September, 2011

  • Matt Hester's WebLog

    Bytes by TechNet: Matt Hester Interviews Jennifer Mason on SharePoint and Office 365

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    I had a lot of fun interviewing my good friend Jennifer Mason, Senior Consultant at SharePoint911.  We talked a lot about Microsoft SharePoint and recently launched Microsoft Office 365. Office 365 is essentially Microsoft Office in the cloud. Jennifer talks about some different scenarios for what works with Office 365. Some of the benefits of Office 365 SharePoint include putting more resources toward services and quickly turning things around as there isn’t a need to manage the server hardware. Office 365 is ideal for small to medium sized businesses but is something IT Pros should have on their radar regardless, as it always evolving.  I was even able to sneak in a OSU reference and for everyone out there….OH…

  • Matt Hester's WebLog

    Register Now TechNet Events Present: A Day with Microsoft Virtualization, Hyper-V, SCVMM 2012 and SCOM 2012…Oh My

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    tnheaderWell we are on the road again!  We are hitting the road and take a look at the events we are doing in the US at TechNet Events in the central US to see if you’ll be able to spend the day with us.

    “A day? I thought you guys usually do the 1/2-day TechNet Events.”

    Yeah, that was then. This is now. And now is going to be.. well, 9am-5pm (or whenever we want to end), and at a event location hopefully near you. We’re going to spend the first part of the day doing our traditional presentation/demos/videos/hilarity, and then after lunch (which is on us, by the way) we’ll be holding more of an “IT Camp” style event. Minimal PowerPoint. Smile We want to give you opportunities to install and configure some trials of the solutions we covered in the morning, as well as talk about certification.

    The official title for these events is “A Day with Microsoft Virtualization, Hyper-V, SCVMM 2012 and SCOM 2012…Oh My”, the goal of these events is to educate you on Microsoft Virtualization and how we compare with VMware. And it will also be a great opportunity for you to get an early peek at some new product versions.

    Here is the official event description:

    • Are you currently a VMware administrator?
    • Are you looking to understand what cloud (public, private, hybrid) is and what it can do for you?
    • Have recent industry announcements made you want to take a look at alternative ways to take your datacenter to the next generation?
    • Do you want to learn about the next set of Microsoft Virtualization technologies?

    If you answered yes to any of those questions then come spend an exciting day with your Microsoft TechNet IT Pro evangelists. You will take a technical look at how the Microsoft Virtualization technologies can provide you the Cloud on Your Terms?

    Microsoft virtualization technologies provide you a solid foundation for delivering IT as a Service to take your business to the private cloud. Our Private Cloud solution is not just about virtualization. We offer strong management capabilities, using which you can holistically manage all of your services and applications, which is where you’re true business value lies, not in VMs or physical servers. Using our solution, you can get deep application insights and therefore deliver business SLAs with confidence. Microsoft offers virtualization that spans from desktop to data center to the cloud. We offer a comprehensive and customer-centric solution with more choice, flexibility, and cost savings than VMware.

    In the morning session we will take a look at the Microsoft virtualization technologies including Hyper-V, SCVMM 2012, SCOM 2012 and all the products to take your DC to the next level. Hyper-V offers best-in-class performance for Microsoft workloads (SharePoint, SQL Server, and Exchange) and you can rely on Hyper-V to virtualize Tier-1 data center applications with confidence. System Center 2012 provides a common management offering full visibility and control for your IT pros across your hybrid environments. At the same time, we continue to empower your application owners with self-service to make sure they can deliver agile app experiences to their businesses. System Center 2012 technologies, you can take advantage of existing datacenter investments with 3rd party integration and provides your infrastructure cross platform management and automation from the metal up. We know that you have made existing investments in your datacenter, and we can integrate and extend upon existing systems.

    In the afternoon session you will be allowed to explore the technologies on your terms:

    Do you want to install some of the technologies and take it for a test drive like?

    • Windows Server 2008 R2
    • Configure Hyper-V for best Practices
    • Configure a test environment (networking , a DC VM, a VM for SCVMM)
    • Download, install, and fire up SCVMM 2012

    Are you looking to take a Microsoft Certification exam? Exams we can talk about:

    • 70-659 TS: Windows Server 2008 R, Server Virtualization (Hyper-V + VMM)
    • 70-400 TS: Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007, Configuring

    Or do you just want more Technical nuggets?

    We are here for you in the afternoon, and will be there to help answer the questions you really care about!

    Here are the dates, locations (with links) to the registration for the cities we’re covering. (Events I’ll be co-presenting with my friend Brian Lewis are in bold.)

     

    10/10/2011

    Overland Park, KS

    http://aka.ms/technetoverland

    10/12/2011

    St. Louis, MO

    http://aka.ms/technetstlouis

    11/2/2011

    Houston, TX

    http://aka.ms/technethouston

    11/3/2011

    Austin, TX

    http://aka.ms/technetaustin

    11/7/2011

    Dallas, TX

    http://aka.ms/technetdallas

    11/15/2011

    Detroit (Southfield), MI

    http://aka.ms/technetdetroit

    11/29/2011

    Cincinnati (Mason), OH

    http://aka.ms/technetcincinnati

    11/30/2011

    Columbus (Dublin), OH

    http://aka.ms/technetcolumbus

    12/8/2011

    Milwaukee (Brookfield), WI

    http://aka.ms/technetmilwaukee

    12/13/2011

    Bloomington, MN

    http://aka.ms/technetbloom

    12/13/2011

    Downers Grove, IL

    http://aka.ms/technetdowners

    12/15/2011

    Chicago, IL

    http://aka.ms/technetchicago

    Will I see you there? Let me know! And if you have some pressing issue you’d like to investigate during our afternoon “IT Camp”, let me know that ahead of time and we’ll come prepared!

