Nathan Mercer's blog

Auckland Windows Infrastructure User Group on Lync 2013

Nathan Mercer — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 22:06:09 GMT

Reminder the next Auckland Windows Infrastructure User Group event is on next Monday

Monday June 17 - Microsoft Auckland office – Level 5, 22 Viaduct Harbour Avenue, Auckland

please register here

5.30 - 6.00pm arrival with Drinks and Nibbles

6.00 - 6.30pm Speaker Topic:

Lync 2013 is here – planned your upgrade yet? Lync 2013 is here, and it’s action-packed full of fantastic new features that will quite honestly change your life. If, like many organisations, you drank the kool-aid a while back and deployed OCS or Lync 2010, you’ll be asking yourself whether you should be upgrading, and how you go about it. We’ll do a whistle-stop tour through the pick of the new features – hopefully helping you build your business case to upgrade – and run step-by-step through a Lync 2010-2013 upgrade, including a few lessons from the field to save you some pain.

Presented by Julian Bee

6.30 - 7.00pm Networking - "meet and geek" with your peers

Its NZ IT Pro Survey time again…

Nathan Mercer — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 23:00:50 GMT

We know you’re busy, but we need to hear from you so that we can improve our interactions with kiwi IT Professionals.

In our efforts to improve your experience with Microsoft New Zealand, we would love to hear from you and your fellow IT Professionals – we need your feedback about what we are doing well in, and where there is room for improvement. You may have major suggestions, or minor improvements… Have we kept you informed about Cloud Computing? What about Windows Server 2012? System Center 2012? Windows Azure, from an infrastructure perspective? Do you need different kinds of information? Feedback on any or all of these topics will help us to work with you more effectively.

By now, you may have received an invitation to the Microsoft Customer and Partner Satisfaction Survey. This survey gives us a sense of whether we are providing value to IT Pros in New Zealand – and what improvements can be made in terms of products, service and the local team. As the Windows Infrastructure Technical Evangelist for New Zealand, I would really appreciate it if you could take the time to complete it. Don’t worry, you don’t have to answer every question, just give us some feedback on the areas that you choose, then submit it to us.

Even though I’ve mentioned it on this blog before, you may not know that I am held personally responsible for your satisfaction with Microsoft New Zealand – and it’s a big part of my job to come up with ideas and plans and help you have a better experience with Microsoft NZ.

Over the past year, we have listened to your feedback and responded with running more hands-on I.T. Camps, offering more information around security, licensing, and Windows Azure – and are working on improving TechEd. Also in response to your suggestions, we are working to shorten the NZ TechNet Flash email update – to provide snippets of information around news and events that may be of interest to you.

What do you think? How are we doing? Where can we do better?

If you have been invited to complete the survey, you would have received an email invitation from feedback@e-mail.microsoft.com with a link to an online customer satisfaction survey. If you utilise a spam filter, please adjust the settings to allow email from the domain@satisfaction.ipsos.com – as this is a valid Microsoft survey.

Thank you in advance for your participation and, perhaps more importantly, for your valuable feedback. You have our commitment that the results of the survey will be used to better meet the needs of kiwi IT Professionals.

It’s that time again…
But this window of opportunity will close on April 12^th!

Thanks again,

Nathan

You're invited to Experience a New Wave of Innovation. Free event in Auckland, Wellington and Hamilton.

Nathan Mercer — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 03:08:45 GMT

You're invited to Experience a New Wave of Innovation. Free event in Auckland, Wellington and Hamilton.

Catch a glimpse of the future of productivity and see how the new Microsoft Office enables this vision across devices, cloud, and social. Hear about the latest innovation around Microsoft Lync and its integration with Skype.

Hear from Microsoft International SharePoint Expert, John Hormaechea and Regional Director, Alexander Oddoz-Mazet about Microsoft's vision for Enterprise Social Solutions and how they will transform the way people work.

