Kurt Shintaku's Blog

[I’m way late on posting this but I need to have it here for later reference.]

Today, we are excited to announce that Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) 2014 is now available for download. For those of you who aren’t familiar with MDOP, it’s a suite of virtualization, management and security technologies available as a subscription for Software Assurance customers that helps maximize the benefits offered by Windows.

MDOP 2014 includes Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring tool (MBAM) 2.5, which represents a substantial update to our BitLocker management solution, as well as a spring update for Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) 5.0 SP2. This update is available for download here and includes a number of significant product innovations focusing on virtualized desktop scenarios.

For more detail on the improvements made in MDOP 2014, visit the Windows blog and the Springboard blog.

• WINDOWS BLOG: Improving your organization’s security and performance with the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack
  http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/business/archive/2014/05/01/improving-your-organization-s-security-and-performance-with-the-microsoft-desktop-optimization-pack.aspxMDOP 2014 delivers improved BitLocker management with MBAM 2.5
• SPRINGBOARD BLOG: MDOP 2014 delivers improved BitLocker management with MBAM 2.5
  http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/springboard/archive/2014/05/01/mdop-2014-delivers-improved-bitlocker-management-with-mbam-2-5.aspx
• TECHNET DOCS: Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring 2.5
  http://technet.microsoft.com/library/dn645379.aspx

Are you in IT?  Do you have to prep PowerPoint’s that present, among other things, your project timeline?  Do you find yourself handcrafting Gantt charts and modifying them every time there’s a slip in schedule?

No longer!  Here’s a 3rd party tool that I use with PowerPoint 2013 (also works with 2007/2010) called “Office Timeline 2013”.  And it’s free.

The above photo is an example of the kind of timeline you can generate and insert into your PowerPoint presentation through a quick wizard.  They have different templates, different chart types, different use cases, etc.

If you like it, you might want to copy & paste timeline data from Excel… and that’s where the “Plus” version comes in which is NOT free, however it’s probably going to be worth you dollar at $39 just to keep in your arsenal of secret IT professional tools.

• DOWNLOAD: Office Timeline 2013 (No cost for “Free Edition” or $39 for “Plus Edition”)
  http://www.officetimeline.com/

In case you’re not familiar with RMS, here’s a quick overview of a little bit of the value it provides organizations:

Due to increased regulation, the Consumerization of IT (CoIT) and the “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD), the explosion of information with dispersed enterprise data, the Social Enterprise and its applications enabling new collaboration, analytics scenarios, etc. enterprises of all sizes are facing growing needs to protect sensitive information. At the same time, enterprises have a need to securely share that same information amongst appropriate employees and other individuals within and outside the corporate network.

The NEW Microsoft Rights Management service (RMs) offering (microsoft.com/rms) provides the capability to create and consume protected content such as e-mail and documents of any type. Such a capability is available as a standalone subscription (for your on-premises infrastructure with the Microsoft Rights Management connector) or is part of the Office 365 Enterprise subscription, natively integrated with Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and Microsoft Office to apply persistent protection to the content to meet the business requirements of your organization.

The Microsoft Rights Management suite is implemented as a Windows Azure service. Beyond the available RMS enlightened applications on the market, it comprises a set of Microsoft Rights Management sharing applications that work on all your common devices, a set of software development kits, and related tooling. By leveraging Windows Azure Active Directory, the cloud-hosted Microsoft Rights Management service acts as a trusted hub for secure collaboration where an organization can easily share information securely with other organizations without additional setup or configuration. The other organization(s) may be existing Microsoft Rights Management service’s customers but if not, they can use a free Microsoft Rights Management for individuals capability.

The whitepapers available as part of this download covers the various aspects of the offerings and provide in-depth information to evaluate or use the Microsoft Rights Management service and its components. For an overview of the NEW Microsoft Rights Management service offerings, see the whitepaper NEW Microsoft Rights Management service.

