Windows Vista Team Blog : Events

“Fireside Chat” with Heartland Technology Solutions at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference 2007

Baldwin Ng — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 15:42:00 GMT

Hi all,

For those of you who missed some of the actions and announcements at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference regarding key technologies and tools including SoftGrid, Windows Partner Solutions, Windows Vista Hardware Assessment and Windows Business Value Assessment Tool, read on...

Baldwin

Interview with Heartland Technology Solutions at WPC 2007

On Day 3 of the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference 2007 (WPC) in Denver, I caught up with IT veterans from the Heartland Technology Solutions (HTS) in Harlan, Iowa - CEO, Arlin Sorensen and Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Larry Hedin. Here's what they have to say about what's they've seen at WPC.

Baldwin: "Arlin, it's good seeing you and Larry again. A few months ago, I met you and a few peer group members of the Heartland Technology Group (HTG) during a series of product and technology review meetings on Microsoft's Redmond Campus. Can you tell us a bit more about the Heartland Technology Group (HTG), how it started and what the charter is?"

Arlin: "Sure. Back in 2001, I recognized that there was a general lack of peer groups for Microsoft partners that serve the SMB space in the United States and Canada. As technology continued to morph and change, we knew that we couldn't figure out everything on our own, so I decided to launch the first HTG peer group that same year. The HTG peer group is an open community where technology leaders would share their own daily real world experience with those having the same challenges. Better yet, they are all coming from non-competing markets so there are no worries and concerns about competition. Through sharing of best practices in business and technologies implementation, we are able to stay ahead of the rapidly changing industry. That's how we are able to grow and grow - we are now at close to 100 company members."

Baldwin: "Very interesting. You certainly have a great group of technology leaders. I always enjoy meeting them and tapping their insights."

Baldwin: "Larry, as part of the Worldwide Partner Conference partner panel, what was your impression about the solutions and technologies that Microsoft has rolled out at this conference? What impressed you the most?"

Larry: "Baldwin, there are two things that are very impressive - SoftGrid and Windows Partner Solutions. SoftGrid application virtualization has really become affordable for my customers. As part of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP), SoftGrid really helps reducing deployment time down to a minimum. It takes care of tough apps - apps that conflict with other line-of-business apps previously without SoftGrid. It is really awesome to see how energized my sales force are when they discuss SoftGrid and MDOP with our customer base. These technologies give partners like us greater leverage and help remove deployment roadblocks for Windows Vista."

Larry: "I am also very impressed with the assessment tools rolled out this week as part of the Windows Partner Solutions program. The Windows Vista Hardware Assessment tool is a great tool that helps my sales force quickly assess the existing PCs of my customer base and determine if they are ready for Windows Vista and Office 2007 migration. It is easy to learn and use and, most importantly, it helps accelerate my business! Another great tool is the Windows Vista Business Value Assessment Tool (may require partners log-in). It enables partners like us to sell the business value of Windows Vista. Without the data-centric intelligence provided by this tool, it's much harder to sell. This tool is straightforward and the customization to specific market and company size is a great addition. We can now build our sales process around the use of these assessment tools and the results they generate. Partners should definitely download these free tools and see how they can help accelerate their sales.

Baldwin: "Arlin, what would you say would be another technology that our customers and partners should keep an eye one?"

Arlin: "Partners here are seeing and hearing the buzz about Software plus Service and how this will offer great business to us. We too are getting ourselves prepared to get more involved in the Managed Services side of the IT business."

Baldwin: "Arlin, Larry, on behalf of our Windows Vista Team blog audience, I'd like to thank you for your time today. Thanks for your insights and hope you enjoy the rest of the event."

Arlin and Larry: "Thanks for having us."

TechEd 2007 Day Two: Take a Virtual Test Drive of Windows Vista

Dave Kim — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 22:14:00 GMT

Hi guys I'm here at Day 2 of Tech-Ed and there is some pretty exciting stuff around me. This is my first post so allow me to introduce myself. My name is David Kim and I am currently an associate product manager in Windows Client and lately I have been doing some interesting work around desktop virtualization. It's an intriguing space to be in especially with the amount of cool things that Microsoft has been coming out with! Check out www.microsoft.com/virtualization for more information on what we have been doing around this space.

So here's the big news...Recently we released two images in virtual formats of Windows Vista which will give you a 30 days hands-on experience to play with both a Windows Vista 30-Day Enterprise Edition and Windows Vista with Visual Studio 2005 . Using the power of virtual machines, you can download these Virtual Hard Disks (VHDs) and play with Windows Vista and other apps right away. This means you have minimal set up with no additional hardware required. Once the VHD is downloaded you can test drive right away. All you need is a tool like Virtual PC 2007 which is a new, free product from Microsoft used to set up virtual machines quickly on your desktop. The VHDs are located at www.microsoft.com/vhd. Also stay tuned for more images with both MS products and partner apps.

Check it out and see what you can do with it! Also, to get your hands further into test driving Windows Vista check out Virtual Labs and Windows Vista Test Drive. Both use similar virtualization technologies but work within an online environment. Stay posted for more TechEd 2007 news!

TechEd 2007 Day One: Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack Update

Alex Heaton — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 03:05:00 GMT

Greetings from Orlando, Florida, the home of Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and TechEd 2007-Microsoft's largest conference for IT pros and developers. Throughout the week you can keep up with the latest news and get some of the training at http://www.virtualteched.com/.

Back in October 2006 I introduced a new desktop management solution for Windows PCs called the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack. The demand for these tools has been incredible and more than 1 million licenses have been sold already.

