Chris Parkes: A PC is not just for Christmas... : Partner

SharePoint, Customisation and Sample Master Pages

chrisp — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:00:29 GMT

Here's another screencast I've recorded which shows how to apply the sample custom master pages available on Office Online to Windows SharePoint Services team sites.

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server - Customisation

This recording is based on the Demo Showcase virtual images, a resource readily available to Microsoft Gold and Certified partners. Total running time is just over two and a half minutes :)

Parkesy

SharePoint, People, Personalisation and MySite

chrisp — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:00:32 GMT

Here's another screencast I've recorded which shows some of the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server personalisation capabilities of MySites including profile editing and blog creation.

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server - People & Personalisation

This recording is based on the Demo Showcase virtual images, a resource readily available to Microsoft Gold and Certified partners. Total running time is just under five minutes :)

Parkesy

SharePoint, Collaboration and Workflow

chrisp — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:12:58 GMT

Here's another screencast I've recorded which shows some of the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server collaboration capabilities including the out of the box Approval workflow.

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server - Collaboration

This recording is based on the Demo Showcase virtual images, a resource readily available to Microsoft Gold and Certified partners. Total running time is ten minutes :)

Parkesy

Insight Into FAST Search and SharePoint Roadmap

chrisp — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:33:34 GMT

The roadmap for SharePoint Search and FAST enterprise search integration got an update today. In summary:

FAST Search for SharePoint is a new search server adding FAST ESP capabilities into Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server (SharePoint "14")
ESP for SharePoint is high-end search for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, available today.

You can find out more from the official SharePoint Team blog...

http://blogs.msdn.com/sharepoint/archive/2009/02/10/microsoft-unveils-new-enterprise-search-road-map.aspx

Parkesy

SharePoint and 64 bit (x64) Development

chrisp — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:42:51 GMT

I've been struggling to develop anything on my 64bit Windows Server 2008 box for a while now, mainly due to lack of support for this on 64 bit. The Visual Studio 2008 Extensions for Windows SharePoint Services version 1.3 addresses my needs :)

You can download from here and more details on the content of the package can be found here.

Can be installed on x64 Server OS machines running SharePoint x64. Previously only x86 Server OS could be used
Command line build, package and retract commands are included enabling continuous integration and build servers. Previously command line build of SharePoint projects was very difficult
Refactoring support for renaming of Web Parts. Previously renaming a web part required changes in several files in the project

Enjoy!

Parkesy

SharePoint and Search

chrisp — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:49:31 GMT

Here's another screencast I've recorded which shows some of the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server search capabilities including how to search across content including the business data catalog and people.

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server - Search

This recording is based on the Demo Showcase virtual images, a resource readily available to Microsoft Gold and Certified partners. Total running time is under four minutes :)

Parkesy

Microsoft ROI Calculators (from Nucleus Research)

chrisp — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:39:12 GMT

The following tools may be useful to help build business case and justification with regards to return on investment (ROI) requirements as part of a project bid which involves any of the following Microsoft technologies:

BizTalk Server
Business Intelligence
Dynamics AX/CRM/GP/NAV/SL
Enterprise Project Management
Exchange Server
InfoPath
PerformancePoint Server
SharePoint
SQL Server
Visual Studio Team System

http://nucleusresearch.com/microsoft-roi-support-center/

Enjoy :)

Parkesy

SharePoint, Business Process & Forms

chrisp — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:27:00 GMT

Here's a little screencast I've recorded showing a demonstration of some of the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server Forms Services capabilities together with InfoPath forms rendered through a browser and also including simple workflow creation and deployment through SharePoint Designer.

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server - Business Process & Forms

Based on the Demo Showcase virtual images, a resource readily available to Microsoft Gold and Certified partners, the demo lasts just a touch over ten minutes, I'd love to know what you think of it!

Parkesy

Demo Showcase 2008 SMB Edition

chrisp — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:34:37 GMT

The Demo Showcase 2008 SMB Edition is now available for download.

This is a set of 4 comprehensive click through demonstrations designed for partners featuring 12 different Microsoft technologies working together to resolve business needs!

Scenarios:
Business Productivity
Customer Acquisition and Retention
Security and Reliability
Business Solutions

Products:
Windows Essentials Business Server 2008
Windows Small Business Server 2008
Office 2007
Windows Vista
SQL 2008
System Center Essentials 2007
Dynamics CRM 4.0
SharePoint Server 2007

Download from here!

Ciao for now :)

Online Windows Small Business Server 2008 Training Webcasts

chrisp — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:40:57 GMT

Some great, free SBS2008 webcasts coming soon, a series of 8!

