Eileen Brown's WebLog

Biometrics - for your voice

Well we're working on eliminating voice spam and Porticus Technology are working on voice biometric authentication.  Speak your password and your voiceprint is detected and you'll be authenticated.

So I wonder how people who make their living impersonating other people will get on with this.  Could you fake this I wonder...? It would be interesting to get someone who earns their living to try to fool the system...

Security resources for Exchange

I noticed that there was quite a bit of security stuff on the last TechNet security newsletter (to subscribe just sign upheree by the way)

I've reproduced them in case there's something you weren't aware of:

Forefront Security for Exchange Server Beta Now Available

Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server is the next version of Microsoft Antigen for Exchange and the first product available under the Microsoft Forefront business security product brand. The solution integrates tightly with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 to provide advanced protection against e-mail threats, optimized server performance, and centralized management. Download the Forefront Security for Exchange Server beta today.

Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Technical Library: Security and Protection

Make your Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 system more secure and help protect your messages and data using the resources and tools offered in this library.

A Guide to Exchange Disaster Recovery Planning

Learn about multiple strategies for making your Exchange deployment more reliable and available. This article covers recovery strategies, running Exchange on a Windows cluster, new recovery features in Exchange Server 2007, and more.

Microsoft Antigen User Guides

Get detailed technical guidance on installing and working with Microsoft Antigen Enterprise Manager, Microsoft Antigen for Exchange, Microsoft Antigen for SMTP, and Microsoft Antigen Spam Manager. These guides will teach you how features like the Antigen Spam Manager provide sophisticated and robust spam detection and removal through the integration of technologies like the SpamCure anti-spam engine from Mail-Filters.

Security Tip of the Month: Improve the Security of Remote Access to Exchange Server with RPC over HTTP

One of the most compelling features of Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 when combined with Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 is the ability to use the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) over HTTP feature. This article offers a description of this feature, a checklist of the minimum server requirements, and different deployment scenarios.

Tips and Tricks Guide to Secure Messaging

Improve your messaging safety and productivity. This free eBook is a valuable resource for information on messaging security innovations and solutions, and it provides strategies for defending your e-mail infrastructure.

So there you go - all in one place....

Posting source code to your blog

I know.  I never post source code to my blog - even writing Powershell gives me the wobbles.  But some of you may be really frustrated about the visual mess that can happen when you post source code.  Well my colleague Mike has come up with something quite cool...

It's a plugin to Live Writer which makes source code look presentable.  It’s based on the c# code format utility at http://www.manoli.net/csharpformat - Mike integrated the capability into Live Writer. (And it’s not just C#, it also handles VB, HTML, TSql, JavaScript).

And the squiggly code stuff does look better - you've got to admit eh?  Thanks Mike.  I *may* even try it one day... 

Dog crashes car

I love this news article.  It's not at all in my technology area - but it really made me giggle.  Lots.

Dog crashes car during driving lesson.

It raises many more questions than it answers doesn't it?...

Get software immediately with Technet plus

All of my Marketing stuff gets moved by an Exchange rule into a folder, and I look at them once in a while with my finger on the delete key.  Most of the communications are internal only, and warn me to look out for up and coming software releases, marketing campaigns and things like that.  This mail caught my eye and after reading Susan and Keith's posts and reading through the list of extras, I realised that I had to forward this on too as the benefits you get are much much better now.  I've highlighted some of the really useful pieces below as I get more questions about this than anything else...

TechNet Plus Benefits Portal:

This week the new TechNet Plus Benefits Portal went live internationally. This greatly enhances the online experience for subscribers and replaces the former subscriber-only online site.  You can access the site here.  If you're a subscribers you can access:

· Subscriber Downloads and Product Keys - All evaluation software, betas, product keys and other Subscription resources and are available immediately after release in the new Subscriber Downloads center. Customers have specifically asked for this functionality and now we are able to deliver it. No need to wait for discs – all TechNet Plus subscribers will have full access to the secure downloads, whether they purchase TechNet Plus single user, single server or TechNet Plus Direct. Now they have immediate access to Windows Server, Office System, Windows Vista, SQL Server and more. The full range of Microsoft’s commercial software is available to customers to explore. 

· Managed Newsgroups – IT Pros will get expert answers to their technical questions by posting to the TechNet newsgroups. TechNet Plus subscribers will get a verified answer within the next business day – guaranteed.  worldwide.

