MY BLOG HAS MOVED!!!

I moved my blog - please, check it out, add it to your blog rolls and check out the sweet 24 hour only deal!!!

blog.idontwannabeaccie.com

April, IPexpert Quizzer, Great Deals and Welcoming a New Blogger!

Being a Michigander, I often complain about this place, the economy, Detroit, the weather, etc.  In fact, it's hard to believe that there is another place that is like this.  However, we do have the Great Lakes, which, is one of the highlights of living here.  So, I try not to complain so much, because, as an avid boater, I couldn't imagine not being by the water.  I am going to complain once again though.  Yes - MSU did get their "mmhmm's" handed to them, but, that doesn't bother me as much, since I am a U of M fan.  This weather, that is what I am going to rant about!  I have a convertible (nothing special, gets me from point A to point B) and I had the top down on Friday.  The weather was perfect for golfing, doing yard work, etc.  Today is now Tuesday, I endured a blizzard of rain, sleet and snow yesterday, and as I sit here typing this, I see snow flakes the size of quarters falling.  Why?  Why is it almost 70 one day and 30 the next!?!?  Mother Nature - I would like to get ready for summer, get the boat prepped, get the golf clubs out, the short sleeve shirts.  Please stop!  

Alright, enough of that - Let me start by wishing quadruple CCIE extraordinaire, Scott Morris a Happy Birthday!  

If you haven't been under a rock the last day, I let a couple bloggers have first cracks at the new IPexpert FREE quizzer.  To download this free utility to try yourself, please CLICK HERE!

Also, be sure to have the latest version of Adobe Air Runtime installed on your PC to run this application!  

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So, you guys all like the deals I put on here right?  Well, I have some more for you!  But, it is important you contact me directly at mdown@ipexpert.com to take advantage.  

Do you need rack time?  If so, check with me directly and I can give you "my special links" that give you some free sessions!  

Looking for a boot camp?  I have several R&S and Voice classes coming up with availability and who knows what kind of deals I will give you on those!  Wanna know more?!?  Email me!  Here are the class dates:

R&S - April 20 - April 24 in Columbus, Ohio (Instructor: Jared Scrivener)

R&S - May 4 - May 8 in San Jose, California (Instructor: Jared Scrivener) *LAB EXPERIENCE* 

R&S - May 11 - May 15 in Columbus, Ohio (Instructor: Jared Scrivener)

Voice - April 27 - May 1 in Columbus, Ohio (Instructors: Vik Malhi and Mark Snow) *V3 Class!*

Voice - May 18 - May 22 in San Jose, California (Instructor: Vik Malhi) 

There are only a few seats remaining, so, if you really want to take advantage, you MUST contact me as soon as possible so you don't lose out on the crazy deals I may swing!  

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Well, I am slowly but surely getting reconnected to some of my old blogging friends and at the same time running into new ones!  I stumbled upon a newer blog - cciekid.blogspot.com - He actually updates regularly which is nice to see and it looks great!  Make sure you add him to your blogrolls and follow his blog!  I am!  

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That is it for now, back to hammering out this lower level certification training.  I like new tasks and this one should be fun!  Keep checking back for new updates, etc.  Happy studying! 

Some Quickies....

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  It definitely could have been longer.  Good to see Michigan State advance to the Final Four, even though my bracket is pretty much shot with Pitt losing!  Still hoping UConn wins it all, then maybe I will have SOME kind of chance to win some money! 

First off - I would like to send a congratulations out to my buddy CCIETalk.  He took the plunge this weekend and got married!  Now is the challenge of balancing study time and married life!  Any advice from you married candidates or CCIE's for him?!?!  

Alright, as for happenings here...We keep rolling out our V3 products for Security and Voice peice by peice.  No time table for when they all will be out, but, this way, you can keep studying and not waiting for new things to come out.  Automatic updates are added to your accounts at www.ipexpert.com - Also, follow the IPexpert Blog for updates on the releases of the new products as they happen.  

In an earlier post, I had mentioned looking for someone to do technical blogging on my site and it looks like I have found someone, so, keep an eye out for him very soon - Hopefully it will get him some visibility and also give you more to read about on my blog! 

If you didn't know already, let me be the first to let the cat out of the bag...The new IPexpert website will be launching soon.  I have personally played around on this for awhile and all I can say is WOW.  Our web developer is truly amazing and you guys will love the look and feel of this website.  Should be coming VERY soon! 

I am always looking for people to spotlight on my blog - so, PLEASE if you are interested and are not scared, email me or leave me a comment and I will get you up there so the world can see you!  

CiscoLive!  20 year anniversary - Should be a fun time, especially for you guys!  I have had some feedback from Brandon and Jeff about them going, but, I wanna know if you are going too!  Also, if you were at IPexpert's Networkers party last year or heard about it, what would you like to see from us this year?!?!  I want your ideas!  If you are going, I wanna know that too!  Email me - mdown@ipexpert.com

Finally, I've added a few new things to my role here at IPexpert.  As some of you know, we are going to be offering lower level Cisco and Microsoft certifications and I will be the go to guy on that front.  So, if you know any entry level friends, colleagues and they need some training, please, send them my way and I will take care of them!  

Enjoy the rest of the week, I look forward to feedback from you guys - keep an eye out for a new blogger on my site and also keep a heads up on those jokers on April Fools Day!  

March Madness Deals!

Only a few more days remaining for this promotion.  Many have taken advantage of it!  Have you?  If not, PLEASE CONTACT ME!!! 