The below five papers are offered:

• Bring-Your-Own-Key-with-Azure-RMS.DOCX
• Get-Usage-Logs-from-Azure-RMS.DOCX
• IPC-in-Office-365-with-Azure-RMS.DOCX
• Leverage-the-RMS-Connector-for-your-premises.DOCX
• Share-protected-content-with-Azure-RMS.DOCX

DOWNLOAD:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40333

[UPDATED 7/19/14]
And even more reviews come in. 

[UPDATED 7/4/14]
So what’s to know about Surface Pro 3, hmm?

• Ultra-Thin: 0.36” – 30% thinner than the 11” MacBook Air and the thinnest laptop running an Intel Core processor
• Ultra-Light: 1.76 pounds – lighter than the lightest MacBook Air
• Larger Screen: 12” display, 38% more viewing area than Surface Pro 2
• Stunning ClearType Full HD Display: 2160 X 1440 screen resolution, 3:2 aspect ratio and multi-touch input
• Breakthrough Surface Pro Type Cover: New magnetic double-fold hinge for more lap stability
• Larger Trackpad: 31% larger with a new, smooth glass-like feel
• Multi-angle kickstand: Adjustable, continuous kickstand with up to 150 degrees of viewing
• All-new Surface pen: Precise & pressure sensitive fountain pen-like experience with one-click access to OneNote

A lot more!  Just read some of the reviews:

