Eileen Brown's WebLog

Get up to speed on System Centre

With the launch of System Center not too far off, I've noticed that we've released quite a few new bits of information on the web.  The main System Center web site has had a revamp  (with the "designed for big" case studies page too) and RC2 is now available from the main page to download (or put your credentials here).  But what I do like is the fact that the System Centre team have started to release a set of little Webcasts for you to get up to speed with System Center.  There's only 3 there (nowhere near as many as the blogcasts available on Brian's Blogcast Repository) though it's a start.

I suppose the Blogcast Repository is a great example of community agility.  It would take us far longer to get all of these blogcasts recorded internally and published externally - you've already got them on the site there! 

Perhaps the System Center team should be linking to these blogcasts instead of all the effort internally to produce their own. 

Worth a thought perhaps eh chaps?...

Working with User Profiles in SharePoint 2007

I thought that this was a nice innovation and especially useful if you run a committee, volunteering organisation, social groups and struggle with the different communities that you run.  This interesting article focuses on the concept of User Profiles within SharePoint 2007 and how you can customise your portal to deliver targeted information to your users. 

There's a bit of code to do, but if you're already familiar with SharePoint, you'll be used to writing bits and bobs like that.  I've had to look more and more at the dev side of Sharepoint in order to make it a compelling solution for customers.  Just knowing the Infrastructure side of it isn't quite enough - but then again - just knowing the Developer side of it doesn't work either.

Perhaps that's the reason why I'm having trouble finding the right person to fill my Groove / Office Sharepoint role.  You've got to have an evangelist personality, be technical, not afraid of talking to large audiences, like telling the world what you know by blogging... and for this job you need to know a bit of code too. 

This managers stuff isn't as easy as it looks!

More on Daylight Savings Time (DST)

After my blog post on DST the other week, I've had a few requests for extra information.  There are several bloggers who've been covering this much more comprehensively than I have (Thanks Paul).  Anyway, here's some simple instructions and answers to your questions:

Change in Daylight Saving Time for US

Starting in the spring of 2007, daylight saving time (DST) start and end dates for the United States will transition to comply with the Energy Policy Act of 2005. DST dates in the United States will start three weeks earlier (2:00 A.M. on the second Sunday in March) and will end one week later (2:00 A.M. on the first Sunday in November). This will impact international customers and partners who transact business with companies in the US.

Several Microsoft products are affected by this change, the complete list of products affected is at the Microsoft DST 2007 website.

EXCHANGE SPECIFIC

Q: What are the specific fix needs required for the different Exchange Server versions?

A: The requirements are as follows:

· Exchange 2007: No update required.

· Exchange 2003 (SP2): An update is available at 926666.

· Exchange 2003 (SP1): An update is available at 931978.

· Exchange 2000: The fix is available now.  Exchange 2000 is under Extended Support phase until Jan 2011.  Customers with Extended Hotfix Support can request hotfix through their Technical Account Managers.

· Exchange 5.5: The fix is available now. Exchange 5.5 is under Custom Support phase until Jan 2008.  Customers with Custom Support can request a hotfix through their Technical Account Managers.

·

Exchange Tool: Exchange Calendar Update Tool is available here

Nottingham Roadshow: References and links

I said I'd link to all of the resources that I mentioned at the Roadshow today, and here's a list of the questions I remember.  We departed from our usual format of presentations all day and had a Q&A session with all of the presenters for the final segment.  We tried a new way for people to communicate with us too.  We invited people to text questions in to us during the day, and all of the presenters attempted to answer the questions.  What was surprising was that we had over 80 questions submitted via text, and loads more questions during the actual session.  It's quite uncomfortable sometimes being on the panel though.  Q&A's can be really excruciating sometimes, with everyone sitting in embarrassed silences waiting for some decent questions (or answers!) to be given.  The other interesting thing was that at the very end of the day (6pm) there were still over 25% of the audience remaining in the stiflingly hot auditorium joining in the conversation.   Amazing.  Anyway, I digress... Here are the links to the resources I said I'd mention I received...

