Kurt Shintaku's Blog

The Microsoft Integrated Virtualization ROI Tool was developed independently by ex-Gartner TCO/ROI experts at leading ROI tool developer Alinean, Inc.

This ROI tool helps partners and customers examine current production server, development / QA lab, desktop and application virtualization opportunities, quantifying the potential savings, service level and agility benefits, investment and ROI for implementing Microsoft Integrated Virtualization solutions.

The tool collects specific information about current infrastructure costs and opportunities for improvement, then uses research by Alinean to project potential costs and benefits for various optimization strategies using the Microsoft Integrated Virtualization solutions. All research was collected from the Alinean ValueBase(tm) of IT spending metrics, and Microsoft product and pricing experts to reflect typical costs and savings for similar company type and size.

LINK:
https://roianalyst.alinean.com/microsoft/virtualization/

Built by BrainStorm, Inc®.

Are you interested in deploying Microsoft® Office® 2007 client? Do you want to know proven best practices?

You can find them in the free “Stages to Microsoft Office 2007 Deployment” Quick Start Card! This Quick Start Card highlights all the key deployment resources and tools from planning through to deployment day. Behind the overview page, this card folds out into 6 pages to provide more details on the best practices. The stages consist of:

• Prepare IT Staff for Deployment
• Prepare Technical Tools
• Assemble Learning Resources for Users
• Deployment Day

This model is based on a timeline that has been used for many successful deployments. Since it’s a general model, you can map these stages to a longer or shorter timeline depending on the size of your company.

To get a free copy of your BrainStorm Deployment Quick Start Card, go to http://deploy.brainstorminc.com. On this site you can also find links to many of the resources listed in the card.

BrainStorm, Inc®., the leading industry provider of enterprise-level training, has successfully trained millions of corporate users for organizations like General Dynamics, Cotton, Inc., The Motley Fool, Aviva, and Stanford University.  With a complete line of customizable training solutions including Quick Start cards, eLearning modules, and on-site, instructor-led training, BrainStorm has a resource designed to meet the needs and budget of every organization.

The Office Open XML format specification has been approved as a free and open Ecma International standard. A newer improved version is approved as an ISO/IEC standard.

The OpenXML Document Viewer project is an outcome of the feedback from participants of a series of Document Interoperability Initiative workshops. The main goal of the OpenXML Document Viewer project is to create software tools, plus guidance, showing how documents created using Open XML Format can be translated to HTML. As a result, Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), Solutions Integrators & Mobile Solution providers can use these tools to enable their customers view Open XML documents on heterogeneous platforms and browser applications. The OpenXML Viewer is available under the open source Microsoft Public License (MS-PL), which allows anyone to use the tools, submit bugs and feedback, or contribute to the project. We have chosen to use an Open Source development model that allows developers from all around the world to participate and contribute to the project.

We encourage you to view video demonstrations of the translation engine and the FireFox browser plug-ins.

LINK:
http://www.codeplex.com/OpenXMLViewer

We just released a free “winter holiday” theme for the Xbox 360 if you have a Gold Account.  You can download it RIGHT NOW by orchestrating the download from your browser.

Go here:

• http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/games/media/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802FFFE07D1?cid=MajorNelson&partner=MajorNelson

You’ll see that you can “Download to Xbox 360”.  Once you’ve done that it’ll execute the transaction against your Xbox Live account – which is free, but still a transaction-based download.

Once your Xbox has been turned on and you’ve logged into your Xbox Live Gold account, it will go ahead and start the download.

Enjoy!

Besides this guy creating a great list of reasons the Zune rules, his web site is just gorgeous and well done.  He’s one hell of a designer and developer.  Must… subscribe… to his blog!

• http://jeffblankenburg.com/2008/11/10-reasons-zune-beats-ipod-seriously.aspx

QUICK LAUNCH BAR
So I thought that article was pretty cool.  But then he wrote this article recently entitled, “Whats In Your Quick Launch Bar?” which is near and dear to my heart because I used the Quick Launch Bar like a MAD MAN.

