Down under with Microsoft Technology and Consulting Services..

The New MSN Homepage

2009-11-04T14:42:31Z

Check out the redesigned new MSN, The new MSN homepage offers a fresh new look that brings the best of Bing, the latest news and entertainment and instant access to social networks and comprehensive local information all in one place. You can check it out now at http://preview.msn.com, screen shot below:

Some of the salient features include that Bing is deeply integrated throughout the homepage and content experiences and brings you the best of search and Bing’s advanced decision-making tools. While we have reduced links on the page by half and removed the clutter to deliver a fresh new design with simplified navigation and improved performance.

You can follow the MSN team on facebook and on their blog. Happy surfing!!

US Public Sector Virtual Launch Event - The New Efficiency (Win 7, WS 2008 R2, and Exchange Server 2010)

2009-11-04T13:28:15Z

I would highly encourage you to attend this LIVE event, attendees will learn how cost savings and productivity come together with a new wave of Microsoft® products via 28 virtual sessions. Participants can evaluate exciting innovations in Windows® 7, Windows Server® 2008 R2, and Microsoft Exchange Server 2010; download evaluation products; visit partner booths; and view product demos and deep dive sessions.

Register today for PDC 2009 - Nov 17-19, 2009

2009-10-02T00:56:24Z

The Professional Developers Conference (PDC) is the definitive developer event focused on the technical strategy of the Microsoft developer platform. Attendees come from around the world to learn about the future of Microsoft developer technology directly from the people who make it happen. If you’re a developer, architect or technology leader involved in making strategic technology decisions for your company or organization, the PDC is for you.

Since 1991, the PDC has been the epicenter of Microsoft’s biggest platform announcements, including Microsoft .NET, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. This year, you’ll hear more details about our services platform, Windows, the Web, devices, and our next generation of developer tools.

Learn more about the big announcements from last year and experience the PDC08 online via Channel 9.

GET MORE FROM PDC WITH WORKSHOPS:
Attend the PDC09 Workshops on November 16 (the day before the conference) and get exclusive access to in-depth developer content not available to the general public or event-only attendees. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from recognized industry experts in a more intimate format.

Choose from seven full-day workshop topics during conference registration. Additional fees apply to attend the Workshops. If you’re already registered for the conference and you want to register for a Workshop, it’s not too late – simply login and update your registration record. Need help? Contact the registration desk at pdc09@ustechs.com.

Watch Workshop presenters introduce their topics on Channel 9:

FREE WINDOWS DEVELOPER BOOT CAMP ON NOV 16th 2009:
Jump-start your Windows 7 experience, the day before the conference begins. Join top Windows 7 engineers, Mark Russinovich, Landy Wang, and Arun Kishan, for an intense, high quality training session. Whether you are looking to create more performant, reliable, or secure applications, or you are an application developer looking to leapfrog past your competition, this FREE Boot Camp can get you from zero to hero in less than eight hours!

You do not need to register for PDC09 to attend the Boot Camp, however, you must register secure your spot. About the Windows 7 Boot Camp >>

Who should attend?
Attendees come from around the world to learn about the Microsoft developer platform directly from the people who make it happen. The PDC is for developers, architects and technology leaders who are involved in making strategic technology decisions for their company or organization.

When: November 17-19, 2009

Where: Los Angeles, CA - USA

Microsoft has released MSE (FREE Antivirus and Antispyware)

2009-10-01T09:09:37Z

Microsoft delivered the final, public version of its Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) utility, a free antivirus and anti-malware product for Windows XP, Vista, and 7. This is available as free download for any Windows XP SP2 or later OS for every genuine copy of the operating system.

Click hear for more information and download. I would highly recommend that you have it installed as its fast, snappy…. moreover it uses the same engine which is used by our Forefront security products.

Happy protection!!

Microsoft Developer Event: Leverage MOSS 2010 as a Development platform - Attend Online! November 2, 2009 (Monday)

2009-10-01T01:36:34Z

Maximize Your SharePoint Investment: Leverage It as a Development Platform!