WES02PAL: Windows SBS 2008 Core Technical Training, Part 1 of 8: Introduction

Presented by David Fabritius, Nicholas King and Michael Toot

Thursday, August 21, 2008

10:00-11:00am Pacific Time (US & Canada) (GMT-07:00)

PLC Registration Link

Live Meeting Link

Level: 300

Partner Type: CPLS, Microsoft Employee, Regional Solution Partner, System Builder, Value Added Reseller, Value Added Provider

Partner Role: Exec/Owner, Implementer

Join us to get an overview of Windows Small Business Server (SBS) 2008, an integrated server solution that is part of the Windows Essential Server Solutions family. Designed and priced for small businesses, it integrates enterprise-class technologies at an affordable price, offering the capabilities small businesses want at a 35-45% lower cost than purchasing standalone technologies. Windows SBS 2008 offers a more secure, reliable platform that’s built on proven practices, and built to grow along with the company. Full versions of component technologies, streamlined installation, centralized management, and remote access capabilities help customers increase their business capacity at a cost-effective and manageable pace, while the Premium Edition also provides advanced support for line-of-business applications.

WES03PAL: Windows SBS 2008 Core Technical Training, Part 2 of 8: Planning & Installation

Presented by Nicholas King, David Fabritius and Michael Toot

Thursday, August 21, 2008

12:00-1:00pm Pacific Time (US & Canada) (GMT-07:00)

PLC Registration Link

Live Meeting Link

Level: 300

Partner Type: CPLS, Microsoft Employee, Regional Solution Partner, System Builder, Value Added Reseller, Value Added Provider

Partner Role: Exec/Owner, Implementer

Getting the right start is important, and the setup process for Windows SBS 2008 has been specifically designed for SMB partners and customers to ensure a successful deployment. Compared to planning, designing, installing, integrating, and configuring all the component technologies that are included according to best practices, the cost of deploying SBS is dramatically lower! Even compared to previous versions of SBS, the setup process has been improved, streamlined, and reduced to just a few screens. This webcast will cover the things you need to know to successfully prepare for and install Windows SBS 2008, including supported topologies, the minimum and recommended hardware and client OS requirements, what customer information will be needed during the install, and how to use the new Answer File Generator tool to help streamline deployments. You will also learn how to address some common installation issues.

WES04PAL: Windows SBS 2008 Core Technical Training, Part 3 of 8: Migration

Presented by David Fabritius, Nicholas King and Michael Toot

Friday, August 22, 2008

10:00-11:00am Pacific Time (US & Canada) (GMT-07:00)

PLC Registration Link

Live Meeting Link

Level: 300

Partner Type: CPLS, Microsoft Employee, Regional Solution Partner, System Builder, Value Added Reseller, Value Added Provider

Partner Role: Exec/Owner, Implementer

When upgrading an existing Windows server environment, having a simple yet comprehensive migration strategy is essential. In this webcast, we will discuss migrating from Windows Small Business Server 2003 to SBS 2008. We will cover what you need to do to prepare the network for migration, how to automate the installation phase, and finally how to perform the actual migration. You’ll learn about:

∙ the tasks you need to perform on the existing server;

∙ running the Migration Preparation Tool;

∙ how the Answer File Generator tool is used to initiate setup for a migration scenario;

∙ what settings and data are migrated;

∙ considerations for migrating line-of-business applications; and

∙ the answers to many of the questions that arise as part of a migration project.

Note: For additional information and resources relating to Windows SBS 2008 migration, please visit http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc527593.aspx.

WES05PAL: Academy Live - Windows SBS 2008 Core Technical Training, Part 4 of 8: Management, Health, & Security

Presented by Michael Toot, Nicholas King and David Fabritius

Friday, August 22, 2008

12:00-1:00pm Pacific Time (US & Canada) (GMT-07:00)

PLC Registration Link

Live Meeting Link

Level: 300

Partner Type: CPLS, Microsoft Employee, Regional Solution Partner, System Builder, Value Added Reseller, Value Added Provider

Partner Role: Exec/Owner, Implementer

A fundamental strength of Windows SBS 2008 is the ease of administration provided by the completely redesigned, task-oriented management console. In this webcast, you will learn about the full range of functionality provided through the completely redesigned Windows SBS 2008 management console, which was created not only to simplify administration of the environment, but also to prevent common configuration mistakes and reduce the maintenance costs of managing a server environment. Topics include how to:
∙ add users and groups;
∙ create user roles;
∙ manage server storage;
∙ configure backup and perform restores;
∙ monitor the health of the environment and create health reports;
∙ monitor and manage security;
∙ and more!