• MASHABLE: “Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Is the Best Everything Device Ever Made”
  ”…as everything devices go, the Surface Pro 3 scores very high. The point isn’t to be the best at any singular task — it’s to negate the need to carry, and even own, multiple devices that do pretty close to the same thing anyway. For the Surface, redundancy is the enemy.”
  http://mashable.com/2014/05/30/microsoft-surface-pro-3-review/?utm_cid=mash-com-Tw-main-link
• YAHOO: “Smart, Versatile Surface Pro 3 Can Do It All — Maybe Even Lift the Windows 8 Curse”
  ”Surface Pro 3 is thinner, lighter, and bigger-screened than its predecessors. Its kickstand is infinitely flexible now; its keyboard, trackpad, and pen are much improved… If this marvel of engineering doesn’t lift the Microsoft hardware curse, I don’t know what its designers are supposed to do.”
  https://www.yahoo.com/tech/if-you-had-to-be-a-tragic-mythological-figure-86496376264.html
• ZDNET: “Surface Pro 3: A brilliant, quirky, nearly flawless laptop replacement”
  ”It’s a solidly built, well-engineered device, and you will pay a premium price for that build quality and engineering… You can spend less for a portable PC, but in general you’ll get inferior build quality, lower screen resolution, and less capable hardware.”
  http://www.zdnet.com/surface-pro-3-a-brilliant-quirky-nearly-flawless-laptop-replacement-7000030024/
• SLASHGEAR: “Surface Pro 3 Review”
  ”Thing is, this may not just be hot air: bigger but lighter, faster but slimmer, the Surface Pro 3 might well be the hybrid Microsoft has been promising all this time. More importantly, it could well convince me – as an unabashed Mac and iPad user – that the Surface Pro 3 is now competitive… I’m frankly astonished by how attached to the Surface Pro 3 I’ve become in the time I’ve been using it.”
  http://www.slashgear.com/surface-pro-3-review-31331212/
• HOTHARDWARE: “Surface Pro 3 Review”
  “…we said that performance, build-quality, and the user experience all matter when evaluating a product. Well, the Surface Pro 3 has the performance and build-quality to easily earn a recommendation. Microsoft has also nailed the user experience–everything the Surface Pro 3 was designed to do, it does well, and it is easily one of the more attractive portable devices we have used.”
  http://hothardware.com/m/Reviews/Microsoft-Surface-Pro-3-Review/default.aspx
• WINSUPERSITE: “Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Review: Third Time’s the Charm”
  ”If you were on the fence because previous Surface Pro devices were too small, too thick, or just "off" in some vague way, take a look at Surface Pro 3. This is a well-made, nicely designed device that really does live up to its promise. And if you’re looking to replace a laptop or Ultrabook, Surface Pro 3 absolutely deserves some consideration. Surface Pro 3 is highly recommended.”
  http://winsupersite.com/mobile-devices/microsoft-surface-pro-3-review
• GIZMODO: “Surface Pro 3 Hands On: A Laptop Replacement That Just Might Work”
  “The typically wonderful Surface design is in full effect here. This sucker is a pleasure to hold and behold. The angular edges still melt into your palms, and this sucker is thin and light enough that it’s easily one-handable, though you might not want to try it for more than a few minutes. The new, improved fan that Microsoft touted during its announcement no doubt makes this smaller form-factor possible, and it is impressive; I couldn’t tell if the fan was on or off when I was playing around with it.”
  http://gizmodo.com/surface-pro-3-hands-on-a-laptop-replacement-that-just-1579032058
• THE VERGE: “Microsoft Surface Pro 3 review – This Tablet Wants to Replace Your Laptop”
  ”It took three iterations for the hardware to live up to Microsoft’s original vision for the Surface, but now it finally does. If you believe that Windows 8.1 hasn’t taken off because the hardware hasn’t been good enough, the Surface Pro 3 removes that argument from the table. It’s simply hard to identify areas where it can get radically better.”
  http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/23/5743416/microsoft-surface-pro-3-review
• CHIP CHICK: “Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Review – As Good as Windows 8 Gets”
  “The Best Windows 8 Device Yet:  No one can compete with its combination of superb design, build quality, versatility and performance. Throw in an amazing display and the oh, so usable Pen, and the Surface Pro 3 is indeed the best Windows 8 device on the market.”
  http://www.chipchick.com/2014/06/microsoft-surface-pro-3-review.html
• TECHNOBUFFALO: “Surface Pro 3 Review: A Laptop/Tablet Hybrid You’ll Actually Want To Buy ”
  ”9/10 Editor’s Choice: The Surface Pro 3 is the best way to experience Windows 8, and a big step toward Microsoft’s laptop/tablet future.”
  http://www.technobuffalo.com/reviews/surface-pro-3-review/
• RAY FRENDEN: (Reputed artist for Nike, Nickelodeon, Burton, etc) “Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 vs. Wacom’s Cintiq Companion: Which portable drawing tablet reigns supreme for digital artists?”
  It’s going to take a fantastic piece of hardware to unseat the Companion’s position as my alpha dog for art creation.  The Surface Pro 3 is a fantastic piece of hardware… A few years ago, no device akin to either of these options was mature enough to even consider for professional work. These two hardware juggernauts slugging it out spur innovation. No matter which device “wins,” ultimately we, as artists, are in a better place. But let me ease your mind. No matter which piece of art hardware you choose, you haven’t made a bad choice. Both are good in different, complimentary ways.
  http://frenden.com/post/90779846937/microsofts-surface-pro-3-vs-wacoms-cintiq-companion
• BETANEWS: “Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 is better than Apple’s MacBook Air – here’s 5 reasons why”
  ”Overall, both the Surface Pro 3 and MacBook Air are great laptops — the Surface Pro 3 is simply better. For the money, you are getting more features and access to more apps and programs. Even though the MBA overall is solid, the fact that Apple in 2014 can sell its customers a laptop without a touchscreen is beyond me. Not to mention, the display quality is so poor in comparison to the Surface Pro 3, that it is hard to believe they are both being sold in the same year. As someone who has spent a lot of time with the Surface Pro 3, I can assure you it is the real deal.”
  http://betanews.com/2014/06/17/microsofts-surface-pro-3-is-better-than-apples-macbook-air-heres-5-reasons-why/
• TABLETPCREVIEW: “Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Review”
  ”The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is a premium device and an exceptional piece of hardware. Performance is top notch, and when coupled with a keyboard cover and pen, it’s the most productive tablet on the market. The display is fantastic, and though its size and aspect ratio can make things a bit unwieldy, it’s mitigated by its light build, near-perfect balance, and increased screen real estate.”
  http://www.tabletpcreview.com/tabletreview/microsoft-surface-pro-3-review/
• TECHRADAR: “Microsoft Surface Pro 3 review: Is Redmond’s latest tablet the laptop killer?”
  ”Everything about the Surface Pro 3 design screams style and thoughtfulness. Microsoft took the entire Surface Pro 2 back to the drawing board with this revision. Between its bigger, sharper screen and thinner, lighter magnesium frame, nearly every box has been checked in crafting a superior product.”
  http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/tablets/microsoft-surface-pro-3-1249750/review
• GIZMAG: “Review: Microsoft Surface Pro 3”
  “Gizmag highly recommends the Surface Pro 3 to anyone looking for the best evidence yet that the same device can not only be both laptop and tablet, but can kick some serious ass while doing it.”
  http://www.gizmag.com/surface-pro-3-review/32688/
• FAST COMPANY: “Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3: The Tablet That Could Finally Get You To Ditch Paper”
  ”The coup d’grace, however, is the simplest, most basic thing found on the entire device. When the Surface is in sleep mode and you click the button on top of the pen, the tablet will launch straight into a blank screen for jotting down notes by hand. It may seem dumb, but it takes a formerly involved process (unlock tablet, find app, launch app, write), and turns it into a thoughtless, frictionless process that takes all of a half-second.”
  http://www.fastcodesign.com/3030909/microsofts-surface-pro-3-the-tablet-that-could-finally-get-you-to-ditch-paper