We invite you to join us at this in-person & virtual event that will assist your agencies and organizations in further realizing the return on your existing SharePoint investment via Enterprise SharePoint Development. Enterprise Application Development on the SharePoint Platform enables a multitude of SharePoint benefits to be coupled with the power of the .NET platform. This combination allows the creation of flexible, integrated and secure line-of-business applications to be built in a fraction of the time of traditional development. So join us at the event in Reston or DC on a date and time convenient to you, or virtually, as we explore Microsoft’s current and long term strategy for the Microsoft SharePoint Platform and supporting Development Tools. Seize this opportunity to immerse yourself in the exciting world of Enterprise SharePoint Development!

The Agenda

Time	Session	Presenter
9:30 – 10:00	Registration
10:00 – 11:00	Keynote: Taking your SharePoint Investment to the Next Level with Visual Studio 2010	Jay Schmelzer: Principal Group Manager – Visual Studio for Business Apps
11:00 – 12:00	Realizing SharePoint as a Development Platform	Lamont Harrington: Principle Architect Evangelist; Microsoft US DPE Public Sector
12:00 – 1:00	Lunch
1:00 – 2:30	Get started with SharePoint Application Development with Visual Studio	Ken McArdle: Sr. Development Technology Specialist
2:30 – 2:45	Break
2:45 – 4:00	Building a successful SharePoint development team	Ken McArdle: Sr. Development Technology Specialist

Who Should Attend

CTO, CIO, Architects, Developers and Technical Stakeholders who wish to gain a better understanding of the long term vision of SharePoint as a platform for Enterprise Applications & the benefit of developing for SharePoint.

Attend Online! November 2, 2009 (Monday)

REGISTER TODAY!

Microsoft Public Sector Developer Conference – Oct 27, 2009

2009-10-01T01:32:51Z

I wanted to post the following developer events, refer to the details below:

About the Conference on October 27, 2009

We invite you to join us for a day of developer-oriented technical sessions, featuring the Microsoft Visual Studio Team System, .NET Framework, .NET Services Service Bus, Silverlight 3 and Internet Explorer 8. These exciting technologies enable entirely new types of applications to be built in record time. Learn how Microsoft Visual Studio Team System (VSTS) helps software development teams deliver complex software solutions more successfully. The Microsoft Visual Studio Team System platform provides software development lifecycle tools aimed at enforcing best practices for the roles performed by team members - project managers, architects, developers, database professionals, and testers. The presentation on VSTS will provide an insight in to VSTS as an integration platform that improves communication and collaboration between team members throughout the entire development process.

Who Should Attend

Developers, Architects, Web Designers and technical managers who wish to get an early look at the next advancement in Software Development.

The Agenda

Please note: Breakfast and lunch will not be provided during this event.

Time	Session	Duration	Presenter
8:30 – 9:00	Registration
9:00 – 10:30	Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) with Visual Studio Team System (VSTS)	90 minutes	Piyush Saggi
10:30 – 10:45	Break	15 minutes
10:45 – 11:30	Architecting Application Security using .NET and Active Directory	45 minutes	Modularis
11:30 – 12:30	Developing and Integrating Solutions with the .Net Service Bus	60 minutes	Joel Reyes
12:30 – 1:30	Lunch Break - Attendees will be on their own for lunch	60 minutes
1:30 – 2:45	What is New in Silverlight 3?	75 minutes	Pat Weikle
2:45 – 4:00	Enhancing User Experience with Internet Explorer 8	75 minutes	Joel Reyes

Event Date: October 27, 2009

Event Time: 09:00 – 16:00

Event Location:
Hilton Harrisburg
One North Second Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101
(717) 233-6000

REGISTER TODAY!

Click the link above OR call 1-877-673-8368

Windows Mobile 6.5 launch on Oct. 6, 2009

2009-09-30T07:02:31Z

Long awaiting WM6.5 would finally be widely available at retail stores worldwide on Oct. 6, 2009. The new phones will be the first to feature Windows Mobile 6.5, the latest version of Microsoft’s mobile phone software, and will deliver new customer experiences through an improved, easy-to-use user interface, better browsing capabilities and access to valuable services, including Windows Marketplace for Mobile and Microsoft My Phone.

