Readers will find a variety of relevant blogs on human resources, business trends, leadership advice, job searching tips, technology features and of course, training insights.  The blog launched with a 2013 success strategy and a unique take on the impact millennials will have on the workplace.

As with every blog, readers will be able to share every article and post comments.  CEO Jeremy Tillman, who will frequently contribute to the blog, envisions more than just a comments section to go with every post.  “Every blogger wants to see comments, especially the ones with positive feedback,” he said,  “We also view our comments section as another opportunity to have a conversation, to share knowledge and learn something.” 

Tillman says it will be a priority to regularly respond and engage with people who post comments.  “We are a shared knowledge, people-driven organization.  The Training Insights Blog is an extension of that,” he said.

As the it continues to grow, Training Insights will eventually feature guest blog posts from thought leaders, experts and professionals.  It’s yet another step that will further enhance the company’s stature as a professional development and knowledge sharing resource.

Scott Murray
Social Learning Evangelist
www.TrainUp.com
1-866-540-9677
817-992-0893 (m)

Many businesses use Microsoft Office as their primary productivity software. Most employees receive basic Microsoft Office training while they're in school, so companies don't have to teach workers how to use the applications. Unfortunately, some people prefer to stay away from Excel. The software is extremely convenient for data storage and analysis, but some staffers are hesitant to use any of Excel's advanced features. 

The primary function of the spreadsheet application is creating spreadsheets. Users can easily organize reams of figures into large tables and databases with Excel. The software can perform complicated equations and predict trends so that employees don't have to manually calculate information. 

Excel is capable of much more than data-entry and basic math. The Houston Chronicle writes that businesses have found creative ways to integrate Microsoft's application with many basic practices. According to the news source, tables can be used to create schedules instead of comparing numbers. Additionally, customer information can be stored in a spreadsheet so that workers can always find important contact information. 

If you're not comfortable with using the application for any task beyond data-entry, you should seek out Excel training. Online courses and seminars can teach you how to use the software like a professional.

TrainUp.com has recently launched our Facebook, Twitter (@trainuptweets) and Pinterest pages with Linkedin and Google+ pages in development. 

However, this isn't just another move to simply promote our brand through social media.  Instead, TrainUp.com will also offer businesses and individuals new resources for learning and personal development.

We've hired Scott Murray to connect people to TrainUp.com's social presence and share our vision for social learning.  Mr. Murray's experience includes promoting great causes and companies, including North Texas Public Broadcasting (KERA).   "We brought Scott on board to not only manage TrainUp.com's social presence but to also help evangelize the real benefits of social learning to our customers and the entire industry," said TrainUp.com CEO Jeremy Tillman.

Mr. Murray has over 12 years experience in advertising, messaging and content production and he plans to put those skills to use as TrainUp.com's Social Learning Evangelist.  "The environment here at TrainUp is very people driven and so am I.  That's just one of many reasons that it's such a great opportunity to get to talk to people about the comprehensive educational resource that TrainUp.com provides companies and their employees," he said.

TrainUp.com also has several proprietary social learning and social business concepts in development, including www.TrainingConversations.com and www.KnowledgeFlo.com.

Both sites will redefine the social learning space and help companies better access and manage the "flo" of knowledge throughout their organizations.

TrainUp.com's presence as a social media community builder and online resource continues in February 2013 when we will launch our Training Insights blog and podcast.

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Microsoft's SQL Server 2012 recently entered the Release Candidate stage of development, the last step before becoming publicly available. This will the first major release of the database software since April 2010, when SQL Server 2008 R2 was released. While the software giant has yet to announce a release date, it is expected that it will be revealed by or at the product launch even on March 7.

One new feature that is highly anticipated in the release, according to a recent CRN report, is integration between the new version and Microsoft SharePoint 2010. That will more effectively combine database back-end tools with content management and workflow capabilities, according to the news source. Users are also excited about the new options for a "single business intelligence semantic model," which will increase BI solution choices.

It will be important for database administrators to seek training for this new edition of SQL Server. New and innovative features can sometimes be hard to grasp, and additional training courses can help professionals quickly adapt and take advantage of the cutting edge programs.

IT professionals trained in cyber security may be needed more than ever as U.S. businesses continue to be the victims of data loss, according to a recent Forbes report by contributing writer Kevin West.

The writer indicated that if security issues are not addressed in the near future, U.S. companies stand to lose nearly $300 billion a year by 2018.

One trend West does not expect to slow moving forward is the use of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Since many organizations allow their employees to bring their own devices into the office and access corporate data, more breaches are bound to occur.

According to the news provider, more security certifications will be needed in the near future to address these attacks.

"As a result we rely on self-taught hackers to fill these jobs, people who choose to use their talents to do good work with corporations, but could just as easily turn to cybercrime," wrote West.

In October, Robert Half Technology announced four tech trends that drove hiring in the IT industry. According to the staffing firm, security made the list because threats continue to evolve and salaries for these trained professionals are expected to increase by 6 percent in 2012.

Chief information officers across the board will be on the lookout for those with agile certification training, according to a recent TechTarget report.

Citing the creation of the new PMI Agile Certified Practitioner certification, TechTarget contributor and industry expert Joseph Flahiff explained that more CIOs, IT managers and HR professionals will now be even more interested in hiring those with training and experience in agile development. At the very least, the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner certification will make more hiring managers aware of agile, making it an important factor for resumes.

"The Project Management Institute has created an agile certification that should be on the radar of every CIO, human resources professional and IT manager," Flahiff wrote for TechTarget.

Agile development has been a hot topic in the IT world of late. With more companies placing a higher priority on the fundamentals of agile, IT professionals have found training is invaluable to the job search.

This trend is only set to grow in the coming years. Market research firm Gartner predicted earlier this year that agile will play a role in 75 percent of all software development projects in 2012.