Finding Office 2007 equivalent commands by using the Office 2003 interface (interactive reference guides)

Word 2003 to Word 2007 command reference guide
Excel 2003 to Excel 2007 command reference guide
PowerPoint 2003 to PowerPoint 2007 command reference guide

Test drive Exchange 2007 Unified messaging

Cisco Call manager documentation for Exchange 2007

List of supported PBX's for Exchange 2007

The Exchange 2007 help file to download

Jason's blog post on the features of Windows mobile 6 

SMTP Tarpitting for Exchange 2003 (to prevent directory harvesting attacks)

Virtual Labs:

Microsoft Office 2007 Overview

Introduction to SharePoint Portal Server

What's New in Windows SharePoint Services Feature Walkthrough

Introduction to Windows SharePoint Services 3.0

What's New in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Feature Walkthrough

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Installation

Links to the blogs of the other presenters, Darren, Steve and James.

Now back to the day job...

Try the Outlook Voice Access demo

I've been away for a week skiing in Canada, and I'm a bit behind on my blog reading.  One thing about long flights though is that I can catch up with what everyone's saying and I can flag interesting posts to blog about to when I get a bit more time.  Something from Brett caught my eye the other day.  it's about playing with Exchange 2007

If you haven't seen this already, please go and check out this link:

Once you have signed up, you will receive an email with your personal logon details. In your new test Inbox you will see two mails, one of which will be you Outlook Voice Access instructions and telephone numbers..!

Log in, send mail, create calendar appointments and subsequently phone in to play around with OVA :) Saying "Main Menu" will always take you to the main OVA menu.

One element I would like to highlight are the languages. If you go into Options --> Regional Settings and then change the language - yes, the different English "languages" are indeed accents..!

This reminds me of the amazing demos my Dutch colleagues Daniel and Tony do with Outlook Voice Access.  They go into the audience asking for particularly hard to pronounce Dutch words.  Apparently there's a phrase concerning the Dutch word for "duck" which is particularly hard to pronounce as there's lots of the letter "e" in it.  These words are then written into an email and Outlook Voice Access reads each word out in a perfect accent. 

So if you're about to make a presentation to the guys with the money about why to move to Exchange 2007, then this may add some extra sparkle to your demo and get you the budget you require...  

Mobility Webcasts for March

MSDN Webcast: Overview of the Windows Mobile 5.0 State and Notification Broker (Level 200)
Wednesday, March 21, 2007 - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Pacific Time
Maarten Struys, Windows Embedded Project Manager, PTS Software
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032329660&Culture=en-US

Momentum Webcast: Increase Workforce Productivity Using Microsoft Mobility Solutions (Level 100)
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Pacific Time
Chris Ertz, Technology Presenter, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032328715&Culture=en-US

SharePoint Webcasts for March

TechNet Webcast: Planning for and Deploying SharePoint Server 2007 (Part 2 of 2) (Level 200)
Friday, March 16, 2007 - 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM Pacific Time
Blain Barton, TechNet Presenter, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032330088&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Security for SharePoint Products and Technologies (Level 200)
Monday, March 19, 2007 - 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM Pacific Time
Michael Murphy, TechNet Presenter, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032330328&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Installing and Configuring Search in SharePoint Server 2007 (Level 300)
Wednesday, March 21, 2007 - 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM Pacific Time
Karl Kuhnhausen, Practice Director of Collaborative Solutions, Allin Consulting
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032325466&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Extending Search Capabilities with Office SharePoint Server 2007 (Level 300)
Wednesday, March 28, 2007 - 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM Pacific Time
Karl Kuhnhausen, Practice Director of Collaborative Solutions, Allin Consulting
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032325419&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Planning For and Deploying SharePoint Server 2007 (Part 1 of 2) (Level 200)
Friday, March 09, 2007 - 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM Pacific Time
Viral Tarpara, TechNet Presenter, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032330326&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: SharePoint Server 2007 Search Technical Drilldown (Level 200)
Monday, March 12, 2007 - 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Pacific Time
Matt Hester, TechNet Presenter, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032330507&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Installing and Configuring Basic Search with SharePoint Server 2007 for Search (Level 300)
Wednesday, March 14, 2007 - 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM Pacific Time
Karl Kuhnhausen, Practice Director of Collaborative Solutions, Allin Consulting
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032325464&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Upgrading and Migrating Windows SharePoint Services and SharePoint Portal Server (Level 300)
Friday, March 16, 2007 - 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Pacific Time
Ferla Geckin, Senior Consultant, Microsoft Corporation
Dino Dato-on, Senior Consultant, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032330522&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Security for SharePoint Products and Technologies (Level 200)
Monday, March 19, 2007 - 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM Pacific Time
Michael Murphy, TechNet Presenter, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032330328&Culture=en-US

