Our industry moves fast! There was a time when if you learned a system you e set for a long time.  Now Microsoft is releasing operating systems every three years (client AND server), and the management tools are constantly evolving.  A carpenter who takes a year off work may be out of practice, but will remember his way pretty quick.  An IT Pro who is out of the loop for that long has...

Recently I sat down with Kevin Remde from Microsoft’s US DPE team to discuss virtualization in Windows 8.  We had a great discussion about VDI, client-side Hyper-V, and a lot of other interesting options.  Let us know what you think! -M http://aka.ms/fe3epl

Many of the articles I write for both The World According to Mitch and the Canadian IT Pro Connection come directly from people I meet through my travels.  They send me questions about technology by e-mail and rather than simply replying to them, if I feel the questions are relevant, I write them up as articles.  So if you meet me at one of my sessions and you ask me a question, do not be...

Hello folks, Windows 8 has been since October 30 th 2012. And a lot has been said about it. Some may love it as I do, and some may still need another look before being convinced. One of the many improvements in Windows 8 that has been “baked-in” is definitely the security enhancements. And I’m not talking about the UAC… It’s still in there… But there is so...

System Center 2012 SP1 was recently released. You can now download and install it for all System Center 2012 products. Using the same installation media you can: Install System Center 2012 SP1 as a net new install Upgrade an existing System Center 2012 RTM installation You can upgrade either the fully licensed version of System Center 2012 or the evaluation version of System Center...

As of late Pierre Roman , Mitch Garvis , and I have enjoyed traveling the country delivering IT Pro Camps covering Windows 8 for Enterprise and Windows Server 2012 . We have thoroughly enjoyed connecting with those of like minds eager to learn new strategies around deployment, securing and managing infrastructure. We are also delighted to engage in conversations, usually sparked by attendees, sharing...

Support Alert: The solution contained in this article is considered a workaround, and not necessarily a supported solution. So as you know I was all excited to buy the very first Microsoft Surface Pro.  I bought the 128 GB model because I knew that despite the fact that I have all sorts of external hard drives I was even likely to ax out 128 GB pretty quick.  Fortunately between Cloud-based...

Hello Folks, I wanted to introduce you to a new User Group in Calgary. This group is focusing on Microsoft Virtualization technologies. It provides support for people interested in Microsoft Virtualization Technology and Cloud Computing. Members of the CVUG are very welcome from all over the world. Although you may not be able to make the meetings (you never know!) it will be great to have you...

MSDN Channel Nine has recently released a short video touching on the deployment and management of Windows 8 utilizing System Center ConfigMgr 2012 SP1 . My fellow Technical Evangelist, Kevin Remde , sat down with the Sr. Technical Product Manager for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, Martin Booth, to chat about Windows 8 operating system deployment, application deployment, endpoint protection...

As mentioned in an earlier blog post, System Center 2012 SP1, Windows Intune and the BYOD Revolution , there are benefits to allowing users to supply their own smartphones and taking advantage of the BYOD trend. Proper planning and management is encouraged to ensure BYOD stays as a benefit as opposed to become a threat. While co-presenting alongside Mitch at a recent #CANITPRO camp, a request from...

Hello Folks, As you may know during the past few months we have been criss-crossing the country delivery a series of Windows Server 2012 camps in the following cities. Regina Montreal Ottawa Calgary Mississauga Toronto Waterloo Fredericton Vancouver Halifax Montreal Edmonton Winnipeg - March 7 (You can still register for this one) St. John's - March...

During a recent Edmonton Microsoft User Group meeting covering how Microsoft's System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1 addresses the "Bring Your Own Device" (BYOD) trend, an interesting question was asked in regards to Windows Phone's ability to address business needs. When asked of the audience what devices were deemed "Built for Business" their presumed obvious answer was a device produced by...

In my last role as a Technical Account Manager supporting large corporate and public sector customers, I often had discussions regarding moving to the latest versions of Office. Funny enough, the answer in a lot of cases was not the ones I expected (licensing and/or cost). But the fact the training budgets were cut and that users needed more hand holding that the IT group could handle. This weekend...

