• Stay Out of the Dark...With Microsoft Desktop Player

    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)

  • Feeling Neglected? Let the Microsoft Security Scanner Get You Back on Track!

    Do you ever feel like this?

    At work, your IT systems are state of the art. Your company makes it a budget priority to have the best computing tools available to stay ahead of the competition, and you appreciate working for a company that lives in the future, and not the past.

    What’s more, the processes you have in place to monitor and maintain the health of employee desktops, in particular, are first class; everyone’s always on the latest version of software and security updates & patches are integrated to all terminals on a smooth, regular basis.  The word “virus” is dead within water cooler office chats at your company, as you’ve implemented the Fort Knox of security barriers against system attacks.  In fact, the update and security processes are so good and so seamless that none of the workers who use their fancy desktops even stop to realise just how good they have it.  They don’t understand or appreciate all the painful behind the scenes work you and your team have put in place over time to make their experience as stellar as it is. 

    You’re quite proud of the way things are run in your IT department, but sometimes you wish you could save a little of this love and attention for your own home computing systems.  Why should everyone else have it so good when at home you’re stuck in the dark ages? 

    Feel neglected no more--Microsoft is here to help!  We can’t help you with the new computer you need (that’s on you, pal), but we can help you make a start to an improved home computing experience by getting some some process and rigour around your own security and updates.   Microsoft has recently introduced the Microsoft Safety Scanner.  It’s an easy-to-use tool which detects and cleans your system with the same set of signatures and technology used by Microsoft Security Essentials and Forefront End Protection.

    “All you need is to download the 32-bit or 64-bit version via your favourite web browser and run Microsoft Safety Scanner. It will detect and remove malware, and potentially unwanted software, for you. There is nothing to install, it’s as simple as that. And because it is just one executable, you can also easily copy it from one computer and run it on another. This is especially useful when your access to security websites is blocked by malware on the infected machine.”   (Tony Kwan, Microsoft)

    Sources:

    http://blogs.technet.com/b/mmpc/archive/2011/05/12/presenting-the-microsoft-safety-scanner.aspx

    http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/en-us/default.aspx

  • Fix It Center Pro -- your own EASY button

    This message is for YOU.  Yes YOU.  We know who YOU are. 

    Your team is overworked and understaffed, and sometimes it feels like it would be a miracle to know which end is up.  Trying to prioritise attention to issues with the numerous IT projects on your plate is much like having to choose between dealing with that nagging migraine you’ve been suffering from for several months or that rusty nail you just stepped on.

    You know you need some extra fire-fighters to help put out some of the bigger flames around you right now, but the thought of slowing down and taking time to call in for help sounds…impossible.

    We have the answer.  We have what YOU need:

    Your very own EASY button!

     

    “Fix it Center Pro Beta ushers in a new level of support for Enterprise customers. It is a standalone web application that helps IT Professionals research and find support-related content more effectively so that they can quickly diagnose and resolve break-fix issues. Fix it Center Pro Beta provides flexible yet seamless end-to-end support experiences—from self-help troubleshooting to assisted support with Microsoft—that help save customers time and money”

    (source http://bit.ly/9tq3eZ)

    It’s as easy as logging into the Microsoft Premier Online Portal with your normal credentials, and clicking the Fix It Center Pro button link! 

     

    Watch this cool video to learn more!

    For IT pros using the Microsoft Premier Online (MPO) website, Fix it Center Pro Beta provides options for identifying and resolving issues. You can:

    • Resolve issues on their own by manually browsing content using Bing-scoped searches and finding key solution assets recommended by support engineers through Support Entity Association Management (SEAM) web services;
    • Direct Fix it Center Pro to automatically analyze the data collected from the computer via Unified Diagnostic Ecosystem (UDE), report back the analysis results, and provide recommended solutions for any problem found;
    • Submit a support request directly from a self-help diagnostic, which is automatically passed to a support professional.
    • 

    So now YOU have what you were looking for all along.  EASY.