Office Webcasts for March

TechNet Webcast: Business Intelligence Using the 2007 Microsoft Office System (Level 200)
Thursday, March 08, 2007 - 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Pacific Time
Kristin Kerr, Product Manager, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032327292&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Technical Overview of Excel Services (Level 200)
Wednesday, March 14, 2007 - 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Pacific Time
Matt Hester, TechNet Presenter, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032330082&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Overview of 2007 Office System Migration Tools (Level 300)
Thursday, March 22, 2007 - 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Pacific Time
Jefferson Riddle, Program Manager, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032330330&Culture=en-US

Microsoft Office System Webcast: Top 10 Tips for Excel 2007 (Level 100)
Tuesday, March 06, 2007 - 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Pacific Time
Evan Achilles, Senior Training Specialist, Projectile Services
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032325413&Culture=en-US

Microsoft Office System Webcast: Tips and Tricks for Live Meeting 2005 (Level 100)
Thursday, March 08, 2007 - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Pacific Time
Evan Achilles, Consultant, Projectile Services
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032318890&Culture=en-US

Microsoft Office System Webcast: A First Look at the 2007 Office System and Windows Vista Working Better Together (Level 100)
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 - 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Pacific Time
Andy Reed, Senior Training Specialist, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032325415&Culture=en-US

Microsoft Office System Webcast: Advanced Tips and Tricks: Breaking Into Your Documents and Using Office Open XML Formats (Level 300)
Tuesday, March 20, 2007 - 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Pacific Time
Stephanie Krieger, Author and Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP), Arouse.net
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032319979&Culture=en-US

Microsoft Office System Webcast: Top 10 Tips for PowerPoint 2007 (Level 100)
Thursday, March 22, 2007 - 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Pacific Time
Evan Achilles, Senior Training Specialist, Projectile Services
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032325417&Culture=en-US

Momentum Webcast: Exciting New Features in Windows Vista, 2007 Office System, and Exchange Server 2007 (Level 100)
Thursday, March 01, 2007 - 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Pacific Time
Chris Hertz, Mid-Market Solutions Advisor, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032329281&Culture=en-US

Momentum Webcast: Connecting People and Business Using the 2007 Office System (Level 100)
Tuesday, March 06, 2007 - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Pacific Time
India Bootie, Partner Technology Specialist, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032329285&Culture=en-US

Momentum Webcast: Improving Serbians-Foley Act Compliance Using the 2007 Office System (Level 100)
Thursday, March 15, 2007 - 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Pacific Time
Lincoln Poppa, President , Akron Systems
David Croon, Operations Controller, Cray, Inc
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032329653&Culture=en-US

