Summary
CBT Nuggets gave Howard County's Department of Technology something bootcamps never could: the flexibility to train on their own time, in their own environments, with hands-on labs and practice exams that actually prepared staff for their everyday job.
The results speak for themselves. Elizabeth Nwadiuko, the Technical Services Manager, was able to build a high-performing 80-person team through certification pushes, infrastructure changes, and everything else government IT throws at them.
Keep reading to find out how CBT Nuggets helped them save thousands, manage a 600-server migration, and achieve 100% activity across all licenses.
Results at a glance
- 100% activity across all licenses
- 600-server migration to HyperV & Azure
- Two CCNAs earned by network team
- A+, Network+, Security+ pursued by service desk
- Increased morale and technical aptitude
Why she chose CBT Nuggets: cost, retention, and flexibility
Before CBT Nuggets, bootcamps were running the team $3,000 to $5,000. Each one pulled a staff member away from their desk for a full week, adding invisible downtime costs to the already-high price tag. But the deeper problem was their effectiveness. Elizabeth knew exactly how they played out, because she'd attended many herself. "Sometimes you can walk out of there after 5 days and still not have retained anything."
Three features that stood out
Certification exam simulations
Timed practice exams that replicate the actual testing environment, so learners go into the exam having already experienced the pressure.
Hands-on lab sandboxes
Browser-based environments where learners can apply what they've just watched in a real-world setting, which was particularly valuable for Microsoft and Azure coursework.
On-demand, modular content
Short-form lessons that fit into a workday without requiring staff to step away from active responsibilities for days at a time.
“The network team, the server team, the fiber team — they've all expressed that it has worked to help them pass their certifications.”
For government IT, cyber threats can be life-or-death
Long before she became the Technical Services Manager, Elizabeth was hired on as a service desk technician. She worked her way up to the management level over 18 years, and now, that experience shapes the way she thinks about what her team actually needs.
“People don't understand how stressful it is. If there's a Trojan attack or something like that, people's jobs and lives are on the line.”
When training proved critical: A 600-server migration
Howard County is a Microsoft shop. Over the course of several years, the Department of Technology undertook a major infrastructure overhaul, migrating approximately 600 physical servers to HyperV virtual environments. Most of the department's server infrastructure is now virtualized, with the team increasingly working in Microsoft Azure.
~600
Physical servers migrated to HyperV virtual environments
8
Distinct technical disciplines under one department
“I love that you give us a sandbox so we can practice what we were just taught in the class. The worst thing is to fail in front of your leadership. Why not fail in your cubicle or your test environment, and then go back and fix it?”
Training for budget justification
Howard County operates in a constrained fiscal environment, and Elizabeth is candid about the pressure that creates. Budget lines that aren't utilized get cut. To protect the training investment, she built a simple monthly engagement program.
100%
License engagement reported to leadership
2 yrs
Consecutive budget approvals based on usage data
“I include our leadership, so they know that we're engaging with the training. When the budget comes and they see CBT Nuggets, they say: "Oh yeah. We keep that."”
Elizabeth Nwadiuko
Technical Services Manager
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