Ever wonder if it's worth the bother to invest time in learning Powershell? 

-“It’s safe to say that the single most important skill a Windows administrator will need in the coming years is proficiency with Windows PowerShell.”-

  (TechNet, October, 2009)

Windows Powershell makes task automation possible by allowing Windows Admins to to perform tasks on local as well as remote systems.  "Ok, great, but do I need it?"  you may ask.  The answer is yes.  Here's why:

1)  It ain't going anywhere.  Windows Server 2008 R2 and in Windows 7 have PowerShell version 2 enabled by default.  Why?  Because moving forward, many add-on products will be based on PowerShell.  Additionally, almost all Microsoft products can be managed through Powershell.  Imagine the Master-of-the-Universe possibilities here.

2)  You can only do the basics from the GUI.  Any fancy testing or customisation must be done through Powershell.  In fact, many of the functions you already perform through the GUI are actually built on top of PowerShell and generates Powershell code to complete the task at hand.

3)  PowerShell makes interactivity possible.  Microsoft is establishing PowerShell as a common thread in its newer releases of server products.  You need to stay ahead of the curve with this inevitable trend.  The more innovative skill set you have on your bench, the more agile and responsive your IT team can be.

(source:  http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10things/10-reasons-why-you-should-learn-to-use-powershell/1073?tag=rbxccnbtr1)

Convinced that it's time to get on the PowerShell bandwagon?  Register for our upcoming PowerShell Essentials Workshop (Premier Support Customers only) on October 6-7 in Dublin.  See the syllabus below:

Description:

PowerShell v2 Essentials

is designed to introduce IT Professionals to the world of PowerShell v2. PowerShell is an extremely powerful command shell and scripting language, which provides system administrators a consistent method of administering Microsoft products. The course introduces key PowerShell concepts and uses a mix of instructor-led delivery and interactive lab sessions. By the end of the course candidates will understand the essential features of PowerShell and have the foundation knowledge required to create their own scripts in order to dramatically reduce administrative overhead.

Topics include:

Module 1: Introduction

 Module 2: Fundamentals

 Module 3: Pipeline

 Module 4: Scripting

 Module 5: Security

 Module 6: Objects

 Module 7: Remoting

 Module 8: Errors and Debugging

 Module 9: Active Directory

If you’re in the IT management world, you already know that proper configuration of Anti Virus software is critical for the security of your enterprise. Just like you wouldn’t dare run and do a cannonball jump into the waters of the River Liffey without a full body bio-hazard suit and face-mask, you wouldn’t dare manage your IT estate without some form of trusted Anti-Virus software working to protect it.  

But, did you realise that Anti-Virus software that is not configured appropriately can also harm those applications it is working to protect?  Poorly configured Anti-Virus software can grind your applications to a halt, or worse it could cause corruption to critical databases. That said, however, it can be difficult to find a single source of recommendations on how to best configure the various applications and products that your organisation uses. 

Let your friends at Premier Support Ireland help you make this daunting task a bit easier…follow this link and check out the guidelines and recommendations on how to configure your AV software with a range of Microsoft products. Better still, subscribe to the list using your favourite RSS reader and you will receive alerts as the list changes. 

A word of caution: These recommendations are just that…recommendations. We advise reviewing these articles with your security experts before making any changes.  Also, please follow change management best practices if you decide to make changes to production platforms. If you need any assistance please contact your Service Delivery Manager (aka TAM). We’ll be more than happy to assist you adopting the right exclusion model for your enterprise.

Each day is a game of fire-fighting in your world as a systems analyst or manager in your organisation's IT department.  Whether it’s faulty hardware or monitoring that’s been shut off and failed to signal critical alerts, you spend day in, day out wondering if your organisation’s ad-hoc approach will ever improve.  You know the potential that a well-managed IT environment can provide to your company, but for you the idea of a proactively managed system –where all the little fires are kept from happening in the first place, and you can spend your time instead envisioning and creating the future-seems like a pipedream.