To register for the free event: http://www.microsoft.com/nz/innovation/

Wellington Windows Infrastructure User Group–Lync 2013

Nathan Mercer — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 19:22:42 GMT

Lync 2013 is here – planned your upgrade yet?

Lync 2013 is here, and it's action-packed full of fantastic new features that will quite honestly change your life. If, like many organisations, you drank the kool-aid a while back and deployed OCS or Lync 2010, you’ll be asking yourself whether you should be upgrading, and how you go about it.

We’ll do a whistle-stop tour through the pick of the new features - hopefully helping you build your business case to upgrade – and run step-by-step through a Lync 2010-2013 upgrade, including a few lessons from the field to save you some pain.

Presenter Bio

Julian is a Microsoft Lync V-TSP, and Group IT Manager for Provoke Solutions, and has at times been accused of liking Lync a little too much. Julian recently co-presented the Lync Ignite sessions with Microsoft in Wellington.

Date and Location

Microsoft have finished their refurbishments so this session will be held at Microsoft's office on Lambton Quay, kicking off at 5:00pm sharp on Tuesday 09/04/2013.

Please register at http://www.mscommunities.co.nz/Events/Lync-2013.aspx so we can get the correct amount of beer and pizza!

upcoming Windows Azure IT Camp for NZ IT Pros

Nathan Mercer — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:01:56 GMT

reminder about upcoming IT Camps in NZ on Windows Azure IaaS

Windows Azure for IT Professionals - An IT Camp in Auckland on the 26th of March!

Windows Azure for IT Professionals - An IT Camp in Christchurch on the 8th of April!

For some, the cloud is a natural evolution of your on-premises infrastructure to the power and scale of the cloud. For others, it’s a journey that has to begin with a single step.

Windows Azure is a comprehensive set of services that enable you to build, deploy and manage applications across a global network of Microsoft-managed datacentres.

With Windows Azure, IT Pros have access to Infrastructure-as-a-Service features like Windows Azure Virtual Machines, Windows Azure Virtual Networks and Windows Azure Storage. These allow you to host or extend your new or existing Windows or Linux based solutions.

To learn more about our Infrastructure as a Service platform, we invite all IT Professionals to join local Microsoft experts as they introduce you to the Microsoft cloud platform, dive deep into Windows Azure Virtual Machines, and help walk you through hands-on demonstrations of the power of IaaS on the Windows Azure platform.

We recommend that all attendees should get a free 90-day trial of the Windows Azure platform and services prior to the event, including access to the Virtual Machines preview.

Participants that successfully complete one of the advanced labs in the afternoon will go into the draw to win a Xbox 360 Prize Pack including - Kinect, Halo 4 and Forza Horizon! Full terms and conditions available here.

Agenda:

9:00am Welcome & Set up

9:30am Session - Windows Azure Overview for IT Pros

10:45am Break

11:00am Hands-on-Lab - See below for list

12:30pm Lunch

1:30pm Session - Windows Azure IaaS - Deep Dive

2:30pm Break

2:45pm Hands-on-Lab - See below for list

4:30pm Complete Labs - Prizes and Out!

Labs: During the Hands-On Lab session you can choose from a variety of labs that will be made available to you while being supported by the presenters. Here are some of the labs that will be available:

Set Up Azure Environment
Setup Virtual Machines
Upload VMs from on-premise to cloud
Deploy app from on-premise VM to PaaS instance
Deploy Active Directory in Windows Azure

Topics to be covered:

Windows Azure Overview:

Introduction to cloud computing
Cloud services and scenarios
Storage services
Building block services

Windows Azure Virtual Machines:

Support for key server applications
Storage management and machine sizes
Provisioning patterns and approaches
High availability features

Windows Azure Networking:

Virtual Machines and DNS
Protocols and endpoints
Cross-premise connectivity
Virtual networking

Virtual Machine management and automation:

Windows Azure Portal management
PowerShell Cmdlets for Windows Azure

Session Requirements:
Be sure to bring a modern laptop that is capable of running the following to make the most of your time at the camp:

a modern operating system, including Windows 7, Windows 8, Linux and Mac OSX
a modern web browser, including IE 9, IE 10, Chrome, Firefox and Safari
a remote desktop client
We recommend that all attendees should get a free 90-day trial of the Windows Azure platform and services prior to the event, including access to the Virtual Machines preview.