Exchange Webcasts for March

TechNet Webcast: 24 Hours of Exchange Server 2007 (Part 13 of 24): Maintaining Anti-Spam Systems (Level 200)
Friday, March 02, 2007 - 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Pacific Time
Harold Wong, Senior Technology Specialist, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032323322&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Secure Manageable Messaging (Level 200)
Monday, March 05, 2007 - 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Pacific Time
Shawn Travers, TechNet Presenter, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032330494&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: 24 Hours of Exchange Server 2007 (Part 14 of 24): Maintaining Antivirus (Level 200)
Wednesday, March 07, 2007 - 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Pacific Time
Harold Wong, Senior Technology Specialist, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032323326&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: 24 Hours of Exchange Server 2007 (Part 15 of 24): Using Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2006 for Secure Exchange Server Publishing (Level 200)
Friday, March 09, 2007 - 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Pacific Time
Harold Wong, Senior Technology Specialist, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032323328&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Exchange Server 2007 Guided Labcast Series (Part 5 of 8): Remote Client Access with Exchange Server 2007 (Level 200)
Monday, March 12, 2007 - 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM Pacific Time
Harold Wong, Senior Technology Specialist, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032323553&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: 24 Hours of Exchange Server 2007 (Part 16 of 24): Outlook Web Access in Exchange Server 2007 (Level 200)
Wednesday, March 14, 2007 - 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Pacific Time
Harold Wong, Senior Technology Specialist, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032323559&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Secure Messaging with Microsoft Antigen (Level 200)
Friday, March 16, 2007 - 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM Pacific Time
Michael Murphy, TechNet Presenter, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032330529&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Exchange Server 2007 Guided Labcast Series (Part 6 of 8): Using Local Continuous Replication (Level 200)
Friday, March 16, 2007 - 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM Pacific Time
Harold Wong, Senior Technology Specialist, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032323555&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: 24 Hours of Exchange Server 2007 (Part 17 of 24): Unified Messaging (Level 200)
Monday, March 19, 2007 - 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Pacific Time
Harold Wong, Senior Technology Specialist, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032323561&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Functions, Filters, and Efficiency in Windows PowerShell (Level 200)
Tuesday, March 20, 2007 - 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Pacific Time
Don Jones, Scripting Guru and Author, SAPIEN Technology
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032321619&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Secure Collaboration with Microsoft Antigen (Level 200)
Wednesday, March 21, 2007 - 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM Pacific Time
Matt Hester, TechNet Presenter, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032330537&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: 24 Hours of Exchange Server 2007 (Part 18 of 24): Mobility (Level 200)
Friday, March 23, 2007 - 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Pacific Time
Harold Wong, Senior Technology Specialist, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032323563&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: 24 Hours of Exchange Server 2007 (Part 19 of 24): Introduction to Exchange Server 2007 Disaster Recovery (Level 200)
Monday, March 26, 2007 - 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Pacific Time
Harold Wong, Senior Technology Specialist, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032323565&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Exchange Server 2007 Guided Labcast Series (Part 8 of 8): Configuring an Edge Transport Server in Exchange Server 2007 (Level 200)
Wednesday, March 28, 2007 - 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM Pacific Time
Harold Wong, Senior Technology Specialist, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032324014&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: 24 Hours of Exchange Server 2007 (Part 20 of 24): Exchange Server 2007 Disaster Recovery (Level 200)
Friday, March 30, 2007 - 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Pacific Time
Harold Wong, Senior Technology Specialist, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032324016&Culture=en-US

Management Webcasts for March

TechNet Webcast: Overview of System Center Virtual Machine Manager (Level 300)
Thursday, March 01, 2007 - 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM Pacific Time
Rajiv Arunkundram, Product Manager, Microsoft Corporation
Jim Ni, Group Product Manager, Microsoft Corporation
Arun Jayendran, Senior Product Manager, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032324657&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: SoftGrid for Terminal Services (Level 300)
Thursday, March 01, 2007 - 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM Pacific Time
Alex Balcanquall, Product Manager, Microsoft Corporation
Chad Jones, Group Product Manager, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032327813&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Overview of the Active Directory Management Pack (Level 200)
Friday, March 02, 2007 - 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Pacific Time
Kevin Remde, TechNet Presenter, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032330039&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: How Microsoft IT Implements System Center Operations Manager 2007 (Level 300)
Tuesday, March 06, 2007 - 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM Pacific Time
Cory Delamarter, Microsoft IT Senior Systems Engineer, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032322477&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Application Virtualization and Software Streaming Within Systems Management Server (Level 300)
Thursday, March 08, 2007 - 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM Pacific Time
Rajiv Arunkundram, Product Manager, Microsoft Corporation
Jim Ni, Group Product Manager, Microsoft Corporation
Arun Jayendran, Senior Product Manager, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032324659&Culture=en-US

How we do SharePoint 2007

We're full on with our Sharepoint 2007 information - I attended a cracking set of SharePoint demos and presentations last week and am impressed with the wealth of stuff coming out of corp about SharePoint. 