This document highlights the strengths/value of Office 365 very well and provides reasonable amount of background evidence for each bullet.

Areas Enterprise customers see benefit when adopting Office 365:

• Enterprise leadership
• Privacy, security, and compliance
• Familiar user experience
• Flexibility to have a cloud and server option
• Get more from IT (Elimination of server upkeep, security mgmt, patch/update maintenance, etc.)
• Save time and money

WHITEPAPER: Office 365 Business Value & Usage Scenarios
http://download.microsoft.com/download/A/3/7/A3705185-C769-44AE-B6BB-88D0FC8A22D4/Customers-find-value-by%20choosing-Office-365-final.docx

Want to gain an edge in your technical career? Industry insiders suggest that over 70% of businesses now run at least two virtualization platforms in their IT environment. That’s why IT pros who understand multiple platforms are invaluable to their companies and clients.

Here’s your chance to upgrade your Microsoft Virtualization skills for FREE! We’re hosting an online technical workshop specifically for VMware IT professionals. Seasoned experts will demonstrate key scenarios and technologies from Microsoft and VMware.

This event will help you to:

• Ramp up your knowledge of Microsoft virtualization technologies
• See how your existing VMware skillset translates in a Microsoft environment
• Compare and contrast the key Microsoft and VMware technologies
• Leverage available Microsoft tools to help manage a VMware environment
• Explore some of the new technologies in Windows Server 2012 R2, Hyper-V Server 2012 R2, and System Center 2012 R2

In preparation for the event, we strongly recommend that you download the free, full-featured version of Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2012 R2.

• TIME/DATE:
  Thursday, June 26, 2014 9:00 AM (PDT) – 12:30PM (PDT)
• REGISTRATION:
  https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032589236&Culture=en-US&community=0

I think a lot of people have gotten weary over the term, “Internet of Things”.  Much like “Information Superhighway”, it’s gotten to be a bit of a joke when it’s used in conversation.

An “Internet of Things” (IoT) however is a real matter to be addressed as either a strategic advantage of a danger.  One important enough that companies should look into what their strategy is managing them or more importantly, how to take advantage of the concept.

