Christiaan Brinkhoff and Per Larsen are the authors of Mastering Microsoft Endpoint Manager, we got the chance to sit down with Christiaan and find out more about his experience of writing with Packt.
Q: What is/are your specialist tech area(s)?
Christiaan: End-User Computing, Virtualization, Modern Management
Q: How did you become an author for Packt? Tell us about your journey. What was your motivation for writing this book?
Christiaan: I’ve been very active on social media spreading the message on modern management, Packt reached out to me if I was interested in writing a book about it. Covid just kicked in and I was looking for ways to challenge myself, doing something for the community as well as making the most out of a uncertain time when you were forced to stay indoors. This all motivated me to get started.
Q: What kind of research did you do, and how long did you spend researching before beginning the book?
Christiaan: I needed around one month to search for good topics and convince myself that this was a good moment.
Q: Did you face any challenges during the writing process? How did you overcome them?
Christiaan: During the writing process, changed roles, I became a father, relocated to the US from the Netherlands and bought a new house. All very impactful changes next to writing a book, which asked for a high number of discipline and motivation during the limited amount of free time I had. Doing this consistently for 7 months has been hard but energetic as well.
Q: What’s your take on the technologies discussed in the book? Where do you see these technologies heading in the future?
Christiaan: How we manage devices, whether they are physical or virtual, we are heading towards the need to simplify processes. Windows will become more and more cloud orientated and simple to interact with whether you are working from home or at the office. The complexity layers of different management solutions will all consolidate into Microsoft Endpoint Manager.
Q. Why should readers choose this book over others already on the market? How would you differentiate your book from its competition?
Christiaan: Both myself and Per Larsen have been living and breathing the community mindset as we both have been MVPs prior to joining Microsoft. Writing this book is a reflection of us sharing everything we learned as well as insights directly from Microsoft inside a book, while we also bring in key new features and guest writers that build both Intune and Windows 365. One hell of a reading ride that is hard to compete with.
Q. What are the key takeaways you want readers to come away from the book with?
Christiaan: You will become a Modern Management rockstar, you will learn the basics as well as very deep-dive information to kick the tires of Microsoft Endpoint Manager. Modern solutions will bring your career to the next stage!
Q. What advice would you give to readers learning tech? Do you have any top tips?
Christiaan: Keep challenging yourself, as technology is moving at a fast pace, it’s not easy to catch up. Be a pioneer in new technology and make sure to make a difference for customers, partners and end-users!
Q. Do you have a blog that readers can follow?
Christiaan: yes, www.christiaanbrinkhoff.com and www.w365community.com
Q. Can you share any blogs, websites, and forums to help readers gain a holistic view of the tech they are learning?
Christiaan: Please check www.christiaanbrinkhoff.com and www.w365community.com
Q. What is that one writing tip that you found most crucial and would like to share with aspiring authors?
Christiaan: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Q. Would you like to share your social handles? If so, please share
Christiaan: @Brinkhoff_C / /in/christiaanbrinkhoff
You can find Christiaan’s book on Amazon by following this link: Please click here
