Tropical Shipping - Lotus Notes Migration Case Study

Tropical Shipping provides containerized shipping services, cargo transfer, and other freight services. For many years, the company’s systems for enterprise messaging and related functions were based on IBM Lotus Domino and Notes. However, Tropical Shipping wanted to better integrate these systems into the company’s Active Directory®–based IT environment and to reduce Notes licensing expenses. In 2007, Tropical Shipping began deploying a comprehensive communication and collaboration solution with Microsoft® Exchange Server 2007 and Microsoft Office SharePoint® Server 2007 as its foundation. Although deployment is still in progress, the new solution is already supporting more streamlined IT management and more effective employee communication, resulting in improved productivity. It also provides a flexible, efficient path for migrating the company’s Notes applications in the near future.

 

Tropical Shipping - Lotus Notes Migration Case Study

Unified Communications Solutions Specialisation is here .. .. ..

Microsoft Unified Communications technologies help streamline communications between people and organisations, regardless of medium, platform, device, or location. Attaining the Unified Communications Solutions competency enables you to demonstrate your expertise in planning, deploying and managing solutions for email and calendaring, presence and instant messaging (IM), unified messaging, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call management and audio-video-Web conferencing. All using Microsoft Unified Communications technologies, including Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft Office Communications Server.

 

For more information on Training, Fast Start Kits and announcements visit the UC Partner Competency Page

 

Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit Solution Accelerator

The Microsoft Assessment and Planning Solution Accelerator is an agentless toolkit that will find computers on a network and perform a detailed inventory of the computers using Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), the Remote Registry Service, or the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). Using this data, MAP will assess and report whether computers can run Windows Vista, Microsoft Office 2007 and Microsoft Application Virtualization (formerly SoftGrid). Assessments for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista also include device driver availability and recommendations for hardware upgrades that may be required.
MAP includes features for gathering performance metrics from computers you are considering for consolidation using Hyper-V in addition to Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2. Using the performance metrics and a model virtual server host computer, you can generate reports that recommend placement of the physical servers in a virtual server environment.Other new reports include a Security Center Assessment for client computers, a Microsoft SQL Server 2008 inventory report as well as an enhanced virtual machine inventory report to help you assess your virtualization efforts to date.
MAP incorporates the assessment features provided by the Windows Vista Hardware Assessment Solution Accelerator, including localization of the Windows Vista assessment reports in French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese.
For home users and users with a few Windows XP computers to migrate, use the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor to understand the readiness of your computer for Windows Vista.

 

Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit Solution Accelerator

Microsoft Intelligent Application Gateway DataSheets

Just in case you haven't seen these .. .. ..

Microsoft's Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 provides secure socket layer (SSL)-based application access and protection with endpoint security management, enabling granular access control and deep content inspection from a broad range of devices and locations to line-of-business, intranet, and client/server resources.

• Intelligent Application Optimizer for Outlook Web Access

  Learn how IAG 2007 provides the benefits of an SSL virtual private network (VPN) with integrated endpoint security and application-layer security via the Intelligent Application Optimizer module for Microsoft Outlook Web Access.

• Intelligent Application Optimizer for Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server

  Read this overview of IAG 2007 with the SharePoint Server Application Optimizer, which cost-effectively enhances collaboration between employees, partners, and customers by providing fully functional and secure policy-based extranet access to this collaborative platform.

• Intelligent Application Optimizer for SAP Enterprise Portal

  Read this overview of IAG 2007 with the SAP Application Optimizer, which enables organizations to extend the value of SAP applications and portal infrastructure software by providing employees, partners, and customers secure policy-based extranet access from Internet-enabled devices.

• Intelligent Application Optimizer for IBM Lotus Domino

  This overview of IAG 2007’s IBM Lotus Domino Application Optimizer describes how it cost-effectively enhances communication and collaboration between employees, partners, and customers by providing secure extranet access to the IBM Lotus Domino collaboration platform.

• Intelligent Application Optimizer for Mobile Access

  Read how the IAG 2007 solution for mobile access provides a security-enhanced front end to servers running Microsoft Exchange, data encryption, and Microsoft ActiveSync single sign-on for e-mail push functionality.

