Latest News from John Weston

Get Help Getting Your Application in Windows 8 Store

Mon, 14 May 2012 16:06:40 EDT

Recently, the Windows Store blog announced that in the next significant Windows 8 preview release they will be expanding their global coverage with 33 additional app submission locales for developers. Our store services are ramping up as planned--and of course the plan includes ramping up developer registrations to enable app submissions to the Windows store. Today, you need an invite "token" to register. This begs the question - How can YOU get a token? It's easy! If your app is ready and you want to be among those developers who get to submit to the store early, simply attend one of the 100s of free Application Excellence Labs that DPE and Windows are holding around the world.

24 Hours in a Private Cloud Event

Wed, 09 May 2012 14:13:40 EDT

Dell will promote their private cloud hardware, solutions and services. Cloud Security Alliance will discuss their research and industry guidance which Microsoft has been a major contributor toward. The IEEE Computer Society will showcase their cloud content and guidance to help IT Professionals understand the dynamics of a Cloud computing. Each will have a keynote session at this event. Overview: Attendees will hear from top industry and technical professionals from around the world to help them better understand the private cloud technology solutions that are available today. They will engage with industry organizations to understand their view of the public cloud and how the role of the IT Professional will evolve as more and more organizations begin a private cloud transformation. Attendees will have access to a number of technical professionals who will be on hand talking about the required components to simplify private cloud creation and management. As a part of this event, they can expand the dialog with their peers on numerous topics focused on operational efficiencies that come from deploying a private cloud.

Microsoft Private Cloud Summit

Tue, 01 May 2012 15:48:02 EDT

System Center 2012 and Microsoft Private Cloud Summits

Deploy Windows with MDT 2012

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:13:31 EDT

We are going to have a 2 part Webcast series on how to deploy Windows in your environment. In this demonstration-rich, question and answer webcast, Windows Product Manager Stephen Rose moderates an open conversation with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit Product Manager Michael Niehaus and deployment guru Johan Arwidmark. They discuss the new Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2012 release as well as tips and tricks from the experts about using the Windows Deployment Toolkit.

$20 from Microsoft for Downloading System Center & Free Training (US only)

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:06:10 EDT

This is cool. Microsoft is willing to PAY you to try some software and learn some stuff. And you could also win a very slick laptop in the process. "Huh? Seriously?" Explore Microsoft's Private Cloud Well.. in a sense. We're announcing today an opportunity for a limited (roughly 5,000) number of people to get a $20 coupon for the Microsoft Store, simply by doing two things:

Top Ten Reasons to Use SQL 2012

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 11:00:00 EDT

Our new SQL 2012 just released. I get asked all the time why should I upgrade to the latest. There are 100's of reasons with this one, I tried to pick the best 10. Multi-subnet failover clusters: A SQL Server multi-subnet failover cluster is a configuration where each failover cluster node is connected to a different subnet or different set of subnets. These subnets can be in the same location or in geographically dispersed sites. Clustering across geographically dispersed sites is sometimes referred to as Stretch clusters. As there is no shared storage that all the nodes can access, data should be replicated between the data storage on the multiple subnets. With data replication, there is more than one copy of the data available. Therefore, a multi-subnet failover cluster provides a disaster recovery solution in addition to high availability. For more information, see SQL Server Multi-Subnet Clustering.

Amazing Day of Announcements for Microsoft

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:27:31 EDT

Today is day two of MMS 2012, April 17th, 2012. I just can't believe the number of Announcements that have come out today. First here at the Keynote at MMS we announced the world wide availability of System Center 2012. To download the trial go to http://aka.ms/syscntr If you missed the keynote you can watch it here: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/server-cloud/new.aspx Brad Anderson published a blog post today that further details the opportunities for IT professionals to accelerate their careers in the era of continuous services and connected devices

