Alpesh Nakar's Blog

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If you didn’t make it to Tech·Ed 2007 in Orlando and also didn’t get a copy of the DVD at Tech·Ed 2007 in Australia, now’s your chance to view the content online.

Webcasts

Watch these 60-minute to 90-minute webcasts and learn how your organization can leverage some of the most recent product releases from Microsoft.

Virtual Labs

Take part in some of our most popular virtual labs today. It’s simple—no complex setup or installation is required. You get a downloadable manual and a 90-minute block of time for each module, and you can sign up for additional 90-minute blocks anytime.

Podcasts

Stream or download these audio podcasts on to your favorite podcast software or mobile device. These podcasts are free and do not require registration—just click, listen, and learn.

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“Hi Frank! How are ya?” …Frank gives me a smile and has something in his hand that goes straight in the bin! We shake hands and he says “Hi Ken” (Now if you haven’t read about this post, you won’t know why I was Ken at Tech.Ed 2007, Australia). So go ahead and have a read and come back to continue reading this.

Continuing on… I clarified that I wasn’t Ken. I introduced myself to him.. “I am Alpesh” and he was “Ah, Alpesh, you crazy blogger!”

Out came FrankArr sticker  and off it went on my passport (tech.ed passport). In reality to have FrankArr remember you, you have gotta do the right things as a blogger in Australia coz FrankArr is a top notch Aussie Microsoft Blogger, father of TechTalk Blogs and now he is headed to Redmond.

That’s a 3rd Aussie headed off to Microsoft, Redmond.

For FrankArr to remember me, means I have struck the right chords ….

I had a chat with him and I told him that I just could not miss this tech.ed and how passionate I am about it. He told me you are into SharePoint, go meet with Aaron and tell him G’day. Tell him Frank has sent me.

Now that was second shocker. First he remembered Alpesh and second – Alpesh was into SharePoint. Wow!

Thanks FrankArr. It was so nice to meet up with you and say G’day as you had twittered a reply back to me. I wasn’t shy this time around

I look forward to being in contact with FrankArr and maybe can meet up with him in December – January, when I will be visiting U.S.A.

FrankArr, I think you received the feedback from last year and I was happy this year. I will write up my feedback for this year. I won’t be able to do the official one and go in for a draw to win blackjack, but nevertheless, I think you do take each and every feedback and have your team work on it Wish you well, FrankArr.

I think that’s what FrankArr means to me. Cool dude, twitter mate,  real technologist, maybe my boss someday …

Is here! Code named Windows Live Folder, Windows Live SkyDrive has been announced officially.

If you didn’t know, you had to be in U.S to be able to get Windows Live Folders (which you could easily be in by changing the regional settings )

However, the good news is that it has been made available for India and U.K. Wow that’s cool.

New Features:

• An upgraded look and feel — new graphics to go along with your new features!
• “Also on SkyDrive” — easily get back to the SkyDrives you’ve recently visited
• Thumbnail images — we heard you loud and clear, and now you can see thumbnails of your image files
• Drag and drop your files — sick of our five-at-a-time upload limit? Drag and drop your files right onto your SkyDrive
• Embed your stuff anywhere — with just a few clicks, post your files and folders anywhere you can post html

Sign up now! | Source

Doors are open! Get in quick! What’s with Windows Live Folders?

When you sign in to Windows Live Folders, you’re in charge

For each folder you create, you choose who has access to it. Add new folders, rename them, or change who has access at any time.

Always where you need them

• 500 MB of free online storage, available from any computer with Internet access.
• Create personal, shared, and public folders — you decide who has access to each folder.
• Folders work well on any Windows or Macintosh computer with Firefox 1.5 or higher, or Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher.

How we help protect your files

• Your personal folders are password-protected with your Windows Live ID, so only you have access.
• When you create a shared folder, the friends you’re sharing with need to sign in with their own Windows Live ID and password.
• Just like at your online bank, all file transfers are protected using Secure Socket Layers (SSL).

Personal

• Use personal folders to back up important files that are only for you.
• Get to your files from any computer with Internet access by signing in with your Windows Live ID.

Shared

• Shared folders make it easy to collaborate with coworkers or classmates.
• You decide how much control each person has over each shared folder. Some can just read what’s there: others can add and delete files.
• Everyone who is sharing uses their own Windows Live ID.