Auckland Windows Infrastructure User Group Meeting March 2013

Nathan Mercer — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 02:10:30 GMT

Microsoft Auckland office – Level 5, 22 Viaduct Harbour Avenue, Auckland

Tuesday March 19/03/2013 5:30PM

“I moved from Google to Office 365, this is how and why I did it"

Marty is a pretty simple guy - not really a techie at all. Recently he switched completely away from Google to Office 365 and managed the whole move himself. In this session, Marty will go through the hows and whys of the switch.

5.30 - 6.00pm arrival with Drinks and Nibbles

6.00 - 6.30pm Speaker Topic:

“I moved from Google to Office 365, this is how and why I did it"

Marty is a pretty simple guy - not really a techie at all. Recently he switched completely away from Google to Office 365 and managed the whole move himself. In this session, Marty will go through the hows and whys of the switch.

Presented by Marty Pine

6.30 - 7.00pm Networking - "meet and geek" with your peers

please register here so we get the correct amount of beer and pizza!

Feb 2013 Auckland Windows Infrastructure User Group Meeting

Nathan Mercer — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:15:39 GMT

a reminder that the Auckland Windows Infrastructure User Group meeting is on next week

This months presentation is on Windows Server 2012 IPAM

IPAM: Throw away your IP spreadsheets! A deeper dive into the IP Address Management (IPAM) Server feature in Windows Server® 2012 , What is it? How does it work? How can I install and use it?

Wednesday 20/02/2013 5:30PM at Microsoft Auckland, Level 5, 22 Viaduct Harbour Ave, Auckland

Please register at http://www.mscommunities.co.nz/Events/Feb-2013-Auckland-Windows-Infrastrucutre-User-Grou.aspx

New NZ IT Camps: Windows 8 for IT Professionals!

Nathan Mercer — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 23:51:04 GMT

Come to one of our upcoming Windows 8 IT Camps in NZ. Learn about the new features and capabilities of Windows 8 that make migration, deployment, and management of tomorrow's environments easier for IT, while improving the end-user experience. Please bring along a PC to connect to our remotely-hosted labs.

At this event, you will get first-hand technical, hands-on experience with Windows 8 in the enterprise. Explore the new features of Windows 8 while you dive deep into key scenarios around management, deployment, security, desktop virtualisation, application development, side-loading, desktop recovery and mobility.

The agenda is below, but specifically there are 3 Hands On Labs for attendees during the day:
•    Sideloading Windows 8 Applications
•    Managing Windows 8 Applications with AppLocker
•    Creating Refresh Images

Get ready for this IT Camp by visiting the Windows 8 TechCenter to access in-depth technical resources and download the free Windows 8 Enterprise evaluation.

UPDATE: Due to the popularity in Christchurch we are putting on another IT Camp on March 18

Register your seat today: Select one of our seven dates!

Agenda:

8:30am	Registration
9:00am	Introduction
9:30am	Overview of Windows 8
10:00am	Deployment of Windows 8 – Part 1 1. Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) 2. Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK)
11:00am	Break
11:15am	Deployment of Windows 8 – Part 2 1. Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2. System Center Configuration Manager (ConfigMgr)
12:30pm	Lunch
1:00pm	Flexible Workstyle 1. Access to Windows · Windows To Go (WTG) · Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) · Client Hyper-V 2. Anywhere Productivity · Folder Redirection · User Experience Virtualization (UE-V) · Application Virtualization (APP-V)
2:30pm	Break
2:45pm	Windows 8 Apps 1. The Windows Store 2. Distributing Windows 8 Apps · ConfigMgr · Windows InTune · MDT 3. Managing Windows 8 Apps
3:45pm	Recovery & Security for Windows 8 1. Recovery Features · PC Refresh · Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT) 2. Windows 8 Security · BitLocker · Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring (MBAM) · Trusted Boot
4:30pm	Closing