Imagine Cup 2012 Voting

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:42:49 EDT

This is your way to vote for Imagine Cup We asked students from all over the world to come up with innovative uses of technology that would make the world a better place. They stepped up to the challenge, and the Imagine Cup US 2012 competition was on! Imagine Cup is a global technology competition, enabling students worldwide to use technology to transform the world we live in. Every year, Imagine Cup inspires eager students to shine, developing skills that will power their futures, and applying what they have learned to make a positive impact in the world and build a brighter future. Last year, over 325,000 students participated in Imagine Cup. Today, 22 teams from across the country have made it to the Imagine Cup US finals, developing solutions and providing awareness to issues that address environmental stewardship, the worldwide obesity epidemic, and the plight of children in war-torn Africa.

Trial Software to Download

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:40:44 EDT

We need you to try some software. ALL are 180 evaluations or Release Candidates. Enjoy! CARE: System Center 2012 Suite CARE: System Center 2012 Suite (INCENTIVE PROGRAM) 20 bucks!! CARE: Deploying and Managing Windows Azure Applications CARE: Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1 CARE: Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 SP1 CARE: System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 SP1

Microsoft Management Summit 2012 (MMS) Keynotes Online

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 13:42:00 EDT

Learn firsthand how Microsoft management solutions can empower you in your cloud computing journey and help you manage a wide range of different devices in your organization. Brad Anderson, Corporate Vice President of the Management and Security Division at Microsoft, returns to keynote both days at this year's Microsoft Management Summit. Cloud computing and the delivery of true IT as a Service is one of the most profound industry shifts in decades.

Where to See John Weston in April

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 11:55:13 EDT

I list all the events I am speaking at in April. April is going to be a busy month! Then in May IT Camps coming to Texas! These are ONE DAY camps, we are running in Houston, Dallas, and Austin You will see two dates in each city, this is the same content, just repeated so we can get more people in!

System Center Data Protection Manager Radio Show

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:50:22 EDT

In today's Community Corner, Microsoft System Center MVP Islam Gomaa joins us for today's show as he discusses with us System Center 2012 Data Protection Manager. Tune in as he covers some of its highlights and best features as well as why IT Pros should consider this an important part of their data center management.

Windows 8 Had Three Different Product Guides

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 06:50:00 EDT

If you're a developer, Windows® 8 Consumer Preview gives you an amazing platform to reach the millions of people around the world who use Windows every day to be more productive, creative, and to have fun. With Windows 8 Consumer Preview, you have unprecedented access and opportunity to reach that worldwide customer base early. Windows 8 represents the most significant platform opportunity available to developers, with a chance to reach millions of people with your amazing Metro style apps. Apps are at the center of the Windows 8 experience. They're alive with activity and vibrant content. Users are immersed in your full-screen, Metro style apps, where they can focus on their content, rather than on the operating system.

Why I Got Certified in VMware vSphere 5

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 11:23:00 EST

I know this sounds strange, but this week I became a VMware Certified Professional on vSphere 5. I am sure your reactions are HUH??, What?, Why on earth would a Microsoft Employee do that? Well let me try to explain. First let me provide a little background. My job here at Microsoft is to help IT Professionals understand Microsoft products. My title is Evangelist, something that is becoming more common in the technical field. I am part of our sales and marketing organization, but my goals are NOT based on sales of licenses or products. My goals are around creating awareness, excitement about our products. Specifically this year I am focusing on our Private Cloud offerings of Windows Server Hyper-V and System Center. When I talk to customers either in person at events, community activities, or in any of my on-line activities, I want to be known as a trusted advisor. Before joining Microsoft I was a consultant for many years, the key to success is that people trust you and your recommendations about technology. Part of being trusted is knowing your competition, not just your own product you want to sell.

