I am watching Steve Ballmer’s CES presentation, this press release was just posted on Microsoft.com.
Microsoft’s Ballmer Announces Availability of Windows 7 Beta and Windows Live
Company previews simpler, better Windows operating system and highlights connected entertainment offerings at CES.
Related Links
Features:
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Windows Helps Consumers Connect to the Digital World – Jan. 7, 2009
Virtual Pressrooms:
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Microsoft at CES 2009
Virtual Newsrooms:
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Consumer Newsroom
LAS VEGAS — Jan. 7, 2009 — In a keynote address at the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer announced the beta availability of the Windows 7 operating system as well as the availability of the latest version of the Windows Live, a suite of personal communications services and applications.
“I’m thrilled to announce the availability of the Windows 7 beta, which is on track to deliver simplicity and reliability,” Ballmer said. “Windows 7 and Windows Live are part of an incredible pipeline of consumer technology that is making it easier than ever for people to communicate, share and get more done.”
The beta version of Windows 7, Microsoft’s next-generation PC operating system, can be downloaded today by MSDN, TechBeta and TechNet customers. Consumers who want to test-drive the beta will be able to download it beginning Jan. 9 at http://www.microsoft.com/windows7.
Microsoft also announced the global availability of Windows Live, a free suite of communications and sharing applications. Windows Live makes it easy for people to communicate, share and keep their online lives in sync and in one place with one login. The new and enhanced Windows Live services — including PCMag.com 2008 Editors’ Choice winner Windows Live Messenger — along with Windows Live Mail and Windows Live Photo Gallery are designed to work seamlessly with more than 50 popular Internet services. Ballmer also announced new alliances with the following companies:
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Dell Inc. In February, to offer a comprehensive experience for consumers to connect, share and personalize their content, Dell will offer preloaded Windows Live Essentials (a free suite of applications for instant messaging, e-mail and photos that complement Windows Live on the Web) and Live Search on a majority of its new consumer and small-business PCs globally.
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Facebook. In the coming months, Facebook users can choose to share content they post on Facebook, including photos, directly into Windows Live.
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Verizon Wireless. Under a new five-year relationship that covers mobile search and advertising, Verizon subscribers in the U.S. will be able to use Live Search to search for local business and shopping information; access maps and directions; perform general Internet searches; and find ring tones, games, wallpaper and other online mobile products and services.
Together with Internet Explorer 8, currently in beta and releasing soon, Windows Live helps make the things people do most on the Web (searching, sharing and communicating) faster and less complex with fewer clicks, logins and customizations. Windows Live is now available for download at http://www.windowslive.com/explore, or automatically via Microsoft Update for current customers.
Windows 7 Consumer Features Showcased
Microsoft demonstrated new features and key improvement in Windows 7 based on listening to the needs of customers. Windows 7 is designed to do the following:
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Work the way consumers want. With Windows 7, Microsoft paid special attention to performance, reliability, security, compatibility and battery life. The company is on track to deliver a great experience that will allow customers to spend more time doing the things they want to do, without the operating system getting in the way.
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Make everyday tasks faster and easier. The more streamlined and intuitive design of Windows 7 is intended to simplify the things people do every day on their PCs. Desktop improvements make using the PC easier and provide immediate access to the applications and files people use most often through features such as Jumplists, Previews and the new Taskbar. The new Home Group feature makes it easier for consumers to connect multiple home PCs together to share printers and access files, music, photos and videos. Device Stage makes connecting and working with devices easier than ever with a single interface to manage devices and run common tasks. New multitouch technology in Windows 7 will enable people with touch-screen monitors to use multiple fingers to interact with their PC screens in a more intuitive way.
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Offer a better entertainment experience. Consumers today have access to more digital media and are increasingly using the PC as the hub of their electronic experiences. The “Play-to” feature in Windows 7 allows easier streaming of music, video and photos to devices in a home network. Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center in Windows 7 have built-in support for more media formats so people can use their PC to play more media content and sync it to a broader range of devices. As an alternative to monthly digital video recording (DVR) fees, Windows Media Center, available in some editions of Windows 7, with a TV tuner and improved user interface, makes recording TV free and easy.
