to, the topics described in the bulleted text.

Design Enterprise Voice (27%)

Design Enterprise Voice topology

Design mediation server collocation or placement, gateways, trunks, voice resiliency, mediation server dependencies, and voice usage and traffic

Design call routing

Design dial plans, routes, normalisation, voice policies, basic emergency dialling and notification, and PSTN usages

Design voice interoperability to PSTN

Define SIP trunk capacity requirements; design multiple media gateway support, trunk configuration; define outbound translation rules, inbound dial plan; qualify technology options from UCOIP

Design voice applications

Design call park, response group delegation model, response group workflows; determine correct usage of private line and vacant number announcements

Design unified messaging

Design UM dial plans, normalisation rules, UM auto-attendant, subscriber access, UM outbound dialling, and UM placement and capacity

Preparation resources

Planning for Enterprise Voice
Enterprise Voice and Online Services with Lync Server 2013: (03) Designing Exchange Server 2013 unified messaging integration
Guidelines for integrating on-premises unified messaging and Lync Server 2013

Design and configure network services (26%)

Design for network optimisation

Assess network requirements; plan for optimal conferencing traffic, capacity, Edge placement, QOS support; estimate network usage

Plan network services for Lync

Plan Location Information Services (LIS), Call Admission Control (CAC) for voice, Call Admission Control (CAC) for video; define port requirements for internal and external services; plan for Media Bypass

Configure network services for Lync

Configure Location Information Services (LIS), Call Admission Control (CAC) for voice, Call Admission Control (CAC) for video, DHCP for phone edition, QOS, and media bypass

Preparation resources

Network infrastructure requirements
Network planning for Lync Server
Enterprise Voice and Online Services with Lync Server 2013: (07a) Networking, Part 1

Configure Enterprise Voice (26%)

Configure voice applications

Configure call park, Response Group workflows, Response Group queues, private line, and vacant number announcements

Configure call routing

Configure dial plans, routes, trunks; apply voice policies, PSTN usages, and emergency dialling

Configure unified messaging for Lync

Configure UM dial plans, the normalisation rules, UM auto-attendant, subscriber access, and call answering rules

Preparation resources

Deploying Enterprise Voice
Microsoft Lync Server 2013 dial plan and voice routing deep dive
Enterprise Voice and Online Services with Lync Server 2013: (02) Configuring basic Enterprise Voice functionality

Plan and configure a Lync Online hybrid solution (21%)

Plan Lync Online hybrid solution

Plan for Lync Online hybrid dependencies, SIP namespace, corporate access to Lync Online, and capacity (network and Lync Online service); configure Edge server for federation with Lync Online; analyse business and user requirements

Migrate to Lync Online
Configure clients for Lync Online; enable or move users to Lync Online; create a hybrid voice dial plan; migrate user settings to Lync Online; administer Lync Online native and Lync Online hybrid

Diagnose connectivity in a Lync Online hybrid environment
Confirm DNS records; choose test CMDLETs; analyse signalling and media call flow; validate connectivity; use Microsoft Online Services Diagnostics and Logging Support Toolkit

Administer online UM
Configure DNS Records; configure Edge Server for integration; create and configure UM dial plan; manage and assign Hosted Voice Mail policies; enable users for Hosted Voice Mail; create Contact Objects for Hosted Voice Mail

Preparation resources
Planning for Lync Server 2013 hybrid deployments
Steps to prepare and deploy Lync Server 2013 hybrid environment
Move users to Lync Online

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and Microsoft MCP at certkingdom.com

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QUESTION 1
You have an Active Directory domain named contoso.com. Your company has a Microsoft Office
365 subscription. Twenty users are enabled for Microsoft Lync Online. The users frequently travel.
The users report that they receive the following error message when they attempt to sign in to
Microsoft Lync from the office:
"Cannot sign in because the server is temporarily unavailable. If the problem continues, please
contact your support team."
You verify that the users can sign in to Lync when they connect from the Internet. You need to
ensure that all of the users can sign in to Lync. Which alias (CNAME) record should you create in
the internal DNS domain?
To answer, select the appropriate record name and the appropriate record target in the answer
area.

