MCSE - Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Advanced Infrastructure Certification - Exam 70-417

What You’ll Learn

• Master advanced Windows Server infrastructure concepts and earn your MCSE certification to significantly boost your career prospects and salary potential in enterprise IT environments.
  
  

• Gain in-depth knowledge of Exchange Server 2013 architecture, including mailbox databases, transport services, and client access protocols.
  
  

• Learn how to design and implement high-availability and disaster recovery solutions to ensure continuous email service.
  
  

• Understand how to secure Exchange Server through encryption, anti-malware policies, and compliance tools.
  
  

• Develop practical skills in troubleshooting messaging issues and optimizing Exchange Server performance for enterprise environments.

Requirements

This comprehensive training program is designed to serve as an integral part of a broader certification pathway, specifically aimed at helping candidates achieve the highly regarded MCSE: Windows Server 2012 R2 certification. To fully earn this certification, learners should also plan to complete additional complementary courses that cover the foundational exams 70-410 (Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012), 70-411 (Administering Windows Server 2012), and 70-412 (Configuring Advanced Windows Server 2012 Services). Together, these courses provide a well-rounded curriculum that covers the full spectrum of Windows Server administration skills.

While this particular course focuses on advanced Windows Server infrastructure concepts and the core solutions of Exchange Server 2013, it is highly recommended that participants have some prior experience with Windows Server operating systems and basic networking concepts before enrolling. Familiarity with Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, and fundamental server roles will greatly enhance the learning experience and help students better understand the advanced topics covered.

That said, the course has been carefully structured to accommodate dedicated students who may be new to some of these technologies. For those with limited or no prior experience in Windows Server or Exchange Server administration, this course can serve as a valuable foundational resource, provided that students are committed to investing time and effort into hands-on practice and supplementary learning materials. By following a disciplined study plan and engaging fully with lab exercises and real-world scenarios, even newcomers can build the knowledge and confidence needed to succeed.

In addition to technical prerequisites, learners should also have a strong interest in enterprise IT infrastructure and messaging systems. The course material assumes a professional mindset oriented toward troubleshooting, systems management, and security best practices. Students who enjoy problem-solving, working with complex systems, and staying current with Microsoft technologies will find the course content particularly engaging and relevant.

Candidates enrolling in this training should have access to a suitable learning environment, ideally with virtual labs or test servers that allow them to practice installing, configuring, and managing Exchange Server 2013 components. Hands-on experience is critical for reinforcing theoretical knowledge, and students are encouraged to replicate lab scenarios, experiment with configurations, and simulate real-world situations to deepen their understanding.

To maximize the value of the training, it’s also beneficial for learners to have familiarity with related Microsoft technologies such as Microsoft Office 365, Azure Active Directory, and Windows PowerShell scripting. These skills complement Exchange Server administration and are increasingly important in hybrid cloud and modern enterprise environments.

Furthermore, students should be prepared to allocate sufficient time for study and practice. Given the breadth and depth of the topics covered, consistent effort over several weeks or months will be necessary to master the material. Combining video lectures, reading materials, hands-on labs, and exam preparation exercises will create a comprehensive learning experience and greatly increase the likelihood of certification success.

Course Description

The Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Advanced Infrastructure Certification Training for Exam 70-417, offered by Professional IT Training Solutions, is a thorough and carefully designed program aimed at IT professionals eager to deepen their expertise in enterprise server management while preparing for one of Microsoft's most respected certifications. This advanced course is perfect for those who want to build on foundational server skills and tackle the more complex challenges of designing, deploying, and managing sophisticated Windows Server environments in modern enterprises.

Unlike introductory courses that focus on basic server installation and configuration, this training dives deeply into the advanced infrastructure components that power today’s global organizations. The curriculum is built around practical, real-world scenarios that reflect the complexities faced by IT professionals managing servers that support thousands of users across multiple locations. This makes the training highly relevant for systems administrators, infrastructure engineers, and IT managers responsible for ensuring seamless and secure enterprise operations.

Throughout the course, students will explore advanced topics such as designing and implementing multi-site Active Directory forests, managing server virtualization, and orchestrating network load balancing and failover clustering to maximize uptime and reliability. Networking, a critical pillar of enterprise infrastructure, is covered extensively, with a focus on deploying and configuring IP addressing, routing, DNS, DHCP, and DirectAccess in ways that meet the demanding needs of large-scale organizations.

Security is another major emphasis of this training. Students will gain hands-on experience configuring and managing advanced security features, including Dynamic Access Control, Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS), Network Access Protection (NAP), and Group Policy Objects (GPOs) tailored to enforce compliance and safeguard sensitive data. The course also covers the deployment and management of sophisticated auditing and monitoring solutions, enabling administrators to maintain security posture and respond proactively to potential threats.

Core Learning Modules and Comprehensive Coverage

The journey begins with advanced datacenter management concepts, where students learn to architect and oversee enterprise-scale server environments. This foundational module covers the strategic planning required for large-scale Windows Server deployments, including capacity planning, resource allocation strategies, and performance optimization techniques that are crucial for maintaining optimal server performance in demanding enterprise environments.