What’s new?
The new WM6.5 will have a cool new look that shows you what’s most important to you at a glance. The new home screen features customizable widgets that display updates from your favorite web services, such as news, weather, traffic, and more, and you can tap into them quickly. Plus, there’s faster, more efficient access to personal e-mail, work e-mail, phone messages, and instant messaging. Also included: an improved touch-screen interface that makes it easy to take action with a finger and an updated version of the latest Internet Explorer Mobile browser, which executes more tasks than any other mobile browser without error messages and dead-ends.

Microsoft My Phone is a free service that lets you access, manage, and back up information on your phone—contacts, calendar appointments, text messages, photos, and more—to a password-protected web-based service. That way, you can easily back up and restore your phone’s content and upgrade to new phones without the worry of losing important information. Find more information on My Phone web site.

Windows Marketplace for Mobile will be a new integrated service with Windows phones based on Windows Mobile 6.5. You’ll be able to search, browse, and buy mobile applications directly from your phone or your PC.

I would also like to highlight some of the very useful applications which I have been using on my device is Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile (screen shot below)

Screen Capture: Mark Boyer from the Office Communicator team blog

You can also download and use the new Facebook application for Windows Mobile which enables you to:

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.

Join the U.S. Public Sector Virtual Launch

2009-09-30T03:51:04Z

On November 10th at 9 am (PST)/12 pm (EST) you are invited to join Microsoft U.S. Public Sector Vice President Curt Kolcun and top technology leaders at “The New Efficiency” virtual launch event for government, education, and health.

The new efficiency virtual launch experience is happening now. Learn how cost savings and productivity come together with a new wave of Microsoft® products. Be one of the first to evaluate exciting innovations in Windows® 7, Windows Server® 2008 R2, and Microsoft Exchange Server 2010.

Join us for the U.S. Public Sector Virtual Launch experience November 10
Register at www.uspsvle.com today!

Join Steve Ballmer at www.thenewefficiency.com

2009-09-23T03:51:01Z

With about 6 days left for the must-see event with Steve Ballmer and other select senior IT leaders, I highly encourage you to mark you calendars

Join Steve Ballmer in a live panel discussion with senior industry leaders to discuss the “The New Efficiency” live from San Francisco. See top technology leaders from across the industry debate the role of IT during this economic reset in this must-see launch event.

Watch live over the Web! 9-10.30am PDT (US Time), September 29th 2009.To put a reminder in your calendar, click at: www.TheNewEfficiency.com

Can cost savings, productivity and innovation come together? We hope you will see for yourself how:

Windows 7 can help you raise productivity, reduce management costs as part of the Windows Optimized Desktop, and manage risks through enhanced security and control.
Windows Server 2008 R2 enables dynamic provisioning and management of virtual workloads, reduces energy costs, and combines with Windows 7 to make branch offices more cost-effective and remote workers more productive.
Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 can simplify administration and deployment of messaging, improve archiving capabilities, and extend your messaging across multiple access points.

Microsoft Professional Photography Blog

2009-08-07T07:16:00Z

Not sure if most of you know that Microsoft does have a dedicated Professional Photography blog which is refered to us Microsoft Icons of Imaging. This site is dedicated to showcasing sample of their incredible imagery, form memebers who are recognized around the world as leaders in photography and digital imaging. The site provides an inspiration to digital photographers to create the best photographic images possible.

Check it out at http://www.microsoft.com/prophoto/icons/default.aspx

Have a voice - Join Voices for Economic Recovery

2009-08-03T04:59:00Z

Like many in the US I wanted to share the following around the subjected:

Microsoft has been working hard to understand the impact and implications of the ARRA including the requirements government and education institutions will need to follow. The current landscape calls for collaboration across agencies, schools and organizations unlike any other time in our past. There seems to be a gap when it came to this topic and our goal is to fill it with Voices for Economic Recovery.

