Mike Peers talks Infrastructure Solutions : Management

Further Dates for the UK Management Summit

Mike Peers — Thu, 24 May 2007 17:56:00 GMT

Are you in control? How to manage and secure your infrastructure

Microsoft Management Summit UK

These events provide a selection of the most valuable content from the year’s global Microsoft Management Summit event held in San Diego March 26-30^th.

There are two keynotes followed by two parallel tracks each of six breakout sessions, enabling you to build your personal agenda. There will still be time to meet your peers, talk to presenters and assimilate the news!

The focus is on:

· System Center Operations Manager 2007

· System Center Configuration Manager 2007

· Forefront Security

· System Center Essentials 2007

Windows Server virtualisation and System Center Virtual Machine Manager

21^st June- Manchester: https://msevents.microsoft.com/cui/EventDetail.aspx?culture=en-GB&eventid=1032341594

22^nd June- Glasgow: https://msevents.microsoft.com/cui/EventDetail.aspx?culture=en-GB&eventid=1032341613

10^th July- London: https://msevents.microsoft.com/cui/EventDetail.aspx?culture=en-GB&eventid=1032341599

Any queries call 0870 166 6679.

SCE RTM

Mike Peers — Thu, 03 May 2007 15:38:00 GMT

What is Essentials?
Essentials 2007 is a new management solution in the System Center family of IT systems management products specifically designed for midsized businesses (up to 500 PCs and 30 Servers). Essentials 2007 provides a unified management solution that enables IT professionals in midsize organizations to proactively manage their IT environment with increased efficiency.

You can download the evaluation from the main web site : http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/sce/default.mspx

I'll update with links to pricing once available.

System Center Essentials Web Links

Mike Peers — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 10:13:00 GMT

For those who are starting to want to learn more about SCE - here are a set of links to help guide you to useful resources. I've also added these as a list off the site as well. Monday 1st May is the MMS UK technet event at Reading, UK. One of the sessions is on SCE and this will also be recorded and posted on the technet website. I'll post this up when available.

System Center Essentials 2007

http://www.microsoft.com/sce

Remote Managed Services Blog

http://blogs.technet.com/dustinj

Beta newsgroups

microsoft.beta.sce.serviceproviders

microsoft.beta.sce.serviceproviders.setup

microsoft.beta.sce.serviceproviders.operations

(registration with Microsoft Connect required)

System Center Essentials Wiki

http://sce.editme.com

System Center Essentials - what is it?

Mike Peers — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 13:47:00 GMT

System Center Essentials (or SCE, pronounced like "ski") is part of the System Center family of management solutions that helps you proactively plan, deploy, manage, and optimize your IT environment.

It's design to help in the management for customers with upto 500 computers and 30 servers. It will also have a remote management pack to allow partners to manage a customer's environment.

SCE combines the technology from Operation Manager 2007 (http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/opsmgr/default.mspx) which allows for end to end monitoring and deployment capability of windows update services for deployment.

From the SCE whitepaper:

"Many IT pains that midsize businesses experience are related to IT management and include troubleshooting end user problems, automating management tasks, managing multiple systems, and diagnosing and resolving IT problems. Most of these midsize organizations currently have to use a variety of tools to manage their IT environments. Most of these tools are “point” solutions rather than comprehensive management tools. However, we recognize that things are different in the IT world of midsize businesses. Many IT pains that midsize businesses experience are related to IT management and include troubleshooting end user problems, automating management tasks, managing multiple systems, and diagnosing and resolving IT problems. Most of these midsize organizations currently have to use a variety of tools to manage their IT environments. Most of these tools are “point” solutions rather than comprehensive management tools. Some of these tools are no more than re-packaged Enterprise IT management tools which can be complex and require a steep learning curve. Most IT professionals have little spare time to learn and take advantage of these Enterprise tools. The tools that are fairly easy to use tend to be narrow in scope and limited in functionality. Based on this type of customer and partner feedback, Microsoft is developing System Center Essentials 2007 (Essentials 2007), a proactive and unified management solution that enables IT professionals in midsize organizations to more efficiently secure, update, monitor and troubleshoot their IT environments. "

SCE will scale up to 500 desktops and 30 servers - so is very well positioned for Mid Market customers. The pricing won't be available until the release of the product - but it will be very competitive for this market. We're currently at RC1 - which can be downloaded from the system center web site - http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/sce/default.mspx

After the release of SCE (estimate of H1 2007), there will be a Remote Management Services capability built into SCE. This will allows partners to manage customer environments. The partner (using Ops Manager) will have a dashboard view of the customer environment, topologies and see customer sites by computer and role. They can then administer servers, computers and management setttings over the internet.

