Readings

Azure AD Connect

Microsoft announces they are releasing a public preview of the “new” Azure AD Connect (you can download it here).

Azure AD Connect is “new” because it is now one integrated tool that includes all the advances of AAD Sync and the features from the beta release of Azure AD Connect into simple, fast & lightweight solution. Azure AD Connect has everything you need to connect your Windows Server AD(s) and Azure AD with only 4 clicks.

Now you can get started using Azure AD in under an hour, no new hardware required!

Read More……

http://blogs.technet.com/b/ad/archive/2014/12/15/azure-ad-connect-one-simple-fast-lightweight-tool-to-connect-active-directory-and-azure-active-directory.aspx

2014-12-31 by Azure Readings

Pomeroy Joins Microsoft Device Reseller Program

Selection is part of a limited group of companies to offer Microsoft Surface devices and services.

Hebron, KY – November 6, 2014 – Pomeroy, a global leader in optimizing the IT infrastructure, announced today it has joined a limited group of twenty companies in the United States participating in the Microsoft Devices Program, which allows clients to purchase Surface devices and commercial services through authorized resellers. –

See more at: http://www.pomeroy.com/home/news-and-events/2014/11/06/pomeroy-joins-microsoft-device-reseller-program#sthash.dVZB4Isu.dpuf

2014-12-30 by Readings

Azure as Your Disaster Recovery Site

Over at the System Center team’s blog site, they talk Azure Disaster Recovery.

Excerpt…

One of the biggest reveals during the TechEd 2014 North America keynote was the Preview of Disaster Recovery to Azure using Azure Site Recovery. Azure Site Recovery (ASR) is the new name for Hyper-V Recovery Manager (HVRM). HVRM was the first use of the Azure public cloud for off-premise automation controlling on-premise private cloud fabric. HVRM had a lot of fans for its simplification of a complex and expensive process (DR site management and failover) but fewer adopters since the solution required customers to already have invested in a physical or partner-hosted DR site running a Microsoft private cloud.

Azure Disaster Recovery

Read more here:

http://blogs.technet.com/b/systemcenter/archive/2014/07/01/microsoft-azure-site-recovery-your-dr-site-in-microsoft-azure.aspx

2014-12-29 by Azure

SCCM Team Blog: Introducing the Pull Distribution Point

Over on the TechNet blogs the introduce the SCCM Pull Distribution Point.

If you are one of the victims of bottle neck distribution points with a simplified hierarchy with no secondary sites then you are in luck.

With Cumulative Update 1 to System Center Configuration Manager the added Pull-Distribution points corrects this issue.
Read the explanation here:
2013-06-12 by Readings

Adobe Reader 11 Package Accelerator Available

Over on the TechNet blog they announced the Adobe Reader 11 Package Accelerator

As you may have seen, we announced that App-V 5.0 SP1 is now available as part of MDOP 2013.  In our many conversations at MMS a few weeks ago, we heard a lot of excitement around 5.0 SP1 as many of you are evaluating 5.0 alongside………

Read the whole post over on the “The Microsoft Application Virtualization Blog”………

http://blogs.technet.com/b/appv/archive/2013/04/30/adobe-reader-11-package-accelerator-available.aspx

2013-05-23 by Readings

System Center 2012: PowerShell – Connecting to Configuration Manager

From over on the TechNet blogs, explains the PowerShell connection with System Center 2012

Welcome to installment #2. In case you missed installment #1 – Getting Started – here’s the link. With the Getting Started blog, you tried a few basic Windows PowerShell cmdlets. I hope you took a bit of time to explore what other cmdlets are available in Windows. But now it’s time to get Configuration Manager hooked up to your PowerShell environment. Let’s start with the easy method………

Read the full post over on the “System Center Configuration Manager Team’s Blog Site”……

http://blogs.technet.com/b/configmgrteam/archive/2013/03/27/powershell-connecting-to-configuration-manager.aspx

2013-05-23 by Readings

What’s New in App-V 5.0 SP1 and User Experience Virtualization 1.0 SP1

Over at the Windows blog they talk about what is new App-V 5.0 SP1

As you may have seen, on Wednesday, we announced that MDOP 2013 is now available and detailed the new updates and features made to Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring (MBAM). But some of you might be saying, “What about Microsoft User Experience Virtualization (UE-V), and Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) 5.0? What is updated in these products?”

As you have heard us say over and over, your feedback is very important and helps drive what we build. Both UE-V and App-V 5.0 were released five months ago and we have seen these technologies adopted by companies like Eastman, NTTX,Etisalat Lanka. As more organizations continued to test and deploy these solutions, the more feedback we received. This feedback drove us to release service packs for UE-V and App-V 5.0 in MDOP 2013……

Read more on the “Spring Board Series Blog”………

http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/springboard/archive/2013/04/11/what-s-new-in-application-virtualization-5-0-sp1-and-user-experience-virtualization-1-0-sp1.aspx

2013-05-23 by Readings

Making Windows 8 More Manageable w/ MDOP 2013

Over on the Windows blog they talk about managing Windows 8 with MDOP 2013.

The Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) 2013 for Software Assurance is now available for download! When people think about MDOP, they often think about its virtualization tools that help personalize user experience, simplify app deployment, and improve app compatibility for Windows. MDOP is much more than that though, it also helps manage and deploy important Windows features like BitLocker and Group Policy, as well as saves time by helping to make desktop repair planning proactive instead of reactive.

We’ve been working for some time to optimize our MDOP products for Windows 8 with the goal of making them easier to adopt and take advantage of all the new Windows 8 platform capabilities. Last November, we took our first step by releasing MDOP 2012, in which Microsoft User Experience Virtualization (UE-V), Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) 5.0, and the Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT) 8.0 supported Windows 8.

……

Read the whole article on the “Windows For Your Business” blog.

http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/business/archive/2013/04/10/making-windows-8-even-more-manageable-with-mdop-2013.aspx

2013-05-23 by Readings

Delivering Unified Device Management with Windows Intune and System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1

Back in September, we announced our strategy around unified device management, and how the next releases of Windows Intune and System Center 2012 Configuration Manager will deliver on that vision.  As part of today’s update to our Cloud OS vision, we’re pleased to announce that System Center 2012 Configuration Manager and Endpoint Protection Service Pack 1 ……

View more on the Intune Technet Blog….

http://blogs.technet.com/b/windowsintune/archive/2013/01/15/delivering-unified-device-management-with-windows-intune-and-system-center-2012-configuration-manager-sp1.aspx

2013-05-23 by Readings