We Need to Stop Fire-fighting:

What we need to do is to start thinking about our IT systems as a collection of services provided to the company, rather than discrete components of technology.  What does this mean?  A good example would be looking at the service of Messaging that we provide to colleagues at our companies, rather than focusing narrowly on individual components like health of your Exchange server or security patching which support the Messaging service.  These things are obviously important, but they are meaningless if they don’t support a specific service of value to the company.  People don’t care that our Exchange server is down or doesn’t have the latest security patching.  They care that they can’t send off that time-sensitive email to a customer company exec who’s about to sign a killer sales deal. 

Why it Matters:

When we start to think of what we do in the IT department as supporting a variety of business services, then we can start to a) be more efficient in how we manage and troubleshoot problems and b) start to make more sense to the non-technical leaders in our company, by using our services offered as a means to have conversations which shape the strategy and direction of the company overall. 

A good first step is to listen to the wisdom of ITIL and start spending some time to create a Service Catalogue and a Service Map.  By listing the services your IT department provides to the company, and then outlining all of the technological dependencies that make each service possible in the first place, you’ll immediately have greater visibility of what it is that you manage.  Here’s an idea of what a Service Map might look like:

This, however, is a complex example of Messaging as a service.  It might be easier to start by looking at it like this:

With the above example, we can see all of the puzzle pieces that come together and must function properly in order for your Messaging service to go uninterrupted. Using this example, you could start grouping help desk calls recieved based on Messaging (as a service) being affected and not just the particular technology/area with the error.  We can start having conversations about where we are efficient with Messaging and where we could stand to improve and where we might need more help.  By being able to gather data in a Services dashboard each week/month/quarter, we can start to have better conversations about what is working for the company, and what is not. 

Think of all of the services your IT department provides to the company at large….Isn’t it time they start getting the visibility and proactive management they deserve?  Isn't it time you stopped being a fire-fighter?   Contact us to learn more about how Microsoft Premier Support can help you build the Service Catalogue and Service Mapping you need.

How much do you REALLY know about System Center Configuration Manager? 

Take our quizzes and find out!  Test your colleagues, too, to find out who the true SCCM champ at your organisation is. 

A wide variety of subject areas within SCCM are covered, so you can assess the skill level of various teams who touch this platform.  These areas include:

Configuration Manager 2007 Client Installation Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 Client Management Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 Client Site Assignment Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 Desired Configuration Management Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 Internet-Based Client Management Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 Native Mode Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 Network Access Protection Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 Wake On LAN Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 Software Updates Operations Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 OSDeployment Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 What’s New Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 Software Updates Configuration Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 Mobile Device Management Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 Fundamentals Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 Client Roaming Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 Software Updates Interop Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 Setup Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 Software Distribution Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 R2 Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 Discovery Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 2 (SP2) Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 R3 Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 Active Directory Domain Services Quiz
Configuration Manager 2007 Documentation Quiz
 

Download the quiz application now and get started!

If you find an area where you might need some brushing up, let us know and we’d be happy to find a Premier training course that would fill in those gaps.

Happy quizzing!

In our earliest of times, our Celtic forefathers made use of transparent crystal stones and balls to intercept visions of the past, present and future.  Today in 2011, you can use your very own Microsoft crystal ball to get the latest and greatest information on virtually any Microsoft technology your heart desires.

Officially named the Microsoft Desktop Player (Beta), this tool allows you to enter a search query on the product or technology you wish to explore and the result is a plethora of available resources, broken down by category such as webcast, podcast, whitepaper and links.  No longer are you confined to a life in the dark--you can be the one who is ahead of the game with the latest developments and trends.

Desktop player installer is available for download to your pc or you can access it directly from your browser.  **HOT TIP:  Be the coolest blogger in town by imbedding the player on your own site for others to use!  Check out ours here on our Premier Support blog—from the home page, down the left hand side column (look for the crystal ball!)

Anxious to give it a go?  Well, wait no longer.  Your crystal ball of information is here, at your disposal.

(Source: http://bit.ly/k7lSuE)