April 2009 - Posts
If you haven’t gotten the news yet from any of your sources or the official announcement on the WIN7 blog; WINDOWS 7 RC is going to be available for download by MSDN and TechNet subscribers on April 30th. General Public Availability will be on:
May 5th
You may be asking what are the changes? Check out these links from the WIN7 blog about what has changed in RC:
Changes in WIN7 Part 1
Changes in WIN7 Part 2
And for you Partners – Check out the Windows 7 Virtual Partner Readiness event that is May 7th check it out and register at:
http://www.windowspartnerreadinessday.com/
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On May 4, 2009 the Microsoft Gear Up Licensing Configurator tool is transitioning to the worldwide version of Microsoft LicenseWise for Volume Licensing. If you are not already familiar with LicenseWise, we encourage you to explore this popular customer quote creation tool. Start using LicenseWise today!
Want to learn more about LicenseWise? Click here for a demo on how LicenseWise delivers up-to-date product and licensing information to help simplify the creation of customer quotes.
Already a LicenseWise user? Make sure you visit the tool to learn how you need to prepare for the upcoming transition.
LicenseWise is moving to a new Platform May 4th
![clip_image001[4]](http://ts2blogs.com/blogs/mmars/clip_image0014_thumb_290BB8C7.jpg "clip_image001[4]")
Get ready for the transition by following these steps to access the new LicenseWise tool.
What to do to get ready for the new LicenseWise? Follow these steps to get ready to access the new LicenseWise tool, follow these easy steps.
Step 1:
- Associate your Windows Live ID with your Organization’s Microsoft Partner Program Membership Create a Windows Live ID
- Go to https://partners.microsoft.com/partnerprogram/welcome.aspx and sign in with your Windows Live ID.
- Select “Associate as an Individual” and follow the instructions.
- Once you have submitted your request to associate and it has been approved, you will receive an e-mail notification and instructions on how to complete your association.
Step 2:
Step 3:
Resources & Assistance
Should you need assistance stepping through the association process;
Priced as low as US$15 per user, per month, BPOS features Microsoft Exchange Online, Microsoft Office SharePoint Online, Microsoft Office Live Meeting, and Microsoft Office Communications Online. Almost immediately after BPOS became available internationally for trial, GlaxoSmithKline announced that it was migrating 100,000 users from its on-premises IBM Lotus Notes technology to a Microsoft-hosted solution, expecting to reduce IT operational costs by 30 percent.
Small and midsize businesses (SMBs) also took a look, having heard that they could get enterprise-class communications technologies without having to pay for on-premises infrastructure.
Partners describe how Microsoft Online Services helped speed deal closures (left) and enlarge their customer base (right).
The opportunity isn’t small—you earn significant fees from Microsoft when you provide support, planning, migration, administration, customization, or ongoing management services to BPOS customers—as well as fees of up to 12 percent for BPOS sales. Use the specially prepared business practice guide to size your opportunity.
Not enrolled to sell BPOS? Sign up for Quickstart for Microsoft Online Services. You’ll get marketing resources, training, and access to Microsoft lead-generation engines.
And that’s why we’re giving you an improved suite of communication and collaboration tools that help you work even more productively. Instant messaging and presence awareness. More storage. New streamlined, cost-effective solutions. The bottom line? The expanded set of capabilities in the Business Productivity Online Suite provides even greater flexibility and functionality. And that means you can concentrate on what’s important: your core business initiatives. Welcome to your improved suite of communication and collaboration tools.
Instant messaging and presence awareness with Office Communications Online. Get more secure and effective real-time person-to-person communication across an entire organization, plus presence so at a glance you can see if someone is available online to receive an instant message. What you need to know:
- Office Communications (OC) Online is part of the BPOS Suite. If you have previously purchased rights to the BPOS Suite, you are now able to start using OC Online. Just select OC Online in the Service Settings tab in MOAC to enable the service.