• http://jeffblankenburg.com/2008/10/whats-in-your-quick-launch-bar.aspx

SPAM FREE!
And then just when I thought I was done, this guy wrote ANOTHER post entitled, “5 Steps for Living a Spam-Free Life”:  Who the hell is this guy?  He’s awesome!  And his 5 rules are REALLY GOOD.  Stuff that I’ll admit, I didn’t even know.  Check it out:

• http://jeffblankenburg.com/2008/12/5-steps-for-living-spam-free-life.aspx

The Microsoft Security Assessment Tool 4.0 is the revised version of the original Microsoft Security Risk Self-Assessment Tool (MSRSAT), released in 2004 and the Microsoft Security Assessment Tool 2.0 released in 2006. Security issues have evolved since 2004 so additional questions and answers were needed to ensure you had a comprehensive toolset to become more aware of the evolving security threat landscape that could impact your organization.

The tool employs a holistic approach to measuring your security posture by covering topics across people, process, and technology. Findings are coupled with prescriptive guidance and recommended mitigation efforts, including links to more information for additional industry guidance. These resources may assist you in keeping you aware of specific tools and methods that can help change the security posture of your IT environment.

There are two assessments that define the Microsoft Security Assessment Tool:

• Business Risk Profile Assessment
• Defense in Depth Assessment (UPDATED)

The 200 questions identified in the survey portion of the tool and the associated answers are derived from commonly accepted best practices around security, both general and specific. The questions and the recommendations that the tool offers are based on standards such as ISO 17799 and NIST-800.x, as well as recommendations and prescriptive guidance from Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing Group and additional security resources valued in the industry.

After completing an Assessment, you will gain access to a detailed report of your results. You may also compare your results with those of your peers (by industry and company size), provided that you upload your results anonymously to the secure MSAT Web server. When you upload your data the application will simultaneously retrieve the most recent data available. To be able to provide this comparative data, we need customers such as you to upload their information. All information is kept strictly confidential and no personally identifiable information whatsoever will be sent. For more information on Microsoft’s privacy policy, please visit: http://www.microsoft.com/info/privacy.mspx.

MSAT provides:

As of yesterday, Dec 2^nd 2008, subscribers to TechNet and the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) can download the Customer Preview of Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2 .  This was posted on the Vista Blog: http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/
windowsvista/default.aspx. 

The CPP will be publically available on Thursday Dec 4^th.

You can also read about this from the Technet Page: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/dd262148.aspx , and it also provides links to the MSDN and Technet links as well as Deployment Guides.  This is the first time we’ve provided both Server and Client service packs in the same download and we want to ensure you are aware of the availability and projected plans.  Please take the time to review and evaluate. 

Getting Started

• Release Notes for Windows Server 2008 SP2 Beta
  Get notes addressing latest issues and information about Windows Server 2008 SP2 Beta
• Release Notes for Windows Vista SP2 Beta
  Get notes on latest issues and information about Windows Vista SP2 Beta

Deployment

• Deployment Guide for Windows Server 2008 SP2 Beta
  Get technical information, procedures, and recommendations for installing Windows Server 2008 Beta SP2 in a business or corporate environment
• Deployment Guide for Windows Vista SP2 Beta
  Get technical information, procedures, and recommendations for installing Windows Vista SP2 Beta in a business or corporate environment

Product Evaluation

• Notable Changes in Windows Server 2008 SP2/Windows Vista SP2 Beta
  Get details about notable changes made to Windows Server 2008/Windows Vista in SP2 Beta
• Guidance for Testing Windows Server 2008 SP2 and Windows Vista SP2 Beta
  Get customer guidance for testing Windows Server 2008/Windows Vista SP2

Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) is a remote access gateway that boosts productivity by giving mobile and remote workers, partners and customers easy, flexible and secure access to virtually any application from a broad range of devices and locations.

IAG enables IT administrators to truly enforce compliance and address virtually any remote access scenario by providing easy to configure, built-in, policies that address common applications and user environments.

IAG SP2 delivers a range of new, important enhancements for customers.