I had a conversation this week with someone who was asking me about becoming an MCT. I know I am a good presenter, and I know my stuff… what do I need to do to become a Microsoft Certified Trainer? Becoming a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) was, for me, a turning point in my career.  It opened a lot of doors, and made a lot of things possible for me.  I remember hesitating for several months...

I have known Sharon Bennett for a couple of years now, and enjoy her daily tech tips on Twitter ( @bennettbusiness ).  After reading her tip a few weeks ago I asked her if she would like to elaborate for a blog article, and she readily agreed. Sharon is a dedicated small business IT consultant with 18 years of technical experience under her belt. She prides herself on keeping up with the fast...

A great question was asked at during today's #CANITPRO camp by an attendee: "Which USB keys has Microsoft certified for use with Windows To Go?" For those who are unaware, Windows To Go is a new Windows 8 enterprise feature enabling the creation of a Windows To Go workspace booted from a Microsoft certified USB key, regardless of the operating system running on the PC. Windows To Go workspaces uses...

In December I sat down with Kevin Remde, Technical Evangelist with Microsoft USA, to discuss how Windows 8 now includes Microsoft Hyper-V.  It is a great conversation about why you might want to use the power of Hyper-V virtualization on the desktop, what is required, and how to get started.  I invite you to watch and listen in, and comment! -M http://channel9.msdn.com/Series/Reimagining...

Mobility has become a game changer in terms of always having access to information most important to you. Organizations are capitalizing on that trend to ensure its employees are always connected to the latest information to stay one step ahead of the competition. As of late, trends like BYOD or the Consumerization of IT have started to change the perspective as to how day to day activities are conducted...

The term “Bring your own device” or BYOD has become more mainstream as of late. Gone are the days of IT simply handing out a device prescribed in part because the solution was thought of as secure and easily managed. More and more, “Mobile Workers” are enticed by the latest and greatest smartphones released and look to capitalize on their investment by dual purposing their device...

Ok, so maybe it is not my first article on Microsoft Surface , but it is the first article that I am writing from one.  A friend here was kind enough to loan me one for a few weeks, and even though my EliteBook is within arm’s reach I decided to spend my morning on this device exclusively… to get used to it and all. The keyboard was the first challenge that I anticipated… the flat, waterproof...

Why hello esteemed audience of the Canadian IT Professional blog. My name is Anthony Bartolo and I am the newest Technical Evangelist focusing on IT Professionals to be added to the Developer and Platform Evangelism group here at Microsoft. I can’t tell you how excited I am to return to such an innovative organization. As most of you know, my passion for Microsoft runs deep and I am...

We recently announced the release of the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 8.0. The MAP Toolkit makes it easy to assess your current IT infrastructure for a variety of technology migration projects. This Solution Accelerator provides a powerful inventory, assessment, and reporting tool to simplify the migration planning process. In this version of the MAP Toolkit, there has been numerous...

Many of you are familiar with and have even attended one of the many Windows Server 2012 IT Camps we ran from September through December. We've had a great turnout and amazing feedback! Needless to say we'll be continuing with IT Camps in the new year. We still have a few more Windows Server 2012 IT Camps to come, as well as plans for some really cool camps that cover BYOD and Consumerization of...

Hello Folks, I’ve said it before… I’m always looking for individuals in the Canadian IT pro community that have expertise they’d like to share.  And yes,  one more tremendous individual has stepped up. Islam Gomaa is a Data Protection Manager MVP from Ottawa, Canada, specialised in System Center Products, disaster recovery and system infrastructures running on the Microsoft server technology...

System Center 2012 SP1 has been on most of our radars since Windows Server 2012 was released.  as you know, when release in Q2 of 2012, System Center 2012 didn’t support the unreleased Windows Server 2012 operation system. The original System Center 2012 release was designed for Windows Server 2008 R2. The new System Center 2012 SP1 takes care of that by adding full support for all the new features...