At our annual Public Sector CIO Summit held in late March, Microsoft Corp. announced four Microsoft Dynamics Customer Excellence Award winners and showcased eight unique customer approaches to using Microsoft Dynamics in the state and local government market. These customers join more than 500 state and local government organizations leveraging the power of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform to achieve cost savings, streamline operations and transform the delivery of citizen services.
To read summaries of the work these customers are doing with Dynamics CRM, take a look at the press release. If you want to see the actual case studies or customer postings, please follow these links:
Looking for some good resources to learn Windows 8 or at least see what all the buzz is about? Check out these resources:
Windows 8 Jump Start Training - Take advantage of free, online, fast-paced training courses designed specifically for experienced IT professionals with jobs that demand that they know how to best leverage the emerging features and technologies in Windows 8, such as:
Windows 8 Technical Demonstrations - Short on time, but want to know more about key features in Windows 8 for IT professionals? Check out these brief, but informative technical demonstrations:
Security is an important factor to consider when evaluating a browser. NSS Labs publishes numerous security reports on endpoint security and network security, including independent reports on browser security. Their latest report, published October 24th, shows that Internet Explorer 10 blocks 99.1% of socially–engineered malware. By comparison, Chrome 21 blocks 70.4% and Firefox blocks only 4.2%. Put differently, this means that your antivirus software has to work overtime to block socially–engineered attacks on some browsers; your organization may be safer with Internet Explorer 10.
The unstoppable momentum that is Windows Server 2012 rolls right along with another partner announcement. Earlier this week, NEC unveiled the NEC ProgrammableFlow PF1000 for Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V.
From NEC’s announcement:
“As a cornerstone of the Cloud OS platform, Windows Server 2012 and Hyper-V bring groundbreaking capabilities such as network virtualization to the private cloud customer,” said Mike Schutz, general manager, Server and Tools Business, Microsoft. “We are committed to working with strategic ecosystem members such as NEC to build on Windows Server 2012’s performance, scalability and manageability. The NEC SDN solution is compatible with Hyper-V Network Virtualization and allows for easy configuration of virtual appliances such as load balancers, intrusion detection systems, and networking monitoring solutions.”
There's also an article on Network World: NEC rolls out OpenFlow for Microsoft Hyper-V - NEC virtual switch adds IPv6 support to SDN controller.
Another article on SDN Central: Game Changer: OpenFlow on Hyper-V Finally Arrives with NEC’s New PF1000
And one more on Light Reading: NEC Lends Microsoft a Hand in SDN
This is just another example as to why having an open, extensible virtual switch as opposed to VMware’s closed replaceable switch is such a strategic advantage with Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V. Quite simply, we provide flexibility and choice. Think about it…
…and you can expect more solutions on the way.
Are you paying extra for software defined networking (SDN) capabilities? Or just waiting for it to get here from your current platform provider? If you haven't looked at Windows Server 2012 for your virtualization needs, you're probably spending way too much money!
http://www.microsoft.com/virtualization
Date: Wednesday, October 10, 2012 – 9:00am – 4:00pm
Location: Rachel Carson Office Building Auditorium, Harrisburg, PA
Join us for a full day of developer-oriented sessions to celebrate the launch of Visual Studio 2012 and all the associated tools that go with it. This content is specifically developed for our State and Local Government customers.
Agenda:
Please arrive a bit early so we can start on time.
Click this registration link OR call 1-877-673-8368 and reference Event ID 1032528900
Date: Thursday, November 8, 2012 – 9:00am – 4:00pm
Location: Microsoft Technology Center, Malvern, PA
Please save the date for upcoming Microsoft CIO Summit at the Malvern Technology Center! The agenda will be finalized shortly but will include sessions developed specifically for State and Local Government and presentations from Microsoft customers as well as subject matter experts. Attendees will also have an opportunity to attend a Microsoft Technology Productivity Session in the Envisioning Center. In the Envisioning Center you will have a chance to see the Microsoft solutions in action in real life scenarios, highlighting innovations in both software and hardware. Invitations will be forthcoming to IT leadership, but if you don’t see one soon, please reach out to your account team.