Entertainment That Extends Across Devices; New Xbox Experiences Previewed
Microsoft’s president of the Entertainment & Devices Division, Robbie Bach, shared the stage at CES with Ballmer. Bach addressed Microsoft’s unique ability to deliver entertainment on virtually any screen that consumers commonly use today, including the PC, TV and mobile phone.
Despite a tough holiday and economy, Xbox 360 registered its biggest year ever, driven by record sales at retail with 28 million consoles sold to date, an 84 percent jump in online consumer spending, and Xbox LIVE membership that has grown to 17 million active members.
“Not only is Xbox 360 one of the world’s leading next-generation gaming consoles, but with partners like Netflix, it is one of the world’s leading entertainment devices, period,” Bach said. “With 28 million consoles sold worldwide, an active online community of 17 million members, and more than $1 billion spent on Xbox LIVE since the launch of the Xbox 360, it’s clear that consumer demand for these great entertainment experiences has never been higher. We’re only beginning to scratch the surface of what’s possible with Xbox.”
Bach shared how consumer demand for connected TV experiences is growing and announced the Mediaroom platform has reached nearly 2.5 million subscriber homes worldwide, an increase of more than 1.5 million new connections in the past year alone. The award-winning Microsoft Mediaroom is driving the future of television by enabling broadband service providers to deliver new connected TV and entertainment experiences to consumers around the world. Bach also unveiled a groundbreaking feature called Mediaroom Anytime that lets subscribers access previously aired shows directly from the Interactive Program Guide without any pre-planning or prior DVR recording.
Bach discussed how Microsoft is making it easier than ever for people to synch their entertainment content across the screens in their lives. This month, Microsoft and Netflix, the world’s largest online movie rental service, will offer software that enables Windows Mobile customers to update and view their Netflix movie queue. Changes will appear instantly on Netflix on Xbox LIVE, extending the existing service that launched in November. Xbox 360 is the only game system that lets people instantly watch thousands of movies and TV episodes streamed from Netflix, many in HD.
Bach also spoke about how Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE are transforming the way people enjoy interactive entertainment at home. This spring, Microsoft will introduce a new interactive entertainment genre with the premiere of the Xbox LIVE Primetime channel, which brings together the best of TV and gaming. Xbox LIVE Primetime will debut with an online version of the popular TV show “1 vs. 100” that enables thousands of gamers to play together with real hosts and compete for real prizes.
In addition, Bach talked about the outpouring of creativity from the Xbox community since the announcement of Community Games in November, with over 100 new games available for anyone to play. He highlighted an upcoming Xbox LIVE Community Game called “Kodu,” launching in the spring, designed to help anyone from age 7 to 70 create their own video games.
Additional information about Microsoft at CES 2009 is available on the Microsoft CES Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/ces.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
My co-worker Kevin Remde has been working on a project called Hubble.
Check this post of his:
Breaking News: The IT Manager Community Hub is LIVE!
Spread the word!
For several months now, I’ve been working with people in the Microsoft BMO on this project, which started because of a recognition that IT Managers – people who lead IT people and run IT organizations – haven’t been served as well as they could be from Microsoft.
We’ve heard you loud and clear!
If you’re an IT Manager, or even if you’re simply looking for a good starting place for answers to questions such as:
- “How do I start this kind of a deployment?”
- “I’ve heard that Microsoft has great ways to save money doing such-n-such. How?”
- “What are other IT organizations doing about XYZ…?”
- “Am I the only one struggling with people-management issues?”
..then this hub is worth looking into, and returning to often.
We’ve pulled together relevant news and blog feeds. We’ve got a launching pad for researching platform solutions for your organizations. We help you with your licensing questions. We’ve got some of the top minds in security at Microsoft providing the security perspective. Newsletters, event news, training resources, support and consulting services… It’s all there!
Check it out and let me know what you think. Is there something more you’d like to see?
Participate. This will become your community only if you find it useful. And it can become MORE useful only if we get your feedback.
See you there!
My interview with Paul Randal was released today on TechNet Radio!!
January 6, 2009
.jpg "TechNet Radio")
Data Corruption Survival Techniques
Your database is corrupt, what should you do? Well, it depends. How critical is the data? Do you know what is really wrong with the database? Should you restore or repair? It is all about limiting downtime and data loss when a corruption occurs. In this episode, Paul Randal gives you insight into how to recover from corruption without making things worse.
Length: 0:20:03
WMA | MP3 High | MP3 Low
To save to your computer, right click and choose 'save target as…'.