Hot Area:



Answer:

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QUESTION 2
Your network contains the servers shown in the following table. You configure the infrastructure
to use hosted Exchange Unified Messaging (UM). You need to create a new contact object for the
hosted UM auto attendant. What should you do?

A. From Server1, run ocsumutil.exe.
B. From Server3, run the exchucutil.ps1 script.
C. From Server3, run the New-MailContact cmdlet.
D. From Server1, run the New-CsExUmContact cmdlet.

Answer: D

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QUESTION 3
You purchase a Microsoft Office 365 subscription and configure the pilot users to use the
@contoso.onmicrosoft.com UPN suffix. You need to ensure that the pilot users can perform the
following actions:
? Join meetings.
? Use a SIP address that has the @online.contoso.com suffix.
? Communicate with users who are hosted on Lync Server 2013.
Which three tasks should you perform? (Each correct answer presents part of the solution. Choose
three.)

A. From the Lync Online Control Panel, set up federation to contoso.com.
B. From the Lync Server Control Panel, set up federation to online.contoso.com.
C. From the Lync Server Control Panel, set up federation to contoso.onmicrosoft.com.
D. From the Lync Server Control Panel, update the user SIP addresses of the users to
@online.contoso.com.
E. From the Lync Online Control Panel, update the SIP addresses of the users to
@online.contoso.com.

Answer: ABE

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QUESTION 4
Your company has a Microsoft Office 365 subscription and uses Microsoft Lync Online. After a long
network outage, some users reports that they cannot sign in to the Microsoft Lync client and they
receive the following error message:
"Cannot sign in to Lync. You may have entered your sign-in address, user name, or password
incorrectly, or the authentication service may be incompatible with this version of the program. If
your sign-in information is correct and the problem persists, please contact your system
administrator."
You confirm that other users can sign in successfully. You need to ensure that all of the users can
sign in to Lync Online. Which file should you delete on the users' client computer?
To answer, select the appropriate file in the answer area.
Hot Area:



Answer:

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QUESTION 5
Your company has a Microsoft Office 365 subscription. The company uses Microsoft Lync Online.
You need to ensure that Lync Online users can use dial-in conferencing. The solution must minimize
costs. What should you do?

A. Deploy an Edge Server and add a hosting provider to the server.
B. Deploy an Edge Server and configure the A/V Edge service on the server.
C. Deploy an A/V Conferencing pool.
D. Set up an account with a third-party audio conferencing provider.

Answer: D

Grow Your Skills with Microsoft MCITP 70-462 Exams

he world is quickly moving towards the cloud. We all have our data which we need to be accessible everywhere and on every device we use and when our data is present on the cloud, everything is available to us anytime we need it. As we as individuals hold our data so important, consider how much more the companies would be in need of instant access to their data. This is why the cloud computing has become an instant hit and there is no denying to the fact that cloud computing has solved data sharing problems and it has made all the work to be shifted in the top gear.

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Certificates can play a great role in securing a reputable job in a company. The certificates are guarantees about a person’s in-depth knowledge of the industry and it also proves that the person holding the certificate has experience of working like a pro. The experience which it reflects is not about the experience one gains by working professionally in some company. But this experience is about the person having exposure to the tools that would be used during the working. As the person has a professional grip on the tools to be used while working in a professional environment, teaching him a few tricks by a real professional developer would be easy and the student would be a fast learner.

MCITP 70-462 for the Professionals
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The MCITP 70-462 has already helped many young people and experienced ones too to become managers and now it is your turn. The moment you have decided that you are eligible to handle authoritative position within a company, start preparing for your project management exam with the preparation material you download from Certkingdom.com in the form of a PDF file or a software. In either case you only get the latest and authentic preparation material which would help you achieve success in the first attempt that too with the highest marks awarded by the vendor.

