Installation over Windows Small Business Server: If you will be installing Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 on any Windows Small Business Server machine, please read the Installing Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 on a Server Running Windows Small Business Server 2003 white paper. There are important installation steps and procedures that must be followed to ensure a successful deployment. Caution: If you do not follow the instructions in this white paper, your configuration of Windows Small Business Server 2003 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 might not work or might not be supported.

Microsoft UK is running a series of Small Business Specialist Community Symposiums which are exclusive to SBSC & rather than just having a bunch of Microsoft speakers, the whole second half of the day in each city will be dedicated to hearing from successful small business partners from across the UK, sharing their secrets on things such as "How I market my company", "Changing to a managed services business" & "How to work with your local small business infrastructure." – very much the partner community at work!

I've had a number of customers ask me lately for the reason why Microsoft have chosen to use the new Open XML file format in the Office Applications instead of other existing formats.

 Instead of reinventing the wheel and trying to explain the reasons myself (badly) I can recommend Brian's blog for a very comprehensive explanation as to the reasons behind the new formats.

Brian Jones is a program manager at Microsoft. He's been working on the XML functionality and file formats in Office mainly focusing on XML in Office and the Open XML File Formats coming in the 2007 Microsoft Office system.

 To view Brian's blog click here

If so, you've come to the right place......

The Microsoft Business Productivity Infrastructure Optimisation course dates have now been scheduled! :)

The dates are:

22 – 23rd Jan, at Microsoft UK

25th – 26th Jan, Regis TVP

29th – 30th Jan, Regis TVP

1st – 2nd Feb, Regis TVP

Link to enrol:

https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/search_adv.aspx?ssid=eb59d8f8-796b-45e0-a184-62e8ae7ccb66

For more information about the course please refer to my earlier BPIO blog at the following address

http://blogs.technet.com/jocarpenter/archive/2007/01/04/bpio-partner-sales-readiness-workshop.aspx

European SharePoint Conference 2007. From February 12—14, 2007, top executives from Microsoft and partners will give their technical and strategic insights during the first "Microsoft European SharePoint Conference 2007". Whether as a developer, IT professional or technical decision maker, you will experience and learn through more than 100 lectures about topics such as the following:

 • Enterprise Content Management (ECM),

 • Business Intelligence (BI),

 • Unified Communication and Collaboration (UCC),

 • Search

 • Portals.

At the SharePoint Expo with over 100 booths and in numerous live demos, learn how to:

 • reduce costs,

 • comply with company guidelines,

 • integrate in existing company infrastructures,

 • increase your company's productivity,

 • shorten process throughput times,

 • improve process quality.

Detailed information on registration and everything you need to know about the conference can be found on the official website at www.sharepoint-conference.eu.

 Venue: Hotel Estrel Convention Center, Berlin Date: Feb. 12th to 14th, 2007 Cost: € 699.00 per person excl. VAT (accommodation not included)