Last week, Microsoft announced some new changes with the certification program, particularly bringing back the MCSE title for Cloud technologies. MCSE now stands for Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert instead of the older Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. And the related certification, the MSCA has also been updated.
With all these new changes the exams associated with the achievement of these new titles has been adjusted slightly, which may mean you might just be an new MSCA without even trying.
Yesterday, I got an email congratulating me on my recent certification, the Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate for Windows Server 2008. That was a fun surprise, so congrats to any other newly minted MSCAs out there!
To find out more about the new certification offerings go to http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/cert-overview.aspx
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Interested in Learning More about Windows Phone?
Go "Behind the Tiles" and learn more about the "Metro" style interface and the future with Windows Phone at your local Best Buy!
Register for this invitation-only engagement brought to you by Microsoft and have the opportunity to:
The number of attendees at each event is limited, so don't delay. Register today (registration code: MVP) to join in. Dates vary by location from April 23rd to May 17th.
Participating Best Buy locations include:
Register for this invitation-only engagement brought to you by Microsoft and have the opportunity to:
- Attend a Nokia Lumia 900 instructor-led demo lab
- Get the latest information on Windows Phone for IT and Developers
- Play with some of the latest and greatest Windows Phones
- Network with peers and Windows Phone experts
- Have a chance to win great prizes
The number of attendees at each event is limited, so don't delay. Register today (registration code: MVP) to join in. Dates vary by location from April 23rd to May 17th.
Participating Best Buy locations include:
- Charlotte, NC
- Chicago, IL
- Dallas and Houston, TX
- Minneapolis, MN
- Irvine, San Diego and San Francisco, CA
- New York, NY
- Portland, OR
- Redmond, WA
- Waltham, MA
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Junk Mail Settings via GPO & Exchange 2010
One of my most popular blog posts is "Control Outlook 2007 Junk Mail Settings via GPO". I've used this policy and corresponding text file for nearly two years now, without any issues.
And then I upgraded the mail server to Exchange 2010 SP1.
It was reported to me (and the "interwebs" confirm) that the import and processing of the text file for the "safe senders" has a bit of a special "feature". If you have any addresses on the list that match your internal domain, they are removed a few minutes after the import happens. And if you manually add any internal domain addresses to the safe senders list, they disappear too. This happens with the Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2010 client.
There is quite an extensive forum posting about the issue from early 2011 that you can check out. It includes some PowerShell to adjust transport rules so that domain mail has a reduced spam level. I haven't tried that though, as this issue isn't mission critical for our office.
But if you or your end users have noticed this behavior, it isn't insanity. It's just not working the way it did with Exchange 2003.
And then I upgraded the mail server to Exchange 2010 SP1.
It was reported to me (and the "interwebs" confirm) that the import and processing of the text file for the "safe senders" has a bit of a special "feature". If you have any addresses on the list that match your internal domain, they are removed a few minutes after the import happens. And if you manually add any internal domain addresses to the safe senders list, they disappear too. This happens with the Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2010 client.
There is quite an extensive forum posting about the issue from early 2011 that you can check out. It includes some PowerShell to adjust transport rules so that domain mail has a reduced spam level. I haven't tried that though, as this issue isn't mission critical for our office.
But if you or your end users have noticed this behavior, it isn't insanity. It's just not working the way it did with Exchange 2003.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
You Don't Have to Be Bored in Mid-March!
There are several exciting events this month that I wanted to make sure you didn't miss out on.
TechDays SF - 3/22 and 3/23, San Francisco, CA
Is TechEd North America too far away? Do you not have the training and travel budget you hoped for this year? Maybe you are looking for a local event that more than one of the IT Pros in your company can attend... Look no further - TechDays SF is on March 22nd and 23rd, located in downtown San Francisco. Don't miss out on this great event for IT Professionals!
Microsoft VIP Event - 3/18, Santa Clara Microsoft Store, 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd
See Windows 8 at a private VIP after-hours evening gathering at the local Microsoft Store. Play with Windows 8 in an immersive environment while we celebrate, network, and talk modern apps. Experience new Metro style gadgets that revolutionize a whole new generation of cool.
Microsoft IT Camp - 3/19, Mountain View, CA
IT Camps are semi-structured, no-fluff events exclusively designed to serve IT professionals. They are a free, in-person learning event for anyone seeking professional development as it applies to IT Professionals. The agenda is intended to deliver a technical overview and hands-on experience that is less formal or structured than traditional instructor-led training.
Participants will have a chance to perform hands on activities / exercises individually or as a team. At the end of the day, we encourage everyone to share their thoughts and experiences with the rest of the group. Come prepared to have fun, be excited, and interact in a group.
TechDays SF - 3/22 and 3/23, San Francisco, CA
Is TechEd North America too far away? Do you not have the training and travel budget you hoped for this year? Maybe you are looking for a local event that more than one of the IT Pros in your company can attend... Look no further - TechDays SF is on March 22nd and 23rd, located in downtown San Francisco. Don't miss out on this great event for IT Professionals!
