Kurt Shintaku's Blog

This was some of the biggest news I’ve read in a long time from us and it seems to have gone completely unnoticed by the media.  Here’s an English language explanation of what we’re doing in the space of IP protection:

Anyone in any company will be able to securely share any document with anyone else on the Internet.  They will also be able to control what other people can do with those documents track the document’s usage.  They can also set the document to expire/timebomb after a certain date.  The individuals receiving these documents will be able to view them on iOS, Android, Windows RT, Macintosh, & Windows computers.

Rights Management or Intellectual Property Protection at Microsoft enables a user to encrypt file using AEC-256 bit encryption securing data at rest.  However what makes it unique is that based on the accessing users credentials, it provides only certain rights to the information store in it.  It can:

• Prevent users from printing the content or “copy & paste” or screen capturing
• Prevent users from forwarding mail messages & documents to others outside their company
• Prevent users from forwarding mail messages & documents to others not on the To: line
• Prevent users from using the document after a certain date
• Label the content as “CONFIDENTIAL” to notify them of use rights
• Audit who accessed a file at what time
• Ensure that data is only accessed when a user has logged in with credentials

SUMMARY OF ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1. NEW Explorer shell "right mouse click" rights-protection functionality. Recursively works on folders & files.
2. NEW support for iOS, Android, & Windows RT as well as Mac & Windows.
3. NEW generic protection of any file type, as well as specific protection of new file types, including .PDF, .TXT, .JPG/.GIF,
4. NEW cross-business & Live ID/GmailID sharing
5. NEW Azure RMS auto-provisioning for business domains

Here’s a presentation that was done at TechEd 2013 Europe that explains what was announced:

Microsoft offers Active Directory Rights Management Service (ADRMS) in Windows Server today. Windows Azure Active Directory Rights Management is a new service from Microsoft that is tightly integrated with Microsoft Office and Office 365. These two services combine to support layered information protection offers such as: Office, Exchange DLP, File Classification, SharePoint Secure Libraries, and more. These offers support seven platforms with mobile applications, offer generic protection of all file types, business-to-business secure collaboration, and the ability to quickly deploy information protection services on-premises by leveraging cloud infrastructure. This hybrid offer enables HSM-based key storage, secure B2B collaboration, and enables your organization to maintain their documents on-premise if so desired! This first of two talks covers Microsoft’s overall information protection offer as well as recent advances.

• PRESENTATION RECORDING: Information Protection in 2013: Hybrid RMS, Generic Protection, and iOS/Android/WinRT Support
  http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/Europe/2013/WCA-B322
• POWERPOINT DOWNLOAD:
  http://video.ch9.ms/sessions/teched/eu/2013/WCA-B322.pptx

This poster illustrates and explains the new world of identity and authentication in Office 2013 and Office 365. Two scenarios illustrate how identities are provisioned and how those identities are authenticated completely in the Microsoft cloud or in a hybrid (on-premises and Microsoft cloud) topology.

Available in both .PDF & .VSD (Visio!)

• POSTER: Identity & Authentication in the cloud: Office 2013 & Office 365
  http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=38193 

For whatever reason, someone in Microsoft Windows Phone corporate marketing for thinks that this logo (downloadable at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=5014):

…is a good signal to the public that an app is available in the same way that these do:

There.  Fixed that for you.  (Segoe UI Light & Segoe UI versions)

Microsoft IT is Microsoft’s first & best customer.  A product needs to be deployed at Microsoft before it goes out the door.

Interested in knowing how Microsoft deployed a given Microsoft technology you’re interested in?  We have case studies for many of these deployments. 

(Note: While Microsoft deploys virtually all our products internally for use in production, not all product deployments are documented or case studied.  We hire 3rd parties to document our Deployment case studies and it’s not cheap.  Often times we only document the most in-demand deployed technologies.)

• HOME PAGE: Microsoft IT Showcase: How Microsoft Does IT
  http://www.microsoft.com/enterprise/microsoft-it/default.aspx
• TECHNET LIBRARY: Microsoft IT Showcase
  http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb687780.aspx
• VIDEOS: Microsoft IT Showcase Videos
  http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/video/it-showcase.aspx
• YOUTUBE CHANNEL: Video discussions of deployments
  http://www.youtube.com/user/MicrosoftITShowcase
• REPORT: 2013 Microsoft IT Annual Report
  http://www.microsoft.com/enterprise/microsoft-it/itreport/Intro/default.html?page=1

The “Productivity Hub” is a free, downloadable module that plugs into SharePoint Server 2010. (Note: There’s also a version that plugs into SharePoint Server 2007) 

It is essentially a massive 2GB+ self-service training web site that provides end users with a place to review training & quick reference content for each of the major Office & Windows products – including Windows 7 & Internet Explorer 9.  It provides video training, documentation, as well as Q&A areas featuring “coaches” that a company can designate within your org to help other people. 