Participants
Eric Ostrowski
Your Show Host and TechNet Radio Producer
John Weston
IT Pro Evangelist
Paul Randal
Paul S. Randal is the Managing Director of SQLskills.com, which he runs with his wife Kimberly L. Tripp. Paul is a SQL Server MVP and Contributing Editor for TechNet Magazine. He holds a patent (with Microsoft) on consistency checking technology.
WMA
http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/E/F/2EF0C4B7-9B08-4867-9B24-309CD57D0E74/TechNetRadio-01062009-web.wma
mp3 Hi bandwidth
http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/E/F/2EF0C4B7-9B08-4867-9B24-309CD57D0E74/TechNetRadio-01062009-hi-web.mp3
mp3 Low bandwidth
http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/E/F/2EF0C4B7-9B08-4867-9B24-309CD57D0E74/TechNetRadio-01062009-lo-web.mp3
Part two with Kimberly will air next week.
It's been a little over a month since I did the 10/31/08 posting on "I am a Survivor". In November I had 2 rounds of surgery to removed the Melanoma Skin cancer. Both were 100% successful, and I am happy to report that I am 100% cancer free today! I will not gross you out with the details of the surgeries, but if you are interested go look up the MOHS surgery process. I had the MOHS process on my second one.
Well you are probably asking how am I doing. Very well thanks! I only had to cancel one in person event in November. I still did many in person events. Austin, OKC, 3 Day Dallas event, and Las Vegas. I also took personnal trips to New Orleans(for sailing) and Houston(to see family).
Yes I will wear sunscreen 100% of the time now, and go get checked out every 3 months to make sure it hasn't come back. Do you have a mole that has gotten bigger, changed color or is strange? Go get it looked at! This skin cancer stuff isn't something to mess with. Yes real men(ok computer Geeks too) do go to the dermatologist.
Monday 12/8 I will be in San Antonio and Tuesday 12/9 in Austin to present at the Angelbeat events. Come check them out at www.angelbeat.com sign up and show up! They are also having one 12/10 in Houston, my co-worker Matt Hester will be doing that one.
I will be back blogging more.
This chat is for UG Leaders, MVP's, and influencers
Technical Chat with Chris Jackson on Windows Vista
Thursday, Nov. 20th – 11:00 AM Pacific Time
We would like to invite you to a special chat with Chris Jackson to talk about Windows Vista.
In this one-hour session you will have the opportunity to hear from him on Application Compatibility, Performance, Security, Driver Issues and other topics you have seen in the press. Additionally, Chris will be answering your questions about Windows Vista.
Title: Technical Chat with Chris Jackson on Windows Vista
Date: 11-20-2008 from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm Pacific
If you would like to attend, please follow the link below:
http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9635488
I am a survivor. A few days ago I got the thing you never want to hear from a Doctor, “You have Melanoma Skin Cancer”.
I am not sure how you are “suppose” to react to something like that. What are the expected reactions and emotions? Why do people have to react a specific way? For me it was a binary reaction like on or off. I think in the very first few hours I decided to be a “cancer survivor”. I really didn’t have any feeling of why me, or how or why or worry about my future. My reaction was to deal with it, medically. And move on.
It was weird It was almost like having an out of body experience watching my reaction to the news. Sometimes I get “Mad” at the body I am dealt in life. See I have this idea, I want to take my heart, soul, and being sometimes and let me move it to a new container called a body. Why does this body have to be overweight? Why does this body have to react to Shellfish? So now we just add one to that list - Skin cancer. I can deal with that. Then step back a minute. Yes there are things about this body I can’t control. But I also can make it do things when I put my mind to it and focus. Take Triathlons for example. I have completed a Triathlon each of the last 3 years. Very few people can say that. Going for a 25 mile bike ride every morning I can isn’t a big deal. Very few people can do that too. So I am going to focus on what “I” can change with the body I am given, and not sweat what I can’t change.
So the things I love to do, Sail, swim, being outside, just about anything on the water, bike ride and triathlons. All involve being in the sun. So now it’s do those things with sun screen on and be extremely careful.
People around me have been extremely supportive. My family has been very supportive. Two people at work totally changed their work schedules to help me. One co-worker put me in touch with www.patientpower.info cool info. I listened to an hour webcast on what is Melanoma and how it is treated.