• Runs as a virtual machine on Hyper-V for low TCO, flexible/secure deployment and simple disaster recovery.
• Interoperability for non-Windows environments with support for Firefox, Linux and Mac.
• New application support for Microsoft Dynamics CRM and OCS Web client.

This release introduces a new license allowing customers to buy a Virtual Machine version of IAG that is preconfigured and ready to run. Customers will still need to provision a Windows Server 2003 R2 key as well as purchase the required CALs or External Connector. Lastly customers will also need to acquire Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V or Hyper-V Server 2008.

For more on Intelligent Application Gateway:
http://www.microsoft.com/Forefront/edgesecurity/iag/en/us/default.aspx

CNet ran their head-to-head challenge this week iPod Classic vs Zune 120.

REVIEW: 
http://reviews.cnet.com/4370-6490_7-706-101.html

Well, whaddya know about that.  We won.

WINDOWS USERS:  GO ZUNE
The major dings that made the evaluation even close were around “compatibility” because we don’t support the Mac.  But if you’re a Windows user, and don’t care about Mac compatibility, all of a sudden you can disregard two of the judges’ deductions for the lack of Mac compatibility and tack on almost an entire extra point to Zune’s final score.

…suddenly, there’s no contest:  Zune comes out the clear winner.

The highlighted benefits Zune 120 has over iPod Classic according to CNet include:

• A la carte music purchases or subscription to all-you-can-eat music
  Judge’s quote:  “I definitely prefer subscription to a la carte”
• Large video screen for viewing TV, Movies, and Downloadable content
  Judge’s quote:  “It blows the iPod out of the water for videos.” “Almost twice the size of the iPod”
• Intuitive, easy-to-use click/touchpad user interface
  Judge’s quote:  “Possibly my favorite navigation experience ever” “The Zune’s large screen and Twist menu system feels more natural to me. Audio and video podcast organization is more logical and attractive on the Zune. The Zune pad also makes for a better game controller.” 
• Rich set of advanced features such as WiFi support & multiplayer games
  Judge’s quote:  “…features such as video output, Wi-Fi music downloads, tagable RBDS FM radio, subscription music support, and multiplayer games should make iPod owners jealous.” “Zune gets the edge with sound, but its FM Radio, Wi-Fi features, and the capability to download music directly from the device give it the edge…”
• Consistent, reliable value with frequent updates of firmware
  Judge’s quote: “Unlike Apple, Microsoft has been very cool about offering new features and firmware updates to all Zune models, year after year. There’s some comfort knowing that the Zune you buy this year will get all the new features of next year’s Zune.” “It’s packed with features galore that make the Classic look a bit aged.”

<taken from Windows Vista blog>

Hi, Mike Nash here. In late October I announced the Beta  of Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 – beginning with a small group of Technology Adoption Program customers. This week we’re opening up the beta to a broader audience. Starting today, MSDN and TechNet subscribers will have access to the Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 Beta to begin testing.  

Beginning Thursday Dec. 4^th, we will be making the Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 Beta available to everyone through a Customer Preview Program (CPP). The CPP will launch on TechNet and be available to anyone interested in trying out this service pack. The CPP is intended for technology enthusiasts, developers, and IT Pros who would like to test Service Pack 2 in their environments and with their applications prior to final release. For most customers, our best advice would be to wait until the final release prior to installing this service pack.

For those of you who choose to test this service pack, we encourage you to install the beta as soon as you can; your feedback will help us to ship a solid and stable service pack for Windows Vista.

Windows Vista SP2 builds on the solid foundation of Windows Vista SP1, and represents our ongoing commitment to Windows Vista today. Windows Vista SP2 includes all of the updates that have been delivered since the release of Windows Vista SP1, and incorporates improvements discovered through automated feedback from the Customer Experience Improvement Program (where users voluntarily opt-in to sending Microsoft error reports from their systems).  In addition to these updates, SP2 also includes support for new types of hardware and emerging standards that will grow in importance in the coming months. For specific changes in Windows Vista SP2 – see my previous post on Windows Vista SP2 or check out the notable changes document.

Your feedback from testing will help us deliver the highest quality release possible. As of today, we are tracking to ship Windows Vista SP2 in the first half of 2009.