BlogMS - Official Microsoft Team Blogs : Resource Guide

Free Microsoft Software and Online Services - Microsoft License Advisor

Daniel Good — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:14:00 GMT

Use the online Microsoft License Advisor to easily find and choose the Microsoft Volume Licensing program that can best help your organization simplify license management, optimize your IT infrastructure, and get the most value for your IT investment. With License Advisor, you can:

Cut through complexity

Navigate easy-to-use wizards to determine software and program needs without in-depth licensing knowledge.
See Microsoft Software Assurance benefits information for each licensing program.

Choose the right solution for your business

Evaluate recommendations for nearly any organization type, including commercial, academic, not for profit and government organizations.
Use the estimated retail pricing (ERP) and Software Assurance Benefits comparison feature to sort products by the applicable Volume Licensing program.

Get, save, and share quotes

Download comprehensive information as Microsoft Office Word or Microsoft Office Excel documents for easy archiving and distribution.

Get started with the Microsoft License Advisor now.

Find more Free Software and Online Services from the BlogMS resource guide..

Microsoft Team Blogs Directory updated - Now 262 blogs!

Daniel Good — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:22:00 GMT

The Microsoft Team Blogs Directory has been updated to include the following team blogs. Ten new blogs have been added to increase the total to 262!

Microsoft Learning
	Beta Exams Announcements	RSS	Added
Office Online			New Category
	Inside Office Online	RSS	Added
	Office Online Clipart and Media	RSS	Added
	Office Online Templates	RSS	Added
Partner and Customer Resources
	Microsoft Valuable Professional MVP Award Program	RSS	Title Updated
SQL and Business Intelligence
	Gemini	RSS	Added
Virtualization
	Dynamic Data Center Alliance	RSS	Added
Windows Desktop and Embedded
	Windows Media Center	RSS	Added
	Windows Portable Devices	RSS	Added
	Windows Printing	RSS	Added
Windows Server and Infrastructure
	Windows Public Key Infrastructure PKI	RSS	Added

Virtualisation Support Wizard (ESSENTIAL READING!) - Are you sure you are supported?

Daniel Good — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:17:00 GMT

The Microsoft Virtualization Support Policy Team has worked to clearly define virtualization support policies in what is becoming an increasingly complex area of support. We are glad to announce that the Virtualization Support Wizard is now LIVE and available for your use:

http://www.windowsservercatalog.com/svvp.aspx?svvppage=svvpwizard.htm.

RECOMMENDED CALL TO ACTION: If you are currently running a project where you are deploying Microsoft software on a virtualized platform, I strongly recommend that you use this wizard to check that your configuration is supported. If you have any issues or concerns you should contact your Microsoft Account Manager.

By using this wizard you can easily find out if your Virtualization configuration is supported and conveniently access related product-specific resources (such as KB articles) immediately at this centralized public website! This guidance takes into account Microsoft Hyper-V in addition to other third-party virtualization solutions.

There are additional resources available to you here on the Virtualization Troubleshooting and Support TechCenter on TechNet:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization/cc150661.aspx

Microsoft Team Blogs Directory - Updated 21st July 2009

Daniel Good — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:29:00 GMT

The Microsoft team blogs directory has been updated with the following blogs: There are now 249 blogs showing on the list:

General
	Microsoft Unlimited Potential	RSS
	The Data Privacy Imperative	RSS
Microsoft Licensing
	Microsoft Volume Licensing	RSS	News Feed
Software and Web Development
	Windows 7 for Developers	RSS
Windows Mobile
	Windows Mobile - NEW	RSS
	Windows Mobile - OLD	RSS

Microsoft Team Blogs Directory Updated - July 2009

Daniel Good — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 23:56:00 GMT

There are 244 blogs and feeds in the Microsoft Team Blogs Directory. A number of blogs have been archived