Day 1: Strategy Session — October 16, 11-5:30pm ET
Day 2: Solutions Training — October 17, 12-4pm ET
An uneven economic recovery, upcoming elections and the explosion of cloud technology all impact local and state governments — and now is the perfect opportunity to forge forward and leverage the changing landscape to create more efficient and effective operations. Join us for a two-day, virtual conference as we show you how you can embrace a new era of technology to propel state and local government productivity, improve service delivery and drive collaboration. Day 1 includes several strategy sessions and day 2 provides Solutions Training workshops.
This virtual conference is the only virtual program dedicated to the challenges state and local governments face. And, best of all, you can access it all right from your desktop! Register Today!
Every October, Microsoft recognizes National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) in the United States through our partnership with the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA). This month, you can read more about thatpartnership and our efforts at the Microsoft Cyber Security page. Of course, cyber security is not something to only be considered in October, so bookmark these Microsoft security sites.
IT Pro Links
Tools
Blogs
Developer Links
Microsoft is proud of its record in supporting teachers and faculty with resources and tools. At the Microsoft Education Site, you can find lesson plans, free tools, training and other information for teachers to make the best use of technology in the classroom.
Some of the resources include:
Visit the Microsoft Education Teacher Resources page for all of the above and more!
Today is a major milestone for Windows Azure and all of our customers and partners. We are excited to announce that Windows Azure Virtual Machines and Windows Azure Virtual Network now are generally available. These new services make it possible for you to move your applications into the cloud as is. We also want to update you on a new price commitment we’ve made.
This announcement is a significant step in our cloud computing strategy, which has been influenced directly by our discussions with customers and partners around the world. One point holds true in every one of our discussions with you - the cloud should be an enabler for innovation, and an extension of your organization’s IT fabric, not just a fancier way to describe cheap infrastructure and application hosting. This brief video explains what we mean by extension of your organization’s IT fabric.
You’ve also told us that you don’t want to have to choose either a low price or good performance; you want a low price and good performance. That’s why today we are also announcing a commitment to match Amazon Web Services prices for commodity services such as compute, storage and bandwidth. This starts with reducing our GA prices on Virtual Machines and Cloud Services by 21-33%.
You can find the general availability announcement and the price reduction details at Windows Azure Blog.
We have great guidance on scenarios in which you can take advantage of Windows Azure Infrastructure Services. Learn more at our Infrastructure Services page and get going with a free trial at www.windowsazure.com today.
A whole bunch of R2 products shipped last week! Microsoft has launched several new web pages that introduce the new server and management offerings. Check out these new resources to get you up to speed quickly:
•
Windows Server 2012 R2
Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
System Center 2012 R2
System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Intune
StorSimple cloud-integrated storage
Today, Microsoft announced the latest installment of our compliance commitment: With Office 365 for Government, Microsoft is able to support customer compliance with IRS 1075. IRS 1075 provides guidance to ensure that the policies, practices, controls, and safeguards employed by recipient agencies adequately protect the confidentiality of Federal Tax Information (FTI) and related financial tax return data. Read the blog entry for much more information.
Microsoft reports annually on our citizenship priorities, commitments, and performance. The Microsoft 2014 Citizenship Report details Microsoft’s work during the last fiscal year to serve globally the needs of communities and fulfill our responsibilities to the public. I'm very proud of the importance that Microsoft places on giving back. I think it makes us stand out among most of the other large technology companies you may know about.
Microsoft's total annual giving surpassed $1 billion for the first time, with cash donations of $119 million and in-kind donations worth $948.6 million. The Microsoft YouthSpark Initiative is on track to surpass our goal of creating opportunities for 300 million youth over three years, having created opportunities for 227 million youth to date, including 124 million in FY14. We launched Office 365 for Nonprofits in 92 countries around the world, providing $55 million worth of Office 365 subscriptions to nearly 11,500 nonprofits globally.
Find more highlights and download the full report from this page.
Last July, we put the word out that Microsoft will host a unified enterprise technology conference in May. We told you it will bring together the best of previously individual events – the Management Summit, the Exchange, SharePoint, Lync, Project, and TechEd conferences – and then take it to the next level, based on what our customers and partners have asked for. Now, we have more to share.
Microsoft Ignite is May 4-8 in Chicago at McCormick Place. Satya Nadella will keynote and will be joined by technical and business leaders including Brad Anderson, Joe Belfiore, Dave Campbell, Peggy Johnson, Chris Jones, Julie Larson Green, Gurdeep Singh Pall and many others.