  • Matt Hester's WebLog

    Check it out: Microsoft Virtualization for VMware Professionals Jump Start Videos

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    Virtualization Jump Start (01): Virtualization Overview

    She “Microsoft Virtualization for VMware Professionals” Jump Start is specially tailored for VMware and Microsoft virtualization technology pros. This cutting-edge course features expert instruction and real-world demonstrations of Hyper-V, many components of the System Center Suite, including VMM 2012, and a myriad of VDI solutions. This course is designed for Data Center Managers, IT Professionals, IT Decision Makers, Network Administrators, Storage/Infrastructure Administrators & Architects. Expert IT infrastructure consultant, Corey Hynes, and Microsoft Technical Evangelist, Symon Perriman, leveraged an engaging "team teaching" approach which makes the class as entertaining as it is educational.

    Click here to watch the complete video series

    Additional Resources:

    Check Out More Evaluation Software here: http://aka.ms/evaluation

  • Matt Hester's WebLog

    Bytes by TechNet: I get Interviewed by Chris Henley on what else: PowerShell!

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    bytesbytechnet_rgbIt is always a joy when I get to sit down and talk with Chris (my friend, colleague and co-author) and chat.  It is even better when we get to talk about PowerShell!!!!!!!  We chatted about Windows PowerShell 2.0 and how to breakdown some of the myths/misconceptions surrounding it. We also chatted about my new book on PowerShell and how to use it from a server perspective. This is a great interview to catch if you’re looking to get started with Windows PowerShell 2.0.  Check it out and let me know what you think:

  • Matt Hester's WebLog

    Bringing Hyper-V to “Windows 8”

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    I had one of my peers comment on this, and I think the one word sums it up….

    WOW.

    From the blog post:

    …..by bringing Hyper-V from Windows Server to Windows Client, we were able to provide a robust virtualization technology designed for the scalability, security, reliability, and performance needs of most data centers. With Hyper-V, developers and IT professionals can now build a more efficient and cost-effective environment for using and testing across multiple machines.

    Take a look at the full post on the Building Windows 8  blog: Bringing Hyper-V to "Windows 8" .  BTW if you have not had a chance to check out the Building Windows 8 blog, you need to some great stuff and information.

  • Matt Hester's WebLog

    5 Bold Predictions for the NFL 2011

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    nfl-logoAright everyone it is that time of the year again for my annual bold predictions for the NFL 2011 Season!  Before I get started lets recap:   Last year was my best year, while I was technically inaccurate with the lockout, I had a solid 3 out 5 correct.  So what is in store for this season.  By now you already know at least one of my predictions and that is why it is 1st.  So let’s get started and as always GO BROWNS!

    1. Cleveland Browns are going to win the Super Bowl! Yeah I know I make this prediction every year and we finished second to last in the division last year.  However, we only lost a 4 games by double digits the entire year.   With Colt McCoy looking solid and of course with Peyton Hillis surprising the league.  I look forward to seeing a balanced attack this year and with a tremendous amount of positive improvement!: GO BROWNS!
    2. Aaron Rodgers, League MVP, Aaron Rodgers is becoming a premier QB in the NFL after winning the Super Bowl last year and he still looking good for the year.  I think he will have another tremendous year this and could possibly have the Packers in the Super Bowl this year.
    3. BY Week 5 Tim Tebow will be Starting in Denver, This is one of my favorite predictions this year and being a Buckeye fan this might surprise you.  I just have a feeling Orton is going to lose the first few games and Denver will be looking for a change.  Tim Tebow has it and I disagree with a lot of people about him.  He has “it” and he is a winner.  This could be fun for Denver fans.
    4. Terrelle Pryor will be Playing Receiver by end of the year.   He is not a NFL QB and he does not have what it takes in my opinion.  But with his size and speed, he could look to be a great receiver in the NFL.  There are plenty of great examples of college QB’s who becoming successful (Joshua Cribbs, Hines Ward, Kordell Stewart…etc).  I think he could be great as a receiver, and I will make a bonus prediction his first TD in the NFL will be as a receiver.
    5. NFC West Champion will be 500…again, Okay this would have been a great prediction for last year, but looking at the schedules, I see this happening again.  Unless one of the teams sweep the division, I see this as another down year for the NFC West.  If I had to pick, I do like the Rams as the champion.

    Go Browns!

    Feel free to fire away at my predictions, what else are you going to do during halftime tonight!

  • Matt Hester's WebLog

    Bytes by TechNet: Matt Hester Interviews Jason Buffington (Part 2..DPM Style)

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    bytesbytechnet_rgbI had another great chance to talk with Jason on Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM 2012). We touch on the new additions to version 4 of DPM that IT Pros will like. We also discuss Jason's new book "Data Protection for Virtual Data Centers", that covers best practices on backing up.  Check it out and let me know what you think:

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