Please visit this site and sign in with your Microsoft Passport/Live ID. You will have the opportunity to share as much or as little of your profile as you want. Then, click on Start a Conversation and take it from there. We hope you see the value in this site and will continue to participate as the site grows.

Quick launch equitant in Windows 7

2009-06-05T07:08:00Z

I have been asked so many times this question, that I decided to put it up for general consumption. With RC version we have the capacity to pin down the program on task bar – just as we use to do it in pre Windows 7 (Vista, XP etc). All you need to do is to drag and drop a file and the file will be pinned under its respective program’s Jump List and that program automatically gets pinned to the taskbar. Which is now your new Quick launch with Windows 7

MUST SEE Video - Microsoft Office Labs vision 2019 (montage)

2009-03-07T00:41:00Z

When Microsoft decides to imagine the future, it never fails to impress. Not only do you have some of the smartest people envisioning what’s possible, but they also invest so much into communicating these ideas through sights and sounds which the production value can be compared to most blockbuster sci-fi films.

MUST SEE Video: http://www.istartedsomething.com/20090228/microsoft-office-labs-vision-2019-video

MS project and Visio are NOT RMS enabled.

2009-03-06T22:24:00Z

I was asked on the subejcted and wanted to to reconfimr MS project and Visio are NOT RMS enabled.

ANNOUNCEMENT NEWS: How VMware is misleading everyone about the cost savings of VDI

2009-03-05T11:38:00Z

FYI.

http://www.brianmadden.com/blogs/brianmadden/archive/2009/02/23/how-vmware-is-misleading-everyone-about-the-cost-savings-of-vdi.aspx

How VMware is misleading everyone about the cost savings of VDI

Written on Feb 23 2009

Filed under: VDI, VMware, VMware View

3,938 views, 22 comments

by Brian Madden

I just got out of my first breakout session here at VMworld Europe 2009. It was a session about the cost savings of VDI. The presenter was good and the content was basically good. In the session, the presenter walked step-by-step through a comparison of a traditional fat-client desktop computing model with a VMware View 3-based VDI model. She covered capex and opex expenses and looked at all the reasons customers could save money (both hard and soft costs) by going with VDI.

I agreed with MOST of the content of the session. However, I think VMware left out two very, very important things. In fact these omissions are so great that they would "break" VMware's VDI cost savings model. But instead of addressing them, VMware just ignored them. (They weren't even mentioned!) Most of the audience was new to VDI (as evidenced by the number of hands that went up when the presenter asked how many people had heard of VECD and who had used ThinApp.)

This is a big problem. After this presentation was over, 200 people walked out of that room thinking that VDI is great and provides great savings, but VMware mislead them all by not providing the complete picture.

Misleading Tactic #1 - VMware compares VDI to traditional computing, yet ignores TS

The whole session was basically a cost savings analysis of VDI over traditional fat-client computing. Fundamentally I don't have a problem with that. I even agree with all the savings numbers that were presented. The BIG PROBLEM I have is that for EVERY POINT made in the "pro" VDI category, the exact same point could have been made in a "pro" Terminal Server category. So while I agree 100% that yes, VDI could have saved the amount of money the presenter was suggesting, I think that a Terminal Server-based solution could have saved EVEN MORE money.

The biggest savings would be on the capital expenditure of the server hardware. The VMware VDI session listed $150-200 per user for server hardware. This was assuming a fairly standard Dell server with 6 to 8 users per core. Again, I agree 100%. HOWEVER, the exact same architecture based on Terminal Server could have what, 20 or 30 users per core? Even if we assume only 20 users per core, we'll still looking at a 3x difference in hardware costs per user.

In fact one of the case studies used a customer was going with Vista, so the presenter said that customer got even less than 6 users per core since they needed the performance. And that's a good point. If you have very intense apps, you can also dial-down the number of users on a Terminal Server too. (I'll take a Terminal Server with 6 users per core over a VDI solution with 6 users per core any day...)

