Month: December 2009

As part of the Blue Coat Community Outreach Program, K9 Web Protection is free for home use.

Blue Coat® K9 Web Protection is a content filtering solution for your home computer. Its job is to provide you with a family-safe Internet experience, where YOU control the Internet content that enters your home. K9 Web Protection implements the same enterprise-class Web filtering technology used by Blue Coat’s Fortune 500 customers around the world, wrapped in simple, friendly, and reliable software for your Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Vista computer.

Blue Coat’s unique Web filtering technology divides Internet content into 60 distinct categories. These categories are stored in the master Blue Coat database, through which we maintain and update more than 15 million ratings of websites and domains. A Web site will fall into one or more of these categories, based on the content of the site. To meet your particular needs and preferences, you can configure the software to block or allow specific categories.

 

K9 Web Protection is different from other solutions for the home in several important respects:

• Service-based filtering – Blue Coat’s filtering database operates as a service. It receives and rates over 80 million requests every day, making it the most accurate content filtering database available. This accuracy is important in protecting your family, given the Internet’s rapid changes and growth. Plus, there is no database to download. K9 Web Protection won’t clog your Internet connection, get "stale" or out of date, or slow down your computer like other products do.
• Dynamic Real-Time Rating™ (DRTR) – Blue Coat’s patent-pending DRTR technology is a very powerful element in our solution, and is vastly different from the old-fashioned "key word filtering" that is so frustrating to users. Using a method of statistical analysis and artificial intelligence to rate new or previously unrated Web pages, DRTR can determine the category of a URL on the fly, without human intervention. However, DRTR only renders a rating when it is confident that it has reached an accurate conclusion.
  We’ve focused DRTR on recognizing the kinds of categories most likely to be blocked. In particular, DRTR is highly accurate in blocking pornography and other "adult content" sites. This focus for DRTR is particularly important because these kinds of sites are constantly – daily and even hourly – popping up on the Internet, and no static database can keep up.
• Automatic updating – Automatic updates of the K9 Web Protection application ensure that you are always protected by the latest features. For example, in Spring of 2005, we added two new categories to our solution: Spyware/Malware Sources, and Spyware Effects/Privacy Concerns. By electing to block sites in these categories, your computer’s rate of infection by unwanted software can be reduced dramatically. We have a variety of new features planned, and your K9 installation will automatically receive updates that include them.
• Efficient caching – K9 Web Protection is a product from Blue Coat. Blue Coat is recognized world-wide as expert in high-performance caching and secure proxy technology. We take advantage of that expertise in K9, so your Internet experience is as fast, reliable, and safe as we can make it.

Unlike other filtering solutions, K9 Web Protection ensures the highest level of protection by building the most relevant ratings database available. Its effective coverage reaches more than one billion Web pages. With K9 Web Protection, you finally have a chance to build a family-safe Internet experience for your home, simply and easily.

This is great software to protect families with young children from bad or not appropriate sites.

 

To download the free software for home use please go Here

WASHINGTON— Dec. 1, 2009 — Baby boomers have a unique relationship to technology — different from any generation before or since — and they are actively shaping the devices, software and services of tomorrow by the choices they are making today, according to a new research report from AARP and Microsoft.

Curious to understand more clearly how baby boomers view and use technology, AARP and Microsoft decided to ask. In May 2009, the two organizations sponsored a series of focus group-like discussions with baby boomers in four U.S. cities: San Francisco, Phoenix, Chicago and New York. Author and futurist Michael Rogers led the sessions as the baby boomers shared their technology-related experiences, insights and expectations — and how their personal values shape the way they choose and use technology. The result is “Boomers and Technology: An Extended Conversation” (http://www.aarp.org/boomertechnology), a report that offers fresh insights into a generation whose influence on technology is often overlooked, and creates a compelling picture of how boomers and other consumers will use technology in the near future.