Microsoft Management Summit 2012

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:56:00 EST

Cloud computing and the delivery of true IT as a Service is one of the most profound industry shifts in decades. Join Brad Anderson, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft's Management and Security Division, as he shares Microsoft's vision for cloud computing and shows how System ...Center 2012, as part of the Microsoft private cloud, will enable you to deliver the promise of cloud computing in your organization today. Clouds and cloud-connected devices are changing the world of work and our daily interactions. Tech-savvy and always-connected, people want faster, more intuitive technology, uninterrupted services, and the freedom to work anywhere, anytime, on a variety of devices. Join Brad Anderson, Corporate Vice President of the Management and Security Division at Microsoft to learn how System Center 2012 and Windows Intune can help IT embrace this new reality today, and in the future, by making the right intelligent infrastructure investments.

Private Cloud Chat with Microsoft Experts

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:27:36 EST

To successfully face the IT challenges of today and tomorrow, we know we need to understand the cloud. However with so much fluff it is hard to decipher what is important. Get your questions answered by the Cloud Experts! You will learn where to spend your time learning and what tools you should have in your cloud management tool belt. Start building your private cloud (tips / instructions at http://aka.ms/lab) If you come up with questions, write them down and come to one of the upcoming Private Cloud Chats.

SQL 2012 New Virtual Labs Released

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:26:26 EST

After completing this lab, you will be better able to create FileTables, create Fulltext Indexes with semantic extraction capabilities, retrieve information about document properties, and retrieve semantic information. After completing this lab, you will be better able to create and use sequence objects, query rows through paged results, and raise and catch exceptions using Throw/Catch. After completing this lab, you will be better able to introduce project connection managers, introduce parameters, create a SSIS Catalog, deploy an Integration Services project to the SSIS Catalog, execute packages from the SSIS Catalog, script package execution commands, and monitoring the Integration Services environment and package executions.

Windows 8 Beta Released

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 13:54:01 EST

It's Windows reimagined and reinvented from a solid core of Windows 7 speed and reliability. It's an all-new touch interface. It's a new Windows for new devices. And it's your chance to be one of the first to try it out. Apps in Windows 8 work together to get things done faster. Get them from the Windows Store. Windows 8 can connect you to your files, photos, people, and settings, wherever you sign in. Internet Explorer 10 Consumer Preview brings you immersive web browsing on screens big and small.

Windows Server 8 Beta Released

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 13:52:11 EST

Windows Server 8 (Beta) is finally here. Yesterday was Windows 8, the Client operating system. Today one day later is the Server product for all you IT pros out there. Yes we know applications are king, but they have to run on something!

Microsoft Private Cloud

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:04:33 EST

This is cool. Microsoft is willing to PAY you to try some software and learn some stuff. And you could also win a very slick laptop in the process. "Huh? Seriously?" Well.. in a sense. We're announcing today an opportunity for a limited (roughly 5,000) number of people to get a $20 coupon for the Microsoft Store, simply by doing two things:

Dallas Sharefest Event March 27

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:59:48 EST

At Share Cloud there are sessions created for Executives, IT administrators, software developers, information architects and knowledge workers which will ensure that you and your team walk away with as much knowledge as you desire to truly leverage Cloud Computing in your current environment!

Microsoft Private Cloud

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:32:00 EST

One Place to download everything you need to build out a test Private Cloud using Microsoft Private Cloud software. I get asked all of the time, hey where is that or that software. We are always coming out with new software you want to try, yes "most" (not all) everything we have you can try for up to 180 days for free. The problem is, finding the download site. Well I put together this blog post so you have what is currently available today, and what most IT professionals are interested in Downloading.cloud Please share with your friends!

What Is Windows Intune?

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:02:17 EST

Many times over the last year I have been asked the question, "What is Windows Intune?" I like to describe Windows Intune as the cloud service helps you centrally manage and secure your PCs through a simple, web-based console. Released back in March 2011, Windows Intune has already had a major Update on October 17th, 2011. Why should any IT Pro consider Windows Intune? Well, I came up with these top 10 reasons. (There are many more, but let's start with 10.)