· Online Concierge Chat – Navigating through all of the information Microsoft offers can be challenging. For assistance finding resources or answers or non-technical questions, subscribers can “talk” to a Microsoft Online Assistant to get help.  worldwide

· Microsoft E-learning – TechNet Plus subscribers get complimentary access to online courses and clinics. Subscribers will use this hands-on training to help build skills to deploy Microsoft software, keep systems up and running, or prepare for certification. We know that building technical skills is one of the top 2 reasons IT Pros use TechNet subscriptions. *Now available worldwide*

· Support Incidents - TechNet Plus subscribers get 2 free Technical Support incidents they can use to help solve their most critical technical challenges. Microsoft Support Professionals are available via phone or web to provide this technical support service.

Every time subscribers visit they'll get the latest subscription news, updates on software available from Subscriber Downloads and tips and tricks for getting the most our of their subscription. 

So think about it.  No waiting for beta software to be shipped (everyone wants it NOW!).  And the cost of the subscription to Technet plus is cheaper than the cost of 2 support incidents - which are included in the price.  It's a no-brainer really...

Thank you to Kevin also for keeping my eye on the ball too..

Blowing my own trumpet

***edited link***

(in case you hadn't heard of the phrase in the title there's an explanation here..)

...Well I thought I'd have a little bit of self promotion here, but I'm feeling really chuffed about this, so thought I'd share it

I made it into Mary Jo Foleys list of top 10 Microsoft bloggers this year.  I've never met Mary Jo at all as she usually goes to US based events, and I'm over here in the UK.   Mary Jo writes for Microsoft Watch and is a key commentator on Microsoft.  But she does think I work in the Exchange team which must be a little bit worrying for the guys in over in Redmond :-).   So Mary Jo I certainly owe you some wine when I finally get to meet you to say thank you for really brightening up my day...

Photosynth

I like the idea of virtual roaming.  To be able to go on tour without leaving my house is a bizarre way of passing the time - but gives me the opportunity to travel without having to book too much holiday.  Photosynth builds on this idea.  According to this article, Live Labs are responsible for this innovation which I think is going to be huge.  If you want to have a look at how things work you can take the video tour and have a look at what Alfred has to say too..  

Hijacking BlackBerrys

Ooh this is a bit scary.  Paul talks about this potential security issue with BlackBerry devices.  Getting confidential information from a game of noughts and crosses.  BBproxy seems like something you don't want on your corporate network

One step up from holding up a bank with a banana - stealing information from Blackberries.  I wonder how the other fruit will react to this?

hee hee..

Waiting for Vista

Steve has been busy creating another piece of Machinima to follow on from his Staying patched clip.  It's over on Youtube.

So what is machinima?

The word itself is a portmanteau (mashup) of Machine and Cinema, and we’ve been using concepts like this to create film clips since the original King Kong movie. With the advent of animation software (the Sims, The Movies and Second Life) we are able to use software generated characters to get our point across effectively. Look at the popularity of films like Shrek, and Toy Story to see how well Machinima has captured the public imagination

An interesting alternative to structure Machinima creation, and something that’s becoming increasingly popular is the “gaming machinima” culture. This allows a game (such as World of Warcraft, Quake or Halo) to be played, and recorded, with a dialogue added later.

So why do I think that this type of movie clip is going to be big?  Steve originally recorded his Machinima clips using Poser and the Movies (which gives a high quality, high definition video clip), and he’s been watching how much buzz and dialogue goes on within this community (if you look at how many subscribers log in to Red v’s Blue, you’ll get the idea of how much buzz this generates.). 

If you‘re interested in Machinima, and want to do some more research on the topic, then there is no better start than the entry in Wikipedia. ...And look out for more CaptainMicrosoft Machinima pieces on Youtube soon...

The Exchange wiki

KC blogged about a fantastic new tool that they're playing with in the Exchange team.  The Wiki.  (Which means quick in Hawaian apparently).  I've reproduced her post in full...

We threw up a wiki for beta 2 to experiment with the format (hooray for slaveintern labor!):

http://www.exchangeninjas.com

(it's named after the e12 icon, which we call "the ninja star")

Or if you insist on being boring, http://www.theexchangewiki.com

If it ends up being a useful resource for the community, we'll see if we can keep it going after RTM. That will only happen if the community gets into it, however, so please go check it out, register, and edit a page to add your favorite tip, link to a blog entry with a useful tip in it, or ask a question.

I use Sharepoint 2007 wikis internally all the time.  When I'm planning an event, we all get together with titles, abstracts, speakers, and put them on the Wiki and amend them as timings or speaker availability changes.  it's a brilliant little collaborative notepad without the versioning and check out overhead of Sharepoint.  The version on the Wiki is the most up to date version, which suits us just fine.  We also put titles and abstracts for the TechNet presentations up there.  So when an event goes live on the web, it's deleted from the Wiki.