“Baby boomers are savvy consumers who expect technology to be safe, easy to use and flexible enough to adapt to their individual needs,” said Rob Sinclair, director of Accessibility at Microsoft, who notes that many baby boomers came of age before most of the software applications and devices we now consider essential were invented. “When new technology products enter the market — products that are well-designed and can help create the life baby boomers want — they are enthusiastic early adopters who help lead the way.”

Baby boomers have the numbers and the economic clout to make their technology choices matter. By 2010, one-third of the U.S. population will be over 50. “That’s close to 106 million Americans controlling 50 percent of the country’s discretionary spending, and outspending younger adults by $1 trillion in 2010,” Rogers wrote in the report. “Consumers in their 50s show the highest intent to purchase consumer electronics among any age group.”

Yet, it is baby boomers’ values and ideals, more than their checkbooks, that are shaping the future of technology, according to Adam Sohn, director of Integrated Communications for AARP, a membership and advocacy organization for people age 50 and older.

“Baby boomers want technology that reflects their values and helps them express those values with greater purpose, meaning and impact,” Sohn said. “While boomers are heavy users of technology today — for everything from entertainment and news to online banking and social networking — what’s most exciting is the technology-assisted world they are helping to create.”

Rogers, a futurist, agrees: “Baby boomers see technology as a gift, not a given, so they are less likely than younger consumers to take it for granted. At the same time, baby boomers aren’t dazzled by every new gadget that comes along. Yet by embracing innovative new services and devices, and using them in unexpected ways to enhance their lifestyles and values, baby boomers are having a tremendous influence on emerging technologies.”

Based on his discussions with baby boomers, and his ongoing research into the relationship between society and technology and what’s currently in development, Rogers offers an exciting view of that world in 2019, just 10 years hence, when the youngest boomers will be turning 55 and Generation X will begin crossing the 50-year mark.

Within the decade, Rogers forecasts that some baby boomers and other consumers will be wearing sensor-equipped exercise clothing and GPS-enabled running shoes during workouts to monitor their physical condition, track the calories they burn, and upload the information automatically for storage and analysis. Other boomers will have prescription glasses that connect wirelessly to the Internet or other networks and display information in the lower half of the lens, or carry mobile devices that can function as electronic wallets, offer full telepresence and project large-format images on the wall.

Increasingly, baby boomers will use technology to help them care for their aging parents — employing sensors that alert them to changes in behaviors or routines that could signal problems — and to manage their own health with tools ranging from low-cost gene scans to implanted microchips that contain their health records. Boomers also will use computers to control energy use in their “green” homes and to redefine when, where and how they work. (For the complete forecast, see the full report and executive summary.)

“Baby boomers appreciate cool software and devices as much as anyone, but they also believe technology has the power to help bring about positive social change, and they want to make that happen,” Sohn said. “Boomers care deeply about social justice and individual freedoms, and they see technology as a tool that people can use to improve their lives and make the world a better place — from making society more democratic to helping all of us participate more fully and more directly in the decisions that affect us

 

This article is a repost form the Microsoft site but I felt this is so important that i posted it here.

 

 

Fireside Chats are Microsoft Live Meeting events with key Microsoft executives. The meetings are designed to be very much like a real "fireside chat" – the majority of each meeting is in the form of a discussion rather than a presentation. YOU get to pose the questions.

Although these events are open to all, they are aimed at the needs of User Group Leaders, MVPs and other technical experts.

You can even win a prize!

At each chat we will have an item we will send to a random attendee. Don’t expect a new car or free holiday though – it’s more likely to be a book or even the shirt off the presenters back, suitably signed by them!

 

Upcoming subject include

 

01/12/10              Barry Briggs   

Microsoft IT: Chief Architect and CTO

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01/13/10    Ankur Kothari                   

Exchange 2010: Migration and Deployment best practices.

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01/19/10              Viral Tarpara                      

SharePoint Features for User Group Leaders.

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01/21/10              Natasha Palandri             

Welcome to Office Live Meeting

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01/28/10              Mark Russinovich            

SysInternals and Windows Internals

 

Go here for more information

 

Front Runner is an early adopter program that helps you get your applications compatible with the latest Microsoft technologies.