It’s interesting how we as humans react to things. I had a friend and co-worker suddenly pass away back in April. My way of dealing with it was making a video of all the pictures of the fun times we spent with him and put it to the music he loved. Others were upset, crying or didn’t know how to react. That friend’s favorite saying was “We live Great lives”, and we really do. I then look at myself and I guess my way of dealing with today is to write this. Life will go on. When my grandmother passed away, I stayed up all night writing down the stories she use to tell us. Writing my thoughts down makes it better. Let me remember to write a list of my to do list. When things get tough I always remember back to the old saying “that which doesn’t kill ya makes you stronger”. Well I am stronger now. I am a survivor. Game on.
So I have been doing this blog thing for 3 and 1/2 years on and off. I was getting ready to put up a post and saw that the next post would be #300, Cool.
That a milestone. I think back to the different writing, stories, mix of announcement of product info, stuff about me, and just random stuff I am not sure anyone is interested in that I have put on this blog over time. Does it really matter? But someone out there much be reading this stuff. What else would you like me to write about? Do a screencast on? What are you writing about and think that people that read my blog would be interested in? I would be glad to link to yours if you think it's important. What's your favorite video these days?
Enjoy your Halloween and Blog on!
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/bb892754.aspx
This is the ONLY code you should use this year! It's My code, get's you 15% off TechNet Plus subscriptions. We have a contest each year to see who can sell the most. So put this on your blog and I will cross link to your blog! Or maybe even something special. Last year I did good with this process and the codes we gave out at Windows Server 2008 Launch. This year we are trying to do the codes on Blogs alone this year.
MVP Screencast Contest now live
As I indicated a few days ago, we have some cool prizes and the first contest started today. Matt Hester has all of the details on his blog. Like all Microsoft contests, there are official rules. As you can see from the details on his blog, we are limiting the participation for this first contest to the US MVP’s.
We are doing that for several reasons. First of all, Matt and I wanted to get through the legal process, purchasing process, etc. with a group that would be flexible with us if we made some mistakes. So it’s really a learning process for us right now.
We want to have a similar contest early next year and expand the scope so that we can bring in more of the experts in the community, beyond MVPs. Unfortunately it will still be restricted to the US and I know a lot of you that read my blog are on other parts of the planet. Sorry in advance.
For those of you that want to participate down the road, it’ll likely be a screencast contest so you might look into the tools of the trade for doing demo captures. The end result needs to be Silverlight compatible (.WMV). Camtasia 5.x is the tool I use but there are others.
Until then, sit back and relax. Let’s see if the MVP’s bite and decide to participate, what they produce, and the end results. We gave them a lot of room for creativity and we didn’t solve all the problems for them. Should be fun to see what happens. I hope you enjoy the show.
On Matt's Blog you will find:
Are you a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP)?
Do you want to win* some great prizes just in time for the holidays? How does a 8GB or 120GB Zune sound or an Xbox 360 Pro? What you want something bigger, okay how about a:
Lenovo T61P!!!!
Okay do I have your attention now? 
First off you have to be a current US Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) and being willing to show off your rock star screencast skills. To enter you need to create a 5 – 10 minute screencast on IIS and PHP integration. The screencast must showcase the integration of PHP into IIS 7.0 on Windows Server 2008. I also want to see it actually work you should show an PHP application on the IIS server (i.e. Wordpress) running and demonstrated inside of Internet Explorer 7 or Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2, and verified it is running inside of the IIS 7 environment.
Sound cool and techy and you want to enter? but your not sure how do all of that? Well I am here to help. Here are some excellent resources for you to get started:
The screencasts entries will be judged by a blue ribbon group of IT Pro superstars and will be judged on Creativity, Presentation, Inclusion of Microsoft Technologies and Effective demonstration of the integration of PHP in to IIS.
Here are the prizes:
- Grand Prize - Lenovo ThinkPad T61p notebook computer
- First Place - 60GB XBOX 360 game console
- Second Place - 120GB Zune media player
- Third Place - 8GB Zune Media player
So what do you have to do to enter?
- Create a Screencast by December 15th
- Drop the screencast at your favorite location, so we can download it (Remember it has to be Silverlight Compatible).
- Send me an email with:
- Your name
- Address
- Phone
- Email Address
- Link to your the Screencast
*No Purchase Necessary. Open only to active Microsoft MVP members of the 50 US States (includes D of C). Game ends December 15, 2008.
