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Office System - David Overton's Blog
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  • James Akrigg on the The Blog Frog - aka why you should blog and why this year is so important - $20B of R&D finally being released on the world - and that means, Office, Vista and Exchange

    If you have read my previous posts on James you will know that I respect him as a friend and colleague, but his arrival at blogging was still a good 12 months late. He describes why you should blog and what made him decide to finally take up the simplest way to communicate with people. Perhaps more interestingly was his number 1 reason: Compelling Event Number 1. I realised that this year is perhaps the year of greatest potential I have ever seen in my 20+ years in the IT industry. Microsoft is about to release over 20 billion dollars of research and development through product and technology releases. There is so much new opportunity that this will enable for customers and partners of Microsoft that I needed a way of communicating more of the details for both technical and business audiences. I wanted to compliment some of the great blogs my team and other colleagues had created by bringing my own insights and useful information to as many people as possible. The answer 'Blog'. Source: James Akrigg ....

  • James Akrigg points out some good old Windows SharePoint Services v3 (Office 2007) on/offline training available

    I was perusing James' blog and noticed this on part of a site about sharepoint, so thought I would forward. To compliment the above resource we also have 'Clinic 5045: Inside Look at Developing with Microsoft® Windows® SharePoint® Services 3.0' . This covers everything you are going to need to get started creating solutions on SharePoint Services. The clinic will enable you to: Describe Site and Workspace management and Document storage. Describe Integration with ASP.NET and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 . Describe Sites, Lists, Content Types and Collaborative features. Describe Programming with WSS and using the WSS Event model. Describe the Property Bag and Change Log. Describe SharePoint Pages, Master Pages and Content Pages. Describe Custom Views and Templates. SharePoint Designer Describe Web parts and Workflow support. Describe the Administrative object model. Describe how to create deployable Windows SharePoint Services-based solutions. Describe the Feature framework. Describe the Solution deployment...

  • New Microsoft UK site for partners around Vista, Office and Exchange 2007

    Lots of information here, so go grab a seat, watch the videos and get the info. Expect this to be updated over time too. Click picture for details Ttfn David

  • UK Exchange, Vista and Office (EVO) Events from 25th October through to January

    As you may have noticed, EVO is the buzz word at Microsoft - we needed another acronym after all - and the training is underway. Find out more are the UK Events : Event details The Dates 25th October - ICC, Birmingham 6th November - Microsoft Campus Reading 8th November - UBC Manchester 9th November - Watershed Theatre Bristol 10th November - Cavendish Centre London 16th November - Microsoft Campus Reading 21st November - Showcase Cinema Leeds 16th January - UBC, Manchester The content This year Microsoft will launch Microsoft Exchange Server 2007; Windows Vista; and the 2007 Microsoft Office system (EVO). Microsoft has invested almost $20b in R&D and analysts IDC predict partner services opportunity to be around €47billion euros. Don't miss the launch for Microsoft’s EVO partner ready business at venues throughout the UK. Attend the EVO Partner Roadshow to learn about: How to get ready for the launch and exploit Microsoft’s largest ever technology release Solution selling scenarios and demos for EVO and the...

  • Office 2007 training clinics

    First Look Office 2007 - instructor-led training and Hands-on Labs (Halo) Course 3370: Getting Started with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, one-day clinic Course 3041: Deploying Microsoft Windows Vista and the 2007 Office System Client Products, half-day clinic Course 3374: Getting Started with Microsoft Office 2007 Sharepoint Server, one-day Halo Course 3199: Getting Started with the 2007 Microsoft Office System, half-day clinic Course 3372: Getting Started with the 2007 Microsoft Office System, half-day Halo Course 3369: Getting Started with Windows Sharepoint Services 3.0, half-day clinic Course 3373: Getting Started with Windows Sharepoint Services 3.0, half-day Halo ttfn David

  • This months' SharePoint downloads, webcasts

    Mon, 02 Oct 2006 : Momentum Webcast: A Sneak Peek at Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, the Cornerstone of the 2007 Office System (Level 100) In this webcast, we explore some key features IT professionals are anticipating in the upcoming release of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. SharePoint Server 2007 is an integrated suite of server applications that promotes effective organization by giving you comprehensive control over electronic content, accelerating shared business processes, and facilitating better-informed decision making and information sharing. We discuss portal and search functionality and features like collaboration, business intelligence, business forms, and content management—including documents, records, and Web content. See how SharePoint Server 2007 enables you to support intranets, extranets, and Web applications across your enterprise within one integrated platform. Join this session to discover how these innovations provide you with...

