Chris Parkes: A PC is not just for Christmas...

Clippy Returns!

Chris Parkes — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 14:05:13 GMT

Hey, it looks like you’re writing an instant message – do you need help with that?

Thought not but you could win an Xbox Bundle if you’re a Microsoft UK partner, give it a go.

I’m hoping it isn’t a ‘best letter writing’ contest!

Find Your Perfect Partner With PinPoint

Chris Parkes — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 14:40:47 GMT

Microsoft have today launched a new customer facing business website in the UK with a direct link to find a partner on PinPoint. If you are a Microsoft UK Partner and not yet listed, you need to be. If you’re already on, now might be a good time to refresh your profile…

There’s also a good piece on working with Microsoft partners, the value of doing so and a link through to the Microsoft Competency Partner Experts page.

From the site: “With Microsoft you get the best of both worlds. As well as being able to choose the software package that’s right for your business, there are plenty of experts who can explain the best options for your business and then help you select the best one. These Microsoft Partners include small and medium business specialists, who can quickly assess your business goals and identify the package that matches your needs.”

Click the images for direct links through to the page locations…

I like this a lot!!!

Office 365 for Education – UK Availability

Chris Parkes — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 09:57:42 GMT

Details of the UK availability, plans and pricing for Office 365 for Education are now available on the Office 365 website.

Need to Understand Cloud & Virtualisation Trends in SMB IT?

Chris Parkes — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:28:00 GMT

I’ve just been reading the November 2011 edition of the SpiceWorks Voice of IT “State of SMB IT” report – there are some very interesting statistics in here around SMB adoption of Virtualisation and cloud based technologies. Well worth a read!

Preparing for Microsoft Exams and Certifications

Chris Parkes — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 12:50:34 GMT

If you’re looking for a quick and easy guide to passing Microsoft certification examinations, you could do worse than check out the Partner Exam Academy. Available currently are guides to Virtualisation, Desktop and Customer Relationship Management (CRM.)

There are various links to learning aids such as freely available online or e-learning courses alongside details of more formal, classroom based offerings at cost.

Enjoy!

Chris Parkes

Office 365 – Jump Start Kit on TechNet Edge

Chris Parkes — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 08:42:37 GMT

If you’re in need of some quality technical content for Office 365, you could do worse than look at the TechNet Edge videos now available as part of the Office 365 Jump Start kit. Designed for IT Pro and partner technical audience, the content covers setup and deployment, administration and automation (through PowerShell) and a functional overview of SharePoint to name but a few things…

Head to this TechNet Edge site to see the full list of content…

Interactive Guides to Help Transition to the Office 2010 Ribbon

Chris Parkes — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 10:55:39 GMT

If you are having trouble transitioning to the ribbon interface in Office 2010, have no fear, the interactive guides are here.

One of the biggest pieces of feedback when moving to the new ribbon style interface in Office 2010 from previous versions (anything Office 2003 or prior so include Office XP, Office 2000, etc.) for all versions of the product (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook primarily) is that it looks so new and what used to be in the same place version after version on the menus and toolbars is now somewhere different.

There were good reasons as to why the redesign took place but before going into them, if you are using Office 2010 and the new ribbon interface for the first time, please bear with it. Within a week I found I was just as productive after moving to the ribbon and since I first used it in Office 2007, I have found some great features that were hidden away in previous versions. Also, I found that the new features and functions that were added to the 2010 version were much more easily discoverable. I now consider myself a power user, particularly with Excel 2010, as opposed to a regular “I just use it to do what I have to get done” type of a user back in Office 2003.

The thing that I really love about these guides is that you can hover over the option and get a quick description of where the command is now located (as above) but if you click in exactly the same place that you would have in previous Office versions on the mock up of the menu/toolbar then the guide takes over and shows you exactly where to click (as below) on the Office 2010 version of the ribbon. Fantastic!!!

There are versions of the guide for:

Access 2010
Excel 2010
InfoPath 2010
OneNote 2010
Outlook 2010
PowerPoint 2010
Project 2010
Publisher 2010
Visio 2010
Word 2010

There is also a downloadable installation package for each for distribution across multiple PCs or for use offline.

Hope you like!

Chris Parkes

Looking to Achieve a Microsoft Competency? These Training Guides Should Help!

Chris Parkes — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:18:13 GMT

This site is a great reference point that provides insight into how to prepare and pass the assessments and certifications required to attain or renew a Microsoft competency. Following the changes made to the Microsoft Partner Network in October 2010, these guides relate to the new competency requirements.

For each and every competency, there is an associated download guide in PDF format.

The download guides can be used to identify which training courses relate to which exams (or assessments) and are presented in a very easy to follow format such as the Data Platform guide in the screenshot below.

Enjoy!

Chris Parkes

Free Microsoft Antivirus for Home and Small Business PC

Chris Parkes — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 14:36:49 GMT

Did you know that as a home user or a small business with up to ten PCs, free antivirus is available from Microsoft to help protect your Windows investment?

Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time protection that guards against viruses, spyware and other malicious software. It's simple to install, easy to use and always kept up to date to ensure that a PC is protected by the latest technology.

Minimum system requirement for Microsoft Security Essentials with regards to the operating system is (genuine) Windows XP (Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3,) Windows Vista (Gold, Service Pack 1, or Service Pack 2) or Windows 7

No catch, get it now from the Microsoft Security Essentials website.

Enjoy!
Chris Parkes

Internal Software Usage Rights for Microsoft Partners

Chris Parkes — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 14:29:21 GMT

If you're a Microsoft partner, from 1^st November 2010, the internal usage licensing rights for Microsoft software were updated to take into account the new competency model for the Microsoft Partner Network.

If you need an update on how this affects your organisation, the first thing to download should be the Software Licensing Overview for Silver and Gold Partners which contains the full list of licenses granted for internal use rights based on initially gaining a Silver or Gold competency. This document also contains the absolute maximum number of licence grants available (at country level) for each Microsoft software product.

Upon reviewing this document, it will become clear that there have been specific changes regarding demonstration use licenses (unlimited for the listed products) and training use licenses (the amount varies per product listed) as well as the way in which Silver and Gold competency accreditation make product licenses (by type and number) available for internal use.

By qualifying an office location linked to a partner headquarters (when it attains either a Silver or Gold competency specific to that location) through the Microsoft Partner Network, a partner may obtain a set of core internal use license rights. Each Silver or Gold competency then grants additional rights to licenses potentially up to the defined maximum.

If you want a simple way of finding out the exact amount of licenses available to your organisation based on Silver/Gold competencies held, the Internal Use Rights Licensing Calculator provides an effective method by enabling you to quickly select each competency and Gold/Silver level before producing a report totalling the exact products and number of licences and licence types available.

This sample shows the initial report for a partner who holds the Silver Systems Management and Gold Virtualization competency.

It’s quite a long list when you look at it, way too much to fit on this screenshot!

Finally, international based partners can find details of the worldwide additions and limitations on the Internal-Use Licenses tab at the page of the Core Software Licensing for Partners with Silver or Gold Competencies section of the Microsoft Partner Network website and Partners without a Silver/Gold competency but Subscription based access can find details on the Microsoft Partner Subscription Offerings page.

Office 2010 Translation Services

Chris Parkes — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 09:00:24 GMT

I’m a big fan of Outlook and Word 2010, I particularly like the ease in which you can handle translation services. For example, the other day I was running the office World Cup sweepstake when a colleague fortunate enough to claim an envelope drew Paraguay. The response came back via email. Hastily, I reached for the inbuilt Outlook/Word 2010 “Translate” option via the ribbon.

Looks like there’s a belief that Paraguay will not lie down but fight for their place in the second round of World Cup 2010! One thing for sure is that they beat the team I drew, Argentina, in qualifying and also the mighty Brazil…They might just have a chance?

Adiós amigos…

Using Visio 2010 and SharePoint 2010 to Share Network Diagrams

Chris Parkes — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 11:52:38 GMT

Good to see that the Visio 2010 Add-in for System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) 2007 R2 is now available. The Visio Add-in lets you create diagrams that show objects by geography on a map, by location in a data center or building, by role in a logical view of an application, or by topology for complex distributed applications such as Microsoft Exchange Server or technologies such as Active Directory Domain Services.

You can also publish to SharePoint 2010 to utilise Visio Graphics Services capabilities to aid simple distribution and viewing of created diagrams.

Nice and simple…

Windows Azure Platform & Scrabble

Chris Parkes — Wed, 26 May 2010 08:55:59 GMT

Technorati Tags: Cloud,Windows Azure,SQL Azure

I’m convinced that I use phrases and therefore put them into everyday use more and more when I’m reading, learning and getting into something new. When it comes to getting started in a meeting right now I have a tendency to ask whether everyone is all in before I start, for example “Are we all in? Let’s begin.”

I also noticed this playing Scrabble the other evening (to help entertain others while I watch the football before you comment!) The two words in the picture below were both mine.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s what with Azure:

Windows Azure: operating system as an online service
Microsoft SQL Azure: fully relational cloud database solution
Windows Azure platform AppFabric: connects cloud services and on-premises applications
Microsoft Codename “Dallas”: information marketplace for data and web services

As for pilau, no prizes for guessing what had been on the dinner menu that evening!

In the UK, We're All In...What's All In? - A Microsoft Cloud Services UK Roadmap

Chris Parkes — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 09:22:00 GMT

I've just published a Microsoft UK Cloud Services roadmap titled "We're All In...What's All In?" - get it here http://bit.ly/dBdIth. This was pulled together from lots of public information available on the web from various blogs/sources, happy to point you to the source if you need further clarification.

Feedback, comments appreciated...

Parkesy

Excel Conditional Formatting Demo File

Chris Parkes — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:22:00 GMT

A few folk asked me for my Excel file today during a Live Meeting I delivered...

