TechNet Flash readers are being offered a special deal on a TechNet Plus subscription . Get 12 months for just $297 (Reg. $349). Just use the promo code TNF10 to get the special price. Through TN Plus you can still get your hands on the Windows 7 Beta...

TechNet Plus subscribers can now get their hands on the Release Candidate bits for Windows Vista Service Pack 2 and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2. According to the TechNet Pus Blog , SP2 contains changes focused on supporting new types of hardware...

Microsoft has announced the general availability of Office Communications Server 2007 Release 2 , which delivers enriched audio and video conferencing, new developer tools, and enhanced voice capabilities. Office Communications Server 2007 R2 includes...

In its first comprehensive test of web browser protection against socially engineered malware , NSS Labs found that Internet Explorer 8 (RC1) was best among the six browsers tested. More than 154,000 individual tests were run during 12 days of 24x7 testing...

With so many talked about new features in Windows 7, I have to point out a feature for enterprises that is near and dear to my heart: Direct Access . Anyone who has spent much time accessing their corporate network via a VPN will appreciate this. Direct...

BizTalk Server 2009 delivers new capabilities to help customers more effectively integrate disparate systems, enhance end-to-end enterprise connectivity and more quickly exchange data across multiple platforms, resulting in increased efficiency and lower...

Just a heads up about the recent posting of more new Learning Snacks for Windows 7. Learning Snacks are short, interactive presentations delivered via Silverlight. Here are the new Windows 7 “snacks” for IT professionals: · Implementing User Account...

By now, you’re probably aware of key improvements to the user interface in Windows 7 which optimize for touch. And you realize that it will be an ongoing effort among hardware suppliers and application developers to build touch support into their technologies...

I guess it’s a testament to the hardy reception for the Windows 7 beta. Shortly after its release, the rumors were already flying about the Windows 7 RTM date. And some seem so enamored that they’re lobbying for Microsoft to just ship it, already. Here...

Here’s an update on the great results from Microsoft’s acquisition of enterprise search developer FAST Search & Transfer last April. As you may recall, the plan was to bring together FAST’s deep search expertise with the widely used SharePoint Server...

The Infrastructure Planning and Design team has released a new guide, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 . When used in conjunction with product documentation, this guide will help companies confidently plan the implementation of a SQL Server 2008 infrastructure...

Check out the hosted virtual machine environment built for you to test drive System Center Service Manager . The version of Service Manager hosted in this virtual environment is the "CTP2" version which has only been released to TAP customers/partners...

Want a quick way to check if you PC can run Windows 7? In general, if your PC can run Windows Vista, it can run Windows 7. But if you're not running Windows Vista, or are just not sure if your system is ready to run Windows 7, download the Windows...

Download the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) 5.5 to help you identify which applications are compatible with the Windows 7 RC and Windows Vista operating system and which require further testing. ACT can help lower your costs for application...

Those who’ve played with the R2 beta release of Windows Server 2008 might have noticed a new tool, the Best Practices Analyzer , designed to help administrators reduce best practice violations by automatically scanning the roles in use and reporting the...

IIS Media Services is a set of media-related extensions for Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0 that provides an integrated HTTP-based media delivery platform. IIS Media Services 2.0 contains three extensions: Smooth Streaming – on-demand adaptive...

Check out the Windows Blog to learn about the new Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC. Windows XP Mode is a virtual Windows XP environment running under Windows Virtual PC which enables you to run many older productivity applications on a Windows 7...

Have I got a tip for you… This was previously announced in the newsletter, (and quite popular, I must say) but if you haven’t seen it yet for yourself, the TechNet Magazine site is now running a Tip of the Day feature, with a new tip offered every...

Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 RC enables IT administrators to manage roles and features that are installed on computers that are running Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2003, from a remote computer that...

Check out the Microsoft Desktop Player , now in beta, to find contextual content for IT professionals and developers based on your adoption lifecycle. The Desktop Player filters content by topic based on your role and where you are in your adoption lifecycle...

Yes, Windows 7 will be available in time for the holiday season. The Windows team announced today on the Windows Blog that Windows 7 will be in stores beginning October 22nd. Also check out the post to learn more about the Windows 7 Upgrade Option...

Microsoft has begun offering new Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification for Office 2010 products. The certification exams validate proficiency in using Office 2010. Candidates who pass a certification exam show that they can meet globally recognized...

Looking to cut the effort, cost and risk of migrating to SQL Server 2005, SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2? Microsoft yesterday rolled out two free migration assistants: Microsoft SQL Server Migration Assistant for MySQL v1.0 and Microsoft SQL Server...

Microsoft today released an Out of Band Security Update to address a .LNK vulnerability in Windows. MS10-046 addresses that vulnerability in Windows which has a maximum severity rating of Critical and an Exploitability Index rating of 1. The security...

This security update is rated Important for all supported editions of ASP.NET except Microsoft .NET Framework 1.0 Service Pack 3. This security update resolves a publicly disclosed vulnerability in ASP.NET. The vulnerability could allow information disclosure...