For more information - refer to the SCE blog links or view the above web site.

"managed technology solution" from £2.60 per desktop per day

Mike Peers — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 13:15:00 GMT

Many mid market customers (using the definition of <1500 employees) have been looking at how they can upgrade their infrastructure creating an IT Asset rather than cost overhead. One option is to embark on several projects, such as desktop, messaging or security upgrades. Typically these projects are spread over financial years or take several years to roll out due to cost constraints.

Microsoft has been working with partners to create a Managed Technology Solution. The solution is a flexible framework that is based on a price per seat per month basis. This is financed via Microsoft Financing providing a monthly operational cost rather than capital cost to the customer. The solution is intended for customers from 250-1500 seats and covers an infrastructure refresh, migration as well as desktop deployment, including cost of desktop hardware, all licenses, partner implementation and support over a 3 year term. The flexible framework allows customers to select the level of resilience required, such as clustering, as well as the additional collaboration solutions. The price is dependent on customer requirements and the number of seats, but as an example a 500 seat organisation requiring the highest resilence level and collaboration solutions would pay £3.15 a day per desktop.

The approach allows customers to help elevate their infrastructure into dynamic IO (see www.microsoft.com/io) and move from capital to operational cost whilst taking advantage of the latest technologies to gain operational and efficiency gains.

The solution is offered via Microsoft Partners - To learn more you can view this video where I am joined by Tim Parker from Syntax to discuss the Managed Technology Solution.

http://blogs.msdn.com/ptstv/archive/2007/04/03/partner-spotlight-syntax.aspx

To learn more visit www.syntax.co.uk or send me an email.

Implementing System Center Operations Manager 2007 at Microsoft

Mike Peers — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 14:44:00 GMT

This is a useful paper for those wanting to understand about implementing SCOM 2007.

Microsoft IT Showcase is pleased to announce the publication of Implementing System Center Operations Manager 2007 at Microsoft, which discusses how Microsoft IT created a centralized monitoring solution by deploying OpsMgr 2007 in its corporate network environment.

Implementing System Center Operations Manager 2007

Describes how the Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007 (OpsMgr 2007) was implemented to improve Microsoft IT's infrastructure management service offerings. OpsMgr 2007 provides a centralized monitoring infrastructure with increased reliability and granular rights delegation. By implementing OpsMgr 2007, Microsoft IT improved operational efficiency and reduced the cost of IT lifecycle investments.

Technical White Paper | PowerPoint Presentation

To learn more about how Microsoft does IT, please visit!

www.microsoft.com/technet/itshowcase

Management Training - UK MMS event

Mike Peers — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 12:42:00 GMT

The TechNet MMS UK event “Are you in control?” provides a selection of the most valuable content from the year’s global Microsoft Management Summit event held in San Diego March 26-30^th.. This year, we will deliver a much wider range of essential technical content: three keynotes followed by three parallel tracks of four sessions.

The focus is on:

· System Center Operations Manager 2007

· System Center Essentials

· System Center Configuration Manager 2007

· Forefront Security

· Windows Server virtualisation and System Center Virtual Machine Manager

The event is in Microsoft Campus, Thames Valley Park, Reading, Chicago 1&2 and Memphis, 1^st May 2007.

Details and Registration for customers and partners at http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032334551&Culture=en-GB

Management Training - Desktop Optimisation Pack

Mike Peers — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 12:10:00 GMT

This event provides the background to Microsoft Desktop Optimisation Pack, its components, licencing, positioning, strategy and future. It includes a drilldown on the Softgrid application virtualisation technology.

Recommended Audience This event is aimed primarily at technical sales staff within partner organisations delivering Microsoft desktop and infrastructure solutions.

44SE002 - Microsoft Desktop Optimisation Pack: why it’s more than just Softgrid

44SE002 - Microsoft Desktop Optimisation Pack: why it’s more than just Softgrid

Date - 28th March

Location - Thames Valley Park, Reading