The TechNet Australia Blog : TechNet Magazine

TechNet Magazine November - Happy Users = Happy Admins

Deeps — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 03:42:44 GMT

Check out the November issue of TechNet Magazine. Its got some good articles around using BDD 2007 and SQL Server around desktop deployments, how to create a secure messaging environment with Exchange Edge Transport Servers plus more.

Windows Administration
Changes to Offline Files in Windows Vista
It's a common problem—how do you let users work with files stored on the network, when they have unreliable or no connectivity, and still avoid versioning issues? Such continuity is essential to providing a seamless experience. Discover how improvements in Windows Vista provide a better approach to working with offline files.

Desktop Deployment
Simple, Scalable Deployment with BDD 2007
Don't have SMS 2003? Don't worry, there's another solution for creating simple desktop deployments. Here's an in-depth guide to using BDD 2007 and SQL Server to create scalable deployments that require little or no manual input.

Communications
Exchange Edge Transport Servers at Microsoft: Part 2
Exchange Edge Transport servers can help you create a more reliable and secure messaging environment. We showed you how to configure these servers in Part 1, now we'll take you through some detailed examples of how key features help improve your messaging environment.

Networking
Configure VPN Remote Access with ISA Server 2006
A virtual private network can provide improved connectivity and increased productivity—and it doesn't need to be difficult to implement and manage. Find out how you can use ISA Server 2006 to address two common VPN scenarios.

SQL Server
Optimizing SQL Server Query Performance
When you optimize database performance, tuning individual queries is as important as tuning server hardware and software configurations. Even one runaway query can bring a database to its knees. Here's a guide to generating, analyzing, and tweaking execution plans to optimize the performance of your SQL Server queries.

TechNet Magazine October 2007

Deeps — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 09:03:04 GMT

The TechNet Magazine is out for October and has some great features including a section on Green Computing.

Features
Build a Green Datacenter
A Guide to Active Directory Replication
New Software Update Management Tools
Exchange Edge Transport Servers at Microsoft
Optimizing SQL Server CPU Performance

TechNet Magazine Online - July 2007

Deeps — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 01:44:00 GMT

This month's edition covers two areas - Communications and Windows Administration.
Communications
IT is all about communicating information, and protecting that information as it is stored and transmitted is paramount. There are many ways data can be lost, corrupted, or stolen, and you must protect against those threats. To help you guard the data entrusted to your organization we bring you this month's lineup, which includes access protection with Smart Cards so that you can feel safer about who gets into your network, disaster recovery for Exchange 2007 so you don’t lose all that critical email in the event of disaster, and a guide to security for Windows Mobile 6. We also look at public folders in MOSS 2007 so your users can share information safely and conveniently.

Windows Administration
What issue would be complete without a nod to better administration? This month: learn to control which ActiveX controls are installed on your network and what they can do.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/technetmag/

Features

Communications
Data Protection and Disaster Recovery for Exchange Server 2007
Exchange Server 2007 includes an array of options to support high availability and disaster recovery. Explore the alternatives Exchange has to offer and plan the ideal recovery solution for your organization.

Improve Security with Windows Mobile 6
While smartphones and PDAs offer access to the network from outside the office, they can also expose the network to new vulnerabilities. Here’s a guide to how Windows Mobile 6 and Exchange Server can help protect your company’s mobile devices and infrastructure.

A Powerful Alternative to Public Folders
MOSS 2007 provides a far more powerful solution for sharing data than Exchange public folders, offering enhanced capabilities and easier administration. Take a look at how you can use SharePoint for sharing calendars, contacts, and documents.

Log onto Outlook Web Access with Smart Cards
One of the most vulnerable links in the security chain has to do with weak, easily compromised passwords. Learn how you can improve e-mail security by implementing two-factor smart card authentication for your mobile users.

Windows Administration
The ActiveX Installer Service in Windows Vista
How do you secure the desktop against malicious ActiveX controls without limiting application compatibility? We’ll take you on a tour of the ActiveX Installer Service (AxIS) in Windows Vista that addresses this issue with a new way to manage ActiveX controls.

TechNet Magazine Online - June 2007

Deeps — Tue, 29 May 2007 03:09:00 GMT

It's security month again. Learn how User Account Control in Windows Vista protects the machines you manage by limiting the administrator privileges users normally run with. BitLocker Drive Encryption, another Vista feature, adds security as well by providing full volume encryption and the validation of startup components.

Also this month, finally get the tools you need to manage and control the kinds of hardware users install and connect to your network. You may be surprised at the range of security improvements this provides. Plus, read up on the four security must-haves: risk management, anti-malware, network anomaly detection, and configuration monitoring.

Finally, see how the Windows Vista firewall offers protection right at your doorstep and how ACL enhancements offer better permissions control.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/technetmag/

Features
Inside Windows Vista User Account Control
User Account Control, or UAC, is one of the most misunderstood new features in Windows Vista. But its goal—to enable users to run with standard user rights—can solve many security issues. Get an inside look at the problems UAC is designed to address and see exactly how this new feature works. Mark Russinovich

Keys to Protecting Data with BitLocker Drive Encryption
BitLocker serves two very important purposes: it provides both full-volume data encryption and a way to validate the integrity of early startup components before Windows Vista starts. Get an overview of how BitLocker works and see how it can help you protect your organization. Byron Hynes

Exploring the Windows Vista Firewall
Mobility has changed computer threats and the techniques that guard against them. As laptops wander outside the perimeter and come back to the network, you need better ways to protect your systems. Find out how you can use Windows Firewall to protect your computers—on the Internet and on your own internal network. Steve Riley

New ACLs Improve Security in Windows Vista
While ACLs haven't had a major overhaul, there are a number of important changes you need to know about when managing ACLs in a Windows Vista environment. Discover how 30 ACLs have changed to improve security, find out how they will impact your organization, and learn how to manage these changes in your infrastructure. Jesper Johansson

Managing Hardware Restrictions via Group Policy
USB thumb-disk keys and other removable devices can make your personal life easier but your professional life harder. For improved security, you need a way to control what hardware devices your users are installing on their work systems. Now you can use Group Policy to control which devices they can use and which ones they can't.
Jeremy Moskowitz

4 Security Technologies Every IT Organization Must Have
Most businesses share similar security issues. In today's connected world, there are four general types of security tools that every organization absolutely must have. Find out what these tools are and explore how the technologies involved may work together in the future to create the ideal security solution. Matt Clapham and Todd Thompson

A Powerful New Tool for Certificate Management
Certificates are a key component in your infrastructure— when one expires, productivity can come to a halt. If you rely on a Microsoft PKI environment, the new Identity Lifecycle Manager Certificate Management (ILM-CM) solution can help keep things running smoothly. Find out how this tool can help you improve authentication processes and reduce certificate management costs. Kevin Dallmann