WES06PAL: Academy Live - Windows SBS 2008 Core Technical Training, Part 5 of 8: Messaging & Collaboration Management

Presented by David Fabritius, Nicholas King and Michael Toot

Monday, August 25, 2008

10:00-11:00am Pacific Time (US & Canada) (GMT-07:00)

PLC Registration Link

Live Meeting Link

Level: 300

Partner Type: CPLS, Microsoft Employee, Regional Solution Partner, System Builder, Value Added Reseller, Value Added Provider

Partner Role: Exec/Owner, Implementer

For many companies, e-mail has become the primary method for communicating with customers, prospects, partners, and just about everyone with whom they do business. Windows SBS 2008 includes the enterprise-class messaging features even small businesses require, such as remote access to e-mail via Outlook Web Access and support for Windows Mobile devices. In addition, more and more businesses are discovering the benefits of using collaboration technologies to increase their productivity. In this webcast, you will learn how Exchange Server 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 have been integrated into the Windows SBS 2008 environment, as well as how to manage and monitor these services.

WES07PAL: Windows SBS 2008 Core Technical Training, Part 6 of 8: Remote Access & Computer Management

Presented by Nicholas King, David Fabritius and Michael Toot

Monday, August 25, 2008

12:00-1:00pm Pacific Time (US & Canada) (GMT-07:00)

PLC Registration Link

Live Meeting Link

Level: 300

Partner Type: CPLS, Microsoft Employee, Regional Solution Partner, System Builder, Value Added Reseller, Value Added Provider

Partner Role: Exec/Owner, Implementer

One of the most popular features in previous versions of Windows SBS is the Remote Web Workplace, a secure web portal that customers can use to check their e-mail, connect to their desktops at work, view the company’s intranet site, and even remotely manage the SBS server. And for those users who require remote functionality that’s not provided by RWW, Windows SBS 2008 makes it easy to configure VPN support as well.
In this webcast, you will learn how to manage these remote services, as well as the third-party and self-issued certificates required to establish secure connections. In addition, we’ll cover how to deploy and manage client computers in the Windows SBS 2008 environment, and other devices including printers and shared faxes.

WES08PAL: Windows SBS 2008 Core Technical Training, Part 7 of 8: LOB Support & Troubleshooting

Presented by Michael Toot, David Fabritius and Nicholas King

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

10:00-11:00am Pacific Time (US & Canada) (GMT-07:00)

PLC Registration Link

Live Meeting Link

Level: 300

Partner Type: CPLS, Microsoft Employee, Regional Solution Partner, System Builder, Value Added Reseller, Value Added Provider

Partner Role: Exec/Owner, Implementer

Windows SBS 2008 Premium makes huge strides forward in the support of line-of-business (LOB) applications by including a second copy of Windows Server 2008 Standard and SQL Server 2008 Standard, enabling customers to run their LOB applications on a second physical server for enhanced performance, scalability, and compatibility. In this webcast, you’ll learn about what’s included in Windows SBS 2008 Premium Edition and the different configurations supported. We will also cover implementing additional servers in the Windows SBS 2008 environment—yes, you CAN have multiple servers in an SBS environment! And finally, we’ll explore advanced administration topics and troubleshooting tools.

WES09PAL: Windows SBS 2008 Core Technical Training, Part 8 of 8: Virtualization

Presented by Nicholas King, David Fabritius and Michael Toot

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

12:00-1:00pm Pacific Time (US & Canada) (GMT-07:00)

PLC Registration Link

Live Meeting Link

Level: 300

Partner Type: CPLS, Microsoft Employee, Regional Solution Partner, System Builder, Value Added Reseller, Value Added Provider

Partner Role: Exec/Owner, Implementer

Virtualization is one of the hottest trends around, and everybody wants to learn more about it! Are you wondering when and why small businesses might care about virtualization? In this webcast, we explore virtualization for small businesses and how it relates to Windows SBS 2008. Several different configuration scenarios will be explored, for both the Standard and Premium Editions of Windows SBS 2008, and what options the different editions provide. We’ll also take a look at the implications for product licensing and deployment considerations when Windows SBS 2008 is virtualized.

Four UK Microsoft SQL Server and BI Courses Available Now!

chrisp — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:40:10 GMT

The Partner Readiness team is pleased to announce the delivery schedule of the following courses

SQL Server 2008 Database Infrastructure and Scalability
https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/search_adv.aspx?ssid=609fbc78-d2c6-4d99-b335-3ee759b12713&site=UK&lang=en-uk

This three-day training course will help database administrators understand how to exploit the new performance, scalability, manageability and high-availability enhancements introduced in SQL Server 2008. Attendees will also learn how to exploit these capabilities, ensure application scalability and how to manage a database using new SQL Server 2008 features.