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Best Buy remains in MCX group despite move toward Apple Pay

It’s not clear whether the retailer will ever adopt CurrentC mobile payments

Best Buy explained Tuesday that it will support Apple Pay mobile payments, while also remaining a member of the MCX group of retailers that has promoted an alternative payment system called CurrentC.

LG bets on battery life over performance with new G4 smartphone

LG Electronics is giving its latest flagship smartphone, the leather-covered G4, a big removable

"We want to give our customers as many options as possible in how they pay for goods and services at Best Buy," said a Best Buy spokesman.

Best Buy used similar language in its announcement of Apple Pay support yesterday, but it wasn't clear whether the firm would abandon MCX or its CurrentC payment approach.

Asked whether its support for Apple indicated Best Buy won't back MCX and CurrentC, the spokesman said only, "We remain a member in MCX." It isn't clear that remaining an MCX member means Best Buy will ever launch CurrentC.

Playing Switzerland does make the most sense for Best Buy, as Apple Pay has steadily gained prominence, with 67 retailers and more than 700,000 merchant locations, with 14 more retailers on the way.

And, Best Buy evidently wants to continue its allegiance in some form as a founding member of Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX), which is comprised of 62 retail chains. The founders, including retail giant WalMart, have been opposed to paying swipe fees of 2% or more to banks that use credit cards. (Apple Pay relies on Visa, MasterCard, American Express and, as of yesterday, Discover as well as the banks associated with those cards.)

Apple Pay relies on Near Field Communications (NFC) technology for mobile payments at both point-of-sale terminals and in its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S phones as well as the new Apple Watch.

CurrentC could eventually use NFC, but trials of the technology have relied on QR codes and Bluetooth. MCX now plans to launch an early version of its CurrentC mobile payment app mid-year in an unnamed, mid-size market.

Best Buy has not turned on NFC payments in newer payment terminals in any of its stores since 2011, the spokesman said Tuesday. "We will have NFC terminals at all 1,400 US stores when we roll out Apple Pay in stores later this year," he explained. He refused to discuss Best Buy's position regarding swipe fees.

In reaction to the move, MCX Chief Operating Officer Scott Rankin said via email that "Best Buy remains a strong MCX partner and supporter of the CurrentC initiative.... We understand, and strongly support, our merchant partners' quest to do what's best for their customers."

Rankin suggested CurrentC can co-exist with Apple Pay, stating, "We are of the firm belief that there needs to be at least two to three major players within the mobile payments ecosystem for it to succeed. We remain steadfast and passionate about CurrentC."

Rankin said that all MCX merchants agree to use CurrentC exclusively, but said those provisions include expiration dates and "are limited in both time and scope."

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Microsoft and Yahoo shake up their search deal

Tweaked agreement gives Yahoo more flexibility, possibly in images or mobile

Nearly six years after Microsoft and Yahoo inked a search partnership, the companies are extending their agreement while changing it up a bit, as well.

The companies announced today that they have amended their search partnership. However, the deal now notes that Yahoo will have more flexibility to update its "search experience" on any platform.

Yahoo reported that it will continue to serve Bing ads and search results for a majority of its desktop search traffic. The company did not specify whether Bing ads and search will be used for the majority of its mobile search traffic.

The new agreement also notes that the two companies' sales teams will be integrated with their engineering teams to better meet advertiser demand.

"Over the past few months, [Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella] and I have worked closely together to establish a revised search agreement that allows us to enhance our user experience and innovate more in our search business," said Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer. "This renewed agreement opens up significant opportunities in our partnership that I'm very excited to explore."

In 2009, Microsoft and Yahoo launched the initial deal that called for Microsoft's Bing search engine to do all of the search work for Yahoo's site. That agreement also called for Yahoo to sell premium search advertising services for both companies.

Analysts said at the time that the two companies were joining forces to better take on search foe Google, which dominates the market.

