Kurt Shintaku's Blog

BUILD 2015 is tomorrow!

This was a message sent to us from the much-beloved Steve “Guggs” Guggenheimer, Corp VP of Developer Experiences & Chief Evangelist:

The Build Developer Conference returns tomorrow to San Francisco’s Moscone Center West and we couldn’t be more excited to host developers and press from around the world for three days of immersive content and demos.  It all begins Wednesday at 8:30AM PDT with a keynote featuring Satya Nadella, Scott Guthrie, and Terry Myerson.  You can watch the keynotes, live session presentations and Channel 9 interviews from anywhere in the world and join in the conversation on Twitter, (the official hashtag is #Build2015).

At Build 2015, developers will get an up-close look at Microsoft’s platform story, told by many of the company’s senior executives and top technical leaders, over more than 160 sessions.  Partner app announcements, Microsoft product news and compelling demos will demonstrate our most recent capabilities and accomplishments achieved in enhancing the platform; while numerous technical sessions will host Microsoft’s top engineers and evangelists, diving deeply into the areas that matter most to developers.

Many of us spend the entire year looking forward to this incredible week, and the opportunity to make the most of this event for our company, our partners, and our customers.  The developers attending are our strongest advocates, travelling from around the world to participate and we owe it everyone in attendance to make every Build better than the last.

In addition to those who come in person, tens of thousands will watch online, both in real time and through recorded sessions.  To support this broad and diverse audience we’ve created a schedule that we believe will appeal to their interests and goals.  We’ll be showing them ways Microsoft is supporting their existing technology investments, the power of Windows, Office and Azure in a mobile-first and cloud-first world, and how our platforms can help support their business needs and opportunities.

DOWNLOAD THE BUILD APP!
If you are attending, make the most of this time by interfacing with our partners throughout the week.  Also make sure to download the Microsoft Build 2015 app, which allows you to browse session listings, synchronize your personalized schedule with Channel 9, stay connected throughout the event and submit evaluations afterward.  The app is also a great reference for information and resources related to the event.

GET INVOLVED & TUNE IN
If you are not attending Build, our Channel 9 team will broadcast keynotes, top sessions and interviews live throughout the event.  Developers and partners will be able to submit their questions online with a chance to have them answered live by me and a collection of other Microsoft leaders.  Updates and announcements can be found on the Build News Center.  All remaining sessions will be made available on-demand within about 24 hours of presentation time.

Keynote	Speakers	Date/Time
Day One	Satya/Scott/Terry	April 29 – 8:30 AM PDT
Day Two	Steven Guggenheimer/John Shewchuk/ Joseph Sirosh/David Treadwell/Kevin Gallo	April 30 – 8:30 AM PDT

COMING: THE BUILD ROAD SHOW
After this week, we will be taking our show to the world.  You are invited to come along for the ride and join us for the Build Tour, a collection of one-day events being held across the globe, making the Build experience a local one.  These free event will be delivered by Microsoft Technical Evangelists and engineers, coming to 23 cities worldwide.  Attendees will get a look at the Best of Build, including announcements and insights, a deep dive into the Windows 10 Universal Windows Platform for app and web developers, coding sessions and exciting demos, partner showcases and open Q&A and face-to-face time with Microsoft engineers.  Visit http://www.build15.com for details.

The past year has witnessed Microsoft undergoing an exciting transformation and our spirits are high, as we continue to deliver on the vision of empowering every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.  We’d love for you to add to the conversation via your social networks, and invite you to participate in sharing Build content with the world, whether you are at Moscone with us this week, or elsewhere.  For live reporting on Twitter follow @msdev and the official hashtag, #Build2015.

Thank you in advance for your support of our mission and effort spreading the word about our exciting transformation.

Are you on Office 365/Exchange Online for email?

Have you received an email like this recently?

Well, it turns out everyone on Office 365 did.

If you would like the originator of the email (the From: field) to be something specific for your Enterprise organization (to avoid help desk calls or questions from confused end users), here’s an article around how to change the that field to something more IT friendly:

• TECHNET: Change the branding of Clutter notifications
  https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn957583(v=exchg.150).aspx

Explore the technical aspects of Surface and learn how to plan for, deploy, manage, and support Surface devices in your organization.

• TECHNET: Technical Content for Surface 3 & Surface Pro 3
  https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/dn903161

Here’s a sample of the Table of Contents:

Download
Get drivers for all of the components in Surface Pro 3, Surface Pro 2, and Surface Pro devices, as well as updates to the system firmware that have been released via Windows Update.

Get started with deployment
Find best practices to help you deploy Windows on Surface devices, and better manage those devices moving forward.

• Download the Surface Pro 3 Deployment and Administration Guide
• Plan for Surface deployment
• Find step-by-step deployment guidance
• Learn how to easily manage and keep Surface devices up to date

Stay informed
Keep up with the latest announcements, guidance, resources, and events for IT professionals managing Surface devices.

• Visit the Surface for IT Pros blog
• Find recent Surface and Windows 8.1 knowledge base (KB) articles

Find support
If you are trying to fix a hardware issue or searching for technical expertise, you can contact Surface warranty and software support:

• Call to submit an incident
• Microsoft Premier Customers: Submit an incident with Microsoft Premier Online

* Fees may apply. Customers opening incidents for hardware issues will not be charged unless the issue is determined to be outside of warranty coverage.