Ignite rounds out our schedule of key events for professional communities in the first half of 2015. We start with Convergence 2015 in Atlanta, March 16-19, the place where business leaders gather to explore solutions. //Build in San Francisco, April 29-May 1, is where developers will hear the latest about our platform strategy, technologies and opportunities. Then we turn to Ignite, followed by the Worldwide Partner Conference in Orlando, July 12-16, for our enormous partner community.
Ignite is the new entry, so here’s more about it.
If you are on the hook to help your company make the right tech moves in the new world of mobile and cloud, Ignite is the show for you. For the first time ever, we’re putting under one roof the education, vision and guidance for the full spectrum of our enterprise solutions. Our best and brightest minds, along with thousands of your peers, will be there to help you chart the course for your team, your company and your career.
We’re rewiring what a Microsoft enterprise tech conference is and does, from how you will plan your week ahead of time, to how you’ll use social media to get the most out of the event, to how you’ll enjoy the city of Chicago. Whether you’re a senior tech strategist or a hard core, hands-on admin, you’re going to be…well, stoked.
Ignite is where you’ll come up with your next great idea, based on what you learn about the upcoming wave of products and services. We’re going to cover it all, across cloud infrastructure and management, big data and analytics, productivity, unified communications, operating systems, mobile devices and more. You’ll get the practical guidance and the insight you need to build a game plan for that big project. You’ll learn from people who have reached the pinnacle of success, overcome the impossible and learned the hard lessons. You’ll dive deep with our experts, share stories with other professionals, and have some laughs, too.
In addition to hundreds of sessions, technical training, hands-on labs and opportunities for certification, we’re making it a priority to give attendees direct access to hundreds of Microsoft engineers and executives. Our top gearheads and thought leaders will be there in force, ready to step down from the podium and get into the weeds with you.
Take a look at what Ignite has to offer. Registration is open now. Don’t wait too long to start making the case to your management why you can’t miss it.
We are excited to announce the general availability of the Azure Websites Migration Assistant. It is now publicly available at https://www.movemetothecloud.net.
Now you can easily migrate to Azure Websites from your existing websites that run on Internet Information Service (IIS) 6 or later. Azure Websites Migration Assistant can analyze your IIS server installation, identify which sites can be migrated to Azure Websites, highlight any elements that cannot be migrated or are unsupported on the platform, and then migrate your websites and associated databases to Azure with just a few clicks. Please take a look at this Getting Started Guide to learn how to use the tool and it’s limitations. Finally, please look at this recent blog post from Owais Shaikh to view short videos on how the Azure Websites Migration Assistant works.
If you are challenged in moving off of Windows Server 2003/2003R2 because you have some web sites that need to be moved, this could be your ticket!!
Lot's of activity in Azure this week - almost too much to keep up with! We’ve announced the general availability of Azure Automation, Runbook Gallery, Event Hubs, and Microsoft Antimalware, plus the public previews of Azure Data Factory, Stream Analytics, Azure Batch, Marketplace, Hortonworks and Cloudera images, and SQL Database business continuity features. Related pricing changes have also been announced.
Azure Automation and Runbook Gallery - For more information, please visit the Automation webpage.
Azure Event Hubs - For more information, please visit the Event Hubs webpage.
Microsoft Antimalware for Cloud Services and VMs - available at no additional charge!! - For more information, please download the Microsoft Antimalware white paper.
Azure Data Factory public preview - For more information, please visit the Data Factory webpage.
Azure Stream Analytics public preview - For more information, please visit the Stream Analytics webpage.
Azure Batch public preview - For more information, please visit the Azure Batch webpage.
Announcing Microsoft Azure Marketplace - (formerly Azure Store/Azure Gallery) - For more information, please visit the Marketplace webpage or access the Marketplace in the existing Azure Management Portal and Azure Preview portal.
Hortonworks and Cloudera images in public preview in the Marketplace - This offer is the result of the ongoing partnership between Microsoft and Hortonworks, plus a newly announced partnership with Cloudera. It also complements our current Hadoop-as-a-service offering, Azure HDInsight, which provides a managed PaaS experience for our customers.