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MARCH MADNESS Special for Proctor Labs Rack Rental: TRIPLE YOUR MONEY

Just spend a minimum of $999 on any product order or course registration and we will TRIPLE any Proctor Labs rack session bundle that you add to the order! Here are a few examples:

1. Purchase the Blended Learning Solution (includes all IPexpert self-study products) and add a 10-session bundle of rack sessions to the order. This will put your total above $999, so you will receive 30 sessions instead of 10.
2. If you already have products but just need rack sessions, purchase $999 or more worth and you will get three times as much in return.
3. Registration for any instructor led course will automatically qualify you for this special.
   

To buy online, simply enter coupon code "MARCHMADNESS" on the checkout page at www.IPexpert.com.

Questions? Contact me right now to take advantage of this great opportunity to get the hands-on experience you need to succeed.

• Email: mdown@ipexpert.com
• Live Chat: www.IPexpert.com/chat
• Phone: +1.810.326.1444 x 206
  

Promotion ends March 31. Valid for new purchases only. May not be applicable with other discounts. All sales final.

If you have any other questions - please feel free to contact me directly - mdown@ipexpert.com

Monday Update

I hope everyone had a great weekend. St. Paddy's day is upon us, so, I am sure a lot of you were celebrating over the past weekend and really didn't want to go to work today because you are STILL nursing a lil bit of a hangover.

Let me start by saying 1 person really had a reason to celebrate this weekend. Brandon Carroll took the CCIE Security lab exam on Friday in RTP and found out last night that he kicked it's ass!!! So, from the IPexpert team and myself personally, a big congratulations goes
out to you Brandon!!!

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Ok - today is the last day for my "BOGO" promo for Proctor Labs. After today, normal bundle pricing! Here is a little twist (that I hope I don't get killed for) --- Spend at least $1200 and I will triple the amount of sessions instead of doubling...Today only though - MARCH 16! So, tell your friends, your relatives, the people you can't stand! That is a great deal!


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Lastly, I am looking for someone who wouldn't mind writing some technical posts for me - maybe even a weekly video or something. Obviously I want people to come here to check out what kind of deals and other things that are going on here @ IPexpert, but, I want you to get some kind of knowledge out of it too! Since "I Don't Wanna Be a CCIE" I am hoping to have the assistance from one of you! So, if you are interested, please contact me @ mdown@ipexpert.com


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Oh yeah - a quick good job to Joe Astorino who netted the game winning goal in his hockey team's playoff game! WoooHooo!! (Hopefully it wasn't a 8-0 drubbing Joe!)

Rack Time!

Hey there everyone...

Alright, I have some good news, some bad news...Good news first?

I can give you "Buy X get X for free" until Monday, March 16. After that, the prices are what they are, so, please take advantage now, because after that, my hands will be tied...I would also recommend you buying as much as you can...Prepare for the future, because, you will SAVE money now versus buying 10 here and then getting another 10 four months from now...Plus, I may be able to be a lil more generous, who knows! ;)

Voice/Security people, we have new racks that work on the new version and I believe we are the only one to offer that. You WILL need to use these racks, especially for troubleshooting!

Bad news? Well, not really sure it is totally bad, but, it goes with my good news and why it would be wise to buy now...Pricing may be going up from what I hear on rack sessions. This is not confirmed, but, with more and more new equipment rolling in, it looks like a possibility. So, you know me, I want everyone to get the best deal possible, that's why I recommend taking advantage now so I can give you as much as possible! And remember, if you have unused rack time, we can switch it over to another track or you can sell them off!

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Okay, aside from that, I have had some responses to my video testimonial requests, so, keep an eye out for that...Anybody else that is interested, please let me know!

I have a couple new "Candidate Spotlight" posts coming very soon! More guys/gals just like you that you will get the opportunity to find out more about!

I've been adding more and more to my blog roll, please, if you are not on, let me know!!

Also, if you don't follow me on TWITTER please do!!!

That is all for now! Have a great weekend!!!

Rumors, Quickies, Etc.

Hey all! Day 3, still getting back in the grind. Lots of coffee and patience!

So, I kinda wanna leak a couple things from some meetings for you guys to know about (here's to hoping Wayne doesn't read my blog! hehe) --- I hear there are some updates to products coming up in the near future. Stay tuned, cuz, when I find out, I will tell you guys about it here, but, I think there is another re-write in the products coming. What I did hear about R&S is this...

MPLS will be added to a new Volume 1 (technology focused labs) and a Volume 2 will be released with 15 labs (multi-protocol) with video walk through. There is also a rumor that AFTER these are released, another video walk through will become available for Volume 1.

I'm not sure on the time table of this, but, when I hear more about it, you will...I'll also keep you updated on the proposed changes to the other tracks as well...

I also overheard something about an interactive session with our instructors. So, just throwing that out there, not sure what it's about yet, but, kind of heard it in passing! hehe

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Alright, in other matters...If you are a reader of my blog and have a blog that is not on my blog list, PLEASE let me know so I can add you!

Also, I am going to be proactively approaching the bloggers again like I did in the past. If you know anybody, please shoot me their link and email address. If you currently have an IPexpert banner on your blog or website, please contact ME directly, especially if we have anything set up. This is VERY important.

I have had a couple responses about video testimonials. Please, if you are interested, email ME and I will go over the details. I wanna get this started ASAP...

If you have any comments, suggestions, something you wanna see on the blog, please let me know! I hope everyone is doing well and having better weather than we are here in good ole Michigan!

-Mike