Technical Editor

Tariq Bin Azad is the Principal Consultant and founder of NetSoft Communications Inc., a consulting company located in Toronto, Canada. He is considered one of the best IT professionals by his peers, coworkers, colleagues, and customers. He obtained this status by continuously learning and improving his knowledge in the field of information technology. Currently, he holds more than 100 certifications, including MCSA, MCSE, MCTS, and MCITP (Vista, Mobile 5.0, Microsoft Communication Server 2007, Windows 2008 and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007), MCT, CIW-CI, CCA, CCSP, CCEA, CCI, VCP, CCNA, CCDA, CCNP, CCDP, CSE, and many more.

He brings over 15 years of management, technology, infrastructure designing, and assessment experience to NetSoft's team of experts and specialists. He has been working in the information technology industry for the past 15 years, eight of which have been as a System Analyst/Consultant specializing in thin client, Active Directory, and messaging solutions in various industries, including government, defense, telecom, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, retail, health care, technology, and financial fields. He is a well-known subject matter expert in the areas of IT infrastructure, terminal services, AD, Citrix, Exchange, and Windows Server 2008. Throughout his career, Tariq has had the opportunity to work on a diverse set of technical projects and to participate in the development of several business solutions. Some projects involved in-depth technical knowledge, while other projects took advantage of his soft skills where he was involved in defining and executing a product vision and strategy, driving the product road map, conducting research, as well as assisting key customers with implementation. He provides comprehensive solutions focused on Citrix and Microsoft technologies for clients ranging from 50 to 100,000 users, focusing mainly on architecting and deploying access infrastructure solutions for enterprise customers. He serves the company as a strategic business unit leader with both technical and managerial responsibilities. He is responsible for providing high-assurance thin client solutions to a worldwide enterprise. He provides day-to-day technical leadership and guidance as he and his staff develop enterprisewide solutions, processes, and methodologies focused on client organizations. He was recently hand- selected to lead enterprise-changing projects by senior executives of the clients he serves. His work touches every part of a system's life cycle—from research and engineering to operational management and strategic planning. One of Tariq's primary focuses is developing best practices, processes, and methodologies surrounding access infrastructure that integrate with virtually every part of a customer's infrastructure.

Tariq enjoys working with customers and accomplishing different challenges and business goals on daily basis. During the latter portion of his career, Tariq has been concentrating mostly on Microsoft Windows 2000/2003/2008, Exchange 2000/2003/2007, Active Directory, and Citrix implementations. He is a professional speaker and has trained architects, consultants, and engineers on topics such as Windows 2008 Active Directory, Citrix Presentation Server, and Microsoft Exchange 2007. In addition to owning and operating an independent consulting company, Tariq not only has worked in a capacity of senior consultant but has utilized his training skills in numerous workshops, corporate training, and presentations. Tariq holds both a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from Capella University, USA, and a Bachelor's degree in Commerce from University of Karachi, Pakistan. He is also exploring options to achieve his ALMIT (Masters of Liberal Arts in Information Technology) from Harvard University, in Cambridge, MA.

Tariq has coauthored multiple books, including the best-selling MCITP: Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Messaging Design and Deployment Study Guide: Exams 70-237 and 70-238 (ISBN: 047018146X), The Real MCTS/MCITP Exam 640 Preparation Kit (ISBN: 978-1597492355), The Real MCTS/MCITP Exam 646 Preparation Kit (ISBN: 978-1597492485), and The Real MCTS/MCITP Exam 647 Preparation Kit (ISBN: 978-1597492492). Tariq has worked on projects or provided training for major companies and organizations, including Rogers Communications Inc. Flynn Canada, HP, Citrix Systems Inc., Unicom Technologies, Gibraltar Solutions, and many others. He is a globally renowned Citrix, Active Directory, and Microsoft Exchange expert, speaker, and author who has presented at trainings and presentations around the world. He lives in Toronto, Canada, and would like to thank his father, Azad Bin Haider, and his mother, Sitara Begum, for his lifetime of guidance for their understanding and support to give him the skills that have allowed him to excel in work and life.