Windows® 7 and Windows Server® 2008 R2 are now available to the public, so now’s the time to make sure your application is compatible. We created this site to help you get compatible, providing resources such as:

• Access to Microsoft Experts who can assist you with the planning of your project, and help you resolve development issues
• Training courses on developing for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2
• Release Candidate technology versions, software development kits, and technical documents

Once you tell us that your application is compatible, you’ll get a range of marketing benefits to help you let your customers know you’re a Front Runner:

• The Front Runner stamp to show your early adopter status
• Customizable marketing and PR campaigns to promote your product to your customers
• Listings in Microsoft directories that are viewed by millions of people

Click Here to learn more

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010

Click here to download MDT now. (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=159061)

As you prepare to deploy Windows® 7 and Windows Server® 2008 R2, get a jump start with Microsoft® Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2010. Leverage this Solution Accelerator to achieve efficient, cost-effective deployment of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

MDT is the recommended process and toolset to automate desktop and server deployment. MDT provides you with the following benefits:

• Unified tools and processes required for desktop and server deployment in a common deployment console and collection of guidance.
• Reduced deployment time and standardized desktop and server images, along with improved security and ongoing configuration management.
• Fully automated Zero Touch Installation deployments by leveraging System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 2 Release Candidate and Windows deployment tools. For those without a System Center Configuration Manager 2007 infrastructure, MDT leverages Windows deployment tools for Lite Touch Installation deployments.

MDT 2010 includes new features such as flexible driver management, optimized user interface workflow, and Windows PowerShell^TM command line interface to help simplify deployment and make your job easier. Deploy faster and more easily with MDT 2010.

New in MDT 2010

Improvements in MDT 2010 allow you to:

• Access deployment shares from anywhere on the network and replicate files and settings across organizational boundaries or sites.
• Organize and manage drivers, operating systems, applications, packages, and task sequences with an improved UI.
• Automate UI functionality using the new Windows PowerShell command line interface.

Next steps

• Download Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010. (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=159061)
• Learn more about MDT by visiting the MDT site on TechNet. (www.microsoft.com/mdt)
• Get the latest news by visiting Microsoft Deployment Toolkit Team blog. (http://blogs.technet.com/msdeployment/default.aspx )

Open Beta for IPD Guide—Now Available for Download

DirectAccess

The Infrastructure Planning and Design team is working on a new guide: DirectAccess. Get the beta by visiting the Connect Web site at http://connect.microsoft.com.

This IPD guide provides actionable guidance for designing a DirectAccess infrastructure. The guide’s easy-to-follow, four-step process gives a straightforward explanation of the infrastructure required for clients to be connected from the Internet to resources on the corporate network, whether or not the organization has begun deploying IPv6.

The guide covers four key steps in the design process for DirectAccess:

• Aligning the project scope with the business requirements.
• Determining whether IPv6, Teredo, 6to4, and IP-HTTPS connectivity will be supported for Internet-based clients.
• Assessing the need for IPv6 transition technologies including NAT-PT and ISATAP for internal communication.
• Determining the number and placement of servers, the certificate services requirements, and location of CRL distribution points.

 

Infrastructure Planning and Design streamlines the planning process by:

· Defining the technical decision flow through the planning process.

· Listing the decisions to be made and the commonly available options and considerations.

· Relating the decisions and options to the business in terms of cost, complexity, and other characteristics.

· Framing decisions in terms of additional questions to the business to ensure a comprehensive alignment with the appropriate business landscape.

Tell your peers about IPD guides! Please forward this mail to anyone who wants to learn more about Infrastructure Planning and Design guides.

Join the Beta

Additional Infrastructure Planning and Design guides are available as beta releases on the Connect Web site. They are open beta downloads. To join the Infrastructure Planning and Design Beta, do the following:

1. Visit the Infrastructure Planning and Design Beta at http://connect.microsoft..com.

If you have not previously registered with Microsoft Connect, you might be required to register before continuing with the invitation process.