Here's some stuff from IT's Showtime:

IT-built business solutions highlight the power of SharePoint 2007
Microsoft IT builds powerful, internal business solutions that demonstrate the power of SharePoint Server 2007 and help make Microsoft “People Ready” through our own products and technology.

Streamlining Records Management Using SharePoint Server 2007 Workflow
Robust Reporting Portal on Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007

The nice thing about this is that this is actually what we've done internally (without the swear words, the meetings and the loads and loads of coffees).  We're even releasing loads of podcasts too.  Have a listen to the "How Microsoft IT Deployed and Architected SharePoint Server 2007" podcast.  There's a webcast too available for you to learn about Enterprise search on Sharepoint...

Not a bad set of resources really...

Evangelism DOES make a difference

I feel really pleased about this.  I get loads of requests through this blog asking for help which I respond to.  Here's 2 from Robert who comments on my blog from time to time.

Hi Eileen:

While you are in Redmond, would you tell the TechNet Virtual Lab team that the copy of Word they are using in "Virtual Lab Express: Microsoft 2007 Office System Overview" is invalid. When I try to do the first exercise in the lab, I get the following message, "This command is currently disabled. To enable it purchase a licensed copy of Microsoft Office." They obviously used a beta version of Word that has timed out and no one has gone back to clean up the labs.

Well I forwarded this on to the Virtual Lab internal alias and got this response:

Hi Eileen,

Wanted to send you a quick note that this issue has been fixed as well. In the meantime until we receive updated content and funding to update these labs to RTM, we have extended the expiration so that our customers will not be faced with errors in the labs. We had gone through all of the labs to ensure this however this one was missed.

Thanks again for bringing this to our attention!

-Ruth

Then I got this one...

Hi Eileen:
First, if you direct me to someone on the team responsible for the Virtual Labs, I'll be happy to take up the issues I run into with them directly.
Second, my motivation here is to improve the UX (user experience) for every partner (and others) that comes to the virtual labs.
Third, I am trying to get through as many virtual labs as possible so that I can be comfortable when dealing with the new technologies especially when I am discussing them with potential clients.
So here is today's deal:

I took the "Synchronizing data between SharePoint 2007 and Groove 2007 Event ID 1032327684" virtual lab. The last exercise cannot be completed because a template that is supposed to be used can't be located in the folders on the virtual machine. When I completed it as far as I could, I am given the evaluation form for "First Look at Microsoft Office 2007 Labcast Event ID 1032327819."

That messes up both Microsoft's and my records about my lab attendance, etc.

Shouldn't this be an easy fix?

I just forwarded this mail too. Easy.  And got this response...

Hi Eileen,

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We certainly appreciate the feedback as it helps us improve the Virtual Lab program and UX for our customers. We will immediately address the issue of the Groove Labcast currently associated with the incorrect First Look evaluation form. In regards to the missing InfoPath form, until we can update the lab we will add a note in the lab manual that this exercise cannot be completed due to the missing InfoPath form.

Again, thank you for forwarding this on, and feel free notify us if you have any additional questions/feedback from your customers.

Thanks!

-Ruth

But the thing that makes my job totally worthwhile is the response I got from Robert when I told him that we were on the case...