NZers Download to Donate: Child Cancer Foundation

Nathan Mercer — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 22:50:22 GMT

For each download of a Microsoft System Center 2012 or Windows Server 2012 180-day trial in New Zealand this December, Microsoft New Zealand will donate $2 to the Child Cancer Foundation.*

This not-for-profit charity in New Zealand provides services to ensure that children and their families are supported, informed and well cared for on their journey with cancer.

The Foundation is one of more than 40,000 non-profit organisations involved in Microsoft’s global donations programme – providing software, training, and monetary grants to these valuable organisations.

© 2012 Microsoft Corporation Terms of Use :: Trademarks
*Limited to the first 1,500 downloads in December - a donation of NZD$3,000.
Microsoft respects your privacy. To learn more, please read our online Privacy Statement.
The Privacy Officer // Microsoft New Zealand Ltd, PO Box 8070 Symonds St, Auckland 1150, New Zealand.

Discover Windows 8 and the new Office here in New Zealand.

Nathan Mercer — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 22:57:27 GMT

We would like to invite you to Microsoft Reimagine.

Hear directly from Microsoft product experts and discover how you can “reimagine” your business. A half day full of valuable information, benefits for your business and product demos – plus the latest devices and spot prizes!

Nathan Mercer's blog

Auckland Windows Infrastructure User Group on Lync 2013

please register here

Its NZ IT Pro Survey time again…

You're invited to Experience a New Wave of Innovation. Free event in Auckland, Wellington and Hamilton.

You're invited to Experience a New Wave of Innovation. Free event in Auckland, Wellington and Hamilton.

To register for the free event: http://www.microsoft.com/nz/innovation/

Wellington Windows Infrastructure User Group–Lync 2013

Lync 2013 is here – planned your upgrade yet?

Presenter Bio

Date and Location

upcoming Windows Azure IT Camp for NZ IT Pros

Windows Azure for IT Professionals - An IT Camp in Auckland on the 26th of March!

Windows Azure for IT Professionals - An IT Camp in Christchurch on the 8th of April!

Auckland Windows Infrastructure User Group Meeting March 2013

“I moved from Google to Office 365, this is how and why I did it"

Feb 2013 Auckland Windows Infrastructure User Group Meeting

IPAM: Throw away your IP spreadsheets! A deeper dive into the IP Address Management (IPAM) Server feature in Windows Server® 2012 , What is it? How does it work? How can I install and use it?

Wednesday 20/02/2013 5:30PM at Microsoft Auckland, Level 5, 22 Viaduct Harbour Ave, Auckland

New NZ IT Camps: Windows 8 for IT Professionals!

UPDATE: Due to the popularity in Christchurch we are putting on another IT Camp on March 18

NZers Download to Donate: Child Cancer Foundation

For each download of a Microsoft System Center 2012 or Windows Server 2012 180-day trial in New Zealand this December, Microsoft New Zealand will donate $2 to the Child Cancer Foundation.*

This not-for-profit charity in New Zealand provides services to ensure that children and their families are supported, informed and well cared for on their journey with cancer.

The Foundation is one of more than 40,000 non-profit organisations involved in Microsoft’s global donations programme – providing software, training, and monetary grants to these valuable organisations.

Discover Windows 8 and the new Office here in New Zealand.

Reimagine Event Details:

Wellington, Rydges Hotel – 13th November 2012 (9am – 12am)

Auckland, Viaduct Event Centre – 21th November 2012 (9am – 12am)

Christchurch, George Hotel - 23th November 2012 (9am – 12am)

More details on agenda, and please register at http://www.microsoft.co.nz/reimagine