Month: January 2011

Microsoft Security Essentials will become free to use for organizations with up to 10 PCs.

Originally released last year for single-PC use at home, Microsoft Security Essentials was designed as a comprehensive security solution in a lightweight package.

Microsoft Security Essentials can be downloaded, installed and put to work with just a few clicks. Upon installation, it scans the PC to make sure it’s clean from the start. Once Microsoft Security Essentials is working, it downloads updates and schedules scans on its own.

Over the past year, the product has won awards and certifications from a number of independent agencies, such as ICSA Labs, West Coast Labs and PC Advisor, and last January, PC Advisor named Microsoft Security Essentials to its list of the “Best Free Software.”

This is a full-featured, top-tier security solution that Microsoft is offering to small businesses for free. You don’t need a credit card. It requires no registration, no trials, no renewals. It doesn’t collect any credit card information. It runs well on older hardware. It’s easy to use, easy to get, and it’s from a trusted source. Basically, Microsoft Security Essentials just works.”

But if the product is so successful, why offer it for free? According to Microsoft’s internal research, although 80 percent of PC owners in the U.S. say they have the most up-to-date antivirus protection, in reality only half that many actually do. Often they have signed up for free trials or subscription-based services that have lapsed. Others are just using outdated versions of security software on older hardware.

Microsoft Security Essentials is now available in 74 markets worldwide and 25 languages. To learn more about Microsoft Security Essentials and download the product for free, visit http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/.

 

A series of Windows Phone 7 updates are coming over the next few months, including adding the copy-and-paste feature and improving the phone’s performance when loading or switching between applications.

Microsoft also is working to make Windows Phone 7 available from Sprint and Verizon in the first half of 2011, and more languages will become available later this year.

 

 

Microsoft Touch Mouse is the new multitouch mouse for Windows 7 that will let you click, flick, scroll and swipe so it’s easy and fun to interact with your PC.

Designed to enhance your Windows 7 usage, the Touch Mouse combines the virtues of a mouse with the rich natural language of gesture to offer a more intuitive way to navigate your PC. Touch Mouse also features BlueTrack Technology so you can track virtually anywhere, anytime.¹

Top Features and Benefits

· New! Multitouch surface lets you use natural gestures to snap, navigate and control content with a touch of a finger.

· New! Flick scrolling functionality lets you quickly scroll and pan through windows and documents.

· New! Improved task switching on Windows 7 gives you superior mouse performance and experience on the PC.

· BlueTrack Technology allows you to ditch your mouse pad and mouse on virtually any surface,¹ including granite, marble, carpet and wood.

· Snap-in Nano transceiver gives you the option to leave the transceiver plugged into the computer or conveniently store it in the bottom of the mouse.

· 2.4GHz wireless technology gives you a confident wireless connection.

· Ambidextrous design for use with either hand.

See the Difference

Touch Mouse Gestures — Easy as 1, 2, 3

Touch Mouse lets you do everything you’re used to doing with a mouse, such as point and click, but also adds gestures with one, two or three fingers to amplify the Windows 7 operating system by creating simple shortcuts to the tasks you want to do most.

Shorter Shortcuts for Windows 7

With the Touch Mouse, you can use your mouse to do tasks that normally involve the keyboard.

Availability and Pricing

Touch Mouse will be available in June 2011 for the estimated retail price of $79.95 (U.S.).² It will be available for presale starting today at Amazon.com and the Microsoft Store online.

Touch Mouse is backed by a worldwide three-year limited hardware warranty. The limited warranty and license agreement are available at http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/warranty.

Some information in this fact sheet relates to pre-release products, which may be substantially modified before they are commercially released. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the information provided here.

¹ BlueTrack Technology does not work on clear glass or mirrored surfaces.

² Estimated retail price. Actual retail price may vary.

 

Get tested guidance and powerful tools to help you protect your organization’s most vulnerable data. The strategies outlined in this toolkit are easy to understand, and the guidance shows you how to optimize two key encryption technologies already available to you in Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7: the Encrypting File System (EFS) and BitLocker Drive Encryption.

Click here

Data Security in Windows Azure: Part 1
Explore the various methods and tools for securing your application data in Windows Azure including methods for securing Azure Storage accounts and data during the transition to the cloud. This video also covers protocols for securing requests to, and responses from, Azure Storage, platform-provided methods for ensuring data integrity, and cryptographic pubic key distribution between Azure roles and Azure Fabric Controller.

Data Security in Windows Azure: Part 2
Learn how to make your Azure Storage container and blob items URL-addressable in a secure fashion, including the setup of permission structure on the URLs, generating hashes to secure individual items and containers, expiration and revocation of storage hashes and keys, and auditing access to the store.

