Kurt Shintaku's Blog

The Microsoft Forefront Technology Adoption Program team is pleased to announce that nominations are now being accepted for the Forefront Security for Office Communications Server 2007 (FSOCS) TAP program.

Nomination Start Date: Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Program Timeline: June 23 through November 2008

What is Forefront Security for Office Communications Server (FSOCS)?
Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communications Server 2007 helps businesses protect their Office Communications Server 2007 environments from viruses, worms, and inappropriate content.   With a layered, multiple scan engine approach, Forefront Security for OCS helps stop the latest threats before they impact business and users.  Through keyword filtering and file filtering settings, Forefront Security for OCS also enables messaging administrators to block Instant Messages containing sensitive or restricted information.

Tight integration with Office Communications Server 2007 ensures optimum performance with the messaging environment. 

Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communications Server is an integral part of the Forefront line of security products.  Forefront security products are a comprehensive line of business security products designed to help IT Pros gain greater protection and secure access through deep integration and simplified management.

Who should apply to the Forefront Security for Office Communications Server TAP?
Customers interested in getting early access to beta versions of FSOCS and providing feedback to the development team to help shape future releases of FSOCS should apply to the FSOCS TAP.

TAP Program description
This program is designed to provide collaboration with your company and Microsoft. Help shape future Forefront releases through direct collaboration between your organization and the Microsoft product teams.  The first phase of the program will validate the Forefront product using early beta builds in a test environment. Your company will have the opportunity to provide design and performance feedback for the product. You can do this through the reporting of bugs and submission of Design Change Requests (DCRs), as well as provide general feedback for product group consideration.  This program will provide customers with support from the Microsoft Customer Support Services (CSS) as well as the Microsoft Forefront Server product groups.  The program timeline is aggressive starting June 23, 2008 and finishing in November 2008.

How can I get additional information?
Attached to this email are additional documents that will help to further explain the Forefront TAP program. These documents include:

1. Microsoft Forefront TAP Presentation (non-NDA)
2. Program Description

Next steps
To start your nomination, please complete the Forefront TAP survey found on the Microsoft Connect site at FSOCS TAP Survey.

Decisions regarding inclusion in the TAP program will be communicated within four weeks of the submission date.
If you have any questions regarding the program or the nomination process, please email fsocstap@microsoft.com.

Overviews and Entry Point for Key Resources

• SharePoint Learning Page
  http://www.microsoft.com/sharepoint/learning/default.mspx 
  http://www.microsoft.com/sharepoint/learning/resources.mspx
• SharePoint Gear Up Site
  http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/gearup/Pages/default.aspx

• MSDN
• Windows SharePoint Services Developer Center
  msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/default.aspx
• Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Developer Portal
  msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/office/aa905503.aspx
• Technet
• Windows SharePoint Services TechCenter
  technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsserver/sharepoint/default.aspx
• Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 TechCenter
  technet.microsoft.com/en-us/office/sharepointserver/default.aspx

——————

Other Learning Resources:
Instructor-Led – Microsoft Official Curriculum

• 5061 -Implementing Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007
• 5060- Implementing Windows SharePoint Services 3.0

Virtual Training

• SharePoint Academy  (instructor-led virtual training classes)
• SharePoint Virtual Labs
• SharePoint 2007 Hands-On Labs
• SharePoint Server 2007 End User Training

Web Casts

• SharePoint Server 2007 Videos and Webcasts
• Microsoft Events and Webcasts

Exams

• Exam 70-630: TS: Office SharePoint Server 2007, Configuring (for IT Pros)
• Exam 70-631: TS: Configuring Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (for IT Pros)
• Exam 70-541: TS: Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 – Application Development (for Developers)
• Exam 70-542 : TS: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, Application Development (for Developers)

E-Learning

• Developer E-Learning  for SharePoint  Technologies
• IT Professional E-Learning  for Microsoft Office
• All SharePoint E-learning collections and courses

Community

• SharePoint Team Blog
• SharePoint Community Portal
• SharePoint Forums

More Resources

• SharePoint Server 2007 VHD
• SharePoint Books

External (for fee) Training

• Ted Pattison group
• MindSharp

At the SharePoint Conference, we announced the availability of two new and exciting tools that help IT engage end users and stimulate SharePoint adoption. Now they are both available and I thought you might benefit from them. They are:

Internal Buzz Kit (http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/gearup/Pages/General/BuzzKit.aspx)

Provides sample materials to help customers kick off go-live communications and user training. The Internal Buzz Kit is designed to help you generate demand for your newly deployed SharePoint Server 2007 sites, increasing your Return on Investment.

