The May 2009 issue of TechNet Magazine is available online. And this is our annual Security Issue!
We introduce you to new security features and enhancements in the upcoming release of Windows 7 and delve into PKI enhancements in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. We discuss common SQL Server security mistakes and show you how to fix these problems. We even explain how you can make sure your instant messaging and e-mail communications are secure.
We also have two articles that teach you how to customize and get more out of Office applications. FEATURE ARTICLES Security: An Introduction to Security in Windows 7 Windows 7 includes many new features and enhancements to help improve security. Here’s an overview of everything you’ll find, from the new Biometric Framework and AppLocker to improvements for BitLocker and UAC. Chris Corio
Security: PKI Enhancements in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 introduce PKI enhancements that greatly improve the deployment and operational experience for users, enabling powerful new scenarios while decreasing operational costs. Learn about all the changes to PKI.
Security: Common SQL Server Security Issues and Solutions Have you found yourself inadvertently in charge of a SQL Server database and don’t know all the best practices for making it secure? Paul Randal covers the top 10 security areas you should worry about, detailing common problems and their solutions.
Security: Protect Instant Messaging with Forefront Security As IM becomes ever more popular, it is increasingly important that administrators have a way to keep it secure. Forefront Security for Office Communication Server provides effective protection against instant messaging-targeted malware or other prohibited content within an OCS 2007 environment.
Security: Protect E-Mail with Forefront Security Neetu Rajpal introduces the next generation of Forefront Security for Exchange, a premium anti-malware product that protects e-mail that flows through Exchange server environments.
Microsoft Office: A Guide to Customizing the Office 2007 Ribbon The Microsoft Offi ce Ribbon makes it extremely easy to customize the interface of Offi ce applications for users in your environment— and all you need is Notepad. Here is everything you need to know to start customizing the Offi ce Ribbon today.
Microsoft Excel: Using Excel and Visual Basic for Applications to Create a Game A look at how you can use Visual Basic for Applications to create a game in Excel 2007. It's the perfect way to prep for OfficePalooza!
COLUMNS Toolbox: New Products for IT Pros Greg Steen looks at using Admin Script Editor Enterprise Edition and finding SQL Server instances with Quest Discovery Wizard for SQL Server. He also discusses the book "Windows PowerShell Scripting Guide".
Exchange Queue & A: Recovering a Clustered Mailbox Server, Offline Address Book Issues, and More Exchange Online and Exchange 2010.
Utility Spotlight: User Profile Deletion Utility Delprof is a command-line utility that lets you free up disk space by deleting user profiles that are no longer required on both local or remote computers.
Inside SharePoint: Integrate Information Rights Management into SharePoint Continuing last month’s discussion about SharePoint integration with AD RMS, this column show you how to establish an AD RMS pre-production development environment, compile the IRM protectors, and integrate the compiled components into WSS 3.0.
Windows PowerShell: Automating User Provisioning, Part 3 Don Jones continues his four-part series that explains how you can create an automated provisioning function in Windows PowerShell.
Geek of all Trades: Control Network Access Using DHCP Enforcement NAP monitors the health of specified computers when they attempt to connect to a network and includes a number of mechanisms to enforce health requirements. This article gives readers an overview of these enforcement mechanisms and, as an example, takes a closer look at setting up DHCP enforcement.
Hey, Scripting Guy!: Working with Access Databases in Windows PowerShell Automating data entry is more important than ever, and today’s automation language is Windows PowerShell. This article uses Windows PowerShell to collect some data about the local computer and write it to an Office Access database.
Desktop Files: Revisiting the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack Wes Miller updates his 2007 article on the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack, a collection of valuable components that can can save your IT department a lot of time and effort. All of the components have been enhanced—and something new has been added.
Field Notes: IT Does Matter Romi Mahajan notes the reasons people sometimes doubt the value of IT, then discusses why those reasons have little validity.
Cable Guy: DirectAccess and the Thin Edge Network DirectAccess is a new feature of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 that enables transparent, concurrent intranet and Internet remote access and eases the management of remote computers by combining a number of technologies and components, facilitating the transition to a thin edge network.
Windows Confidential: Finding the Right Volume Raymond Chen discusses the difficult job of satisfying audiophiles and those who just want the sound to work.