Students will then progress to implementing comprehensive monitoring solutions that provide visibility into every aspect of server performance and health. This section covers advanced monitoring tools, custom performance counters, and automated alerting systems that help administrators proactively identify and resolve issues before they impact business operations. The monitoring module includes hands-on experience with System Center Operations Manager integration, Windows Performance Monitor configuration, and third-party monitoring tool integration.

The training continues with detailed coverage of enterprise update management strategies that ensure security and stability across large server farms. This critical module teaches students how to design and implement update deployment strategies that minimize downtime while maintaining security compliance. Students learn to configure Windows Server Update Services, implement staged deployment procedures, and manage update rollback scenarios in complex enterprise environments.

Configuration management represents another crucial component of the curriculum, where students master the art of standardizing server configurations across diverse enterprise environments. This module covers Group Policy management at an enterprise scale, configuration baseline establishment, and automated configuration deployment using PowerShell Desired State Configuration. Students gain practical experience in managing thousands of servers with consistent configurations while maintaining flexibility for special use cases.

Virtualization Excellence and Cloud Integration

The virtualization modules provide comprehensive coverage of Hyper-V deployment and management in enterprise scenarios. Students learn advanced virtualization concepts including live migration, high availability configurations, and disaster recovery planning for virtual environments. The curriculum covers both on-premises virtualization strategies and hybrid cloud scenarios that integrate with Microsoft Azure services.

Virtual machine lifecycle management becomes a key focus area, where students learn to optimize virtual machine performance, manage virtual machine templates, and implement automated provisioning workflows. Advanced topics include virtual machine security, virtual networking configurations, and storage optimization for virtualized workloads. Students gain hands-on experience with Hyper-V replica configurations, virtual machine checkpoint management, and performance monitoring for virtualized environments.

The course dedicates significant attention to virtualization migration strategies, teaching students how to plan and execute migrations from physical servers to virtual environments, as well as migrations between different virtualization platforms. This includes detailed coverage of migration assessment tools, compatibility testing procedures, and rollback strategies for failed migrations.

Network Infrastructure and Advanced Connectivity

Network management solutions form a critical component of the training, covering advanced networking concepts that are essential for enterprise Windows Server deployments. Students learn to design and implement complex network topologies, configure advanced routing scenarios, and optimize network performance for high-traffic enterprise environments.

The networking modules cover software-defined networking concepts, virtual LAN configurations, and advanced DNS and DHCP management strategies. Students gain expertise in Windows Network Load Balancing configuration, network traffic optimization, and quality of service implementations that ensure optimal application performance across the enterprise network infrastructure.

Advanced security networking concepts receive detailed attention, including IPSec configuration, network access protection implementation, and secure remote access solutions. Students learn to configure DirectAccess for seamless remote connectivity, implement VPN solutions for secure external access, and design network segmentation strategies that enhance security while maintaining operational efficiency.

Storage Solutions and Data Management

Storage solution design represents a fundamental component of enterprise server management, and this course provides comprehensive coverage of modern storage technologies and implementation strategies. Students learn to evaluate storage requirements, design scalable storage architectures, and implement high-performance storage solutions that meet demanding enterprise workloads.

The storage modules cover both traditional storage area network configurations and modern software-defined storage solutions. Students gain practical experience with Storage Spaces configuration, deduplication implementation, and tiered storage management that optimizes performance while controlling costs. Advanced topics include storage encryption, backup integration, and disaster recovery storage strategies.

File system management receives detailed attention, covering advanced NTFS configurations, distributed file system implementation, and file server clustering for high availability. Students learn to implement BranchCache for optimized file access across wide area networks and configure advanced file sharing permissions that balance security with accessibility requirements.

High Availability and Business Continuity

Failover clustering implementation forms a crucial component of the curriculum, teaching students how to design and deploy high-availability solutions that minimize downtime and ensure business continuity. The clustering modules cover both traditional failover clustering and newer stretched cluster configurations that provide geographic redundancy.

Students learn advanced cluster configuration techniques, including cluster shared volumes, cluster-aware updating, and dynamic witness configurations. The training covers application clustering scenarios, database clustering implementations, and virtual machine clustering for comprehensive high-availability coverage.

Network load balancing represents another critical high-availability technology covered in detail throughout the course. Students gain expertise in designing load balancing solutions for web applications, implementing health monitoring for load-balanced services, and configuring advanced traffic distribution algorithms that optimize application performance while ensuring fault tolerance.

Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Planning

The comprehensive disaster recovery modules teach students how to architect complete business continuity solutions that protect organizations against various failure scenarios. This includes detailed coverage of backup strategies, recovery time objective planning, and disaster recovery testing procedures that ensure recovery solutions work when needed.