Download Microsoft Private Cloud

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:01:25 EST

I get asked all of the time, hey where is that or that software. We are always coming out with new software you want to try, yes "most" (not all) everything we have you can try for up to 180 days for free. The problem is, finding the download site. Well I put together this blog post so you have what is currently available today, and what most IT professionals are interested in Downloading. Please share with your friends!

TechNet Radio Community Corner

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:07:23 EST

In today's Community Corner, John Weston interviews Microsoft SharePoint MVP, John White to the show. Tune in as they discuss the benefits of Office 365 particularly SharePoint and Lync Online as well as how Business Intelligence will be impacted by cloud computing. 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:

Kinect for Windows

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:50:33 EST

On January 9th, Steve Ballmer announced at CES that we would be shipping Kinect for Windows on February 1st. I am very pleased to report that today version 1.0 of our SDK and runtime were made available for download, and distribution partners in our twelve launch countries are starting to ship Kinect for Windows hardware, enabling companies to start to deploy their solutions. The suggested retail price is $249, and later this year, we will offer special academic pricing of $149 for Qualified Educational Users. In the three months since we released Beta 2, we have made many improvements to our SDK and runtime.

Where to See John Weston in February

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:13:13 EST

Where to see John Weston speak at future events. Don't forget you can always get the software to try that I talk about at http://aka.ms/evaluations or System Center 2012 at http://aka.ms/syscntr Are the only events I have booked so far, I had to back out of a couple of local community events due to schedule conflicts.

Blog Roll IT Evangelist from Around the World

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:11:02 EST

This is a great list of many blogs of IT Pro Evangelist from around the world! This weekend I have been at planning and training meetings with most of the IT Pro Evangelist for Microsoft. I thought I would share a bunch of their blogs.

Live Chat with Cloud Experts from Microsoft

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:45:00 EST

Have you built your first cloud yet? If not, now is a great time to build out a lab. Go ahead, grab a server (or laptop) and setup you proof of concept. If you have not done it already, it is likely because you are worried about what you will do if you get stuck! Well, fret no more. If you have any questions, bring them to one of these live online events. For information on how to get started with setting up your lab check out: http://aka.ms/syscntr There will be opportunities available for you to get your questions answered. Put these on your calendar and have fun building

Microsoft Private Cloud Free Training

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:34:47 EST

Two days of free training on Microsoft Private Cloud. Adopting this exciting new computing paradigm provides a whole new landscape of technology and career direction for IT professionals. Microsoft Learning and the Microsoft System Center 2012 team have partnered to bring you an exciting opportunity to learn what you need to know to deploy, manage and maintain Microsoft's private cloud solution. Leveraging the popular Jump Start virtual classroom approach, the industry's most gifted cloud experts will show attendees why this new private cloud solution, based on System Center 2012 and Windows Server, has garnered so much attention. Presenters include Symon Perriman, Sean Christensen, Adam Hall, Kenon Owens, Prabu Rambadran & Chris Van Wesep and there will be a live Q&A during the event.

Office 365 and HIPAA

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:22:15 EST

Microsoft Corp. today announced that Microsoft Office 365, the company's next-generation cloud productivity service, is the first and only major cloud-based platform to offer leading information privacy and security standards for customers operating in the European Union and United States. As part of its contractual commitment to customers, Microsoft will now sign the EU's model clauses, which will help customers certify compliance with the European Commission's stringent Data Protection Directive, and the U.S.-mandated Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

System Center 2012 Major Announcement

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:14:04 EST

Today Microsoft made major announcements on the pricing of System Center 2012. It's now one product, just two SKUs. Today during the "Private Cloud Day" live webcast event, Microsoft announced major change in how we think of and purchase the System Center suite. Summary.. it's no longer a separate set of products, but it is just one product: System Center 2012. Ready to try it? http://aka.ms/syscntr In a nutshell: System Center is now just one product, that comes in two editions, with many components. Standard Edition is licensed per two physical processors, and each license gives you management rights of two virtualized servers. Buy as many as you need for the number of virtualized servers you want to manage. Datacenter Edition is also licensed per two physical processors, but it provides use rights for management of an unlimited number of VMs per license.