Public

• With public folders, anyone on the Internet can view your files, but they can’t change them.
• Want to show your public files to others? Just send them a link! Each folder and file has its own web address.

Source | Sign Up

Microsoft Products for Enterprise Search

Enterprise Search solutions from Microsoft are a collection of related software products and technologies that allow you to find the relevant information you need from resources on the Internet, your company’s intranet, within enterprise applications and file stores, and from the people within your organization. The solutions can be deployed individually or together to fit your needs and the needs of your organization.

Office SharePoint Server 2007

Delivers Enterprise Search server-side capabilities within an integrated suite of business productivity tools designed to help improve organizational effectiveness. Provides out-of-the-box search for common enterprise repositories and file types as well as for people and experts. With Office SharePoint Server 2007, you can:

• Search file shares, Web sites, SharePoint sites, Exchange Public Folders, and Lotus Notes databases out of the box and easily extend search to third party sources and file types.

• Index, search, and intelligently display information from line-of-business applications, relational databases, and other structured content using the Business Data Catalog.

• Leverage “people search” capabilities to find people not only by department or job title but also by expertise, social distance, and common interests.

• Provide search for your public-facing corporate Internet sites.

For more information, see the Office SharePoint Server 2007 product site.

Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Search

Provides core search functionality as a search-only server for customers who wish to quickly and easily deploy an enterprise-grade intranet or Internet search solution today with the flexibility of upgrading to the full complement of SharePoint Server functionalities, including enhanced search with structured data and “people search” for expertise, in the future. With Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Search, you can:

• Search file shares, Web sites, SharePoint sites, Exchange Public Folders, and Lotus Notes databases out of the box and easily extend search to third party sources and file types.

• Provide search for your public-facing corporate Internet sites.

For more information, see the Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Search product site.

Windows Vista

Offers Instant Search: enhanced desktop search and organization that helps you locate files and e-mail messages on your PC. Available almost anywhere you are in Windows Vista, it’s fast, easy, and even contextual, optimizing its results based on your current activity.

For more information, see the Windows Vista site.

Windows Desktop Search

Windows Desktop Search for Windows XP helps increase productivity by helping users quickly find e-mail messages, documents, and many other file types located on their PC and company network through a familiar, integrated, and convenient search experience for Windows users.

For more information, see the Windows Desktop Search site.

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If you want to make that move to Vista, you need these tools to do it.

The tools include Windows Vista Hardware Assessment (WVHA) 2.0, the Windows Vista Business Value Assessment, and Microsoft LicenseWise.

Hardware Assessment
With the ability to scan up to 25,000 PCs per domain, WVHA 2.0 is an updated version of a network-wide assessment tool Microsoft introduced in February.

WVHA 2.0 lets you or Microsoft’s partners determine whether your hardware can support Vista and Microsoft Office 2007. With your cooperation, a partner can remotely and securely connect to your network, without installing agents, and collect relevant hardware information through Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI).

WVHA could return results within one hour and give you guidance on driver updates. WVHA 2.0 is available to IT pros, as well as partners, and you can download it here.

Vista’s ROI
Microsoft has developed the Business Value Assessment tool to help customers “realize an increased value of up to $130 per PC annually. Value-added resellers, systems integrators, and managed service providers can use the tool to calculate Vista’s potential ROI and build a business case for deploying it. This tool isn’t available to IT pros without going through a Microsoft partner.

Microsoft LicenseWise
The Microsoft Product Licensing Advisor (MPLA) became available in November 2005 to address midmarket IT pros’ complaints about the complexity of Microsoft’s licensing.

Microsoft has now released a companion product, Microsoft LicenseWise, for Microsoft partners. 

LicenseWise provides information across programs such as Open License, Open Value, Select License, and Enterprise Agreement and informs users about product prerequisites and programs such as Software Assurance.

LicenseWise is linked with the MPLA to strengthen collaboration between partners and their customers through a seamless, consistent and predictable interaction.

So you can use MPLA to compile a quote for licensing a particular product, then call a Microsoft partner and give the product-specific quote from MPLA. LicenseWise will automatically pull up a fully configured partner UI and let the partner customize the quote to add in partner-specific products and services.

MPLA available here