• Intelligent Application Optimizer for IBM Lotus Domino Web Access

  Read this outline of unique Intelligent Application Optimizer features for enabling secure access to Domino Web Access, including transparent Domino server selection.

• Intelligent Application Optimizer for IBM Websphere Portal

  Read this outline of the Application Optimizer that enables secure access to IBM WebSphere portals and applications, with complete control over incoming and outgoing content and native support for Tivoli Access Manager and Domino Directory facilitate user authentication and authorization.

 

For more information go to the IAG 2007 Product Datasheet Page

 

Microsoft IT SharePoint Site Delete Capture LE 1.0

Description

Microsoft Site Delete Capture LE version 1.0 is an Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 solution package that when deployed to a Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 server farm enables administrators to create a snapshot of site collections and Webs when they are deleted through the SharePoint user interface, the SharePoint Administration Tool, or Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer 2007.
Microsoft IT Site Delete Capture LE 1.0 is a light-weight implementation of the Microsoft IT Site Delete Capture 1.0 offered as a Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 solution package. This build does not include e-mail notification logic and introduces deprecated application event logging.
Installation:
Refer to the Microsoft IT Site Delete Capture LE Operations Deployment Guide for guided installation steps or optionally download MSIT Site Delete Capture.bat to automate the installation.

 

Microsoft IT Site Delete Capture LE 1.0

 

Exchange Web Services Windows Vista Gadget Sample Application

The Exchange Web Services Windows Vista Gadget sample application uses Exchange Web Services to retrieve Inbox, Calendar, and Task information from a user's Exchange 2007 mailbox. This sample application enables you to do the following:

• View your latest e-mail messages, upcoming appointments, and tasks.
• Page through your Inbox.
• Open items in a fly-out window.
• Open items in Outlook Web Access.
• Mark messages as read or unread.
• Delete messages.

 

Email, archiving, ediscovery and compliance

I met the guys from Waterfood Technologies a few weeks ago who had an interesting little product that dealt with email archiving, discovery and compliance.

 

 

If you'd like more information give them a call on +44 121 601 7041

Innovative CIOs gain strategic influence

From CIO Magazine -

CIOs will gain the strategic influence they desire if they innovate and achieve efficiency on tightened budgets says Bryan MacDonald, director of the CIO practice at recruitment specialists Harvey Nash. MacDonald said the company’s 10th annual CIO survey revealed CIOs are focussing on collaborative innovation.

Respondents to the survey said the board was looking for technology to enhance operational efficiency, 76 per cent said this was the most important issue for them as CIOs and for the business. Efficiency from improved internal processes was seen as the primary innovation by 65 per cent of the survey group. Harvey Nash describes innovation as the: “key to maintaining competitive advantage through the current economic downturn”.

For more information read the Innovative CIOs gain strategic influence article

Updated Transporter Tools for Lotus Notes

Transporter Suite contains a set of tools for migrations from both Lotus Domino Servers, and generic IMAP/POP sources. For Lotus Domino the suite contains a set of tools for Directory and Free/Busy interoperability between Lotus Domino 6 or 7 and Exchange Server 2007 and Windows Server 2003 Active Directory. In addition for Lotus Domino the suite contains migration tools to migrate users, groups, personal address lists, mailboxes, personal mail archives, and applications from Lotus Domino 5, 6 or 7 to Active Directory, Exchange Server 2007, and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. For generic POP/IMAP servers the suite contains a set of tools to bulk migrate mailboxes from any generic email servers that support the POP3 or IMAP4 protocol to mailboxes in Exchange Server 2007

 

Microsoft Transporter Suite

 

Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint

Microsoft® Forefront™ Security for SharePoint® manages and integrates multiple scan engines from industry leading vendors to help protect Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows® SharePoint Services 3.0
collaboration environments against the latest threats. It provides controls for blocking unwanted content, optimizes server performance, and simplifies security management. Forefront Security for SharePoint with Service Pack 2 (SP2) now includes support for Windows Server® 2008 and includes installable keyword lists in 11 languages for automatically blocking documents containing profanity and discriminatory content.