  • Updating to SharePoint Beta 2 Technical Refresh (B2TR)

    Downloads (MOSS - Microsoft Office SharePoint Server) MOSS 2007 Beta 2 to B2TR Patching Procedure (with screenshots) http://blog.funknstyle.com/?p=542 WSS 3.0 Beta 2 to B2TR Patching Procedure (with screenshots) http://blog.funknstyle.com/?p=545 MOSS 2007 B2+B2TR Slipstream Clean Installation Procedure http://www.sharepointblogs.com/files/12210/download.aspx MOSS 2007 B2+B2TR Slipstream Clean Installation Procedure (screencast; in Flash format) http://www.sharepointblogs.com/files/12212/download.aspx WSS 3.0 B2+B2TR Slipstream Clean Installation Procedure (with screenshots) http://jopx.blogspot.com/2006/09/installing-wss-30-beta2-tr-slipstream.html Still Using Office 2003? Make Sure You're Compatible Are you still using Office 2003? Make sure you can open and edit the documents sent to you by colleagues who are using the 2007 Office system. Keep your installation updated and install the Compatibility Pack, and you can ensure that the new Open XML Formats of the 2007 Office system don't cause you compatibility...

  • Office Rocker! : the launch is not canceled

    Darren Strange wanted to make sure everyone knew that the Office launch is on schedule, so he wrote a blog entry called " the launch is not cancelled " and says: My days now seem to consist of queues of wild people, frothing at the mouth running at me like some sort of marketing shaun of the dead scene screaming "cancel the launch!". People, hear me, take a chill pill, we are launching and we are on track. :-) Things will go wrong when you run a launch. Customer projects deploying the beta are fraught with politics and yes sometimes bugs, shock horror, can crop up when you least need it. But we will launch. We will get our events together, we will sort out who attends, we will get that PO sorted, that content will get written, that speaker briefed, that customer PR form signed, that video will get recorded and edited and how can I be so sure??? ttfn David
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  • Office 12 / 2007 - if you do have any Beta hints, tips or stories about how it is changing the way you do things...

    From the Office Pioneers blog ... Reaching the Pioneers Forgot to let you know, if you do have any Beta hints, tips or stories about how it is changing the way you do things, please drop an email to [email protected] to reach Gill and me :-) Source: Office Pioneer : Reaching the Pioneers
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  • Important Sneak Peak – UK Small Business Symposium coming

    I can't reveal all the details, although I am sure others will, however we are working on special event for SBSC members. This event design incorporates your feedback and suggestions as to what you want to hear about, share as a community as well as information Microsoft needs to share with you. Expect useful information, the opportunity to network with your peers, Microsoft and partners and the ability to socialise too J The timeframe for this event is February 2007, in Reading, Manchester (or Leeds) and Edinburgh, although more sessions will happen in the afternoon in Reading due to availability of speakers and rooms. The ROUGH agenda looks like this Morning: UK Exec who actually cares about Small Business (such as Natalie Ayres - Director of SMS&P*) talking about: What's the view from the top? Why does everything you've heard matter? What's the opportunity for partners? Aileen Hannah – responsible for SBSC programme in the UK, talking about: Highlights & lowlights of the program so far Latest resources...

  • Microsoft Packaging for Vista and Office 2007 Revealed - Gizmodo

    I just like the pictures - cool looking packaging :-) Microsoft Packaging for Vista and Office 2007 Revealed Microsoft, planning to lure you into using Windows Vista and Office 2007 for the rest of your life, today reveals the packaging for the upcoming products, going with a rounded design reminiscent of a 1950s toaster. Let's let the Microsoftians damn us with their faint prose: Designed to be user-friendly, the new packaging is a small, hard, plastic container that's designed to protect the software inside for life-long use. It provides a convenient and attractive place for you to permanently store both discs and documentation. The new design will provide the strength, dimensional stability and impact resistance required when packaging software today. Our plan is to extend this packaging style to other Microsoft products after the launch of Windows Vista and 2007 Office system. Take a look at close-ups of a couple of the new boxes, after the jump. – Charlie White Announcing New Packaging [Windows Vista Blog...