General
	Working for Microsoft - JobsBlog	RSS	blog feed updated
Microsoft IT and GFS			new category
	Microsoft Data Centers	RSS	moved
	Microsoft Global Foundation Services	RSS	new
	Microsoft IT Showcase	RSS	moved
Microsoft Learning			new category
	Microsoft Certified Master	RSS	new
	Microsoft Learning	RSS	new
	Microsoft Press	RSS	moved
Microsoft Service Management			new category
	Microsoft Operations Framework	RSS	moved
Planning Deployment and Update			renamed
	Solution Accelerator Assessment and Planning	RSS	moved
	Solution Accelerator Security and Compliance	RSS	moved
	Windows Springboard Series	RSS	new
Search			renamed
	Microsoft Enterprise Search	RSS	new
Security Products Forefront
	Forefront Unified Application Gateway UAG	RSS	renamed

The following blogs have been archived, you can find a full-list of archived blogs here.

Archived Team Blogs			Last Article
	adCentre Labs	RSS	Oct-08
	Microsoft dot com Operations	RSS	Dec-08
	Mobile Developer	RSS	Dec-08
	RSS Web Feeds	RSS	Feb-08
	SQL Server Engine	RSS	Jul-08
	SQL Server Manageability	RSS	Mar-08
	SQL Server Query Processing	RSS	Sep-08
	Ultra Mobile PC Project Origami	RSS	Unknown
	User State Migration Tool USMT	RSS	Aug-08
	Visual Studio Code Analysis	RSS	Nov-08
	Visual Studio Team Architect	RSS	Jun-08
	Windows Server Performance	RSS	Dec-08

Microsoft Team Blogs Directory - UPDATED - 251 blogs now!

Daniel Good — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:10:00 GMT

A number of team blogs have been added, one blog retired and a number revised. The full directory can be found here - Microsoft Team Blogs Directory

General
	Microsoft Press	RSS	new
Industry Solutions
	Financial Services Risk and Compliance	RSS	new
Office Applications
	Deployment Support	RSS	new, support blog
	Office 2010	RSS	new
	Office Resource Kilt	RSS	new
Search Bing
	Bing Developer	RSS	new
	Bing Maps formally Live Maps	RSS	new
	Bing Search formally Live Search	RSS	new
	Bing Webmaster	RSS	new
Systems Center Systems Management
	System Center Data Protection Manager DPM Support	RSS	new, support blog
Virtualization
	App-V Application Virtualzation	RSS	renamed
	Med-V Enterprise Desktop Virtualization	RSS	new
Windows Live
	Live QnA	RSS	Product Retired
Windows Systems Management
	Scripting Hey Scripting Guys	RSS	new
	Windows Management Infrastructure	RSS	new
	Windows Powershell	RSS	moved

The Architecture Journal - Another valuable resource you may not be aware of!

Daniel Good — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:18:00 GMT

A colleague of mine Brian Parone a Technical Account Manager at Microsoft, recently highlighted a very valuable resource I was unaware of entitled "The Architecture Journal" - www.architecturejournal.net

The Architecture Journal is an independent platform for free thinkers and practitioners of IT architecture. New editions are issued quarterly with articles designed to offer perspective, share knowledge, and help you learn the discipline and pursue the art of IT architecture.

The journal is available in several languages. You can Read the journal online, Access it through a Rich Reader Application, or Subscribe for a PDF version to be sent by e-mail.

For example Journal 19: TechEd 2009 Special Edition included the following articles:

Other resources:

MSDN Architecture Center

FREE!! Facebook for Windows Mobile, Windows Live for Windows Mobile, Windows Live Services for your computer...

Daniel Good — Tue, 12 May 2009 16:29:00 GMT

Are you missing out on free software? The BlogMS Resource Guide for Free Software and Online Services has recently been updated with some additions/changes summarised below.

If you can't find what you are looking for here, checkout the resource guide where you can find a comprehensive list of software and services for Developers, IT professionals and Consumers. There is something for EVERYONE!

Windows Live Software and Services
To learn more about Winodws Live here, or get started straight away refer to the Windows Live Directory of Services or sign-up for the latest Windows Live Essentials.

