Looking for IT Camp registration links? We've created an updated post you should visit: IT Camps... come pitch your tent with Windows Server 2012! With Windows Server 2012 becoming generally available September 4, we want to make sure you get some hands on experience with this latest server offering. With new advances in virtualization, networking, storage and automation among other things, there...

A few weeks ago, I was surprised to get a call from Microsoft offering to help “fix my window”. This was surprising because: My window wasn’t broken and having worked at Microsoft for a while, I’m pretty sure we don’t do home repairs. Microsoft doesn’t call people out of the blue to offer technical support (I knew what he was really talking about)...

(Thought that title might get your attention) Over the last month or so – I’ve had my head in the clouds working away on creating a scenario based demo for EnergizeIT that leverages the scalability of the cloud and “transportability” of existing .net code and “n” tier architecture. I’ve been living the life of an IT Pro influenced in a “Dev” world for the most part. I don’t know how many...

This is the season of new classes and teachers, of harvest and giving thanks, of ghosts and goblins and witches. The days are getting shorter and your To Do list is getting longer in the lead-up to Christmas. In the midst of all the craziness, I invite you to take a few minutes, have a seat in front of your computer and do something just for you. And because we know it’s a busy time of year,...

If there is one message that we have heard from you following each stop of the Windows Vista, 2007 Microsoft Office System, and Exchange Server 2007 Business Value Launch , it is your cry for a copy of the software so that you can play and become familiar with it. Working in conjunction with the Product Managers, we are happy to say that we can now fulfill your request. Everyone who attended a Launch...

No it is not the end of August yet (sorry all you parents) but it is time to go back to school. I am heading off to Redmond for some in depth training and hands-on labs on Windows Compute Cluster Server, also know as HPC or high performance computing. HPC is a bit of a niche but it is huge in the academic and financial areas. Microsoft is also relatively new to HPC although CCS has been out for a while...

If you remember way back - I posted the initial confirmation and tickler that Canada was having a major event on February 27th to mark the Launch of Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 and SQL 2008. As you have probably read online over the last little while or so, the US have stepped up their marketing activities talking about what's going on all over the States. We just opened our Canadian Launch...

This time of year everyone is rushing to get things done both work and in their home life. As you rush to the get ready for the holidays – you might also be like a lot of IT folks who relish the time in-between December 25th and new years eve. This slower / quieter time at work could open up an opportunity – a brief window of time - where you can try some things out before the new year...

I am sure you have all heard of the Asus Eee PC series of netbooks.  They seem to be the hot gadget lately and not one to miss out on a gadget trend I picked up an Eee PC 901 the other day.  It arrived on Tuesday and I’ve been toying around with it all week.  Before I get any further the specs… 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU 1GB DDR2 (can be upgraded to 2GB) 20GB SSD drive (1x4GB and 1x16GB)...

I get asked this question all the time and there are a lot of misconceptions about what exactly is included with a TechNet+ Subscription and how it can be used. So let’s clear this up! I copied the following from the TechNet+ Subscription page but I’ll try and go a little deeper in explaining things. Subscribe to TechNet Plus and receive: Full-version software for evaluation - without...

I know a lot of people who are running Vista and disabling UAC. I'll admit UAC can make for a frustrating install and setup experience with the repeated prompts with every application you install and every MMC console you launch. Turing it off, while it may allow you to get things done faster, is not really a good idea for a number of reasons. First it leaves your machine open to comprimise because...

We are often asked how a person can get the software to build up a demo environment and do the demos we do when we are on tour. Believe it or not, just because we work for Microsoft we don't have an unlimited pile of installation media and license keys to pull from. We primarily get our software from two places, TechNet Beta Central and TechNet Plus Direct subscription . Everyone on our team has a...

A few times a year the TechNet team travels across Canada delivering technical readiness sessions to IT professionals. The tours are always focused around a particular theme, take the Core I|O Tour last fall which had branch office as a theme. Going out for the Fall tour this year we are changing things up a bit and letting YOU vote on what YOU would like to see us come to your city and talk about...

