Upcoming Events... Cool Stuff, In Person!

Are you in the Portland area?  Are you a SharePoint fan?  A favorite MVP of mine, Zubair Alexander will be presenting at SharePointlanda 2015 this coming Saturday (Nov 14th).  You can still join him!

Not into SharePoint? Are you thinking about Windows 10 for your enterprise instead?  I've got you covered for that too...  My fellow Tech Evangelists are hitting a bunch of cities across the US over the next several weeks.  Boston, Atlanta, Philly, Dallas, to name just a few.  Learn more at Ignite Your Business.

And for you folks who are stuck in the office, check out Part 7 of Blain Barton's "To The Cloud" series! Blain Barton welcomes Microsoft MVP Adnan Cartwright to the show as they discuss the inner workings of Server Manager in Windows Server 2012 R2 and how you can manage roles and features in the cloud.

• [10:04] DEMO: Introduction to Server Manager

If you're interested in learning more about the products or solutions discussed in this episode, click on any of the below links for free, in-depth information:

Websites & Blogs:

• Blain Barton's Blog
• Florida IT Server Group
• Integrity Solutions
• Check out the book! "Setting up your business in the cloud"

Videos:

• (Part 1) To the Cloud! What the Cloud can do for your Business
• (Part 2) To the Cloud! Getting Started with Office 365
• (Part 3) To the Cloud! Storing your files in the cloud with OneDrive for Business
• (Part 4) To the Cloud! Keeping track of customers with Microsoft Dynamics CRM
• (Part 5) To the Cloud! Managing Devices in the Cloud with Microsoft Intune
• (Part 6) To the Cloud! Building and Running Servers without the Hardware

Resources from the MVA Modernizing Your Datacenter Jumpstart

If you happened to join Matt Hester and I during our MVA Jumpstart, thanks for hanging out with us! We hoped we brought you some good ideas and resources for modernizing your datacenter.  

I think that one of the best things you can do when you are looking at refreshing technology for you business is to take the time to think about how you can leverage improved software, hardware and cloud technologies to make your server room (regardless of size) work better for your customers and become easier to maintain, protect and recover.

If you want to work more some of the things we covered, particularly DSC, please check out the Microsoft Virtual Labs.  I highly recommend the Windows Server 2012 R2 – Windows PowerShell Desired State Configuration lab.

If you want to learn more about deploying Scale Out File Servers visit http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh831359.aspx

For more details about the Windows Server Migration Tools that Matt covered check out http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj134202.asp

And for Azure, learn more about Security and Compliance, install that nifty Cost Estimator Tool or learn more about the Migration Accelerator for Azure.

Matt and I were happy being able to spend the day telling you about things we really enjoy. If you want us to do more of that kind of thing, please drop us note or reach out to us on Twitter. If you missed it, the recordings will be available on demand in a few weeks at Microsoft Virtual Academy.

Microsoft Virtual Academy - Modernizing Your Data Center JumpStart is Coming!

Worried about Windows Server 2003 end of support?

Fear no more. You can get ahead of the game with a look at modernization and data center transformation options in Windows Server 2012 R2 and Microsoft Azure. Want to decide what works best in your environment? Check out “Modernizing Your Data Center,” on October 28, and learn from the experts exactly what you need to update your data center to match your workloads.

Join me and Matt Hester for a look at administration tools, storage improvements, Hyper-V, and best practices for virtualizing domain controllers, plus how to simplify day-to-day server management with PowerShell and Desired State Configuration. Explore Microsoft Azure and how to make hybrid cloud a reality. And review the four major steps for planning a migration project. 

Take this opportunity to get your modernization questions answered!

Course Outline

·       Windows Server 2012 R2 and Automation

·       Azure Infrastructure as a Service

·       Migration Processes, Roles, and Tools

Register now!

Modernizing Your Data Center Jump Start

Date:  October 28, 2014
Time: 9am‒2pm PDT
Where: Live, online virtual classroom
Cost: Free!

Azure IT Camps - Coming to a City Near You!

Do you want to learn more about Windows Azure and System Center 2012 R2?  Now is your chance!



Join us at this FREE full-day hands-on event in a city near you to experience the power of Hybrid Cloud. Our field-experienced Technical Evangelists will guide you through the process of jumpstarting your knowledge on Windows Azure Storage, Virtual Machines and Virtual Networking for key IT Pro scenarios. Complete all of the hands-on labs and you’ll walk away with a fully functional Windows Server 2012 R2 or Linux cloud-based test lab running Windows Azure!

Session Requirements
Be sure to bring a modern laptop that is capable of running the following prerequisites. For more detailed system specs, click on the city nearest you.

• Modern operating system, including Windows 7, Windows 8, Linux or Mac OS X
• Modern web browser supporting HTML5 and Javascript, including IE 9 or later, Chrome, Firefox and Safari
• A remote desktop (RDP) client – included with Windows platforms. Mac and Linux RDP clients can be downloaded for free

All participants registering for the event should have an active Windows Azure subscription. If you have not already done so, sign up for a FREE trial of the Windows Azure platform and services, including access to Virtual Machines and Virtual Networks.



Hope to see you there!

TechNet Radio: Building Your Hybrid Cloud - Managing Cloud Foundations with Windows Server 2012 R2

In this TechNet Radio podcast, I join my friend and colleague, Keith Mayer, for the fourth part in his “Building Your Hybrid Cloud” Series. We walk through managing cloud foundations with Windows Server 2012 R2. Tune in as we drill down into what management tools are available as well as introduce the new features found in PowerShell 4.0.

• [1:33] Series Review
• [4:53] Review What’s New in Windows Server 2012 R2
• [5:10] Overview of Management Capabilities in 2012 R2
• [8:05] DEMO: Server Manager 20-12 R2
• [16:13] Using PowerShell to manage the Data Abstraction Layer (DAL)
• [19:08] DEMO: DAL PowerShell cmdlets for managing remote servers via BMC’s
• [24:04] Desired State Configuration (DSC)
• [27:50] DEMO: Walk-through DSC Configuration
• [36:58] Other PowerShell 4.0 Enhancements

Don’t forget to check out the podcasts from earlier in the series, too.

• TechNet Radio: (Part 1) Building Your Hybrid Cloud - Windows Server 2012 R2 Storage Foundation
• TechNet Radio: (Part 2) Building Your Hybrid Cloud - Hyper-V Enhancements in Windows Server 2012 R2
• TechNet Radio: (Part 3) Building Your Hybrid Cloud - Networking Enhancements in Windows Server 2012 R2

It's All New on October 18th!

What's all new on October 18th?  Windows, of course!

Check out these announcements made this morning:

• The "Blogging Windows" blog announced the date for the general availability of Windows 8.1.
• "In the Cloud" blog announced that Windows Server 2012 R2 and System Center 2012 R2 will also be released then, along with an update to Windows Intune.

With all the downloading that will be going on that day, there won't be time for much of anything else. :-)