For full rules click HERE.
This demo of Office Communicator Server 2007 was shot at the Dallas AITP(Association of IT Professionals) meeting. I show how to make your laptop a phone, how to make conference calls, and do all kinds of fun things with OCS 2007.
This video was shot at the Dallas AITP(Association of IT professionals) meeting this month. I demo the Microsoft live meeting function of Office Communicator Server 2007 and the use of a RoundTable video device.
Building Communications Enabled Software for
Office Communications Server 2007 R2 and
Exchange 2007
December 10th – 11th
Clarity Consulting Training Center, Chicago, IL.
Overview:
Office Communications Server 2007 R2 and the R2 platform SDKs were announced at PDC2008 on October 27, 2008.
Invite your ISVs, SIs and customers to this training to get hands on experience developing with the OCS 2007 R2 SDKs and access to the private Beta months before release.
Office Communications Server 2007 R2 and Exchange 2007 provide a powerful Unified Communications solution for presence, IM, voice, video, conferencing and messaging. As a software based solution for Unified Communications, OCS 2007 R2 and Exchange 2007 also provide a powerful platform for developing communication and messaging enabled software.
This Unified Communications platform allows enterprises and ISVs to build solutions that provide:
· Contextual Collaboration: Solutions that integrate Office Communicator 2007 presence, click to communicate features including IM, voice, video and conferencing communications and integrated application context.
· Business Process Communication: Using IM and voice communication (including text to speech and speech recognition) to expedite human interaction with business processes.
· Anywhere Information Access: Providing convenient and secure access to information using IM and voice for mobile users.
About the Training:
The Developer Platform Evangelism team and the Unified Communications Platform Team are excited to provide this intensive developer training to our ISV partners, SI partners and customers as part of the UC R2 Metro program.
This two day event is deeply technical and is geared towards experienced software developers and solution architects that are interested in developing solutions that leverage Office Communications Server 2007 and or Exchange 2007.
Topics covered include:
· Office Communications Server 2007 R2 and Exchange 2007: A Platform for Communications Solutions
· Office Communications Server 2007 R2: Under the Hood for Developers
· Adding IM, Voice and Video Communication to Your Applications with OC 2007 R2
· Exchange 2007 SP1 Web Services: Unified Communications Development for Exchange
· Building Services that Enable Presence and IM Communication with OCS 2007 R2
· Building Services that Enable Voice Communication with OCS 2007 R2
· Windows Workflows that Talk and IM with OCS 2007 R2
· Unified Communications R2: Architecture & Deployment for Developers
Familiarity with Office Communications Server 2007, Office Communicator 2007 and Exchange 2007 is not required for this event.
Familiarity with Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 is required.
By participating in this training, your company will be provided access to the private beta of Office Communications Server 2007 R2 and the R2 platform SDKs under NDA.
Registration:
To register your customer for this event, follow these steps:
1. Send the attached customer ready invite.
2. Nominate your customer for the Metro program using the attached ISV/SI or Customer ready process.
3. Ask your customer to login to the Metro Portal and follow this link to the Unified Communications R2 Platform Metro Training Event in Chicago on 12/10-12/11.
The Microsoft Registration team will contact your customer to confirm their registration.
Space is limited for this event and registration is reserved on a first come, first served basis.
Questions?:
If you have questions about OCS 2007 R2 or Exchange 2007 development, please contact Chris Mayo, Unified Communications Technical Evangelist.
If you have questions about this training event, please don’t hesitate to contact the Microsoft Registration team on info@msregistration.com.
The IT Architect Regional Conference is the most comprehensive event in Dallas addressing the pressing needs of IT architects today. Join other practicing architects and enjoy two days of seminars seperated in two tracks addressing the various architecture specialties:
Who Should Attend:
Chief Architects and Enterprise Architects Software Architects Infrastructure Architects Business and Information Architects Sr. Developers Aspiring Architects Enterprise Architecture:
Learn efficient strategies for linking your enterprise strategy to implementation, create and articulate sound ROI, prioritize your objectives, inspire employees to share your vision, dive in to governance concepts, and enhance your agile strategies.