Neither Yahoo nor Microsoft Bing have put major dents in Google's search share, however.

Zeus Kerravala, an analyst with ZK Research, said the new agreement could give Yahoo the flexibility it needs to try more options that draw in new search users. "It looks like this means Yahoo will be able to take those search results and use them in different ways," he said. "For example, it could potentially sell [results to] another site... or Yahoo could build it into different portals or mobile applications. It could be a way of boosting revenue."

The latest agreement also could allow Yahoo to use Bing for different kinds of searches, according to Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research.

Instead of using Bing for just typical searches --o is Aaron Hernandez?" or "What is a gyrocopter? -- Yahoo could put more focus on image or social searches. And with users increasingly searching on the go, Yahoo could very well be looking to do more for mobile users.

Gottheil also noted that the agreement will benefit Microsoft.
"First, I think Yahoo has something up its sleeve, either in search or packaging of search," he said. "And Microsoft is going to be making Bing kind of ubiquitous on Windows 10. If people like what Bing does there, they may choose Yahoo as a place to leverage what Bing has learned about them on Windows 10. It helps both companies."

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Acer Chromebook 15 review: Massive display, with mixed results overall

I used the Acer Chromebook 15, which boasts the largest screen of any Chromebook, and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it yet.

Over the past few months I've had the opportunity to review two laptops. Both of them being… rather beefy: the Chromebook Pixel and the Dell M3800. These two machines are powerhouses – sporting extremely high-resolution screens and high-end processors – with price tags to match. But then, this past week, the delivery man dropped off an entirely different category of laptop: the Acer Chromebook 15.

The model I have here is the CB5-571-C09S, sporting a 15.6-inch display (with a 1080p resolution), an Intel Celeron CPU (at 1.6GHz), 4GB of RAM, and a 32GB SSD. All of which costs $350 retail.

I'm going to come right out and say it – I've had a difficult time figuring out exactly how I feel about this laptop.

On the one hand, it has a huge display, the biggest of any Chromebook ever made. It may not come even close to the resolution of Google's Pixel, which rocks 2560x1700, but the Acer's 15.6-inch screen makes the Pixel's sub-13-inch screen look tiny by comparison. This is a big freaking laptop screen.
See also: A Linux user tries out Windows 10

The screen quality, it should be noted, is pretty nice. The viewing angles aren't quite as good as the Pixel (or the Dell M3800's 4K display), but it's not bad either. And, considering the massive price difference between the Acer and those other laptops ($350 for the Acer vs. over $2,000 for the Dell and over $1,000 for the Pixel), that reduction in quality is actually not as dramatic as you might expect.

The guts of the machine (CPU, RAM, and hard drive) are all excellent… for a $350 machine. If you sit down and compare the specs of this relatively gargantuan-sized Chromebook against a Pixel, you will be disappointed. But when you remember that you can buy three of these Acer laptops for the cost of a single Pixel, things start to look (a lot) more interesting.

Is the Acer Chromebook 15 a speed demon? No. It isn't exactly decked out with the latest and greatest i7 processor. But it's no slouch, either. In fact, I very rarely experienced any sluggishness with this machine. Even with a large number of tabs open and Google Play Music streaming some tunes in the background, the entire system was peppy and responsive.
See also: Dell's Ubuntu-powered M3800 Mobile Workstation is a desktop destroyer

And, let's be honest, in a Chromebook that's really what you care about: lots of Chrome tabs, background audio, and playing either a YouTube or Netflix HD video clip. This little Acer (did I just call this mega-sized laptop "little"?) can handle all of that without slowing down in the slightest.

The battery life is pretty solid as well. Acer claims around nine hours of battery life. I drained the battery (from completely charged down to nothing) in around eight hours. But that was fairly heavy usage with music playing in the background the majority of the time (one does want to rock out while reviewing hardware, after all). Eight hours of battery life on a gigantic 15.6-inch screen seems really solid to me.