How to Configure SQL Azure Security
Familiarize yourself with security within SQL Azure with demonstrations on the creation of logins, databases and users and information about sys.sql_logins and sys.databases, which allow the display of logins and databases from the master database

How to Configure the SQL Azure Firewall
The Microsoft SQL Azure service prevents access to your SQL Azure server with the SQL Azure firewall. You can use the SQL Azure portal or master database to review and edit your firewall configuration. This topic describes how you can define firewall settings to specify which clients should have access to your SQL Azure server. For more information, see SQL Azure Firewall.

How to Configure the SQL Azure Firewall
The Microsoft SQL Azure service prevents access to your SQL Azure server with the SQL Azure firewall. You can use the SQL Azure portal or master database to review and edit your firewall configuration. This topic describes how you can define firewall settings to specify which clients should have access to your SQL Azure server. For more information, see SQL Azure Firewall.

New Version of Microsoft Security Compliance Manager (SCM) Version Now Available
Now updated to work reliably behind corporate proxy servers; Microsoft SCM v.1.1.2 also features security baselines for Windows 7, Microsoft Office 2010, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Windows Internet Explorer 8. Download the latest version of this free tool and starting moving toward more effective security and compliance processes for some of the most widely-used Microsoft products.

Securing Client Access Servers in Exchange Server 2010
Learn how to manage security and authentication related options available for a computer running Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 that has the Client Access server role installed.

Hardening SQL Server for SharePoint Environments
Get a summary of hardening recommendations then specific details on how to configure a SQL Server instance to listen on a non-default port, how to configure and test a SQL client alias, and much more.

BranchCache Security Guide
Get comprehensive guidance on how to manage the security of the Microsoft BranchCache feature introduced in Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7.

Securing Windows Server
Get a consolidated view of the feature overviews, step-by-step-guides, and configuration tips for the various security and protection technologies in Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 from authorization and information protection to security management and network security.

Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 IT Compliance Management
Download the IT Compliance Management Series to access free tools and guidance to help you configure Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 to address specific IT governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) requirements.

Security Tip of the Month: Using the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit to Safeguard Against Zero Days
There have been a number of zero-day vulnerabilities circulating around the Internet recently. Find out how the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) can help you manage security mitigations for your systems.

And do not forget for the Home user if they get Virus, Malware or failed security up date they get free support by calling 1-866 PCSAFETY

 

Acquire hands-on experience with Windows 7. Whether you are an IT professional, information worker, or home and office user, free online clinics can help you master various tasks with Windows 7.

 

For the Win: Windows 7 Development Boot Camp
January and February 2011
Web and cloud may be all the rage, but many developers are still doing hardcore client development. If you are among them, this Boot Camp is for you. In this full-day event, we will explore how to maximize your impact on the Windows client. Interactive sessions will include topics from throughout the Windows development platform. We will look at application compatibility and transitioning your applications to Windows 7, integrating with the Windows Taskbar, developing for Internet Explorer 9, utilizing the cool functionality in the Sensors and Location Platform so that your application better responds to its current environment, and leveraging multi-touch capabilities.
Click on your desired city below to register:

January 17 – Waukesha, Wisconsin January 18 – Downers Grove, Illinois January 19 – Indianapolis, Indiana January 24 – Independence, Ohio January 25 – Columbus, Ohio January 27 – Mason, Ohio February 3 – Franklin, Tennessee February 7 – Southfield, Michigan

February 14 – Bloomington, Minnesota February 15 – St. Louis, Missouri February 16 – Overland Park, Kansas February 17 – West Des Moines, Iowa February 21 – Houston, Texas February 22 – Irving, Texas February 25 – Austin, Texas

Cross Post from Microsoft

 

Save 15% on Microsoft Certification For Your IT Team
Organizations with more certified staff see a 10% increase in on-time and on-budget deployments. Microsoft Certification can help ensure your IT team has the qualifications to deploy, use, and manage Windows 7. Learn how you can save 15% when you purchase a 10-pack of Microsoft Certification exam vouchers with free exam retakes for your team.

 

Deploying the Core Optimized Desktop Using the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT)
Get step-by-step guidance on how to use MDT 2010 to automate the installation and configuration of the core Optimized Desktop technologies: Windows 7, the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP), Forefront, and Microsoft Office 2010. Guidance on deploying the core Optimized Desktop using System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 is also available.

Local P2V Migration Using MDT 2010 and Sysinternals Disk2VHD
Find out how to use MDT 2010 and Sysinternals Disk2VHD to redeliver users’ old desktops as fully functional virtual machines. Following these steps can provide a safety net by enabling continued access to users’ previous computing environment during Windows 7 deployment.

Updated: Windows 7 Application Compatibility List for IT Professionals
Download this Microsoft Office Excel-based spreadsheet for a list of software applications that have met Windows 7 Logo Program testing requirements for compatibility with 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7. This list includes applications with the following compatibility statuses: "Compatible," "Free Update Required," "Paid Update Required," "Future Compatibility," and "Not Compatible." These statuses are based upon the software publishers’ statements of compatibility.

Go to Springboard site for Lots of great information click here