- Office Communications Online requires the separate purchase and installation of Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2. As a Limited Time Offer, Office Communications Online customers receive one licensed copy of Office Communicator 2007 R2 at no cost with each trial or paid subscription license to Office Communications Online. The software may only be used with Office Communications Online, and all rights to use the software will terminate upon expiration of the underlying subscription license or release of the next major new version of Office Communications Online, whichever comes first.
- Before enabling Office Communications Online for your users, please visit the Microsoft Online Services Blog for complete details on deployment and availability.
- Streamlined, reduced-cost email and collaboration services with our new Exchange Online and SharePoint Online Deskless Worker options. Tailor-made for employees who don’t require the full host of collaboration features, but do need access to corporate portal information and documents.
Get the most out of your subscription
We’re here to answer your questions and help you maximize your experience with the Business Productivity Online Suite. You can also call us at +1 (866) 363-3866, or email Microsoft Online Sales Support.
Register today for this year’s conference, scheduled for July 13-16 in New Orleans.
This event is a once a year opportunity for partners to interact directly with Microsoft leadership around core product strategy and work toward building their Microsoft sales roadmap for the fiscal year. It is also an opportunity for partners to connect with other partners to explore opportunities and share best practices.
Register today for the 2009 Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) —and get ready to connect with the largest partner network in the world.
This year, WPC will be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, July 13 –16, 2009. Last year, the conference hosted more than 8,000 networking meetings and 11,000 attendees from 140 countries. The four-day WPC 2009 experience offers many opportunities to engage with Microsoft and partner executives to define Microsoft vision and strategy, develop new relationships, share best practices, and drive business results.
Grow your business and have fun while doing it!
Solution Selling® is the industry standard for sales execution process and the preferred sales methodology of Microsoft. More than 600,000 individuals have been trained in the methodology. This five-part webinar series presented by Sales Performance International will introduce you to the philosophy and key concepts of the Solution Selling process. As a special bonus, the fifth webinar in the series, Controlling the Elevated Risk of Buyers in this Economy, has been especially created to offer tips as to how to sell to your potential buyers in this difficult economy.
Solutions Selling Series
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Solution Selling
| Geo Area | Event Title | Start Date | City | State | URL |
| Desert Mountain | Microsoft Forefront Security Solutions Certification Exam Prep Course (Exam #70-557) with Free Exam Vouchers | 4/20/09 | Greenwood Village (Denver) | CO | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=258862 |
| North California | Microsoft Forefront Security Solutions Certification Exam Prep Course (Exam #70-557) with Free Exam Vouchers | 4/23/09 | San Francisco | CA | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=258864 |
| North California | Business Productivity Online Suite – Workshop for Deploying and Administering Services | 4/24/09 | San Francisco | CA | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=260198 |
| Virtual | Windows 7 - Security Overview | 4/13/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=264418 |
| Virtual | Assisting you Segment Your Market and Better Target Your Solutions | 4/13/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=265444 |
| Virtual | Case Management for Public Health and Social Services for Microsoft Partners Campaign Kickoff | 4/14/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=264114 |
| Virtual | Exchange Server Unified Messaging Quick Win Kit Overview | 4/14/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=265496 |
| Virtual | See the Power of Partnering with OnForce | 4/14/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=262111 |
| Virtual | Microsoft Server Software Optimized for the Intel® Xeon® Processor 5500 Series Server Platform | 4/15/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=265026 |
| Virtual | Let Microsoft Online Services make you a Rock Star! | 4/15/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=262576 |
| Virtual | Virtualization 360: Simplify management of your Virtualization infrastructure with System Center Virtual Machine Manager (Part 4/10) | 4/15/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=264945 |
| Virtual | Microsoft Server Software Optimized for the Intel® Xeon® Processor 5500 Series Server Platform | 4/15/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=265027 |
| Virtual | Managing the Virtual Infrastructure-System Center Management Suite | 4/16/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=259503 |
| Virtual | How To Earn More Referrals From Existing Customers | 4/16/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=250605 |
| Virtual | 5W/50 Series - Response Point Technical Briefing | 4/17/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=259634 |