Live Mesh (Beta): Live Mesh puts you at the center of your digital world, seamlessly connecting you to the people, devices, programs, and information you care about—available wherever you happen to be.

Live Search: Search the internet and look for websites, images, video, news and maps.

Live Search Maps / Virtual Earth: Search the map: Find businesses, collections, or places using the search box above. Get directions: Get turn-by-turn directions to your destination. Explore: Add your own information about a place. Share it. See what others have added.

Live Search Mobile: We realize that your mobile phone isn’t the same as your PC. That’s why Live Search is designed to provide you the information that matters most when you’re mobile, and to make it quick and easy to access, no matter what kind of phone you use. Just type m.live.com into your phone’s browser to get started. (compatible mobile phone and data plan required)

Windows Live Hotmail: Keep in touch with family and friends through e-mail, instant messages, a unified contact list, and your online calendar. The new Hotmail brings you more. More space (5 GB), more security, still free.

Windows Live Admin Center (formerly Windows Live Custom Domains): Whether you maintain a website or just own a domain name You can use Windows Live Admin Center to create personalized e-mail addresses/accounts for your domain name. You can also create a custom web address that links to your Live Space.

Windows Live Events: Create an event today and invite your friends. Share photos and leave messages for your guests after the party's over. The fun never ends!

Windows Live Family Safety: With Family Safety, you decide how your kids experience the Internet. You can limit searches, block or allow websites, decide who your kids can communicate with when they’re using Windows Live Messenger, Hotmail, or Spaces and monitor what websites they're visiting.

Windows Live Messenger: Windows Live Messenger Instantly connect to the people who matter the most—via text, voice, or video. Even if they’re offline, you can leave a message or send a note. Share your personal files, photos, and videos of any size. Just drag and drop into a Shared Folder. There is a version for the PC and for the Mac.

Windows Live Messenger T-Bot (Beta): Language translation Bot for Windows Live Messenger. Simply add mtbot@hotmail.com to your contacts and invite Tbot to your conversations.

Windows Live Movie Maker (Beta): Import and edit your movies so they look great, and then publish to the web with a few clicks.

Windows Live Photo Gallery: Easily share your photos, quickly find and organize your photos and videos, Enhance your photos and download photo albums.

Windows Live Spaces: Share your photos, personalize your online world, Stay in contact with your friends. Explore and discover new people, or share with your friends,

Windows Live SkyDrive: Password-protected online file storage. Always available where you need it.

Windows Live Sync (formerly Folder Share): Keep your latest files with you, no matter which computer you're using. Keep files in sync across your computers and share folders with friends.

Windows Live Toolbar: Start a search from any Web page Get better protection against phishing scams and viruses. Personalize your Web experience with custom buttons. Use Windows Desktop Search to instantly find information on your PC

Windows Live Translator (Beta): Online translation service to translate text or websites. The site also provides access to TBot, the Translation Bot for Windows Live Messenger.

Windows Live Writer: Easily publish pictures, videos and other rich content to your blog.

Windows Mobile Software and Services
Does your mobile keep your life in sync?

Windows Mobile Total Access: Find the simple things you can do for maximum impact. Total Access helps you make your phone uniquely your own. Ringtones, Themes, Wallpapers, Games and Software

Facebook for Windows Mobile 6 Phone: New from Windows Mobile: a Facebook application for your phone! Download the new Facebook application for Windows Mobile and Send messages to any of the people in your Friends list, Take pictures and videos on your phone, then upload them right to Facebook, Send messages or call people in your Friends list, Manage your profile and post anytime, anywhere.

Windows Live for Windows Mobile: Get access to your favorite Windows Live programs and features, right from your mobile phone. With Windows Live for Windows Mobile, it's almost like having your PC in your pocket. You can even download and sync your contacts from your Windows Live account to your mobile phone. Access Hotmail, Windows Messenger, Windows Live Spaces and search with Live Search

End of life - Are you running supported software?