2. Sign in using a valid Windows Live ID to continue to the Invitations page.

3. Scroll down to Infrastructure Planning and Design.

The Infrastructure Planning and Design team has released two updated guides for deployment and operations: Windows Deployment Services and System Center Operations Manager.
These guides, updated to reflect the features and functionalities of Windows Server® 2008 R2 and System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2, outline the critical infrastructure design elements that are crucial to a successful implementation of these deployment and operations products.

The Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide for Windows® Deployment Services guides the reader through the process of designing a Windows Deployment Services infrastructure in a logical, sequential order. Following the six steps in this guide will result in a design that is sized, configured, and appropriately placed to enable rapid deployment of Windows operating systems, while also considering the performance, capacity, and fault tolerance of the system.

The Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide for Microsoft® System Center Operations Manager outlines the critical infrastructure design elements that are crucial to a successful implementation of Microsoft System Center Operations Manager. The guide takes the reader step-by-step through the process of designing components, layout, and connectivity in a logical, sequential order. Identification and design of the required management groups is presented in simple, easy-to-follow steps, helping the reader to design and optimize management infrastructure.

Download the IPD Guides for Windows Deployment Services and System Center Operations Manager at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/solutionaccelerators/ee382254.aspx.

Infrastructure Planning and Design streamlines the planning process by:

• Defining the technical decision flow through the planning process.
• Listing the decisions to be made and the commonly available options and considerations.
• Relating the decisions and options to the business in terms of cost, complexity, and other characteristics.
• Framing decisions in terms of additional questions to the business to ensure a comprehensive alignment with the appropriate business landscape.

Tell your peers about IPD guides! Please forward this mail to anyone who wants to learn more about Infrastructure Planning and Design guides.
Join the Beta
Additional Infrastructure Planning and Design guides are available as beta releases on the Connect Web site. They are open beta downloads. If you are not already a member of the IPD beta program, and would like to join, follow these steps:

1. Go here to join the IPD beta program: https://connect.microsoft.com/InvitationUse.aspx?ProgramID=1587&InvitationID=IPDM-QX6H-7TTV&SiteID=14 If the link does not work for you, copy and paste it into the Web browser address bar.
2. Sign in using a valid Windows Live ID.
3. Enter your registration informat ion.
4. Continue to the IPD beta program page.

Already a member of the IPD beta program? Go here to get the latest IPD beta downloads: https://connect.microsoft.com/content/content.aspx?ContentID=6556&SiteID=14

 

Explore new and updated features in Windows 7 with these short screencasts. Subscribe to the Windows Client Videos for IT Pros RSS feed to be automatically updated as new walkthroughs are added.

Topic include:

Internet Explorer 8 and Windows 7

Windows XP Mode

Windows 7 Deployment Tools – Part 1: Preparing an Image using Sysprep and ImageX

Windows 7 Deployment Tools – Part 2: Deployment Image and Servicing Management

Windows 7 Deployment Tools – Part 3: Deployment Workbench in Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010

Windows 7 Deployment Tools – Part 4: Windows XP to Windows 7 Migration

Power Management in Windows 7

Planning Windows Optimized Desktops and Windows 7 Projects with MAP

Browsing, Organizing, and Finding Information with Windows 7

Windows 7 VHD Boot Demonstration

Migrating from Windows XP to Windows 7

and lots more you can see the full list here

You can now  download the Office 2010 Beta at http://office.com/beta for product downloads, articles, product information and links to forums related to Office 2010. There, you can download and install the latest pre-release version of Office 2010 client software and experience the exciting new features we have added to server products such as SharePoint Server 2010 and Project Server 2010.

You can also visit Technet Forums, where you can post questions, comments, and thoughts about your experience with Office 2010 Beta products, at http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums

 

The .NET challenge at www.mydotnetstory.com to your customers, partners and colleges. They can submit their .NET solutions to a contest for a chance to win a 12-day Galapagos Islands trip or a Smart Car! They can also get featured on our wall of fame.