StormWind Studios uses proprietary technologies to provide live, interactive IT training courses online in technologies such as Cisco, VMware, Microsoft, CompTIA, ITIL, AWS, cybersecurity, project management, and more. Our blog aims to share the goings-on at StormWind Studios, as well as industry news, blog posts, and some fun stuff, too.
Nathaniel Miller
Pivot tables are Excel’s most powerful tool for summarizing data. They turn thousands of rows into a clear summary in seconds, no formulas required. This guide shows you exactly how to create one, step by step, plus the key features that make them so useful. Keep the detail in the source sheet. The pivot table […] Read More: Excel Pivot Tables: 5 Steps, With Screenshots
Nathaniel Miller
VLOOKUP is one of Excel’s most useful functions: it finds a value in one column and returns related information from another. This guide walks through exactly how to use it, with examples, common mistakes, and when to use its modern replacement, XLOOKUP. You have an ID. VLOOKUP returns the matching value from another column in […] Read More: VLOOKUP in Excel: Syntax, Examples & Common Errors
Nathaniel Miller
SQL is the language used to talk to databases: to store, retrieve, and analyze data. If you work with data in any capacity, understanding SQL is one of the highest-leverage skills you can build. This guide explains what SQL is, what it is used for, and the core commands, in plain English. SQL sits between […] Read More: What Is SQL? A Beginner’s Guide with Examples
Nathaniel Miller
What the Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate covers, how AZ-800 and AZ-801 split the work, exam cost and difficulty, retirement timing, AZ-802 status, and how to prepare for hybrid Windows Server roles. Windows Server still runs a large share of business infrastructure, but the job is no longer “on-prem only.” The current Windows Server 2022 […] Read More: AZ-800 & AZ-801 in 2026: Retirement, AZ-802 & What’s Next
Nathaniel Miller
Your team is adopting Copilot, Foundry-hosted models, and local RAG pipelines faster than most compliance programs can keep up. AI governance with Microsoft Purview starts in a different place than another AI portal: it starts with knowing where your data lives, who owns it, and which AI workloads can touch it. That is the core […] Read More: AI Governance with Microsoft Purview: Where Teams Should Start
Nathaniel Miller
Domains, cost, experience requirements, salary context, CISM vs CISSP, and how to prep before or after ISACA’s November 3, 2026 exam content update. If your career is moving from hands-on security into program leadership, CISM certification is one of the clearest signals you can send. ISACA’s Certified Information Security Manager proves you can govern risk, […] Read More: CISM Cost in 2026: $575 Member / $760 Non-Member Fees
Nathaniel Miller
Exam domains, cost, difficulty, study time, and how AZ-900 fits into Azure Administrator (AZ-104), security, and hybrid cloud career paths. If your team is rolling out Azure but half the room still confuses subscriptions with resource groups, start with AZ-900. Microsoft’s Azure Fundamentals exam validates cloud vocabulary, core Azure services, and how billing, identity, and […] Read More: AZ-900 Cost in 2026: $99 Exam Fee & Is It Worth It?
Nathaniel Miller
AWS offers certifications across four levels, and the order you take them in is now a strategy choice, not a gate. This guide maps the full AWS certification path for 2026: foundational through specialty, current exam codes and costs, who each credential fits, and the fastest route to the cloud role you are targeting. AWS […] Read More: AWS Certification Path 2026: All 13 Certs, Costs & Order
Nathaniel Miller
There are hundreds of IT certifications, but you do not need a hundred-item plan. You need one target role, one foundation credential, and one logical next step. This 2026 roadmap shows where CompTIA, Cisco, Microsoft Azure, AWS, cybersecurity, and project management certifications fit so you can build job-ready skills without collecting badges that do not […] Read More: IT Certification Roadmap 2026: Where to Start & Next Steps
Nathaniel Miller
Which cybersecurity certifications actually move careers in 2026, ranked by experience level, with exam costs, sequencing paths, and how to match the right credential to your role. Hiring managers still use certifications as a filter when security roles outnumber qualified candidates. The right credential can accelerate a promotion or a career change. The wrong one, […] Read More: Best Cybersecurity Certifications 2026: Entry to Advanced