Daniel Good — Wed, 06 May 2009 01:28:00 GMT

I often meet customers that are not aware of the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy and are inadvertently running unsupported products for which they do not realise they have no support. The purpose of this article is to give you an overview of the policy so you know what to expect and can plan accordingly.

Additional support does not need to be purchased from Microsoft, however customers must take a conscious decision to accept the risk. Please consider that Microsoft cannot make exceptions by providing free support for unsupported products to one customer when other customers pay for support.

Lifecycle Management - IT Governance for Businesses

In October 2002, Microsoft released predictable guidelines for the support of Microsoft products and technologies. Understanding the support policy is particularly important for planning IT strategy, budgeting for future upgrade projects and operational costs. In some cases there may be compliance, regulatory or legal requirements to ensure adequate support is in place for all components of systems.

As part of the IT governance model for an organisation, I personally recommend to customers that a member of the management team has responsibility for Lifecycle Management.

There will be a point where the total cost of ownership of running unsupported products will out-weigh the cost of upgrading to a supported product. Assuming you require support from Microsoft, there are additional costs of running unsupported products that you will need to budget for.

Product Lifecycle Timeline

Mainstream and Extended Support timescales are described below for each major category of product. Custom Support (described in more detail later) is required if support is required for a product used after the Extended Support phase, or an upgrade to a supported Service Pack is not possible

Business and Developer products: 10 years of support (5 years Mainstream Support and 5 years Extended Support) at the supported service pack level.
Consumer/Hardware/Multimedia products: 5 years Mainstream Support at the supported service pack level.
Annually Released Products: 3 years of Mainstream Support for products that are annually released for example, Money, Encarta, Picture It!, and Streets & Trips.

Product Security Hotfixes

Microsoft will provide security update support for a minimum of 10 years (through the Extended Support phase) for Business and Developer products. The security updates will apply only to the supported service pack level for these products.

Microsoft is committed to providing products with improved security. As always the aim with the Trustworthy Computing initiative and will strive to remove during development before they are released, however software vulnerabilities do arise and Microsoft is committed to respond when they are identified.

Product Service Pack Lifecycle Timescales

As part of the effort to continually improve Microsoft software, updates and fixes are created and released for recognized issues. Many of these fixes are regularly combined into a single package (called a service pack) that is made available for installation.

Both the Mainstream Support and Extended Support phases require the product’s supported service pack be installed to continue to receive support (including security updates).

When a new service pack is released, Microsoft will provide either 12 or 24 months of support for the previous service pack
Support for the previous service packs is either 12 or 24 months, varying according to the product family (for example, Windows, Office, Servers, or Developer tools).
When support for a product ends, support of the service packs for that product will also end. The product’s support lifecycle supersedes the service pack support policy

Product Family

12 Months

24 Months

Windows

Yes

Office

Yes

Servers

Yes

Developer Tools

Yes

Business Solutions

Yes

Consumer, Hardware, Multimedia, Games

Yes

Support Available

The table below summarises the type of support you can expect in each phase of the lifecycle:

Extended Hotfix Support Agreement (EHSA)

An EHSA is required during the Extended Support phase to obtain hotfixes if a non-security problem occurs with that product. There is an enrolment fee to join the program, which is waived if the product is covered by Software Assurance, and each hotfix is subject to a hotfix charge.

Custom Support Agreement (CSA)

CSA's are required after the extended support agreement phase for a product, or if there is a requirement to use an earlier service pack, even when a newer service pack version exists. CSA's are optional, an enrolment fee applies and customers may be required to submit their migration plan to upgrade to a supported product.

Stand-Alone Hotfixes and Cumulative Updates (CU's)

Microsoft may release individual hotfixes or cumulative updates (a package which contains multiple hotfixes) at anytime in response to problems identified in Microsoft products. Not all Microsoft products have Cumulative Update packages, the update strategy is determined by each product group. When a Service Pack is released all previous hotfixes and cumulative updates will be included.

Microsoft will typically recommend that you only apply hotfixes or cumulative updates to resolve issues that you are currently experiencing. It is always recommended that changes are tested prior to being released to a production/live system.