| Virtual | 5W/50 Series - New Generation Certifications: Program Overview & Certification Resources Available for the SBSC Community | 4/20/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=259611 |
| Virtual | Increase your opportunities with Exchange Server 2007 and Windows Mobile | 4/21/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=265348 |
| Virtual | See the Power of Partnering with OnForce | 4/21/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=262112 |
| Virtual | Increase your opportunities with Exchange Server 2007 and Windows Mobile | 4/21/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=265349 |
| Virtual | CSAT Index: Effectively Measure Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty | 4/22/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=264944 |
| Virtual | Express Lunch Series: Compliance and Retention in Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 | 4/22/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=264740 |
| Virtual | East Region Virtual Partner Briefing | 4/23/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=264862 |
| Virtual | 5W/50 Series - Managing your Desktops using Group Policy in SBS 2008 | 4/24/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=259635 |
| Virtual | Architecting a SQL Server Analysis Services Solution for Business Intelligence - Live Q & A - Part 8 | 4/27/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=265509 |
| Virtual | Guidance in Applying SharePoint to Example Prospects Pain Points | 4/27/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=265448 |
| Virtual | MSDev Presents: Generating Leads in a Tough Economy - Leveraging Microsoft Pinpoint | 4/28/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=265602 |
| Virtual | Express Lunch Series: SharePoint Records Management and Configuration | 4/30/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=264742 |
| Virtual | 5W/50 Series - Learn about early Partner success with Microsoft Online Services and their impact on the Partners business | 5/1/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=259636 |
| Virtual | US Bi-Monthly CPLS Live Web Seminar | 5/4/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=251208 |
| Virtual | Virtualization 360: Virtualization Technologies Deep Dive - Profile, Application and Med-V Virtualization (Part 5/10) | 5/5/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=264949 |
| Virtual | Voice of the CIO - Q3 Webinar | 5/6/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=262711 |
| Virtual | Virtualization 360: Reduce costs with Virtualization - Server Consolidation & Green IT (Part 6/10) | 5/6/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=264951 |
| Virtual | 5W/50 Series - Accounting Alchemy – Turning Data into Information | 5/7/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=259630 |
| Virtual | Selling Through Stories | 5/7/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=264942 |
| Virtual | Virtualization 360: Virtualization Technologies Deep Dive - Presentation and Desktop Virtualization (including VDI) (Part 7/10) | 5/7/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=264952 |
| Virtual | 5W/50 Series - Small Business Server: What about those Best Practices Analyzers | 5/8/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=259637 |
| Virtual | Assistance in Creating a Sales and Marketing Strategy to Help You Increase Sales | 5/11/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=265450 |
| Virtual | Virtualization 360: Reduce costs with Virtualization - High Availability & Data Recovery Solutions (Part 8/10) | 5/13/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=264953 |
| Virtual | The 5-Step Process for Writing Case Studies That Sell | 5/14/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=250606 |
| Virtual | 5W/50 Series - Exchange Server 2007 on Windows SBS 2008 – Hot Topics for Partners | 5/15/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=259638 |
| Virtual | Business Builder Sales Clinic for SharePoint & Office Solutions in Challenging Times | 5/18/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=265451 |
| Virtual | Let Microsoft Online Services make you a Rock Star! | 5/20/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=262578 |
| Virtual | Virtualization 360: Understanding the Competition - Value and capability comparison of Microsoft’s Virtualization solutions (Part 9/10) | 5/20/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=264954 |
| Virtual | UC—R2 with PSTN Conferencing | 5/21/09 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=259508 |
| Virtual | 5W/50 Series - Business Continuity Plan and Disaster Recovery with SBS 2008 | 5/22/2009 | Live Online | n/a | https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/register.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=259639 |
Microsoft announced the release of Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization 1.0 (MED-V) and the companion guide for MED-V - Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide for MED-V.
What is MED-V?
MED-V released today is part of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) offering that is available to Microsoft's Software Assurance customers. It provides deployment and management of virtual Windows desktops to enable key enterprise scenarios. In addition, MED-V helps enterprises upgrade to the latest version of Windows even when some applications are not yet compatible. This virtualization technology builds on top of the Microsoft Virtual PC to run two operating systems on one device, adding virtual image delivery, policy-based provisioning and centralized management.