  • Are your customers getting too much junk into Outlook - use this tool to tell Microsoft about it

    I saw this on the Technet Newsletter and thought it was worthwhile. Obviously you will have enabled IMF in Exchange on SBS 2003, so what else can you do? The Junk E-mail Reporting Tool lets you directly report junk e-mail to Microsoft and its affiliates for analysis to help us improve the effectiveness of our junk e-mail filtering technologies. http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=53541292-ce94-4c5b-9127-b7d56f11b619&DisplayLang=en
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  • Is Microsoft Driving Innovation Or Playing Catch-Up With Rivals?

    I saw this over at the Wall Street Jounral ( http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB116490323676636989-HnHPKLzkyy9xKy2wnokbd2bc_bE_20071130.html ) and it made me think. Can I point to Innovation from Microsoft in the small business arena? I'd be happy on your thoughts, but her are some areas I think MS is innovating: SBS - an amazing package of great technologies, not just the "enterprise" version at a lower price, but some thought put in to make the wizards workable for small businesses, with defaults that won't scale to 5,000 users, but will work just fine for 100 Publisher to enable small businesses to participate in marketing and image management without having to learn a package as complex as Pagemager or Quark Express - something I used to earn great money training people to use Office 2007 - making great presentation of documents accessable without a marketing degree Vista - Getting the balance right between onus on the user vs the system for security I have some more in mind, but what do you think?

  • Being a search "Power User" in Vista and Office 2007

    Vista has lots of new features and while the new user interface (UI) is very cute, cuddly and even makes life easier, one of the most useful features that I find is the new search facility. I recently heard the term “stop searching and start finding” and realised that this was probably a great description to goal of searching – it still takes effort, so time to spill the beans on how to find things easier in Vista. One quick thing to point out is that Vista will index not just the file names and dates, but also the contents of your files too. This process will busy itself on your machine when Vista is 1 st loaded, so give it some time, but once it is done, it is done. I let this onetime slowdown happen while I was asleep as I left running overnight to index my 40-50GB of documents and photos. There are four places where the search tools show their hand in Vista before you start putting other applications on that use this technology, such as Office 2007: Start Menu (find programs and a quick file search tool) Search...

  • So you like shortcuts - commands to quickly do things without resorting to the UI - have a look at how to do them here

    Ewan is a tall chap who used to work in the SE team (which was the team I joined in Microsoft) many years ago. He then went off and did some Exchange EMEA type roles and his skills were sorly missed. Well, he is back "in the UK" (he never left, but his heart was elsewhere). And this posting is beginning to cause a bit of a stir. http://blogs.technet.com/ewan/archive/2007/01/02/some-more-useful-windows-shortcuts.aspx My favourites are for quick keyboard things in Outlook: In Outlook, CTRL-2 switches to the Calendar, CTRL-3 to Contacts, and CTRL-1 back to Inbox. Handy if you're often flicking around to arrange a meeting with lots of people... Still in Outlook, when viewing the Calendar ALT-= switches to Month view, ALT- "-" (next to equals sign) switches to the week view, and ALT- number displays the number of days forward from the current date (eg ALT-9 will show 9 day view). Have a look to see what else he can teach you :-) ttfn David

  • If you are interested in Exchange 2007 integration with PBXs, here is some more information

    I was wondering over Eileens blog and came to this one - Configuring your PBX for Exchange 2007 - it talks about a preview of documentation covering VoIP gateways, PBXs and gateway. Have a look at the blog and link for more info. Just as a btw, the list is quite extensive: The following PBXs are supported by the Dialogic NetStructure PBX-IP Media Gateway (PIMG). PBX manufacturer PBX Model/Type PIMG model and additional signaling Avaya Definity G3 S8100, S8300, S8700, & S8710 (Communications Mgr SW V2.0 or later versions) PIMG80DNIV4 Avaya Magix PIMG80DNIV4 Mitel SX-200D, SX-200 Light, SX-2000 Light, SX-2000 S, SX-2000 VS, SX-200 ICP PIMG80MTLDNIV4 Nortel Meridian 1 - Option 11, 21, 21A, 51, 61, 71, and 81, Meridian SL1 - Generic X11, Release 15 or later versions, Nortel Communication Server - 1000M, 1000S, 1000E with Rls V3.0 or later versions PIMG80DNIV4 Nortel SL 100 PIMG80LSV4 Analog connectivity using SMDI serial protocol NEC 2000, 2400, 2400 IPX PIMG80DNIV4 Siemens HiCom 300E CS PIMG80DNIV4 Siemens HiCom...
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  • How Microsoft UK deployed Windows Vista and Office 2007