Example Lifecycle Information for SQL Server 2005

The table below is an extract from here and shows the lifecycle status for SQL Server 2005:

Products Released	General Availability Date	Mainstream Support Retired	Extended Support Retired	Service Pack Retired
SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition	15/03/2007	12/04/2011	12/04/2016	10/07/2007
SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition	14/01/2006	12/04/2011	12/04/2016	10/07/2007
SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition	14/01/2006	12/04/2011	12/04/2016	10/07/2007
SQL Server 2005 Enterprise Edition	14/01/2006	12/04/2011	12/04/2016	10/07/2007
SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 1	18/04/2006	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	08/04/2008
SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2	19/02/2007	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	12/01/2010
SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 3	15/02/2009	Review Note	Review Note

Review Note: Support ends 12 months after the next service pack releases or at the end of the product's support lifecycle, whichever comes first. For more information, please see the service pack policy at http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/#ServicePackSupport.

Essential Lifecycle Resources

Microsoft Support Lifecycle Home Page: On this site you can expect to find lifecycle details of all Microsoft products and a full detailed description of the Microsoft Support Lifecycle.
Microsoft Support Quarterly Newsletter (Link to Profile Center Subscription Site): Each quarter Microsoft publishes a quarterly newsletter of products that are moving between phases of the support lifecycle.
Microsoft Support Lifecycle Team Blog: On the team blog you can find up-to-date guidance about lifecycle issues, changes or general guidance on topical issues.
Microsoft Trustworthy Computing Initative: Delivering secure, private and reliable computing based on sound business practices

Essential Security Resources

Microsoft Security Central: On the Microsoft Security website you can find the Microsoft Security Response Center, Microsoft Malware Protection Center, Security Updates and more..

Microsoft Software + Services and Cloud Computing (updated)

Daniel Good — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:10:00 GMT

This article consolidates a number of different sources of information to provide an overview of Software + Services for you. The introduction of the mass-internet services in the 1980’s, and subsequent commodity availability of high-speed internet services for businesses and consumers has given rise to a new generation of online software services.

Microsoft outlined back in September 2007 it’s next phase in its strategy for online services, offering a road map for new offerings that synthesize client, server and services software for people and businesses. These offerings will combine elements of client-based programs with software that runs large servers and new services delivered over the Internet.

The offerings expand Microsoft’s existing portfolio of software plus service solutions — solutions that weave together the best of software and Internet services to provide a new generation of rich, seamless experiences that are personalized, integrated and available online anywhere. This approach gives individuals and organizations greater freedom of choice in how they interact with the people, information and activities they value most.

Microsoft Online Services or Microsoft Software + Services is not to be confused with the Microsoft Services business. Microsoft Services provides offerings including Architecture and Planning, Technology Consulting and Enterprise Support, refer to the website if you would like to learn more.

For detailed information on the Microsoft strategy I recommend reading the Microsoft Servcices Strategy update published 23rd April 2008 by Ray Ozzie - Microsoft Chief Software Architect.

Microsoft Online Services: Today’s business world demands that technology add value and reduce costs. Online Services from Microsoft can help relieve the burden of managing and maintaining business systems, freeing IT departments to focus on initiatives that can help deliver true competitive advantage. Learn More and Get Started…

On the 28th October Microsoft announced that it will be providing web based versions of the popular Microsoft Office applications, read the feature story. Once the service becomes available this post will be updated with the relevant details.