Speakers and Topics will include:
- Stephen Rose (Microsoft) - Windows 7 Deployment
- Harold Wong (Microsoft) - Exchange 2010 and Lync
- Joey Snow (Microsoft) - How the Cloud will Impact IT Pros
- Chris Avis (Microsoft) - System Center
- Mark Minasi (Microsoft MVP, Author)- 10 Things to Know about Windows 2008 R2 Server; Windows 8 Server
- Darren Mar-Elia (Microsoft MVP, Author) - Best Practice for Group Policy Design
- Jason Helmick (Author) - Powershell Beginner and Advanced
- Richard Hicks (Microsoft MVP) - DirectAccess; Microsoft Forefront
- Steven Evans (Microsoft MVP) - IIS 7 for IT Pros; Windows Failover Clustering
- Chris Henley (Veeam Software, Author) - Backup Solutions
- CA Callahan (Author) - SharePoint
... And many more, check out the speakers (http://techdays.org/speakers) and session abstracts (http://techdays.org/techdays-sf-sessions/) for more information. This fabulous two-day line up is only $300 if you sign up now. Register at http://www.techdays.org/, early bird pricing ends soon!
See Windows 8 at a private VIP after-hours evening gathering at the local Microsoft Store. Play with Windows 8 in an immersive environment while we celebrate, network, and talk modern apps. Experience new Metro style gadgets that revolutionize a whole new generation of cool.
Microsoft IT Camp - 3/19, Mountain View, CA
IT Camps are semi-structured, no-fluff events exclusively designed to serve IT professionals. They are a free, in-person learning event for anyone seeking professional development as it applies to IT Professionals. The agenda is intended to deliver a technical overview and hands-on experience that is less formal or structured than traditional instructor-led training.
Participants will have a chance to perform hands on activities / exercises individually or as a team. At the end of the day, we encourage everyone to share their thoughts and experiences with the rest of the group. Come prepared to have fun, be excited, and interact in a group.
Monday, March 5, 2012
This is Internet Explorer. This is Internet Explorer for the Desktop.
The Windows 8 Consumer Preview is out, so you also have access to preview the next version of Internet Explorer - Internet Explorer 10! The new Windows 8 operating system and Metro style interface brings new challenges as Microsoft strives to move forward while still supporting everything you can run on Windows 7, including everyone's favorite application - the Internet browser.
Remember, you are already used to different browsing experiences, websites are often customized for different devices and display formats. Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 8 allows you to get the full experience from websites designed with the most modern standards, while not having to abandon other sites that use plug-ins or older coding.
This is a win-win, no matter what you call it.
Internet Explorer 10 supports modern standards like HTML5, CSS3 and SVG developers the ability to build more powerful web apps and continue to support the security enhancements brought to you with Internet Explorer 9.
Metro style applications are the native type of application for Windows 8. So it's no surprise that Internet Explorer 10 completely embraces this with it's Metro style "experience". (Special Note: The IE 10 experience presented to the user on Windows 8 shall hereby be referred to simply as "Internet Explorer". Do not forget this. It is important.)
Internet Explorer is a touch-centric, add-in free, plug-in free browsing experience that doesn't support ActiveX, Flash or Silverlight.
But wait! What about existing websites and web apps that require those components? I can't use these on Windows 8?
Windows 8 completely supports the full desktop "experience" that you know and love from Windows 7. All of your current Windows applications can run using the desktop experience, including the Internet browsing you already do.
Oh cool. So I can install Internet Explorer 9 and get my plug-ins?
No, Windows 8 doesn't support IE 9. But within the Windows 8 desktop, Internet Explorer 10 presents a different browsing experience. Using the same engine, Internet Explorer for the Desktop supports the traditional browsing features, such as tabs and plug-ins as well as compatibility modes for IE 7 and 8.
So I get two versions of Internet Explorer 10?
Nope. Internet Explorer 10 is one application that provides two browsing experiences, depending on your needs and the feature requirements of the web page itself.
"Internet Explorer" is the touch-centric experience for the new Windows interface. "Internet Explorer for the Desktop" is the experience similar to Internet Explorer 9 - available on the desktop and uses a traditional tab layout and supports plug-ins.
It's the same, but different!
It's the same, but different!
Can't I just call it all "Internet Explorer"?
You could. But that means you've already forgotten the special note from earlier in this post. The application is Internet Explorer 10 and your browsing experience will vary depending on if you launch the browser natively - Internet Explorer, or through the desktop - Internet Explorer for the Desktop.
Remember, you are already used to different browsing experiences, websites are often customized for different devices and display formats. Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 8 allows you to get the full experience from websites designed with the most modern standards, while not having to abandon other sites that use plug-ins or older coding.
This is a win-win, no matter what you call it.
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