NOTE: There is a section specifically on configuring UEFI:

Advanced UEFI security features for Surface

• Manually installing the UEFI update
• Manually configuring additional security settings
• Automating additional security settings

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/dn965440

This is not new however I realized that I don’t actually have a post on this potentially very valuable feature within Office 365:  “Groups”

Accessible through https://outlook.office365.com, Groups for Office 365 give end users the ability to join/create groups that are applicable to services across Office 365.  Think of a grouping of users called “Workers on Project X” that can be:

• Message everyone in the group (like an Exchange Email Distribution List)
• Given permissions to a file folder using SharePoint Online (like a SharePoint Membership Group)
• View a single discussion’s threaded email history online to allow new members to get caught up (like a Yammer Group) and even interact with the discussion via your own personal inbox
• Share a schedule/calendar across the group (via SharePoint Calendars)

Office 365 Groups is accessible in the Outlook folder window online at https://outlook.office365.com

That’s what Groups is designed to do:  Solve the problem have having different grouping types across the entire Office 365 service.  These services were created with their own grouping systems but Office 365 Groups are designed to bring all of those together.

Read more about Office 365 Groups here:

• OFFICE BLOGS: Delivering the first chapter of Groups in Office 365
  http://blogs.office.com/2014/09/25/delivering-first-chapter-groups-office-365/
• SUPPORT: Find help about groups in Office 365
  https://support.office.com/en-US/Article/Find-help-about-groups-in-Office-365-7a9b321f-b76a-4d53-b98b-a2b0b7946de1?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US
• WHITEPAPER: An End to End Experience with Groups
  http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=45873
• ARTICLE: Exploring Office 365 Groups (Tony Redmond, Windows IT Pro)
  http://windowsitpro.com/office-365/exploring-office-365-groups

Overview of the new enterprise video streaming solution for Office 365. See how it works and how to use it.  Just published this month to reflect the complete solution.

Some folks mistakenly believe that Skype for Business was “just Lync 2013 renamed”.

Nothing could be further from the truth.  Here’s a list of capabilities that only Skype for Business has, that greatly differentiate it from Lync 2013, as written up by our Enterprise Voice Specialist, Christian Burke.

Skype for Business New Feature Matrix

UPDATE 8/10/16: Since the product is constantly evolving with Microsoft’s new cloud service delivery model, there is now a web page entitled, “What’s new in Skype for Business 2016?” that summarizes improvements made to Skype for Business since we initially released it.  At last check, there are published updates for Dec 1, 2015, Feb 9, 2016, & July 1, 2016.
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/What-s-new-in-Skype-for-Business-2016-cece9f93-add1-4d93-9a38-56cc598e5781?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US

I’m sure this is written somewhere else but I’ve gotten tired of having Read Mode as the default viewer for Word 2013 files. 

I NEVER, EVER, EVER use this mode.  I always switch to Print Layout as I am almost always editing the document I’m opening, and thus it makes no sense for this view to every be used for me, much less the default. (?!?)

To make Word documents open in the “Print Layout” view instead of “Read Mode” when you first open the document, within Word 2013:

1. Open a new document
2. Click File –> Options
3. Uncheck the box under “General”, “Start Up options” that reads:
   ”Open e-mail attachments and other uneditable files in reading view”
4. Click Okay.

We have received feedback that customers want to include the Surface App (formerly Surface Hub App) to their custom Windows 8.1 image without going to the Windows Store.

Today we are solving this issue, by making the Surface App available over the Microsoft Download Center.

Customers can now download the Surface App, and make the App part of their own custom image – without the need of a Microsoft Account or access to the Windows Store.

• DOWNLOAD: Surface App (for image deployment)
  http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=46703
• TECHNET: Installing Surface App
  https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/dn705824.aspx

We’re all seeing it: more of our basic consumer experiences include technology in one way, shape or form, from mobile apps, loyalty, enhanced point-of-sale and direct customer engagement.  These factors and more provide a platform for hospitality brands to differentiate themselves through digital touch points.  Hospitality brands are transforming themselves to digital businesses by exploring new ways to serve their customers, including placing technology closer to the customer dining experience.

Join this unique webcast to hear from our Global Director for Hospitality & Travel, Greg Jones, as he discusses ways in which Microsoft is partnering with innovative companies to deliver unique restaurant experiences.  Greg will be joined by Ziosk President & CEO, Austen Mulinder, as they discuss transforming the tableside dining experience.

During the webcast you will hear about:

• Microsoft’s vision for the customer journey in hospitality
• Ziosk successes in delivering this unique experience
• How you can gain greater insights to your business and customer needs through tableside ordering
• Results that show this solutions increases staff retention and satisfaction

Date: 5/21/2015
Time: 9:00 AM PDT
Duration: 30 minutes
Register:
https://vts.inxpo.com/scripts/server.nxp?LASCmd=AI:4;F:QS!10100&ShowKey=24593

Last month, Mark Russinovich, Microsoft Technical Fellow & Chief Technology Officer for Microsoft Azure, attended ChefCon 2015 and participated in a panel discussion entitled, “Have Your Bets on Open Paid Off?”

Watch the recording of Mark Russinovich and other industry leaders from Facebook & The Gap discuss the beneficial impact of openness:

• VIDEO: Panel Discussion: Have Your Bets on Open Paid Off?
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZnbGNtcyMc