Just a FYI here is another list of new Windows tablets being made available.
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=D1376BA87A35887F%214480
Also if you are curious about business cases I have a total economic impact report on using Windows tablets in retail.
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=D1376BA87A35887F%214481
Tuesday, 1 April 2014
Wednesday, 12 February 2014
New Windows Tablets for February 2014
Kalvin Falconar over at Microsoft Canada sends out some regular updates as to new devices coming out in the Windows tablet category. Since the information is free to share you can find February's update over here. http://sdrv.ms/1eslAk5
Tuesday, 28 January 2014
Calgary: Cloud OS MVP Roadshow
On February 25th the Calgary IT Pro, Calgary
Systems Management User Group and the Calgary Virtualization user group are
getting together for the Cloud OS MVP Roadshow event in Calgary. There will be
lunch, refreshments and an Xbox One giveaway. Below is an overview of the event
content.
There are more apps, more devices, and now, more
data than ever — all driven by the rise of cloud computing and the use of cloud
services. With these technologies playing an ever present role in businesses,
how can IT drive more efficiency and deliver new forms of value? Microsoft’s
answer is the Cloud OS. Microsoft’s approach allows IT to get all the benefits
of scale, speed, and agility while still protecting existing investments. This
means IT can now rapidly build and deploy apps, flexibly manage IT services,
and support real-time analytics across all forms of data.
Welcome Reception: Windows Device Showcase
Join Kalvin
Falconar from Microsoft to explorre some of the newest offerings from Microsoft
and its partner ecosystem for the latest release of Windows operating systems.
Session 1: Helping with Compliance Through Access and Information
Protection
Capturing the business opportunities while managing the IT challenges
presented by the consumerization of IT remains top of the agenda for many
businesses. Our people-centric IT session shows how Microsoft's vision
helps businesses to enable their end users to be productive across devices and
locations, keep data and corporate assets protected and build on top of existing
investments.
Session 2: Enable Modern Work Styles with Microsoft VDI
Remote
Desktop Services and Virtual Desktops can help enable users to work on the
device and from the location they want to, while still allowing IT to secure
access to data and applications. Learn about the Microsoft offering for Remote
Desktop and Virtual Desktop Infrastructures in this session. With Windows
Server 2012 R2, the Microsoft VDI solution is efficient to manage and easy to
deploy. It delivers a low cost solution by leveraging the capabilities of
Windows Server R2 virtualization and storage technologies. It does all this
while delivering a rich user experience that delivers a high fidelity
experience across a range of devices and network conditions.
Application is also
a hot topic as organizations look to deploy large application sets in a RDS and
VDI environment. As a result the latest release of App-V 5 continues to include
more features to make virtual application behave as if they were natively
installed. Also explore the integration options when working with App-V in a
RDS or VDI environment.
Session 3:
Extend Your Datacenter with Virtualization and Networking
Virtualization and networking are at the foundation of a hybrid cloud
strategy. Today, Microsoft’s enterprise-grade virtualization solutions let you
increase flexibility in the on-premises datacenter and move virtual machines
from the datacenter to the cloud. Learn how continuing advances in these areas
can help you extend the datacenter and connect to the cloud.
Speaker BIOS
Evan
Zaleschuk
Evan is a Technology
Executive with over 21 years of experience in technology and a proven track
record in moving organizations from vision to strategy through delivery and
operational management. Evan is a recognized expert in the technology industry
and had developed organizations by building high performance teams to deliver
unique cutting edge solutions that have garnered industry rewards. Areas of
expertise include unified communications, telecommunications, data center and
network operation center design and management on a global scale.
Kevin
Kaminski
With over thirteen years of
systems management experience, Kevin Kaminski is no stranger to the headaches
enterprises can experience when managing large deployments of Windows systems.
As an independent consultant Kevin uses the opportunity to visit many diverse
environments and see the challenges they face first hand.
Marcos
Nogueira
With more than 15 years’ experience in Datacentre Architectures, Marcos
is currently working as an Senior Infrastructure Architect at NeoStream
Technologies. Expert in Private and Hybrid Cloud, with a focus on
Virtualization and System Center. Marcos's is an MVP in System Center Cloud and
Datacenter Management and he has 10+ years has a Microsoft Certified, with more
than 70+ certifications (MCT, MCSE, MCITP, MCSA, MCTS and MCDBA among others).
He is certified in ITIL, CompTia and VMware as well.
He had large experience in enterprise environments in several
industries, including Gas-Oil Company in different countries and continents. He
had directly collaborated with Microsoft in the development of workshops and
special events with products such as Private and Hybrid Cloud, System Center,
Windows Server, Windows client among others, and as a speaker at several
TechNet events and TechEd Events (NORAM and EMEA).
Tuesday, 10 December 2013
Briforum 2013 Application Packaging Smackdown is Available for Streaming
Over the summer Nicke Kallen and myself put on a presentation called the Application Packaging Smackdown in Chicago for Briforum 2013. Our goal was to help people understand some of the tooling available for packagers when making both traditional and virtual application packages.
You can view the presentation over here at BrianMadden.com:
If you are interested in the slide deck it can be found over on SlideShare:
Thursday, 7 November 2013
HOW I GET IT DONE WITH OFFICE 365
I’ve been a skeptic about cloud and mostly
writing it off as a fad but once in a while you see where different types of
cloud infrastructure can come together to form a beautiful solution that
empowers the end user. Keep in mind that Office 365 is more than just Office
but a suite of applications running in a data center with most of the mundane
administration taken out of the experience. This service is built on enterprise
grade architecture and data centers so even the smallest user reaps the
benefits of the backend design. This post isn’t to get deep into the details of
cloud architecture but more to talk about what Office 365 means to me.
One of the most heavily used features for
me is SkyDrive Pro because I am finding myself using the same device less
throughout my day or I am test driving a new operating system but don’t want to
be tied down to the details with migrating data. Think of this as your file
server for your documents that can be accessed from a web browser or a native
Windows application. If you are in a bind there are web based versions of
several common Office applications so you can open and edit from a web browser.
You can also share the data with co-workers inside the organization or people
outside the organization if the security settings for the account are set to do
so. Since I run a small business being able to share accounting data between my
bookkeeper and accountant is critical. Rather than emailing out easy to sniff
emails with attachments or forcing people to use cumbersome encryption tools I
can use their Microsoft or Office365 accounts to give them access.
When I would be on Microsoft campus for MVP
Summit one of the things I quickly picked up on was the religious use of
OneNote by some of the product managers. I had gone through training from
Franklin Covey years before and I thought this might be a helpful progression
in my note taking. Hands down having indexed notebooks that can be pulled up on
a laptop is great but being able to get at notes on your phone is even better.
I’ve become a convert to the point that I even collect other people’s blog
articles and papers into a special OneNote notebook. I would say the key isn’t
to try to use OneNote exclusively overnight but try making task lists and notes
first then if you feel comfortable try using it to take notes in real time.
Device support beyond Windows phone is necessary to survive in today’s mobile device market and I’m glad that Microsoft has made versions of Office 365 for iPhone and Android. It is common to see users using more than one mobile operating system and in some cases having more than one device that is a certain form factor such as a smart phone. I know you aren’t going to write a paper in Word on a phone but I’ve tweaked slide decks and done informal run-throughs of a presentation before a meeting. It comes down to agility when you are in a less than ideal situation.
If you have a business partner or classmate
you need to share and edit documents with they can sign up for a Microsoft
account online and use the touch friendly web based versions of Excel,
PowerPoint, Word and more. And if they happen to be a home user I find the
Office 365 Home licensing enticing as it can be installed on up to five Windows
PC or Apple OS X devices. In addition the suite can be installed onto another
five Android and iPhone devices. Office 365 home is a great way for families to
stay legitimate with Microsoft licensing and not have to shell out big money
when there is an upgrade or a need for extra licenses. I definitely think this
will be the way of the future for Office in the home and small business, I
believe the enterprise customer will eventually get on board but will be more
conservative when it comes to embracing cloud services such as Office 365 but I
definitely do not see this being any sort of fad that will be disappearing any
time soon.
Tuesday, 5 November 2013
CSMUG Winter 2013.1 Meeting: People Centric IT
Worried
about consumerization or employee owned devices? Maybe you are looking to
empower users with more flexible work styles or cope with the demands of
integrating contractors into your organization. Microsoft, Calgary Systems
Management User Group and the Calgary IT Pro Community Association present an
afternoon showcasing the future of People Centric IT and the technologies to
drive solutions to these challenges. Join Microsoft MVP Kevin Kaminski and
others on a journey through Windows Server 2012, Windows 8.1, Configuration
Manager and Intune.
The event
is scheduled to take place from 12:00pm and 5:30pm Thursday November 14, 2013
at Bottlescrew Bills 140 10 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2R 0A3 (courtesy of
Inteqna). Lunch and snacks will be supplied (courtesy of CoreTech) along with a
prize draw at the end for a Surface 2 Pro and other prizes (courtesy of
Microsoft). The event is free and registration can be done via the following
link: https://www.eventbrite.ca/event/8423945247
Agenda
Mobility with
Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone – Kalvin Falconar, Microsoft
Time:
12:30-1:00
Description:
Mobility
has become a widely recognized megatrend. Mobile device use for business has
grown rapidly. A high percentage of employees and remote field workers will use
at least one mobile device for work and in many cases “bring their own”. The
proliferation of small, fast, powerful, ruggedized and highly secure devices enable
field workers to be more productive.
The
challenge for IT is to evolve rapidly and work with other business leaders to
develop and implement enterprise-wide mobile solutions. This includes enabling
richer connectivity, better applications and integration, wherever, whenever,
while maintaining enterprise-grade security and availability.
·
Demonstration:
Windows 8.1 offers dramatic improvements in mobility, management and device
choice. (Bonus content: Five reasons you
want to deploy Windows 8.1 over Windows 7.)
·
Demonstration:
Rugged, field ready devices, SmartPhones running Windows Phone OS, and Tablets
running Windows 8.1 will be showcased.
·
Discussion:
What is happening on the immediate horizon with Windows Devices?
Enable your IT
Infrastructure to be People Centric – Jeff Chin, Microsoft
Time:
1:15 - 2:15PM
Description:
Don't lose
sleep again over desktop and device management. People-centric IT (PCIT)
empowers each user to work virtually anywhere on PCs and devices of their
choice while providing IT with an easy, consistent, and secure way to manage it
all. Expectations of technology and IT are changing - The lines between
personal life and work are blurring; and the people you support want a
consistent and personalized experience no matter what device they're using.
Supporting an ecosystem of devices and applications can be expensive, consuming
valuable IT resources and exposing security risks. Microsoft's approach
helps organizations offer a comprehensive solution, built on top of your
existing infrastructure to create a consistent and secure self-service and
management experience.
Welcome to Intune
– Kevin Kaminski, CoreTech
Time:
2:30-3:00
Description:
This
session is to bring you up to speed on Windows Intune. There will be a brief
overview of current capabilities but the session will drill into the mobile
device management, application deployment and reporting improvements in this
cloud based service.
System Center
Configuration Manager R2 with Intune – Kevin Kaminski, CoreTech
Time:
3:15-4:15
Description:
With the
new product release schedule for System Center product changes are showing up
on a yearly basis. This presentation will introduce some of the cloud based
offerings to supporting devices and users using Configuration Manager 2012 R2
with Intune. Discover how you can manage Remote access and WiFi profiles along
with the related certificates using Configuration Manager. Deploy Firewall and
antivirus profiles with better compliance reporting and remediation. The
application model in Configuration Manager 2012 will be introduced where much
logic that used to be embedded in package wrappers is now managed and reported
on at the infrastructure level. See how this can be leveraged to provide
advanced behaviors for application deployment.