Students learn advanced backup technologies including application-aware backup configurations, incremental backup strategies, and backup verification procedures. The training covers both local backup solutions and cloud-based backup integration, providing students with knowledge of hybrid disaster recovery strategies that leverage both on-premises and cloud resources.

Recovery planning receives extensive attention, with students learning to create comprehensive disaster recovery plans that address various failure scenarios. This includes server hardware failures, site-wide disasters, and cyber security incidents that require complete environment restoration. Students gain practical experience with recovery testing procedures and documentation requirements for enterprise disaster recovery programs.

Active Directory Integration and Advanced Security

Active Directory Rights Management Services implementation represents a specialized component of the training that addresses advanced document security and information protection requirements. Students learn to design and deploy rights management solutions that protect sensitive documents throughout their lifecycle, regardless of where they are accessed or stored.

The rights management modules cover template creation, policy enforcement, and integration with various document formats and applications. Students gain expertise in rights management server deployment, certificate management for rights protection, and troubleshooting common rights management implementation challenges.

Advanced Active Directory integration topics include federation services configuration, certificate services implementation, and lightweight directory services deployment for specialized applications. Students learn to implement single sign-on solutions, configure multi-forest trust relationships, and optimize Active Directory performance for large-scale enterprise deployments.

Performance Optimization and Troubleshooting

Throughout the course, significant emphasis is placed on performance optimization techniques that ensure Windows Server environments operate at peak efficiency. Students learn advanced performance monitoring methodologies, bottleneck identification procedures, and optimization strategies for various server roles and applications.

The performance modules cover both reactive troubleshooting techniques and proactive performance management strategies. Students gain expertise in using advanced diagnostic tools, interpreting performance metrics, and implementing performance baselines that enable early identification of performance degradation trends.

Capacity planning represents a crucial skill developed throughout the training, with students learning to analyze usage patterns, predict future resource requirements, and design scalable solutions that accommodate business growth without requiring frequent infrastructure overhauls.

Practical Implementation and Real-World Scenarios

The entire curriculum is designed around practical, hands-on learning experiences that simulate real-world enterprise environments. Students work through complex implementation scenarios that mirror the challenges they will face in actual enterprise deployments. These scenarios include multi-site implementations, complex integration requirements, and troubleshooting exercises based on common enterprise issues.

Laboratory exercises provide students with extensive hands-on experience using the technologies and concepts covered in the theoretical modules. These labs are designed to reinforce learning objectives while providing practical experience that directly translates to workplace applications.

Case studies throughout the course present real-world implementation challenges and guide students through the decision-making processes required for successful enterprise deployments. These case studies cover various industry scenarios and organizational requirements, helping students understand how to adapt their knowledge to different business environments.

Certification Preparation and Career Development

The course includes comprehensive exam preparation materials specifically designed for the 70-417 certification exam. Students receive detailed coverage of all exam objectives, practice questions that mirror the actual certification exam format, and study strategies that maximize exam success probability.

Exam preparation modules include test-taking strategies, time management techniques, and review sessions that reinforce critical concepts likely to appear on the certification exam. Students receive guidance on creating effective study schedules and utilizing available Microsoft resources for additional exam preparation.

Career development guidance helps students understand how MCSE certification enhances their professional prospects and provides strategies for leveraging their new skills in career advancement opportunities. This includes guidance on resume enhancement, interview preparation, and continuing education pathways for ongoing professional development.

Advanced Topics and Emerging Technologies

The curriculum incorporates coverage of emerging technologies and industry trends that are shaping the future of Windows Server environments. This includes hybrid cloud integration strategies, containerization concepts, and automation techniques that are becoming increasingly important in modern enterprise environments.

PowerShell automation receives extensive coverage throughout the course, with students learning advanced scripting techniques that enable efficient management of large-scale server deployments. Automation topics include desired state configuration, workflow automation, and integration with third-party management tools.

Security considerations are woven throughout every module, reflecting the critical importance of security in modern enterprise environments. Students learn advanced security implementation techniques, threat mitigation strategies, and compliance requirements that affect enterprise Windows Server deployments.

Who this course is for:

IT professionals seeking to advance their careers through Microsoft certification and develop expertise in enterprise Windows Server environments. This includes system administrators ready to move into senior roles, network administrators expanding their server management skills, and IT managers who need deep technical knowledge to effectively lead enterprise infrastructure teams.

The course is ideal for professionals working in medium to large organizations where advanced Windows Server skills are essential for career progression. Students should have foundational Windows Server knowledge and be motivated to invest significant time and effort in mastering advanced enterprise infrastructure concepts.

Career changers with strong technical backgrounds who want to enter the enterprise IT field will find this course provides comprehensive preparation for high-level Windows Server positions. The practical focus and real-world scenarios prepare students for the complex challenges they will encounter in enterprise environments.

Experienced IT professionals seeking to validate their skills through industry-recognized certification will benefit from the comprehensive exam preparation included in the course. The training provides both skill development and certification preparation in a single comprehensive program that maximizes time investment efficiency.