I’ll be heading out this weekend to attend the MVP Summit at Microsoft in Washington. This is my second opportunity to attend this event, so I’m looking forward to getting out there and catching up with some of the MVPs I met last year. (Though I admit, I’m not looking forward to the chilly, wet weather.) Meanwhile, enjoy the next few days and perhaps I’ll have some stories to tell when I return!
Check out the Malware Response Guide
Microsoft recently published the new Malware Response Guide, officially known as the Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide for Malware Response.
I reviewed this guide in its beta stages a few months ago and it was a great read and a very useful guide. If you have limited “official” procedures in place for handling infections on workstations, this is a great way to start that discussion with team members and use some of the tools mentioned to develop a plan that is specific to your organization.
I think the structure is well thought out and very logical. One can easily switch to the course of action that fits the needs of the user and the organization, as well as follow the instructions for preparing an offline scanning kit. I also appreciate the recommendations for additional reading so that I can go more in depth for the products I’m using.
While this guide likely won’t change my organizations use of a third-party solution at this time, it greatly complements it by providing other tools from Microsoft that can support my existing tools, or give me an alternate set of tools if my vendor isn’t as quick to produce a particular solution for new malware.
I think this guide shows that Microsoft is willing to support systems in all types of scenarios and the information is not written to exclude organizations who aren’t committed to only Microsoft software. It provides great processes and talking points to bring any organization closer to having a more cohesive malware response plan. Take a moment to download it and check it out.
Interesting Vendors and Products from SPTechCon
Last week, I popped over to the SPTechCon Expo Hall to check out some of the SharePoint related products that are available. I’m relatively new to SharePoint, so this seemed like a great opportunity learn more about other ways to take advantage of SharePoint.
There were a lot of vendors that concentrated on using SharePoint as a document management solution, but that’s not an area I’m seriously considering for our SharePoint installation. Primarily, I was looking for management tools since maintaining SharePoint is one of many things I manage on a day-to-day basis, so making things simpler is always a plus.
Here are a few products I might be looking at more closely this year:
AvePoint DocAve for SharePoint – AvePoint has a suite of products that are geared toward administration, data protection, compliance and migration. Tools that catch my eye are their Administrator, SharePoint Antivirus, Report Center, Backup and Restore, Auditor and Migrator.
Commvault’s Simpana 9 – An information management software that touts up to 50% reduction in storage costs, 90% reduction of redundant data and 50% faster backups. It includes modules for e-discovery, deduplication, records management and data archiving. Works with file servers, email, SharePoint and a host of other places you store data, regardless of if that is on physical or virtual devices.
MetaVis Migrator for SharePoint – Support migration from SharePoint 2010, 2007 and 2003, Exchange public folders and other file systems into the other SharePoint installations using a Windows Explorer interface.
Later this week I’ll be hitting the expo floor at RSA in search of products to secure email.
Thoughts from She’s Geeky: Being “Present” Despite Technology
One of the great sessions I attended at She’s Geeky unConference was one on “Being Present” in what you are doing, even though smart phones, email and other technologies clamor for our attention multiple times a day.
I admit that my BlackBerry is never far from my side. Work emails, personal emails, Twitter and even Facebook raise alerts on my phone on a pretty regular basis. It’s often hard to ignore them, especially when I’m known for responding quickly. Not only do I feel like I’m staying current with what’s going on in my life and helping those that need my attention, random alerts from the device are equivalent to the intermittent reward system that makes slot machines so popular and addictive.
It’s true – each little beep and ding give us a shot of chemicals in the brain that keep us wanting more and clearly many of us keep going back for it. It’s now the “norm” for smart phones to take their place on the restaurant table next to the salt and pepper shakers.
I know what did it for me – unlimited texting. Texting quickly became my preferred mode of communicating. Quick and to the point when I needed that, but also a way to have long random conversations with friends over the course of the day. I perceived it as a way to be LESS intrusive than a phone call. The receiver of the message could respond when they had the time. But really, it became the best way for me to NOT have to be fully engaged with the person I was communication with. I could text at my leisure – meanwhile researching a project, organizing my desk, or completing other tasks that I wouldn’t be able to do if I was on a phone call.
Soon that “polite” nudge of text message became a driving force to steal my attention and I’ve let it. And it just opened the door for emails and tweets and other alerts. I’m a slave to my smart phone. You probably are too. Don’t deny it.
So how do we break the chain? Screen-free days where we put down the phones and iPads and walk away from the computer? I don’t know if I can do that for 24 hours, honestly. How about dialing down the notifications on your phone? Or declaring a room or area of your home “phone free”?
