Get a Head Start this August... Evaluations, Training and Events

Time flies when you've started a new job, let me tell you! I've been spending a lot of my days learning new LOB applications, trying to read up on new technologies and brush up on some current technology that I haven't needed to pay much attention to in the past.  I've even booked a slot to take my next certification exam, Upgrading your MCSA to Windows Server 2012.

So what am I using for all of that?

Well, I always fall back to books and articles on TechNet, but this time around I'm also doing a course on at the Microsoft Virtual Academy.  I'm also going to take the TechNet Virtual Labs  for a spin as well.

I'm also playing around with the previews of Windows 8.1 and Server 2012 R2. You can get download evaluation version of that software and trying it out for yourself. There are a slew of great new features in each of those products that I'm looking forward to seeing in action. If you need a place to spin that stuff up, sign up for your Azure trial.

• Azure -  http://aka.ms/NewAzureTrial
• Windows Server 2012 R2 - http://aka.ms/MSWS2012R2
• Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 -  http://aka.ms/MSHVSR2

If you are looking for some in person events, check out my calendar of events in the sidebar. I've been trying to fill in dates for some of the events coming up this summer. Here are some highlights for August:

•  August 1st - VTUG Summer Slam
• August 6th - PacITPros Monthly User Group Meeting
• August 8th - SF SharePoint User Group Meeting

Now, back to work for me!

  

Sysadmin Appreciation Day Coming!

Don't forget that Sysadmin Appreciation Day is on Friday, July 26th!  If you are a sysadmin, this might be a great time to take advantage of a floating holiday you've been saving. 

If you AREN'T a sysadmin you might want to take a look around for your nearest helpdesk support person, the guy who last fixed your misbehaving keyboard, the person who helped you solve that problem with your voicemail, the gal who configured your mobile phone with corporate email, or the guy who restored that file you were looking for from last week's backup.

If you need ideas for how to celebrate or appreciate your neighborhood sysadmin, visit http://sysadminday.com/.

Your Enterprise - Windows 7? Windows 8? Both?

Corporate IT can be a funny place. As a Systems Admin, I was always torn between wanting to be able to install the latest software and making sure that the primary business needs were being met. For a long time, Windows XP met those needs. The required applications ran, the staff was comfortable.

And then came the push for getting to Windows 7.  It was a long road to get applications working on Windows 7 and getting those desktops upgraded. The road has been so long in fact for some, that many are facing a fork where they feel they have to decide between Windows 7 and Windows 8. But there really isn't a decision to be made. Windows 7 and Windows 8 can both be used in the enterprise, depending on the needs of the workers in your organization.

Let's consider the existing Windows 8 Enterprise version, which I'm running on a Surface Pro. Now, since I'm just an end-user here at Microsoft, I can really only guess what they do to manage my device.  (A strange experience for me, I admit.)

It's got MDOP MBAM on it for BitLocker management, System Center Endpoint Protection and it's domain joined with a nice collection of group policies pushed down to it. It's running Office 2013 with SkyDrive Pro.  Connecting to work via DirectAccess has been completely painless from my end and I've managed to tie in both my personal SkyDrive accounts (I have two Live IDs, don't get me started) and my SkyDrive Pro. And all of that syncs to my Windows 8 phone. Plus some 3rd party stuff I've used for long time to sync other data, like Evernote and SugarSync, works just fine.

 

Has it taken some getting used to?  Sure.

 

Can I generally get to everything I need easily? Yes.

 

Do I still live mostly on the classic desktop? Yes.

 

Does the Start menu bug me?  Nope.

Windows 8 might not be right OS for every person in your organization - a tablet might not be the right device for your accounting department, a touch screen might not be what your HR
department needs to do their job.  But for those people in your office that are laptop users, juggle meeting after meeting with the notes and the slides and bouncing from remote work to hanging out in the office, well, Windows 8 might just be the ticket to their greater success.

There are a crazy amount of machines with different form factors that make using Windows 8 fun. And this is just with the current release of Windows 8. With the coming of Windows 8.1 (check out http://preview.windows.com, if you haven't already) it's even MORE enterprise ready.

Connecting your laptop to a monitor? Windows 8.1 makes improvements to the UI that take advantage of different screen resolutions, provides better support for keyboards and mice and allows you to boot straight to the desktop.

Need to multitask between several modern apps?  You can have up to 4 modern applications on screen and have multiple modern applications on different screens if you have more than one monitor connected.

Embracing BYOD in your organization? Use Workplace Join to grant access to corporate resources. Automatically sync data back to your data center with Work Folder. And with Remote Business Data Removal, only wipe corporate information when a user leaves your organization with heir device.

Need to know more? Check out the Springboard Series post "Windows 8.1 Preview: An Enterprise Call to Action" for more details about how evaluate the preview and review updated deployment tools.

All the News That's Fit to Recap!

Welcome July!  I can't believe half of 2013 is over already and so much has been happening and changing. If you've been busy enjoying the great Bay Area weather the last few days or working hard on your summer plans, you might have missed a few of these key bits of news.

1. As of this morning, the TechNet Subscription is retired. Check out nicely comprehensive post about what options are available once your TechNet Subscription expires, by Kevin Remde. Also be sure to visit the FAQ for additional detailed information at www.aka.ms/TNSFAQ.
2. You can get Microsoft Surfaces at some of you favorite resellers. If you've been eyeing Surfaces for your business, but couldn't get them from you standard reseller it's time to look again. Read more about this on the Surface Blog.
3. As of last week, the Windows 8.1 Preview is here!  Download it from http://preview.windows.com.  When released closer to the end of 2013, it will be a free upgrade for licensed users of Windows 8.  There will also be an 8.1 update for the Surface RT.
4. If you are looking for preview software for some of the other releases from June, look no further than the Evaluation Center for the previews of Hyper-V Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012 R2,  Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials and the System Center 2012 R2.

I hope your bandwidth can stand all the downloading!