Infrastructure Architecture:
Create and maintain successful deliverables, position service oriented architecture within a sound enterprise infrastructure, model network, security, information and technical architectures, better utilize your tools to optimize your infrastructure services, and align operations and SLAs to support your project.
Software Architecture:
Increase alignment between architecture, business and development, troubleshoot your software architecture, assess architecture and software maturity, drive architecture evolution by effectively selecting next generation technology through a rigorous evaluation process, integrate with dynamic management processes, governance for the successful software architect, and enhance design with realistic software architecture toolsets.
Fundamentals of Architecture:
Develop skills needed by every architect based on learning from senior architects around the world, learn effective communication techniques, dive into real strategies for design optimization, communicate ROI and the value of architecture to your stakeholders, explore, build effective teams and learn the fundamentals that provide the backbone of the architect's skill set
Home » Dallas: Nov 6-7
Agenda
Topics and Speakers
Pricing and Registration
Travel & Accomodations
Sponsors
Microsoft Unveils Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Release 2
Update builds on momentum behind software-powered unified communications and voice.
Related Links
Feature Stories:
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Microsoft Business Division President Elop on the Debut of Office Communications Server 2007 R2 - Oct. 14, 2008
Press Releases:
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European Debut for Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Release 2 – Oct. 14, 2008
Microsoft Resources:
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Office System Newsroom on PressPass Web site
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Office Communications Server 2007 Web site
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands –– Oct. 14, 2008 –– Today, Microsoft Corp. debuted Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Release 2 (R2), an update to the award-winning Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. Microsoft representatives demonstrated the new release for the first time before an audience of telecom and IT professionals at the VoiceCon tradeshow in Amsterdam. Customers will be able to purchase the release, currently in private beta testing, beginning in February 2009.
Office Communications Server 2007 R2 delivers important new functionality that extends software-powered voice, particularly for remote and mobile workers; provides on-premise audioconferencing to help reduce operational costs; and introduces new developer advances, including the ability to build communications-enabled business processes. These enhancements will improve business communications through a unified infrastructure and user experience.
“Office Communications Server 2007 R2, debuting just one year after the Microsoft unified communications launch, highlights the pace of innovation that is possible with software,” said Stephen Elop, president of the Microsoft Business Division at Microsoft. “This new release puts Microsoft on a rapid path to deliver voice software that does much more than a network private branch exchange (PBX) and with much less cost.”
Customers worldwide are embracing Microsoft’s unified communications platform, which streamlines communications by combining e-mail, instant messaging, conferencing and voice communications onto a single, unified platform.
Software-Powered Voice for Today and Tomorrow
Since the solution became available in 2007, businesses have begun migrating their workers off their PBXs to Office Communications Server for all their telephony needs. Customers such as Royal Dutch Shell plc are already taking a load off their PBXs by using Office Communications Server and Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 for mobile and remote workers in place of PBX phones to provide global employees with innovative communications solutions to quickly and efficiently reach their colleagues and help reduce operational costs.
“As a global company with employees dispersed in various time zones and geographic locations, Royal Dutch Shell has benefitted from Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 with improved communications and more flexibility for our employees,” said Johan Krebbers, group IT architect, Royal Dutch Shell. “Today Royal Dutch Shell has over 5,000 employees who frequently travel and use Office Communications Server 2007 as their primary voice solution.”
Customers are leapfrogging an entire generation of Internet protocol (IP) PBX technology to move straight to unified communications and software-powered voice over Internet protocol (VoIP). Office Communications Server interoperates with legacy PBX and IP PBX investments, allowing customers to transition to the new platform without undergoing an expensive rip-and-replace upgrade of their network. Office Communications Server 2007 R2 allows customers to take the next step toward replacing their PBX with Microsoft’s unified communications software and managing voice in the same way as other applications such as e-mail and instant messaging.
New Capabilities on a Strong, Unified Foundation
Through deep integration with Microsoft Office, Microsoft Exchange Server and Office SharePoint Server, Office Communications Server delivers organizations the power of one: one infrastructure for enterprise communications and one cohesive user experience. Customers do not need to deploy and adopt dozens of different applications to make unified communications a reality. Office Communications Server 2007 R2 builds on that foundation with new capabilities that provide flexible business communications solutions for end users and gives IT pros the tools needed to control and manage their organization’s communications needs.