Hi Eileen:
That is probably the best response I have received I have received this year! I sincerely appreciate your assistance in helping get these issues resolved.  It shows that the Virtual Labs team is really functioning at the top of their game. I understand the issue they face with funding which is totally justified.
I finished the nine Express Virtual Labs in addition to the Groove/SharePoint Virtual Lab and have completed Harold Wong's first Exchange Labcast. I'm signed up for the rest of Harold's labcasts and am about to embark on the fourteen Vista Virtual Labs. I have come across some issues and anticipate coming across more in the future. If you want to forward my email address to Ruth, she can send me her contact information if she wants me to send her the information directly. Even if she doesn't want my input, I'll try to refrain from imposing my Virtual Lab issues on you. You have been a real trooper here and I don't want to abuse your role.
There are lots of other exciting new things to deal with and that is one reason I read your blog faithfully.
Give my thanks to Ruth and the Virtual Labs team.
Sincerely,
Robert Banghart

And that type of mail is the reason that I love my job so much.  We CAN change the world...

More Office 2007 resources

I make no apologies for this.  We get quite a bit of email internally that most of us just delete,. or return to at a later date.  Many of these emails contain a wealth of resources that I strongly believe that should be shared with a wider audience.  Why re-invent the wheel and search for all of this yourself - Microsoft.com is a massive site, and you might not find everything you need.  So here's a list of Office 2007 resources all in one place...

TechNet Sites and Articles

Differences Between the 2007 Office System and Office 2003

Install Office SharePoint Server 2007 on a Stand-Alone computer

Welcome to the Microsoft Office 2007 Resource Kit

What’s New for the IT Professionals in SharePoint Server 2007

Office System Techcenters Launch on TechNet.  Visit the TechCenters for the latest documentation for the 2007 Office system beta, plus solutions, virtual labs, Webcasts, and more.
Watch a video presentation about new features of the 2007 Microsoft Office system. Learn about innovations in the client-side user interface, XML-based file formats, and server-based SharePoint site capabilities.
Learn about the Office Planning Migration Manager
This collection of tools allows you to prepare for migration to the 2007 Office system
 SharePoint Utility Suite Updated.  The purpose of the SharePoint Utility Suite is to provide a packaged collection of Tools and Utilities showcasing the rich Object Model that is delivered with the SharePoint Product and Technologies SDK (which includes Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 and SharePoint Portal Server 2003). This package includes code and tool examples that SharePoint Developers and SharePoint Administrators might find useful
Download documentation to help you deploy the beta version of 2007 Office system products in your organization. The product documentation files are Word files in a compressed executable (.exe) format.
Microsoft IT Showcase whitepaper (1st of 6) on Microsoft's internal use of Office SharePoint Server and 2007 Office system
Migrating from Content Management Server 2002 to SharePoint Server 2007 has enabled the Microsoft Information Technology group to improve its self-help support portal, called ITWeb. The ITWeb site now provides more personalized content to users, improved search features, improved content creation, and streamlined workflow. The new solution also requires less support effort.

TechNet Magazine Articles

Get into the Groove: Solutions for Secure and Dynamic Collaboration

Webcasts

Integrating the Business Data Catalog and Business Applications Using Microsoft Office

Working with the Office Open XML Formats

Virtual Labs

V-Lab Express

Microsoft Office 2007 Overview

Introduction to SharePoint Portal Server

Virtual Labs

What's New in Windows SharePoint Services Feature Walkthrough

Introduction to Windows SharePoint Services 3.0

What's New in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Feature Walkthrough

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Installation

Keep on track with Groove

There's still lots of  people who don't know much about Groove.  The best way to actually get to know it is to use it.  Find someone with an Groove account and ask them to invite you to a workspace where you can play.  Then you can get to know Groove without the worry of building the infrastructure.  Here's a brilliant resource I've found...

Find out how Groove could make working together hassle-free. No more confusion about where a document is or which version you're working on, Groove keeps you and your team on track.

And once you've started using Groove - you'll be totally hooked...

More on Windows mobile 6 (Crossbow)

That's so typical... I blog enthusiastically about my new toy and the announcement on mobile 6, then Jason goes and hits the web with an excellent (and long) post showing you all of the amazing features of mobile 6.    Nice post Jason... you should have Evangelist in your job title - you can certainly talk the talk!

Short post today - I'm all conferenced out and I'm looking forward to getting my skis on in Whistler tomorrow where there's over 9 metres of snow this season.  Skiing in Europe?  no chance!