As described at the beginning of the year, the Internet of Things refers to Big Data as applied to your own connected devices, each with its own sensors, and doing the following:

1. Driving decision making based on this information
2. Orchestrating changes on current device operation based on this information
3. Choosing what data to collect & pay attention to, and what to ignore

Per Microsoft Vice President, Susan Hauser:

We’re all familiar with the challenge of big data – how the volume, velocity and variety of data is overwhelming. Studies confirm the conclusion many of you have reached on your own: There’s more data crossing the internet every second than existed on the internet in total 20 years ago. And, now, as customers deploy more sensors and devices in every part of their business, the data explosion is just beginning. This concept, called the “Internet of Things,” is a hot topic among my customer conversations. Many businesses are uncovering efficiencies based on how connected devices drive decisions with more precision in their organizations. A great example of this is leading German hospital Siloah St. Trudpert Klinikum, which built a system to integrate operating room devices, machines and data sources to improve patient care. However, equally important is ensuring businesses are analyzing the right data sets, absorbing some data in real-time and leaving other data at the device or allowing machine-to-machine communication. This strategy – understanding what data needs to be absorbed vs. ignored – is where “Internet of Things” becomes real. It will be a big deal in 2014.

Here’s more on Microsoft’s thoughts around IoT:

• Microsoft: 10 reasons businesses need a strategy for the Internet of Things now
  http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsoft_blog/archive/2014/05/21/10-reasons-businesses-need-a-strategy-for-the-internet-of-things-now.aspx
• Microsoft lays out Internet of Things Business Case
  http://www.eweek.com/networking/microsoft-lays-out-internet-of-things-business-case.html
• Microsoft: Pushing the frontier of IoT
  http://blogs.msdn.com/b/windows-embedded/archive/2014/05/23/week-in-review-pushing-the-frontier-of-iot.aspx
• Microsoft: Create the Internet of Your Things
  http://www.internetofyourthings.com/

We are excited to introduce myBulletins, a new online security bulletin customization service that offers IT professionals a personalized list of the Microsoft security bulletins that matter most to their organization.

It is easy to use: simply visit myBulletins, log in to your Microsoft account, select the products and versions running in your environment, and a customized list of only those security bulletins is displayed.

• Meet myBulletins: an online security bulletin customization service
  http://blogs.technet.com/b/msrc/archive/2014/05/28/meet-mybulletins-an-online-security-bulletin-customization-service.aspx

Yeah, I never thought I’d see this day.  This is an utterly incredible partnership to create solutions that connect salesforce.com’s CRM apps/platform to Microsoft Office and Windows.

In a nutshell, here’s what we can anticipate from the partnership:

• Windows and Windows Phone 8.1 Salesforce apps
• Office 365 & Salesforce interoperability
• Office Mobile, Office for iPad & Office 365 access to Salesforce content
• OneDrive for Business/SharePoint Online as storage options from Salesforce
• Salesforce app for Outlook to provide PIM integration
• Excel & Power BI for Office 365 connectivity to Salesforce data

Basically, customers using Salesforce.com today are going to love using Office 365 & the Office family of applications on Windows, Windows Phone, iPhone, Android & iPad.

Read more here:

• Microsoft and Salesforce.com announce global, strategic partnership
  http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2014/may14/05-29mayannouncementpr.aspx

Scott Guthrie, Executive Vice President, Cloud and Enterprise Group wrote the following post after Gartner announced their recent Magic Quadrants for the Cloud:

A little over a year ago, we announced the general availability of Azure Infrastructure Services. Since that time, we helped customers realize the power of “and” with Infrastructure Services and Platform Services, Windows and Linux, Oracle, SQL and soon SAP – all in one cloud – so customers get the speed, scale and economic benefits of the cloud no matter what they want to do. Today, I’m excited to share that Gartner has named Microsoft as a Leader in its 2014 Cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Magic Quadrant report. This comes on the heels of Gartner recognizing Microsoft as a Leader in the Enterprise Application Platform as a Service (aPaaS) market in its 2014 Enterprise aPaaS Magic Quadrant – making Microsoft the only public cloud vendor to be named a Leader for both PaaS and IaaS.

• Read more here & see the Gartner magic quadrant visuals:
  http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsoft_blog/archive/2014/05/30/the-power-of-and.aspx