For those not familiar with the Optimization Pack, it is a set of desktop management tools available as an additional subscription through Microsoft's Software Assurance licensing program that enables customers to increase desktop manageability, reduce the total cost of ownership, and improve overall infrastructure optimization. It includes:

SoftGrid Application Virtualization, with the capability to virtualize and stream an application to the desktop. One customer already using SoftGrid is Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, which estimates that SoftGrid enabled them to save over $1,000,000 in software deployment and support-related activities.
Advanced Group Policy Management, which provide workflow and change management capabilities to the management of Group Policy objects.
Asset Inventory Service, which provides reporting of software assets used by an organization.
Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset, which has the capability to recover a Windows machine that has crashed and won't boot even through safe mode.

And this week we are announcing the addition of a 5th component, System Center Desktop Error Monitoring, which gives IT professionals a central way to analyze data from OS and Application crashes and hangs, so they can more quickly identify and resolve problems.

More news out this week is that the first versions of all of the components of the Desktop Optimization Pack will be available for download on July 1^st along with the Windows Vista compatible version of SoftGrid.

You can learn more about all of these tools at the Windows Vista Web site. And stay tuned to the blog this week for more Windows Vista news from TechEd.

- Alex

Windows Vista at TechEd 2007: June 4-8, Orlando

Alex Heaton — Wed, 23 May 2007 03:29:00 GMT

Microsoft's premier annual conference for IT Pros and Developers is almost upon us. Launched in 1993, TechEd has always been a great place to learn how to get the most out of Microsoft technologies. Where else can you meet and ask questions of the folks who actually participated in the design and development of a Microsoft operating system? Whether you are just exploring the different ways to configure Windows Vista, or if you are well along your deployment and want some advice on how to make sure it goes smoothly, the Windows Vista team members in attendance can give you the whys and hows.

If you haven't registered yet it's not too late, get all of the details here.

This year at TechEd we have over 80 sessions that touch on different aspects of Windows Vista.

TechEd promises to be just as important this year. With the launch of Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office system, many of us are exploring new features and configurations. From installation support, to User Account Control (UAC) and BitLocker, find the answers to your questions in some of the following tracks:

Business Desktop Deployment (BDD) 2007

A Geek's Guide to Microsoft Solution Accelerator for Business Desktop Deployment (BDD) 2007 Lite Touch Deployment
Microsoft Solution Accelerator for Business Desktop Deployment (BDD) 2007: Advanced Zero Touch Installation with Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003
Building the Perfect Master Image: A Universal Image Strategy

Application Compatibility

Windows Vista Application Compatibility and Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.0
Windows Vista Application Compatibility Issues for Developers

Hardware and Device Compatibility

Assessing PCs' Readiness for Microsoft Windows Vista Network-wide using Windows Vista Hardware Assessment

User State Migration Tool (USMT) 3.0

A Geek's Guide to Microsoft Windows User State Migration Tool (USMT) 3.0
Migrating User Settings from Microsoft Windows XP to Windows Vista

Volume Activation

What Is the "Buzz" on Activation?
Activating Multiple Activation Key (MAK) for Enterprise Customers Using the Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT)

Security

Fundamental Security Changes in Windows Vista
Managing Network Security Using Windows Firewall with Advanced Security
Microsoft BitLocker in the Enterprise: BitLocker Tools to Make Your Life Easier
User Account Control-Managing User Account Control in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008

Deep Dive into Microsoft Windows Vista Group Policy Changes and Troubleshooting
Microsoft Windows Desktop Search: Current Implementation and Future Directions of Windows Desktop Search in the Enterprise

You can search all of the sessions at https://www.msteched.com/public/sessions.aspx.

In additions to the sessions, be sure to stop by the Windows Vista booths to meet the product team and get your hard questions answered. We'll also be passing out a new DVD with all of our free deployment tools.

See you there!

- Alex

Vista Squad Event

James Senior — Wed, 16 May 2007 09:43:00 GMT

Long time, no post! I just wanted to give you a quick headsup about the Vista Squad holding their second meeting at Microsoft HQ in Reading, UK on the 24th May kicking off at 5.30pm.

The Vista Squad is a user group for Windows Vista and they meet on a regular basis to discuss all things related to Windows Vista from product features to coding. Besides the two presentations, given by experts from around the UK, there's a great chance to network with other enthusiasts and enjoy some of the pizza laid on for the event. This month, the agenda includes a talk on Bitlocker from Microsoft's very own Stephen Lamb and an introduction to WPF from Ray Booysen - jedi coder from DotNet Solutions.

For more information and to register for the event be sure to follow this link.

Should be a good event - so hope to see you there!

US Business Launch Events: Coming to a City Near You

Alex Heaton — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 01:02:00 GMT

Between January 16th and March 1st there will be 74 different business launch events for the 2007 Microsoft Office system, Windows Vista, and Exchange Server 2007 in cities across the US. Specific dates and locations can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/business/launch2007/signup/default.mspx.

These free events are really intended for the business and technical professional audience, so if you are looking for the latest info on media center, games, or other consumer features, you won't find that. But if you are an IT pro, developer, or technology decision maker for your business you will lots of valuable information on how to adopt these new products and why you should. In addition to the breakout sessions on the new products you'll have a chance to network with your peers, Microsoft employees, and other technology companies.

Space at each event is limited and registration is required to attend-we hope to see you there. For information on events outside the US check your local Microsoft Web sites.

- Alex Heaton