Intelligent Systems for Retail

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:00:55 EST

This article is about How Kinect and Surface 2.0 will have impact on the retail experience. From Microsoft Press releases. Throughout the retail and hospitality industries one axiom reigns supreme: The customer is always right. Though dating back to the 19th century, it remains a hallmark of excellent customer service. And while the phrase is still as essential as ever, making good on it has become more of a challenge - and more of a possibility. A collective of buyers, store planners and supply chain managers work together to anticipate next year's hottest products, create pricing strategies that position the store well against its competitors, and keep the shelves replenished with just enough merchandise to meet demand. Meanwhile, a retinue of store managers and employees focus on serving the customer and selling that merchandise. Underpinning all these efforts is an array of applications and devices that is often outdated, disconnected and more a source of inefficiency than it is a driver of business value.

Prepare Your Career for the Cloud

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:23:19 EST

The "cloud" is simply the next level of virtualization. For those that do not have virtualization experience, this webcast describes the fundamentals of Hyper-V while giving you a jump start to your virtualization or cloud career. Then, we dive deep into the Microsoft hypervisor-based server virtualization technology. Professional Hyper-V and VMware administrators can learn how their existing virtualization knowledge can be leveraged to quickly move to the next layer of virtualization, the private cloud. So, have your cup of caffeine, and buckle up to take a very fast and eventful ride from where you are now to where you need to be to advance your career.

Job Fair Coming to Dallas

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:12:43 EST

Microsoft is having an open house January 28th for people interested in working for the company. We will be hosting an Open House at our Las Colinas, TX campus Saturday, January 28, 2012. This will be an opportunity for prospective candidates to mingle with folks on our team as well as some of our Recruiters. We will post more information on the Events page of this blog as details become available, but in the meantime you can get more information and register here. Last year's Open House was a huge success and we're hoping this year will be no different!

iPad Gets Real PC Apps and Windows?

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:02:38 EST

This new service allows users to get PC apps on iPad. Need to see redlines in Word? Edit Excel graphs? Present PowerPoint animations? Now you can. Based upon OnLive's instant-action cloud gaming technology, OnLive Desktop delivers a seamless Windows desktop experience, with instant-response multi-touch gestures, together with a full on-screen Windows keyboard and handwriting recognition, enabling complete and convenient viewing and editing of even the most complex documents. Rich media, such as video, animation, slide transitions and even PC games, never before practical via remote desktop delivery, run fluidly and dynamically with instant-action interactivity. OnLive Desktop makes remote feel local.

Hyper-V Architecture Poster

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:48:00 EST

This is a poster of the Architecture of Hyper-V. These posters have been very popular over the years and the Hyper-V one has been updated to support Dynamic Memory and RemoteFX which are now available as part of SP1. The picture of the poster is below along with a download link.

Hyper-V Security

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 07:00:00 EST

The Hyper-V Security Guide provides IT professionals with guidance, instructions, and recommendations to address key security concerns about server virtualization. Microsoft Hyper-V technology allows consolidation of workloads that are currently spread across multiple underutilized servers onto a smaller number of servers. This capability provides a way to reduce costs through lower hardware, energy, and management overhead while creating a more dynamic IT infrastructure. The Hyper-V Security Guide can help you elevate the security of virtualized Windows Server environments to address your business-critical needs.

Veeam Backup and Replication V6

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:37:38 EST

Everyone loves to get an early Christmas present well this year, Veeam has a great gift you can unwrap today. Today they announced a holiday gift for VMware vExperts, VMware Certified Professionals, VMware Certified Instructors, VMUG members, Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals, and Microsoft Certified Professionals. Last year they delivered a free gift and this year they are doing the same! You can go unwrap your free two-CPU socket Not for Resale (NFR) license for Veeam Backup & ReplicationTM v6 for evaluation and demonstration use, this free software for your home labs.