Introduction to SQL Server 2008 BI Solution Development
https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/search_adv.aspx?ssid=c490cfa6-8115-4087-ae8a-d20a5e0f329b&site=UK&lang=en-uk

This three day course is designed to give developers the confidence to tackle a BI project, and the content is equally relevant to SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2008. This should be attended by developers who are new to the Microsoft BI platform, not those who are familiar with BI development but wish to update their knowledge to SQL Server 2008.

Essential SQL Server 2008 Business Intelligence for Developers
https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/search_adv.aspx?ssid=7138c764-6eee-40b4-80f9-cf2757aee150&site=UK&lang=en-uk

This two day course is targeted at experienced BI developers (or those who have completed the Introduction to SQL Server 2008 BI Solution Development course above) and wish to learn how to exploit the new features of SQL Server 2008 in their BI applications.

Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 Technical Training
https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/search_adv.aspx?ssid=f017ef3d-db86-44e9-b11b-bf9c3e219a3c&site=UK&lang=en-uk

This four day instructor-led workshop provides students with the knowledge and skills to architect and build Business Intelligence solutions using Microsoft® Office PerformancePoint Server 2007. This session covers both Monitoring and Analytics and Planning.

Need to Navigate Microsoft?

chrisp — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:04:24 GMT

Microsoft is a big company. Actually, Microsoft is a huge company! And one of the most common pieces of feedback I receive from partners and customers is that it's often hard to navigate Microsoft, to keep up with all of the changes and associated information disclosures etc. My response is generally along the lines of empathy, indeed ask anyone who works for Microsoft and you'll probably get that empathy from them too :)

Fortunately, Directions on Microsoft, an independent organisation dedicated exclusively to tracking Microsoft is on hand to help everyone see the bigger picture more clearly...

You can find some sample articles here including historical organisational charts and product roadmap information. My personal current favourite (published July 2008) is the Software Plus Services and Developers article. If every little helps, this could be of value...

Ciao for now :)

Small Business Server 2008

chrisp — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:50:52 GMT

Folks have been asking whether or not there will be a small business version of Windows Server 2008, and if so, when will it be available and what's going to be in it? The answer is yes, Windows Small Business Server 2008 is an all-in-one server solution recommended for organisations with up to 50 PCs available in the second half of 2008.

It provides many of the features used by larger companies, such as email, Internet connectivity, internal web sites, remote access, support for mobile devices, file and printer sharing and backup and restore.

You can find an overview and more interestingly differences between the standard and premium editions (premium is a two box application platform solution) on the main site. Also worth noting that processor and memory limits will match Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition.

Ciao for now :)

Meet the Partner Bot and win £1,000!

chrisp — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:28:19 GMT

I blogged about the Partner Bot a while back and it's been in my Live Messenger contacts list ever since. It's a great resource to help signpost you to relevant information in relation to Microsoft web site content and now you could win £1,000 in Capital Bonds vouchers by asking the right question!!!

If you add Partner Bot (partnerbot@hotmail.com) to your contacts and then type "How do I ask Partner Bot the £1,000 question?" into the conversation window, you could be in with a chance to win!

Contest open to all UK registered Microsoft Partners aged 18 or over, terms and conditions apply. Closing date is April 28th 2008, good luck!!!

Ciao for now :)

Microsoft Office Accounting 2008 - UK

chrisp — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:35:25 GMT

Microsoft Office Accounting is an easy to use, comprehensive accounting package that works with other Microsoft Office applications you already know. Because it works just like Word, Excel and Outlook, it's easy to learn. Anyone wanting to download the free, Office Accounting Express 2008 product should head here.

Designed for millions of startup and home based businesses, it provides a single place to manage business finances with the familiar look and feel of Microsoft Office system programs.

There's interactive insight available into business basics and more, familiarity and ease of use, office integration, digital dashboard and PayPal information. It's also possible to import information from Sage® Line50 (v11/v12) and Sage® Instant Accounts (v12).

It can help manage customers, suppliers, employees and stock alongside paying bills, tracking expenses, sending invoices and banking online!

It also provides a complete view of your business through customisable reports so you always know how you’re doing and allows you to see all your important data at a glance with the Digital Dashboard whilst also providing reminders of important deadlines, pending bills and overdue invoices...

Sounds too good to be true? Don't just take my word for it, see for yourself :)

Ciao for now!