Microsoft Office Live Meeting: Connect with your colleagues and engage your customers through real-time meetings, training sessions, and events—using only a PC with an Internet connection and basic software. Hosted Web conferencing from the Microsoft Office Live Meeting service can help give you the power to collaborate from virtually anywhere—set up project meetings, brainstorm ideas, edit files, collaborate on whiteboards, and negotiate deals without the cost and hassle of travel!
Exchange Hosted Services: Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services (EHS) offers online tools to help your organization protect itself from spam and malware, satisfy retention requirements for compliance, encrypt data to preserve confidentiality, and maintain access to e-mail during and after emergency situations. The services are quick and easy to implement. Because they are deployed over the Internet, there is no need to modify your existing e-mail infrastructure, install and maintain any new hardware or specialized software, or invest in training for IT staff or end users. With a simple configuration change, you can begin using Exchange Hosted Services right away.
Exchange Online: Microsoft Exchange Online is a hosted enterprise messaging solution based on Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 that helps give your business the protection it demands, the anywhere access employees want, and the operational efficiency your IT staff needs. Exchange Online extends rich capabilities to your users with a single sign-on, including e-mail, shared calendaring, and contacts. And it works with Active Directory to ensure that information is synchronized between your local and online directories, allowing your IT department to support a mix of hosted services and on-premise software. Additionally, Exchange Online supports business continuity and disaster recovery with cloud-based antivirus and spam filtering and high data center security standards.
SharePoint Online: Microsoft SharePoint Online provides a highly secure, central location where employees can efficiently collaborate with team members, find organizational resources, manage content and workflow, and gain the business insight to make better-informed decisions. Based on Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, this Microsoft-hosted solution helps employees create and manage custom team and project-focused intranet sites for collaboration and document sharing. Users get the flexibility and customization they need to truly work efficiently across teams with tools like wikis, blogs, surveys, shared workspaces, and process workflows. And as a seamless extension of the Microsoft Office system, SharePoint Online is familiar and easy to use, and it enables collaboration within the applications your users already know.
Office Communications Server Online: The Office Communications Online solution provides a unified communications capability that helps people be more productive by enabling them to communicate easily with others in different locations or time zones using a range of different communication options, including text based instant messaging, voice, and video. Integration with programs across the Microsoft Office system—including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Groove, and SharePoint Server—gives information workers many different ways to communicate with each other via a consistent and simple user experience.
Dynamics CRM Online: Businesses today need a better way to find, keep, and grow customer relationships. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online combines the power of online services with the richness of your everyday productivity applications. It's optimized for business workgroups or departments who are looking to realize an immediate business impact with a system that quickly adapts to their unique business needs.

Microsoft Windows Azure Online Services: Windows® Azure is a cloud services operating system that serves as the development, service hosting and service management environment for the Azure Services Platform. Windows Azure provides developers with on-demand compute and storage to host, scale, and manage Web applications on the Internet through Microsoft® data centers. To learn more visit the Offical Windows Azure Website or and read the article What is Azure?

To build these applications and services, developers can use their existing Microsoft® Visual Studio® 2008 expertise. In addition, Windows Azure supports popular standards and protocols including SOAP, REST, and XML. Windows Azure is an open platform that will support both Microsoft and non-Microsoft languages and environments. Key components of the Azure Services Platform include:

Windows Azure for service hosting and management, low-level scalable storage, computation and networking
Microsoft SQL Services for a wide range of database services and reporting
Microsoft .NET Services which are service-based implementations of familiar .NET Framework concepts such as workflow and access control
Live Services for a consistent way for users to store, share and synchronize documents, photos, files and information across their PCs, phones, PC applications and Web sites
Microsoft SharePoint Services and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Services for business content, collaboration and rapid solution development in the cloud.

Microsoft offers web based services which enhance products that you may already use:

Microsoft Office is enhanced by Microsoft Office Online: Offers how-to articles, downloads, templates, clip art, and training. Get Started…
Microsoft Xbox is enhanced by Xbox Live: Xbox LIVE is the Ultimate Broadband Gaming Experience that lets you play multiplayer Xbox games live using broadband Internet access (cable or DSL). Get Started…

Microsoft Windows Live Services: The best of Windows and the Web together, E-Mail, chat, blogs, photos and more. With Windows Live you're connected to the people and things you care about most. More services are being added all the time so keep the link bookmarked. Learn More and Get Started…