To get started with planning for an infrastructure that takes advantage of the MED-V desktop virtualization technology, we have also released the free Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) Guide for Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) - a new addition to the family of free tools and guides called Virtualization Solution Accelerators from Microsoft.
What is IPD Guide for MED-V?
The IPD Guide for MED-V outlines the critical infrastructure design elements that are crucial to a successful implementation of MED-V. The reader is guided through the four-step process of designing components, layout, and connectivity in a logical, sequential order. Identification of the MED-V server instances needed is presented in simple, easy-to-follow steps, helping the reader to deliver managed virtual machines to end users. Following the steps in this guide will result in a design that is sized, configured, and appropriately placed to deliver the stated business benefits, while also considering the performance, capacity, and fault tolerance of the system.
The Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide streamlines the planning process by:
- Defining the technical decision flow through the planning process.
- Listing the decisions to be made and the commonly available options and considerations.
- Relating the decisions and options to the business in terms of cost, complexity, and other characteristics.
- Framing decisions in terms of additional questions to the business to ensure a comprehensive alignment with the appropriate business landscape.
Key Features of the IPD Guide for MED-V:
- Enables the reader to quickly select the end users, locations, and virtual machines (VMs) that will be included in the project scope to meet the business requirements.
- Assists the reader in determining how many MED-V server instances will be required in order to deliver managed virtual machines to end users.
- Steps through MED-V infrastructure design in a logical, sequential order.
Act now!
This free Solution Accelerator collects and monitors operational measurements for your line of business (LOB) applications. Its graphical dashboard makes it easy to keep tabs on service availability and performance, letting you:
· Spot trends in service availability and performance
· Head off problems before they occur
· Reduce costs by streamlining IT operations
This new version of the Dashboard uses Operations Manager as the engine, and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 as its presentation platform to track and report service levels on a near real-time basis. The Dashboard now tracks additional metrics for service level compliance, including mean time to repair (MTTR), mean time between failures (MTBF), and application service level trends. The Dashboard’s SharePoint-based authentication lets you create individual Dashboards by department, so you can easily track service levels for different groups in the organization.
Click here to join the Beta on Microsoft Connect (you’ll need your Microsoft Live ID). Already using SCOM 2007 R2 Release Candidate 1 ? Click here
The Conficker worm has infected millions of Windows computers—and is set to be unleashed on April 1st, 2009. Here's what you need to know to keep yourself safe.
Microsoft released an update in October to resolve a critical security hole in the Windows "Server" service. Since people aren't as diligent about patching as they should be, hackers created a new worm that spread like wildfire, leaving systems completely under their control. Security researchers have determined that the virus is expected to go "live" on April 1st, 2009, causing your computer to do bad things—but since the worm uses a P2P protocol it's nearly impossible to identify the source.
How Does It Spread?
The worm originally started spreading using a network attack against the file sharing services in Windows, but since it can automatically update itself, it adapted to spread through the autoplay feature on removable media like USB thumb drives, by adding a new option to open where you see "publisher not specified". This allows the worm to spread to systems already patched against the original vulnerability, so using anti-virus software is even more important, because once it's on your computer it can spread further.
Is My Computer Affected?
Most anti-virus software has already been able to detect and remove the Conficker worm for a while now, so you are probably not at risk as long as you keep up with your updates and have real-time scanning enabled.
To actually detect and remove the worm, you can use the freely available Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool that can remove a large number of viruses—for a full guide, I've also written an article on how to scan and remove malicious viruses.
How Do I Stay Safe?
Staying safe from this, and many other viruses and worms, requires a combination of keeping your computer updated and using anti-virus software. Here's a couple of quick tips to follow:
Keeping your system and your data safe is extremely important, so make sure to take some time out of your day to keep your system patched, updated, and virus-free. Hit the link for Microsoft's explanation of the situation, or check out my article on
scanning and removing malicious viruses for the walk-through approach.
Protect yourself from the Conficker computer worm [Microsoft]
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