Gear Up (http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/gearup)

GEAR Up is an online content tool that will assist IT professionals and business managers to find timely resources and guidance through phases of a typical SharePoint Server 2007 deployment cycle: Get Ready, Engineer, Adopt, and Release.  Each phase relates to end user adoption of SharePoint Server 2007.

I hope you find these new resources beneficial.

Does your company have an Enterprise Agreement with Windows Client on Software Assurance?  If so, did you know you as an employee have a benefit available to you called the Microsoft Employee Purchase Program that allows you to purchase Microsoft products for personal use at a discount?

There’s a newsletter that you can subscribe to that goes over all the new benefits:
http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=8692479
(See below for a SAMPLE)

New Offers Available on Microsoft Products!

Thank you for using the Microsoft Software Assurance Employee Purchase Program. We want to inform you of new offers on some of the most popular Microsoft products for home management and entertainment.* Please see the description of these offers below. To take advantage of these offers immediately, please visit http://epp.microsoft.com.

Enjoy a 20% savings over estimated retail pricing on Microsoft Zune devices and Zune accessories. Zune lets friends and family wirelessly share music, playlists, pictures, and podcasts — wherever and whenever. Choose from four sizes — 80GB, 30GB, 8GB and 4G — then pick your color. Color options vary by size and include black, brown, pink, red, green, and white. Browse the Zune Marketplace and choose from millions of DRM-free MP3s, music videos, podcasts, and more. Listen to a favorite station with the built-in FM tuner, or watch the latest music video on the roomy screen.

You can now get the Windows Vista® Home Premium Upgrade for just $99 — a 25% savings over estimated retail pricing! Get all the benefits of the newest Microsoft operating system at home.
Less to worry about:

• Parental Controls help protect your kids online.
• Windows Backup and Restore Center allows for safer data backup.
• Automated PC maintenance helps keep your PC running at its best

More to enjoy:

• Richer photos and videos help you relive your memories.
• Instant Search helps keep everything within reach
• Boundless entertainment with Windows Media Center and Windows games

• You can save up to 48% over estimated retail pricing on select 2007 Microsoft Office Suites! Microsoft Office suites can help computer users get things done more quickly and intuitively with powerful tools for creating, managing, analyzing, and sharing information.

Get the latest gaming gear at 28% off retail pricing. For only $149.99, the "PC Gaming Gear" package includes:

• SideWinder Gaming Mouse: Complete laser gaming mouse system that takes PC gaming mouse performance, handling, and convenience to a new level.
• Reclusa Gaming Keyboard: Complete gaming keyboard with blue backlit keys for low lighting, two built in USB ports, and customizable gaming controls.
• Zoo Tycoon 2: Zookeeper Collection: Triples your fun with three collections in one: Zoo Tycoon 2, Endangered Species, and African Adventures.
• Age of Empires III video game: Offers realism, with advanced battle physics and unparalleled visual detail.

To take advantage of these offers, go to http://epp.microsoft.com and enter your company code. (If you don’t know your company code, please ask your Benefits Administrator.)

<taken from the maps.live.com blog>

The first 50% is in and the next great iteration of http://maps.live.com is now live for our customers!  Awesome work everyone!! 

What started life as a minor update between Gemini and Helios has turned into a significant upgrade.  Even while we were pushing to get Gemini QFE 1 out the door and struggling with the ever-changing demands of the “front door”, we made some significant improvements that people are really going to love.  If you’ve been heads-down and haven’t had the opportunity to poke around the product a bit and check out some of the great new work we’ve done, I think you’ll be impressed by what we accomplished in just a few short months.  Here are just a few examples:

– 3D : We’ve improved world realism by ‘densifying’ city data with much richer textures and 3D trees.
try: Las Vegas, Phoenix, Denver, Dallas

– App: We now support Safari 3 and IE 8 (try using Google Maps in IE 8 native mode).

– Collections: Use MSR’s MapCruncher technology to take your own personal map and overlay it anywhere on earth, then upload it to the collections database to share with the world through search.
try: Crunch sample including Seattle Transit

– Directions: Traffic based routing now uses MSR’s ClearFlow technology to predict side street traffic based on what is happening in the live feed we get from traffic.com.
try: SeaTac to UW

– Geocoding: With reverse geocoding support it is now easy to get an address from anywhere on the map, Just right-click on a building in the map and choose 1-click directions or drive to… and you’ll see a real address as the end point.

– Platform: We have JavaScript API support for all our new features, including Safari 3 and IE 8 compatibility.