Key new features of Office Communications Server 2007 R2 include the following:
Next-Generation Collaboration
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Dial-in audioconferencing. Office Communications Server 2007 R2 enables businesses to eliminate costly audioconferencing services with an on-premise audioconferencing bridge that is managed by IT as part of the overall communications infrastructure.
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Desktop sharing. This feature enables users to seamlessly share their desktop, initiate audio communications and collaborate with others outside the organization on PC, Macintosh or Linux platforms through a Web-based interface.
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Persistent group chat. This enables geographically dispersed teams to collaborate with each other by participating in topic-based discussions that persist over time. This application provides users with a list of all available chat rooms and topics, periodically archives discussions in an XML file format that meets compliance regulations, provides tools to search the entire history of discussion on a given topic, and offers filters and alerts to notify someone of new posts or topics on a particular topic.
Enhanced Voice and Mobility
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Attendant console and delegation. This allows receptionists, team secretaries and others to manage calls and conferences on behalf of other users, set up workflows to route calls, and manage higher volumes of incoming communications through a software-based interface.
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Session Initiation Protocol trunking. This feature enables businesses to reduce costs by setting up a direct VoIP connection between an Internet telephony service provider and Office Communicator 2007 without requiring on-premise gateways.
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Response group.A workflow design application manages incoming calls based on user-configured rules (e.g., round-robin, longest idle, simultaneous), providing a simple-to-use basic engine for call treatment, routing and queuing.
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Mobility and single-number reach. This extends Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile functionality to Nokia S40, Motorola RAZR, Blackberry and Windows Mobile platforms, allowing users to communicate using presence, IM and voice as an extension of their PBX from a unified client.*
New Developer Tools for Business Applications
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APIs and Visual Studio integration. This improves the efficiency of everyday business processes by enabling businesses to build communications-enabled applications and embed communications into business applications.
Join Us for Launch
Office Communications Server 2007 R2 will launch in a worldwide online event Feb. 3, 2009. Those interested can register to participate in the launch at
http://www.microsoft.com/communicationsserver.
If your business is fueled by technology, TechDays '08 is one event you won't want to miss. Loaded with exclusive product information presented by insider experts, TechDays '08 is designed to show developers, IT professionals, IT executives, and partners how Microsoft technology can take their business to the next level.
Whether you attend just one day or all three, you'll walk away with a greater understanding of the business value of Microsoft's technology solutions. Plus, you'll have the chance to take a closer look at Microsoft's latest development tools. Check out the tracks to the right and register for these exciting sessions today!
The TS2 track will show you how to position and sell the latest Microsoft solutions, increase your portfolio of customer offerings, and grow your business.
Review all sessions in this track and register today >
The Microsoft Dynamics track explores solution offerings, integration with Microsoft Platform tools, and provides opportunities to share best practices and network with other Partners.
Review all sessions in this track and register today >
This track shows you how to leverage Microsoft's latest web development technologies to build more robust applications. You'll get practical advice that will help you make the most of WPF, Silverlight 2.0, SQL Server 2008, and VSTO. Plus, we'll discuss some of the "softer" skills that will help you become a better architect.
Review all sessions in this track and register today >
This informative track will introduce the latest Microsoft tools that will make the life of any IT manager a lot easier. Get information on using Windows PowerShell to automate client administration, integrating enterprise search to infrastructure databases, the benefits of Hyper-V virtual machine management, and more.
Review all sessions in this track and register today >
The Momentum track addresses how to simplify infrastructure management, improve security, and enhance productivity throughout your organization. Our team of presenters will also discuss how Microsoft's vision around Software + Services could affect your business and help to optimize your infrastructure.
Review all sessions in this track and register today >
Set and Manage Your Communication Preferences
Get the partner-related information you want from Microsoft
1) Sign in to the Microsoft Partner Program portal with the Windows Live ID (Passport) used to enroll in the program;
2) Select "View Your Membership Account" and "Membership Center";
3) From "Your Individual Account Page," choose "Edit Profile"*;
4) Scroll down to "Your Communication Options", and select your contact preferences for the areas listed;
5) To save your preferences, click the checkbox and then select the "Update" button at the bottom of the page.
* Individuals who are the Global or Local Administrator for their organization will have a slightly different experience. In the grey bar near the top of the page, select "Administration", then "Manage Your Individual Profile", then follow steps 4 and 5.
Trouble accessing the Microsoft Partner Program portal link?
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