Training and Knowledge Sharing

Catalyst IT Services provides Microsoft Certified and customized training in several areas: we currently specialize in SharePoint, Visual Studio/.NET development, WPF, WCF, Workflows, and SQL Server 2005/2008. You can opt to attend our in-house classes at our state-of-the-art facility in Baltimore or we can train your developers or users on-site. For many clients, these costs can be heavily subsidized by local and state governments; we have extensive experience working through these incentive programs and can help your organization make full use of them. For current training class schedules, options, and information contact Christopher Davis at 410-385-2500 extension 25 or cdavis@catalystitservices.com.

Our Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCTs) deliver Microsoft Certified Training for you or your company. We can bring the training to you, or you can come to our state-of-the-art facility. There is simply no better way to stay on top of the latest Windows technologies and directions, or prepare for your Microsoft Certification Tests, and on top of that for any full day of training, lunch is on us.

There are so many new technologies to evaluate and learn in today’s rapidly changing world of technology. Catalyst IT Services recognizes that and offers our expertise to you by providing concise and cost-effective power knowledge training designed to get you up and running on a multitude of topics. Are you a Windows shop contemplating the possibilities of Oracle? What is all this WPF, WCF, WWF about? Need a quick introduction to Visual Studio, SQL Server, or Windows Server 2008? You’ve come to the right place.

Oracle in .NET
This Power Knowledge Session addresses using and integrating Oracle in a .NET environment. We’ll also do a quick comparison of SQL Server with Oracle.

Visual Studio 2008 – Presentation
This Power Knowledge Session addresses the new features of Visual Studio 2008. We cover the new visual tools facilitated by the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Silverlight, and address how to use these tools to increase productivity and write better code.

Visual Studio 2008 – Communication
This Power Knowledge Session covers the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF). What is it and how does it work? We cover the way this new technology impacts Service Oriented Architectures (SOA) inside and outside Windows, for hosting and publishing communication applications.

Visual Studio 2008 – Workflow
The latest .NET Framework has drastically improved workflows between and within applications. This Power Knowledge Session addresses the Windows Workflow Foundation (WWF) and its integration with existing applications.

Visual Studio 2008 – Team Foundation Server
Team Foundation Server (TFS) makes team development move smoothly. This Power Knowledge Session addresses its advantages, main features, and integration with Visual Studio.

Silverlight
What is this Silverlight thing all about anyway? This Power Knowledge Session addresses how to use it to make your web sites more user-friendly, usable, and visually appealing.

SharePoint – WebParts
SharePoint is built on the ASP.NET framework. However, creating add-ins for your SharePoint deployment may not be very intuitive. This Session goes over how to create and distribute a WebPart on your server, and use the tools to make your life easier.

SharePoint – GridViews and Web Services
Creating a GridView in a SharePoint web part poses a challenge as there are no visual tools that help you easily customize your grid. Web Services are also a bit challenging as they require some configuration to the web.config file in SharePoint. In this hands-on workshop, we create a dynamic GridView in a web part, connect to a web service, and deploy our part to SharePoint.

SharePoint – Sources of Data
This hands-on workshop focuses on connecting to different data sources in SharePoint, including custom lists, SQL Server, Oracle, Web Services, and XML. We create a WebPart that connects to different sources based on conditions set by the user.

SQL Server 2008 Upgrade
Are you considering upgrading to SQL Server 2008? This Power Knowledge Session goes over the new features of SQL Server 2008, advantages and disadvantages of upgrading, and strategies for upgrading smoothly.

Workflows
This class is an overview of workflows in the Microsoft world. BizTalk Orchestrations, WWF, Service Broker, MSMQ, and SharePoint are all tools to create and publish workflows. This Session goes over when to use each, how they are related, and how they can work together for you.

User Training

We also provide training for end-users on a range of custom developed and commercial applications. Please contact us for additional information.