– Search: We now include new review data from Zagat and Yelp, two of the best sources for restaurant review information, directly in our reviews listing. 
try: Reviews of Papa John’s in Redmond

The full feature list is at the bottom of this mail, and I just want to make it clear that our achievement here would not have been possible without your help.  Each and every one of you deserve a huge THANK YOU for keeping http://maps.live.com the absolute best location and directions service on the Internet!

ADOPTING VISUAL STUDIO TEAM SYSTEM 2008
May 5, 2008 | Los Angeles, CA

ABSTRACT/SUMMARY

Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2008 is an integrated Application Life-cycle Management (ALM) solution comprising tools, processes, and guidance to help everyone on the team improve their skills and work more effectively together. VSTS 2008 provides multi-disciplined team members with an integrated set of tools for architecture, design, development, database development, and testing of applications. Team members can continuously collaborate and utilize a complete set of tools and guidance at every step of the application lifecycle.

This one-day seminar will walk through VSTS 2008, highlighting new features that are available in the most recent release. Presentations will include demonstrations, best practices, and discussions on all four role-specific editions. We will also cover project management with Team Foundation Server (TFS), leveraging TFS source control, and new features such as integration with MOSS, and managing the build process with continuous integration.

Please join Microsoft and Neudesic, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner for this one-day seminar. Thank you, we look forward to seeing you there!

COURSE OUTLINE

Interactive seminar and demonstrations

VSTS Role-based Editions

• Architect
• Developer
• Test
• Database Professional

Team Foundation Server Best Practices

• Version Control
• Project Management using VSTS
• Working with Continuous Integration

Date: May 5, 2008
Time: 9:00 AM-5:00 PM
Location:
Microsoft Corporation
333 S. Grand Ave., Ste. 3300
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Phone: 213.806.7422
See map and/or driving directions

REGISTER
This is an invite only seminar so if you’re a customer of mine, please contact me for registration information. 

This is a quick explanation of how Kidaro helps, and what it looks like to end users:

At a basic level the technology provides enterprise application-to-OS compatibility. We can assist customers in their migration to Windows Vista while supporting legacy applications in a virtualized Windows XP environment through the seamless use of Virtual PC technology. Think about this technology as providing management support and ‘steroids’ to Virtual PCs.

The OLD WAY of using Virtual PC on Windows:
Standard virtual machine interfaces require users to manage two desktops, two start menus, and two taskbars.

The NEW WAY of using Virtual PC on Windows:
With Kidaro Administrators can centrally define a set of applications to be installed in the virtual machine workspace. These applications will be available directly from the user’s start menu. Kidaro’s Single Desktop experience ensures a familiar user experience, making virtualization practical for deployment across large user groups with minimal training.

Workspace applications are integrated into the desktop, appearing side by side with native applications. A colored border is used to designate workspace applications on the desktop, and the virtual machine operating system and desktop are invisible to the end user.

SharePoint^TM 2007 Education

Designer 2007, Power End-User, WSS 3.0 Administrator Tracks
Instructors: TBD
San Diego, CA | July 21^st – 25^th, 2008

• CUSTOMIZE SHAREPOINT SITES WITHOUT WRITING CODE USING SHAREPOINT DESIGNER 2007:
  This 5-day course is designed to give the student the tools and knowledge to further customize SharePoint sites by using SharePoint Designer 2007. The course covers all aspects of design, as well as external data integration and custom workflows.
• OFFICE SHAREPOINT 2007
  POWER END-USER:
  This 3-day course concentrates on SharePoint 2007 from the perspective of users who will be assigned the role of a SharePoint Member and Site Owner. This course is aimed at a non-technical user who will view, edit and contribute content to a Windows SharePoint Services Site and administer those sites.
• NEW* CONFIGURE AND ADMINISTER WINDOWS SHAREPOINT SERVICES 3.0:
  This 3-day course is designed to give administrators who are new to Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 the basic and intermediate information and skills they need to deploy and manage a Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 implementation.

Join us for the best opportunity to gain hands-on experience and learn about Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 implementation.