So the upshot of all of this is... Go and put something on the Wiki and share it with the world.

Windows Live contacts: website integration

Wow.  I must be psychic!  No sooner than I blog about how cool Meebo is, that we announce an add on which allows third party websites to access Messenger contact lists.  I'm spooked.  The article explains how the gadget (which works client side) works with your contact address and provides a service.  You don't need to type in the contact address again, as its pulled from your Live contacts information.  Have a play at mapping your US and Canada contacts.  That's a really good demo of a mashup by the way...

And you keep control of the information.  That's neat..

Creating a line in a document in Word

This is a nice tip and one I didn't know...

Create a line across the page of your Microsoft Office Word 2007 or Outlook 2007 document with just a few keystrokes. At the beginning of a new text line, type three consecutive hyphens and press Enter. A solid line will instantly divide your page. Type three underscores and Enter to create a bold line or three equal signs and Enter for a double line.

---

===

Hmmm.  It doesn't work in Live Writer - something to put in a future build then?  When Live writer replaces Word completely... :-)

Instant messaging - anywhere

A lot of us are trying to get our heads around Web 2.0 and how it will affect the way we work on the web.  People are driving the web - not the other way around.  Think about commenting on blogs, subscribing to something on a Wiki - this is changing how the web works.  Mike goes on about Web 2.0 a lot, and delivering software as a service wherever you happen to be.  We've done some work towards this - especially in the Instant Messaging area with Public Internet connectivity (allowing your Office communicator client to talk to Yahoo, MSN or AOL).

Well I've found something that takes the idea of Instant communication that little bit further.  it's called Meebo and it delivers your IM to you wherever you want to be, on whatever device.  It's run by some talented people over in Palo Alto and allows your presence information to be embedded on a web page.  And that opens up the social software bit of Web 2.0 to anyone.  We have a web client too - both for Messenger, and Office Communicator, but we don't have the bit of code that allows you to embed the client in your web page or wherever you want to put it.  And that's what's so cool.  And that's what is going to be so powerful in Web 2.0 speak 

I think I need to have a play with this ... 

Setting up direct push for Windows mobile 5.0

Emily contacted me as she was having trouble setting up direct push on her Exchange 2003 Server. 

Could you point me in the direction of some instructions on how to set up exchange 2003, ISA 2004 and mobile 5.0 to enable direct push email?  I can’t seem to get through the ISA onto our network to sync the email.  We are using qtecs and k-jams over the Vodafone GPRS or 3G network.

I seem to get a lot of these type of questions so thought it was worth a blog entry. 

1. Install Exchange 2003 SP2.  Read all about the new mobility features in SP2 here...
2. Follow the step by step guide to configuring ISA and connecting mobile devices - or just read step 6 if you're short of time.
3. That's it.  Read your mail. On your phone...

Mind you - although I wonder how I ever managed without my smartphone, it does take over my life.  Jason was right about how addictive these things are...  I need to be more disciplined and not sync my mail at weekends.  I've tried it though, and spend my whole life looking at the phone wistfully waiting for that mail from someone special to come in, and trying not to force a sync...! 

Voice spam: How to stop it

I really love this idea.  We've been working on a tool to stop voice spam.  You know, those annoying calls offering to give you a better deal on your cell phone, a free kitchen, a credit card that pays you just for using the card.  I have my own ways of dealing with them.

Them: "we can save you money off your bill"

Me: "how much is my bill then?"

Them: "Well we can save you money"

Me: "You can only save me money if you know how much my bill is, and as my bill is paid for by my company, then you can't really save me anything"

(Or I make up some sort of totally outrageous lie like this one)

Them: "How would you like to have a lovely family photo portrait done?"

Me: "I have no family"

Them: "Well what about your partner"

Me: "My partner left me.  I live alone"

Them: "Pets?"

Me: I have no pets.  Only chickens and I don't really think they would enjoy having their photo taken" (I'll swear he put the phone down laughing at this one...)

So anyway - back to the point. Microsoft research have developed a way to automatically screen voice calls according to this bit of news I read today.  It (V-Priorities) works on three levels.  One to examine the rhythm, rate of syllables, pitch, and length of pauses -- of a caller's voice. The second level, recognises words and phrases to indicate the nature of a call. The third level analyses the length of the call.

Microsoft Research do a heck of amazing things don't they?  But if this is implemented I won't have half as much fun when i answer the phone...