I have to say I am a curious individual. If I was a cat, I'd probably be dead, but I am not a cat and I have a blog. So I am curious about what you think about certain things and because of this I have created a new category on this blog called Commentary where I'll share my thoughts and ask for your comments. Note: The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of my team or of my employer...

I while back I got into a debate with a good friend of mine – Mitch Garvis – President of the Montreal IT Pro user-group . He’s a hands on Small Business Server guy with plenty of practical real world experience with the product and with various customer requirements. We were having a few drinks with a bunch of people after an event one night and I overheard him mention installing...

A few weeks ago Jennifer Waters posted the first blog entry dealing with certification and asked the question Does Certification Really Matter? . In the next post, she asks whether managers care about certification. ---------------------------------------------------- Let’s face facts. Certification is all about where it can get you. Most people don’t fantasize about studying or taking exams...

Note: To be completely transparent – I am pulling for Halifax on this one. :-) I was born in Fredericton, grew up in Saint John and have a particular soft spot for “out east” or “down home” when it comes to this question. A couple of weeks ago, my colleagues and I were swinging through the Atlantic Region with a whirlwind tour of 5 cities over 4 days as part of EnergizeIT. We took the opportunity...

The other day Rick posted an entry on cloud computing and asked “As IT Pros who save the world every day at work – what do you think about all this “cloud” stuff?”  It led to a lot of comments and questions. Our colleagues over at TechNet Edge have started to answer the questions around cloud computing specifically aimed at the IT Pro.  It is a four part series which will cover the IT Pro...

Okay, so our IT Camps are not really that kind of camp; they are, however, a great opportunity for you to get your hands on the technology that is relevant to today’s modern IT Pro. Earlier this year we published a list of upcoming camps on Windows Server 2012.  Every one of them has sold out!   We are pleased to announce that we have a couple more camps scheduled for between now and the...

We've been getting a number of inquiries as to "What the heck is this event?", "Why should I bother going?" and "What's in it for me?". I thought I'd spend a little time on this post to elaborate what's going on and really help expose the diamond in the rough. I'm stoked about these events as part of our launch activities - they are something we've never done before and something that we feel will...

Sean is still in a musical mood this week and set his sights on the MVP program. Enjoy! ---------------------------------------------------- Sung to "Secret Agent Man" Circa cool '60s spy show When the servers crashin' in the night Sparks are flyin' such an awful sight Data can't be found and the problems all around Who's the ones that bring you so much light They're the MVPs, Microsoft...

It’s now Monday. The event was struck Saturday evening and packed into cars and trucks on Sunday Morning. All the attendees are back at work, school or home and are now reviewing the post event materials DVDs and checking out the post event webpage. I can now blog a bit about the event itself and how it unfolded. I honestly thought I would have time to blog during the actual event – but I honestly...

During the summer months, I always try to catch up on my must read list. These are books that are perfect to read at the cottage on long weekends, when I’m off on vacation, or even when I’m travelling for work. For the work you do, it’s a little different; you’re probably not itching to bring that new SharePoint eBook with you on vacation (or maybe you are), but it is something...

TechDays 2010 is getting closer with the Vancouver conference just a few weeks away. As such the team has been working hard to make this an impactful event that will allow you to grow your skills and support you in areas important to your job and career. I am happy to announce that the hard work has paid off and we have been able to work with Microsoft corporate and each TechDays 2010 attendee will...

Well the cat is out of the bag and inboxes, Facebook and the Twittersphere are full of Energize IT chatter. If you subscribe to the Canadian versions of the TechNet Flash or MSDN Flash you would have received this invitation in your inbox on Thursday afternoon. Since then the Energize IT mailbox has been flooded with questions. As Ricky would say to Lucy “You got some ‘splaining to do!”, hence the...