For class syllabus, site details, and registration information

——————–

Benefits of a Mindsharp Education
When you’re looking for an exceptional educational experience that addresses all your SharePoint needs – look no further than Mindsharp. Over the years, Mindsharp has established an outstanding reputation for delivering timely, cost-effective education. Some of the strengths that set Mindsharp apart are:

• A pool of extraordinarily experienced educators that speak and train all over the world.
• Years of real-world experience allow Mindsharp instructors to not only provide the best educational experience you’ll find anywhere, but also answer questions you face every day on the job.
• Mindsharp’s working relationship with a global community of world-class companies and experts helps us stay a step ahead of technological changes.
• Multiple tracks meet the educational needs of everyone in your organization based on differing levels of experience, knowledge, and job descriptions.
• Mindsharp’s unsurpassed courseware provides a thorough, hands-on approach to learning, which is the best way to master concepts and understand new technologies.
• All of Mindsharp’s courseware has been tested and peer reviewed to ensure accuracy.
• Mindsharp’s courses provide the knowledge you need to design a stable portal infrastructure and environment.
• Hands-on Labs demonstrate the best practices of portal development that will dramatically reduce the time it takes your organization to implement and deploy a SharePoint portal.
• Mindsharp courses provide you with problem solving skills that enable you to troubleshoot portal issues and resolve stalled portal deployments.

For More Information About Mindsharp Training Call:
Kristian McKenzie
952-230-6509
kristianDOTmckenzieATmindsharpDOTcom
www.mindsharp.com

Enterprise Directions – SQL Server Consolidation Strategies Workshop
Wednesday, April 16, 2008 8:30 AM – 1:30 PM

Microsoft Irvine Office

This highly interactive workshop will focus on why it is critical to consolidate; a step-by-step game plan on how to approach consolidation; as well as insights on how to dramatically reduce your data footprint. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to turn your IT infrastructure from a cost center into a strategic asset. 

Agenda:

• 8:30 – 9:00 Check in/Breakfast and Introductions
• 9:00 – 9:15 Why Consolidate?
  Discussion of the real world drivers and compelling benefits of consolidating SQL Server.
• 9:15 – 10:00 How to Consolidate — Part One
  Discussion of the key building blocks of consolidation – including people and process. This session will cover how to decide which version of SQL Server to deploy as part of your consolidation efforts.
• 10:00 – 12:45 How to Consolidate — Part Two (including small breaks and lunch)
  Discussion of the key technical considerations based on real world experiences for consolidating SQL Server instances and databases — issues that can either make or break your consolidation efforts. Demonstrations will be used to highlight key issues.
• 12:45 – 1:30 Whiteboard Session/Q&A
  Instead of a traditional Q&A session, the workshop will wrap up with a highly interactive whiteboard session. Specific scenarios, topical points and challenges faced by attendees will be discussed.

Register:  http://www.mtcdirections.com/SSCS/Irvine.aspx

Get ready to sell that Wii that’s been sitting collecting dust next to your entertainment center.  Oh, c’mon… you know it’s true.  You got bored of Wii Tennis a long time ago and the only time you play that thing is when the kids want you to play or when you have friends over for dinner.

Of all places, MTV broke the story about a rumored Xbox 360 response to the "Wiimote": 

MTV:  Xbox 360 is getting a motion sensitive game controller
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1585014/20080408/id_0.jhtml
(I particularly love the WiiLovers/XBoxhaters in the comments section screaming, "Noooo!  It can’t be true!"  Don’t you just love denial?)

Codenamed the "Newton", the device purportedly is based on Gyration’s precision gyroscopic controller patents.  Most of the better details can be found at Bink.nu, so I’m just going to crosslink there and leave it at that, because frankly, I don’t know a damned thing about the controller except for the rumors I’ve heard about it in the halls:

BINK:  Xbox 360 "Newton" Motion Sensing Controller Confirmed
http://bink.nu/news/xbox-360-quot-newton-quot-motion-sensing-controller-confirmed.aspx

Speaking hypothetically of course, one would have to be either believe that the brainiacs in the Xbox group have run the numbers on the financial feasibility of producing this controller.  I mean after all, despite having the highest game attach rate for any next-gen console, and the 2nd highest console marketshare, just under the Wii, most Xbox 360 owners won’t own this controller – at least not initially, hence the market for motion sensitive games will be significantly smaller for game developers than games that don’t leverage the controller.

This in my mind implies one of three things:  (Or more)

1. BIG REVENUE/MARKETSHARE POTENTIAL
   The opportunity for gaming revenue and/or marketshare in the motion sensitive gaming category must be valued higher than the cost of producing the controller.
2. CHEAP, ECONOMICAL MANUFACTURING COSTS
   The controller could be priced at a level that makes it economical for Microsoft to produce and sell below the price threshold of the target market.  Usually this is something like $39.
3. CONTROLLER MASS DISTRIBUTION
   Like the Big Button controller for "SceneIt? LCA", the controller will be distributed with games that are designed for it at a cost that is palatable/reasonable to the target market.