Consumerization of IT and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) are two trends that are moving forward in some organizations at full speed. How does IT handle getting critical workloads done in this type of environment? One way is to use Windows Remote Desktops...

To NIC or not to NIC – that really isn’t the question. The real question is what NICs do I use? The answer is classic – it depends… In Windows Server 2012 there are new features to increase network bandwidth, lower CPU utilization...

What is BranchCache? BranchCache is a WAN optimization technology that is built into Server 2012. It enables remote offices to access centralized file-shares over the wide area network at faster speeds and using less bandwidth. This type of solution to...

***Day1 of 31*** Hello October!!! 31 Days of our Favorite Things in Windows Server 2012 Blog Series starts today. This means that the four Microsoft Central Region IT Pro Evangelists will be taking turns blogging about 31 of the coolest things in...

There are lots of new things to explore in Microsoft Windows 8. Here are a few of my favorite things: Start screen: Your favorite things Pin apps, websites, and people to Start to easily get to what you use most. Tiles and notifications show...

As IT Pros, we absolutely love building with new technology! This month, my fellow IT Pro Technical Evangelists and I have been working together on an article series for Migration and Deployment of Windows 8, Windows Server 2012, Windows Azure and System...

RDP 8 the new protocol for Remote Desktops in Server 2012 has been released for Windows 7. This is not your typical just install a new client – so make sure you would benefit from updating to the new RDP8. To understand if this would help you ask...

It is very exciting to see that in Windows Server 2012 Microsoft has greatly improved the ease of management of Remote Desktop Services (RDS) including Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). Have you read about our new tool, Server Manager ? Server...

This past weekend my son came up to me and asked me to help him find his homework on his USB flash drive. He had copied his XBOX profile to the USB stick and that worked just fine but now he can’t find his homework. When I looked all that was...

I stumbled across another free eBook. It is free eBook week at MyThoughtsOnIT.com :) Download your free copy of the Microsoft Press eBook Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2012 . Written by Stacia Misner and Ross Mistry, this book explores enhancements...

Data continues to grow at an exponential pace in our businesses and our analysis show that over 80% of this data still resides on file servers. Often it is challenging to take your business needs and match them up to Windows security and authorization...

It is hard to find the PowerShell 3.0 download. That is because the only way to get it is to download the Windows Management Framework 3.0. PowerShell 3.0 is part of that. Windows Management Framework 3.0 http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details...

I ca me across this free eBook on Server 2012 that you might find interesting. It is written for a higher level understanding of Server 2012. -Enjoy Introducing Windows Server 2012 (Based on Beta) Table of Contents Chapter 1 The...

Security is one of my focus areas and is one area that often falls short but more often than not it is not due to poor policy and not poor programing. That’s right I said it. Yes, I do work for a software company… Yes I often blame hardware...

Windows Server® 2012 this past Wednesday!!! Thats right today marks the General Availability of Windows Server 2012! Windows Server 2012 is a cornerstone of the Cloud OS, providing our customers and partners with a modern platform for their applications...

Here is the online version of the event resources I’ll be handing out to my central U.S. IT Camp Event attendees for the next several months. “Being What’s Next in I.T.” - IT Camp Resources March-June, 2012 Follow Me on...

Our next set of IT Pro events (“ IT Camps ”) in the US Central Region have been scheduled and are now officially open for registration! The events are free, go from 9:00am to 3:00pm , and include some light breakfast and lunch. But most importantly...

Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems. . . We asked students from all over the world to come up with innovative uses of technology that would make the world a better place. They stepped up to the challenge, and the Imagine...

The Windows “8” client wasn’t the only piece of excitement in the Windows 8 world this week! The official Windows Server “8” beta release also landed this week and there is so much cool stuff to learn about and share from...

If you can’t make Vegas this year (or can’t wait), don’t worry. The Best of Microsoft Management Summit is coming to Chicago! Microsoft is bringing Vegas to you with the Microsoft Private Cloud Summit & Best of Microsoft Management...

Microsoft Services is Hiring! Recruiting Open House – Chicago AON office 2 nd Floor June 7 th – 6:00pm – 8:30pm Microsoft Consulting Services is searching for experienced people to join MCS in the Midwest. We invite you to attend...

I am hosting a Live webcast where I will overview and demo Hyper-V in Server 2008R2. This knowledge will transfer to the new version of Hyper-V coming in Windows Server 8. So, if you are unfamiliar with how to use Hyper-V today – come join me and...

Microsoft just launced this program – “Explore Microsoft’s Private Cloud”. In this program we are offering $20 to our customers to learn about our “Private Cloud”. The first 5,000 people to follow these steps get a...

Technology is continually evolving but there are certain times when there is an important change that hits the market. For example Apple shipped the iPhone in the US on June29, 2007. Now look at the smartphone market today! A huge transformational shift...

Microsoft recently launched a new trivia game where you can play for prizes: DOWNLOAD, PLAY, WIN Download free software evaluations of the Cloud OS, the more you try the more you can win Play trivia, the more you play the better chances you have...