I’m going to try a few things: I’m starting out by turning off the sounds for Facebook alerts and all emails. I will also put it on vibrate or silent when I go to bed at night. And maybe when I’m home I’ll find one central place to put it, instead of moving it around as I move around. And of course, I need to be more aware of when I’m denying someone who’s in front of me my full attention – the phone needs to stay off the dinner table at my house.
Do you have other suggestions for staying “present” while your devices beckon? Leave a comment.
And With That, She’s Geeky Bay Area #4 Ends…
I had a fabulous time at She’s Geeky again this year. Just like last year in Mountain View, it was a great chance to experience the various kinds of geekiness that bringing over 150 women together in a room generates. I hosted a small session about Systems Administration on the last day and spent the rest of the conference enjoying sessions on things like cyber identity issues, open source standards creation, “being present” while juggling new mobile technologies and wine tasting. (Hey, there are many kinds of geekdoms!)
The next She’s Geeky will be held in Washington DC, so if you or someone you know is in the area (and happens to be a geeky woman), I totally recommend attending at least one of the days. Personally I go to all of them, since it’s impossible to know ahead of time what each day will bring!
I’ve got some great ideas for some upcoming posts based on some of the things the event got me thinking about more, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, don’t forget about the Pacific IT Professionals meeting tomorrow evening. Be sure to RSVP if you are planning to attend.
Finally in other news, today is the day that IANA has handed out it’s last block of IPv4 address. Check out a quick post over at http://www.Howfunky.com that explains more.
Get What You Need from TechEd 2011
If you are planning on attending TechEd 2011 in Atlanta this May, don’t wait until the schedule is set to wonder if there will be sessions that strike your fancy. Take a few minutes to weigh in with the Session Preference Survey.
I’ve attended TechEd for several years now and really enjoy the sessions and opportunities to connect with other systems administrators. It’s great to hear about other people’s experiences with Microsoft technologies and software. Sometimes there is so much information, I have trouble keeping up with the events schedule!
Can’t decide if you want to go or need to convince your boss? Check out the rest of the TechEd website for what to expect and some resources for making your case. Maybe I’ll see you there!
There’s Still Time to Win a Copy of Windows 7
If you are looking for a way to get your hands on a copy of Windows 7 Ultimate and you have a good story about how Windows 7 helped save your company money, solve a problem or somehow made your IT day, you have until the end of January to submit the story to Microsoft and win!
Microsoft will be giving away 10 copies of Windows 7 Ultimate to the 10 “Best Windows Stories”. If you’ve got a great story, check out the contest rules and fire up your literary side. The contest ends at 11:59pm on January 31st.
PacITPros Takes on Los Angeles
The Pacific IT Professionals is pleased to be able to host “in-person” meetings in the greater Los Angeles area starting January 25, 2011. Jessica DeVita from UberGeekGirl and Joy Beland have generously donated their time and energy to make a meeting happen. Joy and Jessica will be leading up the group but they would love to have additional help if you have time and interest.
The kick-off meeting will be held at 6:30pm at the QuickStart training facility in El Segundo and expect to talk some tech with the meeting sponsor, StorageCraft. Also, Chris Henley with Microsoft will be presenting on general Microsoft technologies and what you gain by using them. Finally, Harold Wong with Microsoft will be presenting on Exchange. So don’t miss out on this great way to start of 2011!
Please keep in mind that the day of the week and the location may change as the group grows and becomes more established. Meetings are free and open to any IT professional, just join PacITPros the group (also free) to get meeting notices and RSVP information.
Need A Second Shot?
Microsoft Learning and Prometric have brought back the “Second Shot” offer until June 30, 2011. Sign up for an exam and pay 15% of the regular exam price in addition and you can re-take your exam if you don’t pass it the first time.
Personally, I’d rather have less Second Shot offers and have the second shot be free, instead of the 15% surcharge for the off chance I don’t pass. Of course if you are serious about getting some exams under your belt, you might want to consider the certification packs – up to 20% off and the second shot is free for packs of 2-5 exams.
Online Event: HP Experts Day on January 11th
On January 11th, HP Forums will be hosting an “Experts Day” to answer questions about printers, all in ones, notebooks and desktops. If you are a home or business user of HP products, this might be a good opportunity to check out the HP online forums and get the answers you need. Not only will HP experts be monitoring the boards, but Microsoft MVPs as well.
The event will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 11th from 12:00 pm to Wednesday, Jan 12th 12:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time.
TECHBUNNY 