Azure SQL Database business continuity features with new visualizations in public preview - Now available to try in the Azure Preview portal
On his Enterprise Devices and Infrastructure blog, Simon May discusses the top 5 mobility scenarios IT pros ask about. Take a look at how Microsoft Enterprise Mobility Suite can help with provisioning email, configuring VPN settings, applying security policies, and more.
http://simon-may.com/top-5-mobility-challenges-solved-microsoft-ems/
The rapid pace of technology-fueled change has made this an exciting time full of possibilities for organizations of all sizes – particularly in the public sector. Innovations around mobility and cloud are driving efficiencies and increasing impact across all industries and sectors. However, it is about more than just efficiency, it is about delivering new and exceptional experiences. Advancements in data management across devices are helping to reignite the passion of the workforce resulting in superior service that constituents demand and deserve.
Read more at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/government/blogs/transforming-service-in-the-cloud-with-microsoft-dynamics-crm-online-for-government/default.aspx
Last week at the Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) Summit, we celebrated SQL Server 2014’s strong momentum and introduced new services that further expand Microsoft’s big data platform. We announced a major update coming to our database-as-a-service, Azure SQL Database, and easier access to our machine learning service, Azure Machine Learning. These new updates continue our efforts to bring big data to everyone by delivering a comprehensive platform that ensures every organization, every team and every individual is empowered to do more and achieve more because of the data at their fingertips.
Read the SQL Server Blog post here: http://blogs.technet.com/b/dataplatforminsider/archive/2014/11/05/microsoft-announces-major-update-to-azure-sql-database-adds-free-tier-to-azure-machine-learning.aspx
Yesterday we kicked off a global conversation about how Microsoft is reinventing productivity—across the board—to create a world where people can truly make the most of their time and lead more fulfilling lives. Connecting people across all of life’s moments – to talk, to share, to collaborate – is at the heart of helping people make the most of every moment. To that end, and for our business customers, we are bringing together the familiar experience and user love of Skype with the enterprise security, compliance, and control from Lync to create the most loved and trusted communications platform for doing things together.
Read the rest of the announcement here: http://blogs.skype.com/2014/11/11/introducing-skype-for-business/
Interesting blog posting on the measures that Microsoft has in place to prepare for emerging security threats to Office 365 as well as Microsoft Azure.
Read it here: http://blogs.office.com/2014/11/05/inside-cloud-assume-breach-practices-action-microsoft-prepare-emerging-security-threats-office-365/
Microsoft has released a new component for Office 365, called Office 365 Video. This portal, built on top of SharePoint Online and leveraging Azure Media Services, will allow customers to build a secure, company-wide destination for posting, sharing and discovering video content. From onboarding new employees, to distributing a CEO message company wide, to community contributions, video is now a first-class citizen to power and enrich your internal communications.
Initially being released for our commercial cloud customers, this solution will appear in the Government Cloud early next year. It's an example of some of the "ready-to-go" portal solutions that Microsoft is building to save our customers time, effort and cost. Read about the capabilities and security on this Office Blog post: http://blogs.office.com/2014/11/18/introducing-office-365-video/
Three courses around Office 365 security are now available through the Microsoft Virtual Academy.
As always, all training on the Microsoft Virtual Academy is free!
We are pleased to announce that Microsoft Office 365 has been granted FedRAMP Authority to Operate (ATO) by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS OIG). Office 365 is a multi-tenant cloud that includes government specific instances of services such as Exchange Online, SharePoint Online and Lync Online. Government-specific instances of Office 365 services are designated for use solely by U.S federal, tribal, state and local government customers, and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs).
Office 365 has completed testing against the stringent set of FedRAMP requirements, based on NIST 800-53, by Dynamic Research Corporation, a FedRAMP accredited Third Party Assessment Organization (3PAO). The HHS OIG authorization further validates Office 365 security at the Moderate impact level to store, process and protect sensitive government data.
Read the rest of the announcement and find an FAQ here: http://blogs.office.com/2014/11/20/office-365-receives-fedramp-authority-operate-ato-hhs-oig/
The Microsoft Security Intelligence Report is the most comprehensive threat intelligence report in the industry. It provides data and insights on malware, exploits and vulnerabilities based on data from more than a billion systems worldwide and some of the busiest online services. It also includes actionable guidance to help IT Professionals manage risk. The latest report, Volume 17, focuses on the first half of 2014, with trend data for the last several quarters. Download the report at http://www.microsoft.com/sir