Hotmail: Stay connected anywhere with your Web e-mail account
Mail: Access your multiple e-mail accounts in one place
Messenger: Connect, share, and make your conversations count
Toolbar: Easy access to Windows Live services from any Web page
SkyDrive: Password-protected online file storage
Spaces: The best place to share your world online
Photo Gallery: Get creative and share your photos and videos
Writer: Easily publish pictures, videos, and other rich content to your blog
Events: Plan your event. Send invitations. Share photos.
OneCare Family Safety: Help protect your family and computer

Useful Information for Developers and Architects

Software + Services (S+S) Architecture: The future is a combination of local software and Internet services interacting with one another. Software makes services better and services make software better. And by bringing together the best of both worlds, we maximize choice, flexibility and capabilities for our customers. We describe this evolutionary path in our industry as Software + Services. The following website has been developed to explore the architectural impact of building, running, consuming and monetizing S+S solutions. Get Started…

Blueprints: Blueprints are a series of open source frameworks and workflow-based guidance packages designed to provide an architectural bridge and reduce the friction you experience building real-world Software-plus-Services applications. As a starting point for both architects and developers who are building real solutions, each Software-plus-Services Blueprint includes source code and/or utilities, guidance, structured step-by-step workflow-based guidance and tools delivered within Visual Studio 2008. Get Started...

Windows Azure Developement Platform: Explore and experiment with the Azure SDKs Get Started. Also visit the Azure Services Platform Developer Center on MSDN.

Windows Live Development Platform: The Windows Live Platform is focused on providing developers and businesses with everything they need to build on top of Windows Live services. Microsoft is providing APIs for core Live services - such as Windows Live Contacts, Windows Live Messenger, Live ID, Search, and Virtual Earth - so that developers can access and use these services in the applications they create. Learn More and Get Started…

Microsoft SOA Products: Oslo” is the codename for Microsoft’s forthcoming modeling platform. Modeling is used across a wide range of domains and allows more people to participate in application design and allows developers to write applications at a much higher level of abstraction. Learn More and Get Started...

For further information refer to the Microsoft microsite for Software + Services.

The Latest Microsoft Security Intelligence Report - Volume 6 - July thru December 2008

Daniel Good — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:07:00 GMT

The Microsoft Security Intelligence Report (SIR) provides an in-depth perspective on the changing threat landscape including software vulnerability disclosures and exploits, malicious software (malware), and potentially unwanted software.

Using data derived from hundreds of millions of Windows users, and some of the busiest online services on the Internet, this report also provides a detailed analysis of the threat landscape and the changing face of threats and countermeasures and includes updated data on privacy and breach notifications.

The sixth volume of the report is now available (in 10 languages), visit the Malware Protection Center Website to access the report and key findings. You will also find a 10 minute video of the key findings there.

For further information and insight read the article "Who's at Risk on the Internet Today? We All Are. Act Accordingly…" on the Microsoft Malware Protection Center Blog

One of Microsoft's Best Kept Secrets - Microsoft Online Media Series - It's free!

Daniel Good — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:32:00 GMT

You seriously don't want to miss out on this.... When money is tight and whilst the global economic downturn takes hold you certainly should explore and make use of the Microsoft Online Media Series - it's FREE!!

Whether your an IT Professional, Developer, IT Executive, Business Executive, Business Professional, Small Business you will find Webcasts , Virtual Labs , Podcasts to meet your learning needs!

Simply visit Microsoft Online Media Series and select the topic, product or technology of interest, for example SQL Server 2008 (shown below), and select from the list of Webcasts and Virtual Labs.

For further Learning and Development resources check out:the BlogMS Resource Guide.

BlogMS Resource Guides

Daniel Good — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 15:06:00 GMT

Are you aware that there are a number of resource guides published on BlogMS including: free software and services, newsletters, connect, team blogs directory, software + services and cloud computing, support resources....

The aim of these is to pull together disparate information into a concise overview. Time permitting more guides will be added, but for now, you can get started with these right away - click on one of the icons below. If you have any feedback, or there is a guide you would like to see written then don't hestiate to get in touch.

You will always find these on the left hand navigation bar of the BlogMS site.