So, what's the problem? It sounds like I've just described a pretty doggone great laptop at a super low price. If I stopped right there, purchasing this Chromebook is a no-brainer.

But, instead of stopping there, let's talk about the build quality for a minute.

When I first unpacked the box, and pulled out this large white laptop, I was struck by something… profound.

This machine is… profoundly plastic.

The model I have here is white. Solid white. With a subtle crisscross embossing patterning covering the entire outside.

The plastic isn't the fancy kind of plastic, either. It's the kind of plastic that many of my toys from the 1980's were made with. The kind where, when you tap on it with your fingernail, it makes that distinct "just tapped on a plastic toy" sound. In other words: it feels cheap.

When you open the lid and look at the keyboard, the initial impression is a positive one. The keyboard is certainly full laptop-sized. Typing on the keys feels good… for the most part. Typing aggressively on the keyboard – which I tend to do – results in a sound not unlike banging on a small plastic drum. Or, if you had an original Nintendo Entertainment System, the sound when you knocked on the top of it. That "hollow plastic shell" sound. That's the sound that banging on this keyboard makes. It's not loud, and it's not obnoxious, by any means. But it sounds cheap.

That's a weird thing to say in a laptop review, I know. "It sounds cheap when you tap on it." But it's true. And it's noteworthy. And it begins to make me realize why this laptop is available at such a cheap price.

Also… the screen bends. A significant amount. And rather easily. If you open the laptop (lift the screen up) and put just a small amount of pressure on the bottom of the bezel around the screen, it bends noticeably. This issue seems to pertain mostly to the display half. The keyboard half feels far sturdier and doesn't seem to suffer from any bending or rigidity issues.

Interestingly, there are two things that do not feel quite as "cheap." The trackpad (which has a good feel and a distinctive "click" to it when pressed) and the speakers (which are large, with visible plastic grating covering them, that produce quite decent sound for this price range of a laptop). Two components that, often, even expensive laptops don't do well. So big high-five to the Acer crew there.

So, to sum up: on the one hand, this laptop sports the largest screen on any Chromebook and packs enough muscle to stand toe-to-toe with most other Chromebooks. But, on the other hand, the build quality reminds you that you only paid a fraction of the price that you would for a "premium laptop."

Would I recommend this laptop to someone? You know what… yes. Yes, I would.

If you want a Linux-powered Chromebook with a big freaking screen… this is the Chromebook for you. I can literally put a Chromebook Pixel in front of the Acer's screen and it doesn't even come close to blocking the view.

It's also an incredibly good deal. For $350, I could lug this laptop around with me and not worry too much about banging it up. I could break one and buy an identical replacement, and still have save several hundred dollars over buying a Pixel.

So, yes. The Acer Chromebook 15 is a good machine with an interesting place in the market. I'm glad Acer is making it and I can think of some people who would truly enjoy using it for the price.

But what would really interest me is if Acer were to come out with a premium version of this Chromebook. Made with metal instead of plastic. With a beefier processor and more storage. But still, of course, keeping a huge (for a laptop) 15.6-inch screen, I could see that machine really turning some heads (including mine). Even if it cost two to three times as much.

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Six entry-level cybersecurity job seeker failings

Here's how many cybersecurity entry-level job seekers fail to make a great first impression.

When it comes to hiring, enterprise security teams can use all of the help that they can rally. But when it comes to hiring entry-level talent, that’s not as easy as it may seem.

According to a poll last summer of 1,000 18–26 year olds conducted by Zogby Analytics and underwritten by Raytheon, about 40 percent of Millennials reported they would like to enter a career that makes the Internet safer, but roughly two-thirds of them said they aren’t sure exactly what the cybersecurity profession is, and 64 percent said that they did not have access to the classes necessary to build the skills required for a career in information security.

That means, at least when it comes to the entry-level information security market, that there will be many job applicants continuing to enter the field with backgrounds that lack formal information security training. This echoes what we hear when we speak with CISOs and others who often hire security talent.