Using
Intune you can have different management profiles and capabilities to suit the
different management requirements between personal and corporate owned devices.
See how Intune can complement an existing Configuration Manager environment to
manage remote, mobile, personal or non-domain joined devices.
Doing Business
Differently with Office 365 - Sheldon Mackarenko, Microsoft
Time:
4:30 – 5:00
Description:
The New
Office enables your users to be more efficient, sacrifice nothing and become
more productive. From a fluid experience across devices your users can
adopt the new technology intuitively. More and more organizations are
eliminating multiple bolt on solutions for a complete end to end integrated
productivity solution. Find out how Office 365 would allow your team to
drive productivity and innovation.
Speakers:
Kalvin Falconar,
CISSP
Kalvin
Falconar holds several certifications in Project Management, Lean Six Sigma,
Architecture, and Information Security. He has worked in IT for over 27
years and as of September 1, 2013 has taken a new role at Microsoft in Western
Canada helping organizations respond to the need for mobility in industrial and
corporate scenarios.
Jeff Chin, TSP
Jeff has
filled many roles over the years from being a developer to joining Microsoft as
a Premier Field Engineer. Jeff’s current role at Microsoft helps customers
understand and implement the latest technologies enabling the optimized desktop
and mobile workforce. His proven track record shows how he is able to
understand challenges and requirements of diverse customer environments and
produce top notch solutions to suit their demands.
Kevin Kaminski,
MVP
Kevin is a
seasoned consultant focusing mainly on end user type technologies that range
from device management to application delivery. Using his experiences from
different organizations he is able to draw upon practical knowledge that he
incorporates into his speaking engagements, training material and articles. As
an App-V MVP, Kevin delivers and maintains an App-V master’s class with fellow
MVP Tim Mangan. He also spends time blogging for MyItForum.com and speaking at
various engagements such as BriForum and Microsoft Management Summit. To assist
his local IT community he sits as a director on the Calgary IT Pro User Group
and manages the Calgary Systems Management User Group.
Sheldon Mackarenko
TBA
TBA
Friday, 1 November 2013
Need App-V 5.0 Training?
It is not often I get a chance to break from the usual pace
of consulting to take the time to share some of my knowledge through the
classroom. I thought it would be worthwhile to do some shameless self-promotion
and mention a few course dates coming up where I’ll be teaching App-V 5.0. The
first course is one Tim Mangan and myself developed for Flexera to help people
better understand packaging for App-V 5.0 using Flexera AdminStudio over three
days in Boston. Check Flexera’s education schedule over here for registration
information.
http://www.flexerasoftware.com/services/training/application-readiness-courses/adminstudio-appv-packaging/
http://www.flexerasoftware.com/services/training/application-readiness-courses/adminstudio-appv-packaging/
The other two offerings are an expert level class that Tim
Mangan and I maintain around App-V 5.0 with a little CM 2012 thrown in. This
class runs a full five days because of the need to discuss a larger set of
concepts such as the administration of App-V servers and application deployment
with CM 2012. The first date is in Calgary, Alberta (Canada) and the second one
is an online offering if you have issues getting budget for travel. Because the
online class has some challenges keeping on top of the classroom it is limited
to five seats but the course in Calgary is a standard ten seat limit I have. If
you are interested in either of the five day classes email me directly (kevin.kaminski@bighatgroup.com)
and take a look at the following sites for more information.
http://www.bighatgroup.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54:app-v-50-sp2-expert-class-schedule&catid=1:latest-news
http://www.bighatgroup.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54:app-v-50-sp2-expert-class-schedule&catid=1:latest-news
Also if you are in the USA please take a look at our
GridMasterTraining.com class schedule where Tim Mangan runs classes separately from
mine.
http://www.gridmastertraining.com/ClassesSchedule.aspx
http://www.gridmastertraining.com/ClassesSchedule.aspx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)