What makes it unique is that the site is completely extensible by mere mortals.  Customers that use Productivity Hub can create new areas for, say, Adobe Acrobat… or Box… or whatever 3rd party application you’d like to provide self-services support for, and publish your own documentation, videos, etc.

There is a demo site for you to peruse to see what the Productivity Hub looks like on your own.  The location of where to download all the content packages for Productivity Hub are also listed below:

• DEMO SITE: Productivity Hub (user: corp\demouser, pwd: pass@word1)
  http://www.spsdemo.com/sites/productivity/default.aspx
• DOWNLOAD: Productivity Hub SP1 for SharePoint Server 2010
  http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=28178

I had to take care of some family matters for the past couple weeks.  I’m gonna start cranking out the posts really soon.  A lot of it will be retread of what you probably already know… reorg… Nokia… 8.1… blahblahblah.  But I have a few things that haven’t been shown yet.

Windows 8/8.1 support coming, among other changes.

Today we also announced the beta availability of Microsoft User Experience Virtualization 2.0 (UE-V 2.0) and Microsoft Application Virtualization 5.0 SP2 (App-V 5.0 SP2), two critical components from Microsoft’s Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) that give business customers access to all of their desktop and internal line of business applications, as well as personalized Windows environments from anywhere. UE-V 2.0 and App-V 5.0 SP2 will ship as part of a future version of MDOP but are available in beta versions now for download and support the Windows 8.1 Preview.

• UE-V 2.0: Allows users to switch devices without reconfiguring their applications or settings. The beta adds support for Windows 8 and 8.1 applications, including Windows Store apps and customized line of business apps. It provides enhancements to how settings and applications sync across devices, including giving users more flexibility and control of their individual sync settings.
• App-V 5.0 SP2: Gives IT pros the ability to deliver virtually any application, anywhere to users for a more flexible, integrated and powerful experience across virtualized applications. This beta builds on Microsoft’s long history of providing virtualization solutions for our customers, enriching the user experience by enabling virtual applications to behave as if they were locally installed on a device.

Read more here:

• BETA: Microsoft App-V 5.0 SP2 & User Experience Virtualization (UE-V) 2.0
  http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/business/archive/2013/06/26/teched-europe-european-businesses-choose-windows-8-amp-ue-v-app-v-betas-released.aspx

In case you missed the 3-day developer conference, Microsoft’s BUILD 2013, all the sessions have been recorded for playback over the Internet.

The session for each session is viewable and the PowerPoint should be downloadable as well.

At Build, we’ll share updates and talk about what’s next for Windows, Windows Server, Windows Azure, Visual Studio, and more. Build is the path to creating and implementing your great ideas, and then differentiating them in the market. Join us for three days of immersive presentations delivered by the engineers behind our products and services, while networking with thousands of other developers getting the first look at what’s next.

• VIDEO: BUILD 2013 session recordings
  http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/Build/2013?direction=asc#tab_sortBy_day

Whoa.

In a landmark deal announcement for Xbox 360 and Time Warner Cable customers, we’re excited to share a new partnership that will deliver up to 300 of the most popular live TV channels to Xbox 360 for Xbox Live Gold members. This deal, which will bring more live channels than any other experience on Xbox 360, will offer Time Warner Cable subscribers with an Xbox Live Gold membership  the ability to watch their favorite shows from right from their Xbox 360 — including favorites like AMC, BBC World News, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CNN, Comedy Central, Food Network, HGTV and more. And unlike any other platform, you’ll be able to control your entertainment using your voice via Kinect for Xbox 360.

Read more here:

• Xbox Announces Landmark Deal with Time Warner Cable to Bring More Live TV to Xbox 360
  http://news.xbox.com/2013/06/ent-time-warner

We’ve released version 3.1 of the Microsoft Product Portfolio, a.k.a. the OnePager.

The Product Portfolio is a hierarchical view of either all of Microsoft products & services or the ENTERPRISE view of our products and services.

Both are available as .PDFs or, if you’re a customer of mine, please contact me and I will provide the Visio diagram source for your editing.

Here’s the most recent changes:

• Additions
• Both views:
• Backup & Recovery Manager under Windows Azure on the Core Infrastructure tier
• All-up view:
• Outlook.com
• Changed:
• All-up view:
  o    None
• Both views:
• Changed “Integration | Service Management” to Azure BizTalk Services on the Integration services tier
• Removed
• Messenger

Download the .PDF files here:

• DOWNLOAD: Microsoft Products Portfolio – All-Up View – Ver 3.1
  http://sdrv.ms/12vOI4a
• DOWNLOAD: Microsoft Products Portfolio – Enterprise View – Ver 3.1
  http://sdrv.ms/1aVgq23