Office 365: How Microsoft Does IT

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:00:00 EST

How is Microsoft using Office 365 internally? How can a Hybrid Cloud combined with Office 365 work to your advantage. In part 2 of this 30 part series we introduced the topic of Hybrid Cloud. That is the combining of Public, Private, and or traditional IT into a system that works for you. One of the great Hybrid examples I like to talk about is internally here at Microsoft. Microsoft is an extremely email centric company. Email is beyond a mission critical app for us. As such we spend a lot on our internal Exchange infrastructure. I have been on a beta test program for many years helping our Exchange team test the next version of Exchange before they are released.

System Center 2012 RC Downloads

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 21:37:00 EST

How do you download the latest RC of System Center 2012? Are you ready to try the latest on System Center 2012 Betas and Release Candidates? Go to http://aka.ms/syscntr and get the latest downloads.

System Center 2012 Virtual Labs

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:33:33 EST

Microsoft released four new Virtual Labs on System Center 2012. Today Microsoft has made four new free virtual labs available. This provides a great opportunity to try out some of the basic operations of some of the new suite of System Center tools. 1. TechNet Virtual Lab: System Center Operations Manager 2012: Infrastructure and Application Performance Monitoring 2. TechNet Virtual Lab: System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012: Building Your Cloud Infrastructure 3. TechNet Virtual Lab: System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012: Building a Service Template 4. TechNet Virtual Lab: Introduction to System Center Configuration Manager 2012

The Cloud on Your Terms: Windows Intune

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 08:45:00 EST

PC management from the Cloud. Microsoft Intune is a cloud based service that allows you to remotely manage your desktops. Windows Intune simplifies and helps businesses manage and secure PCs using Windows®cloud services and Windows 7. Windows Intune includes both the cloud service for PC management and security and upgrade rights to Windows 7 Enterprise and future versions of Windows. With the Windows Intune cloud service, IT staff can remotely perform a number of security and management tasks including manage updates, endpoint protection to help safeguard PCs from malware threats, and inventory management so IT and end-users can remain productive from virtually anywhere-all that's required is an Internet connection. With the Windows 7 Enterprise upgrade included in the subscription, customers can get the best Windows experience with Windows 7 Enterprise or standardize on the Windows version of their choice.

Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 6.5

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST

Microsoft Just released version 6.5 of the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 6.5. The journey to the cloud is now smoother than ever with the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 6.5. The MAP Toolkit's new capabilities help users to securely assess heterogeneous IT environments while enabling the evaluation of workloads for migration to Microsoft's private and public cloud platforms. Consolidate existing server workloads using the updated Microsoft Private Cloud Fast Track capacity planning feature. The Database Consolidation Appliance Assessment allows you to simplify SQL Server migration planning for the private cloud. The revamped Azure Migration feature in MAP 6.5 provides more in-depth analysis of the suitability of migrating on-premises applications to the Windows Azure platform. Additional new features in MAP 6.5 include the discovery of active Windows devices, Software Usage Tracking for Forefront Endpoint Protection (FEP), and the discovery of Oracle instances on Itanium-based servers with HP-UX to assist in the planning of migration to SQL Server.

Cloud on Your Terms: A Lot of Water in a Data Center

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST

Back in September the team I am on got to visit our "Cloud" Data Center in San Antonio, Texas. Now they wouldn't let us take pictures of the insides, but I have to tell you about some of the things I saw. You have all seen Data Centers, raised floor and lots of air conditioning especially here in HOT Texas in the summers. It takes a huge amount of electricity to cool a large data center. Well when we built San Antonio Data Center back in 2008, we wanted to be as Green as possible. Check out this Blog entry about the data center from http://www.greenm3.com/ Green Data Center Blog.