For more information read the Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint Data Sheet

 

Protecting Office Documents programmatically using Rights Management Services

This MSDN Code Gallery release contains the Microsoft Office File Format Protectors. They are COM components that enable you to protect and unprotect files in Microsoft Office formats, such as .docx, .xlsx, .doc, and others. These protectors are file handlers that take in parameters and output the protected or unprotected Microsoft Office file, depending on your needs.
It is important to note that although the protectors protect and unprotect files, the calling application is responsible for making calls to AD RMS to encrypt or decrypt the data and acquire the proper licenses. More information on this is included in the documentation.

What is Included With This Release?

This release contains a sample project for use in Visual Studio 2005 that contains the protector components and other supporting code. It also contains a reference document for the protectors.

Two Types of Protectors

There are two protector types: the MsoIrmProtector and the OpcIrmProtector.
 
MsoIrmProtector supports the following file types: doc, dot, xla, xls, xlt, pps, and ppt
OpcIrmProtector supports the following file types: docm, docx, dotm, dotx, xlam, xlsb, xlsm, xlsx, xltm, xltx, xps, potm, potx, ppsx, ppsm, pptm, pptx, and thmx

For more information go to http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/OfficeProtectors

Office SharePoint Server Security Guide

Abstract

This guide describes how security is implemented in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007. The audiences for this guide include information architects, IT generalists, and program managers who are planning to make Office SharePoint Server 2007 sites accessible from the Internet.

This guide includes the following parts:

Part 1 — Plan site and content security

Part 1 of this guide describes the permissions that control access to your sites and the content in your sites. It also discusses security related to implementing Excel Services, search features, and Shared Services Providers (SSPs).

Part 2 — Plan for authentication

Part 2 of this guide describes the authentication methods that are supported by Office SharePoint Server 2007, discusses the authentication configuration settings that need to be planned for individual Web applications, and includes sample configuration settings for several common forms authentication and Web single sign-on (SSO) authentication providers.

Part 3 — Logical architecture design sample

Part 3 of this guide describes a secure logical architecture design that incorporates the most common types of sites and the most common classes of users. The design incorporates secure recommendations for authentication, SSPs, Internet Information Services (IIS) application pools, Web applications, zones, and zone policies.

Part 4 — Deploying Office SharePoint Server 2007 in a secure manner

Part 4 of this guide describes practical secure configurations for specific server roles. The guidance for each server role includes recommended secure settings for the network, the operating system, and the applications that are installed, including IIS, the Microsoft.NET Framework, and Microsoft SQL Server database software. Part 4 also addresses security requirements and recommendations for planning for security roles, for configuring administrative and service accounts, and for implementing SSO for access to external data systems.

 

For more information read the Office SharePoint Server Security Guide

 

Case Study: Using Microsoft Office SharePoint Server to implement a large-scale content storage scenario with rapid search availability

This white paper presents the key decision points, architecture design and definition, test criteria and results from a scalability and performance test conducted at the Microsoft Partner Solutions Center (MPSC) in Redmond, WA. This was a collaborative partnership between Fujitsu Computers, Microsoft, and KnowledgeLake in order to document the scalability and performance capabilities of Fujitsu hardware running the 64-bit edition of Microsoft® Office SharePoint® Server 2007, Enterprise Edition, with Service Pack 1 (SP1), the Windows® Server 2003 Standard Edition operating system, the Windows Server 2003 Enterprise x64 Edition operating system with SP2, Microsoft® SQL Server®  005 Enterprise x64 Edition with SP2, and KnowledgeLake Imaging applications directly interfacing with Office SharePoint Server 2007.

For more information read the Using Microsoft Office SharePoint Server to implement a large-scale content storage scenario with rapid search availability whitepaper.

Mixing SharePoint Standard and Enterprise CAL Functionality

I often get asked this question - "What if some users need enterprise features and others do not?"

Well the answer is available on the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 frequently asked questions Page

Once the enterprise features of Office SharePoint Server 2007 are enabled, every client accessing enterprise functionality on that server, or servers in a farm, is required to have an Enterprise CAL in addition to their standard client access.

Hope this clears it up.

New Word Templates

Just spotted these new Word Templates you might be interested in.

 

Technology Design

 

Professional Services

 

Civic Design

 

Soft Blue Design