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“Georgia?” No!  GA means General Availability !  It’s like RTM, but better.  We’ve been talking about Windows Azure virtual machines, and using Azure as “Infrastructure-as-a-Service” (IaaS) for many months now.  We’ve been promoting the heck out of the 90-day free trial of Windows...

I just got word that there is new content up on Microsoft Virtual Academy .  Here is the text from the e-mail I received: New Microsoft Virtual Academy Courses: System Center 2012 SP1 With System Center 2012 SP1, you get the most cost effective and flexible platform for managing your traditional...

System Center 2012 with SP1 is now available for MSDN and TechNet Subscribers. “What’s new with Service Pack 1, Kevin?” I’m so glad you asked.  Check out the “ What’s New in System Center 2012 SP1 ” page for all the details.  But in a nutshell, SP1 adds capabilities to fully manage the new...

UPDATE : This was live on Thursday, Oct 25, 2012.  Obviously it’s no longer live, so I’ve removed the embedded video window from this post. You can find both the Windows 8 launch and the Surface launch here:   http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/presskits/windows/liveevent2.aspx You may...

My Central Region IT Pro Evangelist teammates and I are going to be delivering a series of 31 blog posts in October, all about Windows Server 2012 .  Check back here on Monday at 8:00am Central Time for the introduction to and part 1 of our series. …and have a super weekend! 

Richard Fichera of Forrester Research had recently written up and posted his initial impressions of Windows Server 2012 , and his related recommendations.  Here’s my super-ultra-brief summary: 1. Here’s why Windows Server 2012 is really great, and 2. You should start considering it NOW, even if...

Yessir!  According to the Microsoft Server and Cloud Platform page, And that’s today!  Go to THIS PAGE to set up a reminder that at 8:00AM Pacific (10:00AM Central) time, the launch is happening. “Where will the Windows Server Launch be taking place?” Online.  Go to www.windows-server...

Today Microsoft is unveiling a new global brand.  The old is history.  Sure, you’ll see it around for quite awhile (like on my formerly-official presenter shirts), but going forward, this is the new face of Microsoft: “Seriously?  You’re changing the logo after all these years?” Yessiree...

Overview Windows Server 2012 Release Candidate Essentials (formerly Windows Small Business Server Essentials) is a flexible, affordable, and easy-to-use server solution designed and priced for small businesses with up to 25 users and 50 devices that helps them reduce costs and be more productive. ...

Gee.. you go out to the gym for a couple of hours and come back and lo-and-behold the Windows 8 released (RTM) bits become available for download for TechNet and MSDN subscribers!  So if you subscribe, go to the site and get ‘em while they’re hot! “What about other folks?  When can I buy it...

I actually thought we were going to wait a day and not steal any of the thunder around the Windows 8 RTM , but today Microsoft also announces the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) of Windows Server 2012 . Here is the announcement on the Windows Server Blog . “Are we going to have to wait ‘til...

Wow.. I don’t think I need to tell you that this is a very exciting day for PC users and, really, for a world of people who depend upon computers to improve their lives; both work and personal. And selfishly, it’s especially exciting for me, as I happen to be here in Redmond, and on campus...

Some of you may be aware that this week another big Microsoft conference is happening in Toronto.  The Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) for 2012 is in full swing.  And like all of these kinds of conferences, there are usually big announcements and reveals and important information shared...

I don’t usually like to do this… “..but you’re going to do it anyway.” Shut up.  And get out of my head.  I usually don’t like to do a lot of copying and pasting of other people’s content (OPC™), but the text from this e-mail I received concerning the beta release of the next version of the...

“MediaValet Thrives on Microsoft’s Cloud Platform” is the title of this press release .  It’s great to hear about the cases where Windows Azure is being used so effectively, and really taking full advantage of its… well.. advantages.  Things such as global scale and pay-as-you-go.  Great...

RTW = Released to the Webitubes Wow.. what a big week. The System Center 2012 release, the official naming of Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 , and now the newest version of the MDT - Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2012 – is released and available for download . For those not familiar with it, the MDT...

[drumroll, please] Windows Server 2012! I bet you didn’t see that one coming. Download the Beta HERE

Wonderful news!   Today at the Microsoft Management Summit going on in Las Vegas, Microsoft announced the availability of System Center 2012 .  You can start your evaluation downloads now : http://aka.ms/PvtCld Pass it on!

This is great… Today Microsoft announced that there will be three (count ‘em.. 3 ) editions of Windows 8 when it goes on sale – presumably later this year.  “Wait a sec…only three?  Didn’t Windows 7 come in 6.. or more?” Yep.  Three.  Brandon LeBlanc writes on the Windows Team Blog...

Immediately after my previous blog post about the new cloud-centric MCSE certifications , I received an instant message and an e-mail from the group responsible for it. They thanked me, and then asked if I would please share some additional information. So the following text comes directly from that...

Hot off the newswire : Today Microsoft announced some changes to the certification program for IT Professionals, in order to address the growing need for people being able to prove their expertise in all things cloud-related. “Wait.. you said that “the MCSE is back’.  Huh?!” That’s right. ...

Finally! After the long wait, and expectation growing as the day approached, we are finally able to announce to the world that the Beta of the next version of Windows Server, currently codename: Windows Server “8” , is now available for download. From the download page: Windows...

Y’all heard that we released a new preview for consumers of Windows 8, right? Windows 8 Consumer Preview

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, they are full of new and useful information...

This Tuesday, January 17, 2012, Microsoft is holding a special Private Cloud   webcast .  “Special?  What’s so special?” I’ll tell you why.  Well, actually I can’t tell you all the details (because I don’t know them), but what I can tell you is that you’ll learn a lot.  The webcast...