The Cloud on Your Terms: Lessons Learned

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 04:45:00 EST

We learned to remember the simple things when building a Private Cloud. Don't forget partitioning, setting BIOS to enable Virtualization, and other lessons learned while being COLD! Our Monday got off to a slow start, President Obama was in Silicon Valley to give a "LinkedIn" chat (not sure why he couldn't have done this remotely), but do you know what happens to "the 101" when The President is on the move? I got out of the car in the middle of the lane on the 101 and took this picture. We didn't move 5 feet for about 15 minutes..... Our plan was to build out these 5 Dell Servers we got. Document what we did, so the next two team could come in and repeat our steps.

The Cloud on Your Terms: Private Cloud and Hybrid

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 10:00:00 EST

In this post we discuss Private Cloud and how it works with Hybrid Cloud. If you remember back to part 2 of this 30 part series, we defined Hybrid Cloud as just about anything you want it to do, it's really a combination of Public, Private, or Traditional IT. When we think about Private Cloud and combined with Traditional IT it makes logical combination. Many IT shops have embraced Virtualization as their current IT solution. Private Cloud is new compared to Public Cloud. But in most cases Private Cloud means taking that internal IT infrastructure to the next level, both in self service, and flexibility and automation. Very few companies are ready to go 100% Private Cloud. The question is how do you combine your traditional IT infrastructure with your new Private Cloud. With this in mind, you need to think about Security and authentication as you move from traditional IT to the Cloud. If you aren't already using Active Directory, now would be the time to deploy it across your networks so you are ready to manage access across your systems. You can extend your Active Directory with ADFS (Active Directory Federated Services) to allow you to work with partners and vendors that you want to share your security with.

The Cloud on Your Terms: Preparing for The Cloud

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:00:00 EST

Well, you have heard all the hype, Cloud this, Cloud that, Public Cloud, Private Cloud, etc., etc., how the heck do you get ready? Your organization might not be ready to move 100% of your servers to someone else's data center yet, but still, what should you be doing NOW for that day when Cloud will be part of your everyday world? First we need to look at your existing environment. Truly take a good assessment of what you have. First thing about your servers, are they virtualized? Then think about DR/Backups? What happens if you entire data center isn't there. Secondly your desktops, what do you do for management of them, should you virtualize your desktops? Then finally think about your applications. Where do they run now, how about in the future, how do you apps scale securely.

Private Cloud System Center 2012

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:22:35 EST

System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2, Microsoft's end-to-end service-management product, is your best choice for Windows environments. It works seamlessly with Microsoft infrastructure servers, such as Windows Server, and application servers, such as Microsoft Exchange, helping you to increase efficiency while enabling greater control of the IT environment. As a significant step towards fulfilling Microsoft's common management vision, Operations Manager 2007 R2 also helps you monitor Windows Azure applications, thus allowing you to extend your familiar on-premises monitoring solution to public cloud scenarios.

Cloud on Your Terms: Public, Private, and Hybrid Clouds

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:00:00 EST

What is a Hybrid Cloud? We keep hearing about "The Cloud" in IT, and how it is supposed to change things in the next few years. People keep using the terms, Public Cloud, Private Cloud, and Hybrid Cloud. What do these really mean? First Public Cloud, this is using someone else's Data Center to host applications or subscribe to applications on the Web. Examples from Microsoft of Public Cloud are Office 365, Windows Azure, and Windows Intune. Private Cloud is something different; usually this is in your own data center, possibly hosted by someone else. Microsoft offerings in this area include Windows Server Hyper-v and Microsoft System Center. These tools allow you to scale your data center to take advantage of Cloud features. Make sure you remember just virtualization doesn't alone make Private Cloud; it's much more than just that. So then what is Hybrid Cloud? Hybrid is a combination of things. As Clouds start to get rolled out, companies are starting to realize that one size doesn't fit all. Some companies have concerns about Security with the Public Cloud; they just can't envision having all their data out of their control. Some have restrictions that will prevent this as well. Hybrid can be a combination of many things, Public, Private, Traditional IT, etc. Flexibility and security are keys to success.