HomeAuthor InterviewsInterview with Bekim Dauti

Interview with Bekim Dauti

Bekim Dauti is the author of Windows Server 2022 Administration Fundamentals, we got the chance to sit down and find out more about his experience of writing with Packt.

Q: What are your specialist tech areas?

Bekim: Administration of servers and computer networks and training in Cisco, CompTIA, and Microsoft.

Q: How did you become an author for Packt? Tell us about your journey. What was your motivation for writing this book?

Bekim: In the summer of 2017, since InfoTech was an authorized bookseller of Packt Publishing for Kosovo and Albania, I received an invitation to participate in the book fair in Frankfurt. However, asking Packt Publishing for cooperation as an author seemed more critical. Nevertheless, the people at Packt liked my proposal, and that’s how in August 2017, I started working on the book Windows Server 2016 Administration Fundamentals. Thank God things went well, and here we are in the third edition of Windows Server 2022 Administration Fundamentals.

Q: What kind of research did you do, and how long did you spend researching before beginning the book?

Bekim: If we are referring to the first book, Windows Server 2016 Administration Fundamentals, I haven’t researched much. That is because, for years, I have been writing articles on information and communication technologies (ICT) in PC World Albanian and CIO Albanian. Such a commitment gave me a lot of experience, confidence, and enthusiasm. Thus, I was waiting for the opportunity to transfer all that into writing a book.

Q: Did you face any challenges during the writing process? How did you overcome them?

Bekim: Honestly, no. That is because my experience as a Microsoft trainer, as well as my experience as a PearsonVUE administrator, had given me enough experience to express the same in the book, hoping that it would help candidates interested in the MTA 98-365 certification exam to prepare and successfully pass it. However, the second and third editions have been challenging. Because both in the second and the third, great attention was invested in the inclusion of improvements and new features in Windows Server 2019 and Windows Server 2022, respectively. However, the system administrator’s experience, along with that of the trainer, was decisive in overcoming the challenges.

Q: What’s your take on the technologies discussed in the book? Where do you see these technologies heading in the future?

Bekim: I believe that the Windows Server speaks for itself. As it is known, in the past, this network operating system (NOS) had powered many midrange servers in enterprise environments. Nowadays, many corporate networks power their network services with Windows Server, and many virtual machines (VMs) run one of the versions of Windows Server. There is no doubt that the future has many demands regarding client/server services. However, through Windows Server, Microsoft will know how to respond to those future demands.

Q: Why should readers choose this book over others already on the market? How would you differentiate your book from its competition?

Bekim: In the first edition, the aim was to write a book that, in addition to introducing Windows Server to beginners, would also help them prepare for the MTA 98-365 certification exam. However, considering the requests and reviews from readers, the second edition focused on teaching Windows Server to beginners, of course, without leaving aside the importance of the MTA 98-365 certification exam. Furthermore, in the third edition, the goal was to make the teaching of Windows Server for beginners more exciting and, at the same time to inform them about Microsoft certifications. Hence, all that makes this book unique in the market and dearer to readers.

Q: What are the key takeaways you want readers to come away with from the book?

Bekim: Considering the importance of Windows Server in planning, designing, configuring, and setting up network services both on-prem and in the cloud environments, I say that this book presents Windows Server to a broader audience and thus increases the number of those who want to learn Windows Server. As a result, I liked the readers to come away with a good understanding of Windows Server and validated skills through a certification exam. That would give them a guarantee and confidence to advance their skills and knowledge on this network operating system (NOS) and build a successful career.

Q. Do you have a blog that readers can follow?

Bekim: Yes, my blog is https://bekimdauti.wordpress.com/

Q. What advice would you give to readers learning tech? Do you have any top tips?

Bekim: Almost every time learners ask this question in the training I teach; I always base the answer on the fact that you must like technology and learn it with great enthusiasm. So, I say it is a combination of passion and continuous commitment.

Q. What are your favorite tech journals? How do you keep yourself up to date on tech?

Bekim: Microsoft Learn is a portal to visit https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn

Q. Can you share any blogs, websites and forums to help readers gain a holistic view of the tech they are learning?

Bekim: Some suggested portals and blogs are Microsoft Learn, Microsoft Windows Server Blog, Redmondmag.com, Mcpmag.com, etc.

Q. How would you describe your author’s journey with Packt? Would you recommend Packt to aspiring authors?

Bekim: Thank God, so far, so good. We have published five books in five years, which can be considered a success for both parties. As for aspiring authors, I would definitely suggest cooperation with Packt Publishing. In that way, they will have the opportunity to express themselves and share their knowledge with a broad audience of readers.

Q. What is that one writing tip that you found most crucial and would like to share with aspiring authors?

Bekim: While the book’s outline can be written in one day, that’s not the case with writing a book. So, it is essential to keep yourself engaged with writing almost every day, even if that’s just a little bit of it. I say that to avoid getting demotivated and thus losing inspiration. Because in addition to passion and dedication, inspiration is another significant factor in writing a book.

Q. Would you like to share your social handles? If so, please share.

Bekim: Connect with me on Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/bekimdauti

You can find Bekim’s book on Amazon by following this link: Please click here

Windows Server 2022 Administration FundamentalsAvailable on Amazon.com