The bottom line: VDI was a lower cost option than the traditional computing. But the presenter never mentioned the lowest cost option which was TS. And sure, there are certain cases where VDI is needed and where TS won't work, but the case studies presented in the session were not those kind of cases. TS would have worked fine for them and would have been much cheaper than VDI.

I raised my hand at the end and asked the presenter about TS. She just said that Gartner or Forrester or someone was working on a cost analysis that also included TS. She didn't address the fact that TS could have been used in these cases studies, or why VMware sold the customer on VDI instead of TS.

Misleading Tactic #2 - VMware assumes all apps will work with ThinApp

Another component of the VMware VDI solution is ThinApp. (It's now bundled into the Platinum edition of View 3.) The whole cost analysis from this session is based on replacing your old fat desktops with VDI-based server-based computing.

One of the new features of VMware View 3 is View Composer, a component that uses VMware's linked clone feature to enable many users to share a single master disk image (with each user getting their own delta differential clone file). VMware positions that as a great cost savings, since you don't need 10GB (or whatever) on your SAN for every single user like you did with VDM2. The problem is that in order for this to work, you have to dynamically stream your applications on-demand into your disk image. VMware suggests you can do that with ThinApp. I agree with this 100%.

But here's the problem with ThinApp (and all other application virualization products too, like App-V, InstallFree, etc.). THINAPP CANNOT VIRTUALIZE 100% OF YOUR APPS. Sure, it can do most of them. But it can't do 100%. So what happens when you decide to implement a VMware VDI solution and you build your whole cost analysis model around getting rid of supporting your desktop and app issues and everything, but then you learn that you can't put all of your apps into ThinApp? Now you've got two choices:

1. Install the apps in the traditional way (manually or via SMS) into the VMs. This would work, but now you break your linked-clone disk savings (since the apps would either (a) be installed for all users in the master image, (b) be installed for each user into the diff clones, or (c) you'd need to have multiple master images. Either way you destroy your cost savings model.

2. Install the apps onto the local fat desktops. But now you have a MAJOR user experience problem since VMware View only runs in remote desktop mode (i.e. no published apps), so now your users have to switch back and forth between two desktops, and you'd have profile sync issues and all sorts of problems, ON TOP OF THE FACT that you're still supporting local desktops, again completely destroying your cost savings model.

In other words, the big cost savings model that VMware is pushing for their View 3 VDI solution is ONLY TRUE IF EVERY SINGLE APP YOU HAVE IS THINSTALL COMPATIBLE. Is that the case for you? Maybe. (And if so, woo-hoo!) But if not, you have some serious thinking to do. (And again, this is why I recommend that you only use VDI where you tactically need it. There are too many issues to broadly use it across the board.)

Before you call me a "VDI hater"...

"You know I spank you because I love you!" The truth is I love VDI. I WANT VDI to be successful. But if someone tries to go down the path of VDI with just the information they're getting from VMware, they're most likely to end up uncovering a lot of hidden costs or gotchas down the road, potentially leading to them ripping out their solution or just feeling really stupid. Or, they're in a position where they build out a VDI environment that's way more expensive than a comparable Terminal Server solution that could deliver the exact same experience and do the exact same thing.

I want to be clear on something here. Several people came up to me after the VMware session and asked, "Do you think that cost savings analysis is too much of a topic for a one hour session?" My answer is "no." I am NOT upset because VMware over-simplified it. The over-simplification was done well and the perfect amount for the one-hour session. I am upset because the presentation left out two key elements that could drastically change the cost model. (And I don't think you can leave out these two things under the guise of "over-simplification.")

This is one spot where Citrix, Microsoft, and Quest have a huge advantage over VMware. Since the other three vendors all offer VDI-based and TS-based solutions, you can at least feel confident that you're getting the lowest-cost architecture solution from them. I don't think that's the case with VMware. (And before you say "but View 3 supports Terminal Server too," let me tell you that the TS support is View 3 is NOT fully baked. There's a lot of stuff you don't get with TS, like the ThinPrint capabilities and the TCX RDP extensions. And in fact the term "Terminal Server" is never mentioned in VMware's cost models.)

So be careful. Warn your friends.