Here's the link:

http://cid-d0ea2b861503e006.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/.Public/Contoso%20Bike%20Sales%20Demo.xlsx

Introducing Microsoft Office 2010

Chris Parkes — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:29:51 GMT

There’s a great series of eleven short Silverlight videos from the Microsoft product team with regards to Microsoft Office 2010 available! The videos detail:

Access
Excel
Office Mobile
Office Web Applications
OneNote
Outlook
PowerPoint
Publisher
SharePoint Workspace
Word

Each video lasts around two minutes and looks good in full screen view. Head on over to the Office Business site for details:

Parkesy

Microsoft Office 2010 Technical Preview

Chris Parkes — Tue, 12 May 2009 09:53:47 GMT

The Microsoft Office 2010 “limited” technical preview, due in July 2009 has a waitlist which you can sign up to as of today.

This is an invitation only program which will provide access to early, pre-release versions of Office 2010. The full list of applications:

Access 2010
Communicator 2010
Excel 2010
InfoPath 2010
OneNote 2010
Outlook 2010
PowerPoint 2010
Publisher 2010
Visio 2010
Word 2010

There is also a new, official product group IT Pro blog here.

Parkesy

ServerQuest II – A Day in a Geeks Life

Chris Parkes — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:51:06 GMT

Here’s a neat little online game which can also be a great pointer to some valuable resources. The idea is to collect “Geek Points” as you deal with day to day problems being handed to you on a plate by your boss and your inbox!

Server Quest II is the sequel to last year’s pixellated adventure. As the resident IT professional, the scenario begins with your return from holiday when in a temporary spell of relaxed judgment, you’ve jeopardised your reputation by forwarding your personal holiday snaps to the entire organisation..!

Visit www.server-quest.com and be prepared to be ushered into a world where the IT Pro rules. Find out if you’re geek enough to play and experience “a day in a Geek’s life” with ServerQuest II—with your reputation on the line, only the server can save you!

Parkesy

Windows 7 Release Candidate Available

Chris Parkes — Wed, 06 May 2009 11:17:28 GMT

I spent a day recently upgrading my PC’s to Windows7. That’s my home Media Center, my work laptop and my “spare” testing machine which lives in my home office. These machines were all purchased pre Vista launch and Windows7 runs on each and every one of them. So do all my devices… Impressed? I sure am!!!

The Windows7 Release Candidate can be downloaded now from here. My favourite UI enhancement so far is the new Media Center interface, I love the scrolling backdrop of album art when I’m listening to my tunes…

All the information on Windows7 can be found on the main Microsoft site.

Parkesy

2007 Microsoft Office System Service Pack 2

Chris Parkes — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:30:00 GMT

If you feel the need to gain an understanding of what is going to be contained in Service Pack 2 for the 2007 Microsoft Office System, the Office Sustained Engineering Team have published a list on their blog. This covers both Office desktop and server products, including Microsoft Office SharePoint Server and Shared Services.

Click here for full details.

2007 Microsoft Office System SP2 is due to be released on 28th April 2009.

Ciao for now :)

Ferrari Website Built on SharePoint

Chris Parkes — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:30:00 GMT

From Scuderia to Store, Community to News, there’s a whole host of droolable content over on the new Ferrari website, built on Microsoft Office SharePoint Server.

Head on over to http://www.ferrari.com and enjoy!

I guess I could crack some pun about SharePoint being the Ferrari of the website world but I wont!!! Ciao for now :)

SharePoint Designer 2007 Now Available as Free Download

Chris Parkes — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:49:49 GMT

SharePoint Designer is now available as a free download from Microsoft.

SharePoint Designer can be used to customise SharePoint sites. I recorded a two minute webcast on how to use it to apply the sample themes which you can view here.

You can download the full version directly from here and more information on the product can be found here.

Please note that if you are using SharePoint Online (part of BPOS,) there are some customisation capabilities that are not supported in the current version of SharePoint Online, primarily the use of code in workflows or forms, or modifications that require deployment and configuration on the server (for example, security policies, web.config changes, etc.) or that require changes to the database schema.

Enjoy!

VS 2008 Extensions for SharePoint - March 2009 CTP Released

Chris Parkes — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:51:46 GMT

The March 2009 CTP Visual Studio 2008 extensions for SharePoint are now available. You can download them directly from here.

Also included in this release are ten new themes for SharePoint built as VSeWSS projects. You can download them from here.

Ciao for now :)

SharePoint, Customisation and Sample Master Pages

Chris Parkes — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:00:29 GMT

Here's another screencast I've recorded which shows how to apply the sample custom master pages available on Office Online to Windows SharePoint Services team sites.

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server - Customisation

This recording is based on the Demo Showcase virtual images, a resource readily available to Microsoft Gold and Certified partners. Total running time is just over two and a half minutes :)

Parkesy

SharePoint, People, Personalisation and MySite

Chris Parkes — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:00:32 GMT

Here's another screencast I've recorded which shows some of the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server personalisation capabilities of MySites including profile editing and blog creation.

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server - People & Personalisation

This recording is based on the Demo Showcase virtual images, a resource readily available to Microsoft Gold and Certified partners. Total running time is just under five minutes :)

Parkesy