Unified Communications: Hardware Devices and Software

Daniel Good — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:50:00 GMT

Microsoft unified communications technologies use the power of software to deliver complete communications—messaging, voice, and video—across the applications and devices that people use every day.

Integrating the experiences you associate with the telephone—phone calls, voice mail, and conferencing—the work you do on a computer—documents, spreadsheets, instant messaging, e-mail, and calendars—has the power to fundamentally change the way people work.

The Microsoft Unified Communications Microsite has all the details about Microsoft software products, Microsoft Online Services and hardware solutions that make Unified Communications a reality.

Software Products Overview:

Office Communications Service (OCS) 2007, Office Communications Server 2007, along with its family of clients (Office Communicator 2007) and devices, combines enterprise-ready instant messaging, presence, conferencing, and Voice over IP telephony in a fully integrated unified communications solution.
Exchange Server 2007: Microsoft Exchange Server provides the platform for giving your users access to e-mail, calendar, contacts, faxes and voicemail
Office 2007: The Microsoft Office system is comprised of the applications you're used to—such as Word, Excel, and Outlook—plus new desktop applications and servers such as SharePoint Server, PerformancePoint Server, and Project Server. The Office system integrates communications, enterprise systems, and Web services with the Microsoft Office applications you use every day, so you can collaborate, communicate, and get things done.
OCS 2007 Speech Server, With Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Speech Server, you can develop and deploy interactive voice response (IVR) applications. Speech Server combines speech technologies, Voice over IP (VoIP), and telephony capabilities into a single system
Live Communications Server 2005: Microsoft Office Live Meeting is a conferencing service that connects audiences in online meetings, training, and events.

Microsoft Online Services can be used as an alternative to implementing Microsoft products within your company: Exchange Hosted Services, Hosted Messaging and Collaboration, Office Live Meeting service

Microsoft Hardware Overview

Microsoft is well known for providing software products, and more recently on-line services. However, customers may not be aware that Microsoft and it's partners has hardware/device solutions that are compatible with the Unified Communications offering.

Microsoft RoundTable: Microsoft RoundTable is an advanced collaboration and conferencing device that provides participants with an engaging and immersive remote meeting experience. Used with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 or the 2007 version of Microsoft Office Live Meeting, RoundTable provides a 360-degree view of the conference room, high-quality audio, and video that tracks the flow of conversation among multiple speakers.
Microsoft Office Communicator Devices: There are a number of phones and other devices which are optimised to work with Microsoft Office Communicaor, including: IP Phones, USB Phones, USB Cordless Headsets, USB Corded Headsets, USB Speakerphones, Webcams and Monitors
Microsoft Windows Mobile Devices (for Business): For organizations with mobile information workers, Windows Mobile powered solutions provide mobile access to e-mail, contacts, and calendar, and tasks. This increases employee productivity and responsiveness. Windows Mobile powered solutions help you move your business forward. If you need to manage securely manage Windows Mobile Devices in an Enterprise environment you may also wish to look at Systems Center Windows Mobile Device Manager
Microsoft Hardware: Microsoft has a number of Webcams and Headsets which can be used for Unified Communications.
Open Interoperability Program for Enterprise Telephony infrastructure: A Microsoft TechNET microsite dedicated to help customers find qualified SIP-PSTN gateways and IP-PBXs and the process for telephony infrastructure vendors to join and participate in the program.

The implementation of the Microsoft Unified Communications vision brings a unique opportunity for customers to integrate their business systems with the technology. Detailed information for developers can be found on the developer portal: Unified Communications Developer Portal:

For further information visit the Microsoft Unified Communications Microsite.

Essential Support Resources to keep your Infrastructure and Application Services Running…

Daniel Good — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:11:00 GMT

Sorry for the inconvenience this page has moved here:

Product Family	12 Months	24 Months
Windows		Yes
Office	Yes
Servers	Yes
Developer Tools	Yes
Business Solutions	Yes
Consumer, Hardware, Multimedia, Games	Yes