Acknowledgments

The author's name appears on the cover of a book, but the author is only one member of a large team. This particular book started with a call from Neil Salkind of Studio B— a respected author himself, with far more credits to his name than I ever hope to achieve. Neil, and a team at Studio B that included Jackie Coder, David Rogelberg, and Stacey Barone, worked closely with Rajni Gulati at Microsoft to put together the team that would create this book.

I have to thank Marzena Makuta, my editor, for being remarkably patient while I learned the correct style for a Microsoft Press training kit. Rebecca Davis did a great job of keeping me (and probably everyone else!) on schedule, even when the schedule needed to be adjusted. I was fortunate enough to have two technical reviewers for this book: Jim Fuchs and Randall Galloway. The technical accuracy of this book is a result of their incredible attention to detail.

Mick Alberts, my copyeditor, helped me get the terminology straight and educated me on the difference between patches and updates. The composition team, led by Dan Latimer, handled the layout of the book. Bill Teel processed the (many, many) screenshots, and Joel Panchot created the artwork from my drawings and diagrams. The proofing team, led by Sandi Resnick, helped to make this book readable by fixing many errors that I never even knew I made.

Many people helped with this book even though they weren't formally part of the team. Kurt Dillard, one of the top security experts at Microsoft and a close friend of mine, lent his expertise many times and helped to ensure that my recommendations were consistent with those of Microsoft. My friends, especially Tara Banks, Kristin Cavour, Eric and Alyssa Faulkner, Chris and Diane Geggis, Bob Hogan, Samuel Jackson, Khristina Jones, Tom Keegan, and Eric Parucki, helped me enjoy my time away from the keyboard. More than anyone, I have to thank my wife Erica for being so patient during many long days of writing. Erica's family, Mike, Michelle, Sandi, and Raymond Edson, as always, kept me in good spirits during the holidays (and by “spirits,” I mean liquor).

It makes a huge difference when you consider the people you work with to be friends. Having a great team not only improves the quality of the book; it makes it a more enjoyable experience. Writing this book was my most enjoyable project yet, and I hope I get the chance to work with everyone in the future.

Tony Northrup

I would like to thank my wonderful wife Oksana for her support during the writing process. I would also like to thank our son Rooslan for making fatherhood so easy and fun. Finally, I want to thank the entire Certtutor.net tutor team, who offer great free advice to people who want to get certified.

Orin Thomas