With all of this in mind, we recently reached out to those CISOs to see if there was a common thread of mistakes among information security career newcomers who are in the job market. Here’s what we found:

1. Fail to show oneself as a team player
Sounds like a no-brainer, right? But it’s not. Many of the hiring executives we spoke with say that personality can – and often does – trump technical assets. This is especially true as more and more information security roles interface with the rest of the business. It’s essential that applicants be themselves – amiable, articulate, and able to prove that they can work with different areas within the organization.

2. Sell one's self as a jack-of-all-trades
“Entry level applicants across almost all verticals of information security make the mistake of trying to be a one-size-fits-all candidate,” says Boris Sverdlik, head of security at Oscar Insurance. “Security is broken up across many verticals and even among those who are experienced, it's almost impossible to be well versed in all aspects,” he says. “The most annoying candidate is the arrogant know-it-all,” says Brian Martin, founder atDigital Trust, LLC. “I don't mind arrogance when it's earned, but not in a kid who's never been tested. In cases where we've tried to work with these types, it hasn’t ended well.”

If you have interests in many skills in information security, highlight a couple that best meet the needs of the organization.

3. Falling flat on job search and interviewing basics
For many CISOs, such as Martin Fisher, manager of IT security at Northside Hospital, it is common for potential hires to harm themselves by flunking the basics of job seeking. “On resumes, misspell HIPAA, and I’ll toss the resume,” Fisher says. He also says that he too often encounters typos, punctuation errors, and resumes laden with information that's not relevant to the role being offered.
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Mike Kearn, principal security architect at US Bank, cited what job seekers don’t do when it comes to the basics of interviewing. “When I offer them an opportunity near the end of the interview to ask me anything, and I emphasize the word ‘anything,’ the majority ask me softball kinds of questions about culture or why I like working there. Missed opportunity on their part,” he says.

4. Believe certifications and degrees matter more than practical skills
“Many think that I care more about their degree or certifications than actual skills,” Kearn says, while others are under the misguided assumption that a degree or a certification equals a job. It doesn’t."

Likewise, many entry-level applicants think technology is the hammer to squash every security risk nail. “Too many think that the solution to most problems is a technology control, rather than people and processes,” says Eric Cowperthwaite, former CISO for Providence Health and Services and currently advanced security and strategy VP at Core Security Inc.

Ben Rothke, senior eGRC consultant at Nettitude Group and former CISO, agrees. “The technology tools they have experience with are the definitive techniques for approaching information security. Not every security problem can be fixed by a firewall or IDS,” says Rothke.

5. Stretch the truth
This one certainly isn’t exclusive to information security, but it is especially silly to try to pull this off on experience security professionals who tend to be a suspicious bunch by nature. “You'll notice that they tend to exaggerate their experience to impress hiring managers; some range from slight fibs to full-blown lies,” says Sverdlik.
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Kearn concurs: “A lot of them attempt to inflate or enhance their resume by saying they know someone and are connected via LinkedIn. But when I press them on it, because I actually know the individual personally, they cave almost immediately.”

6. Don’t understand the highly interpersonal nature of infosec
Many entry-level applications come from workers in small businesses, and they are not prepared for or don’t seem to understand how large enterprises function. That’s fine, and part of the learning process for new professionals – but keep an open and learning mindset when it comes to practicing information security at a larger enterprise. “A lot of people have expressed ways to do business that simply won't work in a large enterprise. Typically, the person would be very direct toward people who want an exception to security policy, avoid collaboration, avoid discovering why the person wants the exception, and just dictate behavior,” says Cowperthwaite.

“They often don’t realize that their excitement and sometimes irrational exuberance around all things information security is not shared by most people in the organization,” Rothke says.

In the end, perhaps the most important thing is to be one's self. “Show that you have a passion for security, be it examining logs, performing code review or risk assessments, or even administering security appliances. If you are good at critical thinking and have a good technical background, learning the rest is easy,” says Sverdlik.

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