    Partner TV has been busy recently, with this discussion about Microsoft UK's own deployment of Vista and Office 2007 . An except from the site says: James Senior talks to Asif Jinnah, the Senior IT manager for Microsoft UK, about the internal deployment of Vista and Office 2007. Asif also talks about best practices using Microsoft tools and services to help with deploying images (for example Windows Deployment Services Windows Desktop Search and System Management Server [SMS]). Asif was previously part of the team responsible for launching the “Microsoft Deployment Centre of Excellence” (CoE) in the UK to educate partners and customers on how best to deploy operating systems. To learn more, click the link above - the video is only 11 minutes long. ttfn David

  • If you don't know what OBA is, then you might want to watch the Partner TV episode: Ben Tamblyn on Office Business Applications

    OBA is not the nicest sounding acronyms, but we still seem to use it. Oh well. If you want to know more about performance management and business intelligence, or these terms mean nothing to you and you are now getting worried, then watch Partner TV at http://blogs.msdn.com/ptstv/archive/2006/11/28/partner-tv-ben-tamblyn-on-office-business-applications.aspx ttfn David

  • Birmingham SB Partner Group - January 22nd event - Vista and Office from the Inside

    I got a mail from Vijay and never quite made the "putting it on the blog", so before time runs out too much, two great colleagues of mine are presenting Office and Vista and obviously, having the group meeting. From the web site http://www.nxtgenug.net/ViewEvent.aspx?EventID=39 this is the information. Matt and James are truly well versed in both products and will be able to answer any and all questions. The Association of Midlands IT Professionals (MITPRO) and NxtGenUG team up to bring you an evening of Vista! Matt McSpirit and James Senior, otherwise known as "The Vista Boyz" from the Vista Partner Technical Specialists will talk about the various new features of Vista and Office 2007 and how they affect the SMB. Vista as a development platform will be looked at in the second part of the session and how Vista is the platform on which to create better applications. Members are invited to bring a guest to this event, although we ask that the guest uses the registration page to sign up to NxtGenUG and then registers...

  • Download details: Business Desktop Deployment 2007 (BDD) - Deployments for Vista and Office made simpler - not for very simple / very small customers

    In theory, BDD is not for what MS calls small business customers - i.e. less than 25 PCs, but for some the tools are amazing. The BDD is described as: "A tool that provides the depth of guidance and tooling to make the Windows Vista and 2007 Office system deployment process predictable and scalable. Many of the tools and guides within BDD 2007 can even be used throughout the desktop management life cycle to provision new users, maintain images, and centrally manage drivers and applications. BDD 2007 also introduces the new Deployment Workbench, which enables users to build and manage multiple OS configurations, define network deployment points and network shares, inject drivers, attach language packs, and chain applications. It even helps generate ISO and WIM images using Windows PE that can be deployed in a networked environment or using DVDs offline. BDD 2007 also alleviates much of the scripting requirements of previous BDD versions by incorporating a stand-alone task sequencer derived from System Center Configuration...

  • Office 2007 and Office System events from Technet team and others

    Exchange 16 May 2007, Reading: Overview of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 At this session we will discuss how Exchange gives administrators more control, provides 'anywhere access' to your inbox, and in-built security and protection mechanisms. We'll also cover the new Exchange Management Console, and look at how Windows PowerShell, the new administrative interface, provides a rich command-line experience. We will finish with a look at the significant client-side improvements and transport rules. SharePoint 25 April 2007, Reading: Planning and Deploying Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, Part 1 Find out what SharePoint Server 2007 has to offer. At this session we will present the concepts of topology, server roles and network conditions. We'll also provide an overview of administration features, introduce the three-tier administration model and explain various security topics. Third-party Events 8 February 2007, Microsoft TVP, Reading: SharePoint User Group The first main SUGUK meeting this year is probably...

  • Use and learn about Vista, Office 2007 and Exchange 2007 in Virtual Labs

    Windows Vista: Virtual Lab Express In this 30-minute Virtual Lab Express, you will configure new security features in Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 and Windows Vista. You can also watch our live and on-demand Windows Vista TechNet webcasts . 2007 Microsoft Office System: Virtual Lab Express Get a quick, hands-on overview of the 2007 Office system. In just 30 minutes, familiarise yourself with the new Ribbon bar, use the mini-toolbar and see how you can take advantage of Live Preview and the Gallery in the Office 2007 user interface. Also, watch our live and on-demand Office 2007 system webcasts for IT professionals and download Office system podcasts . Exchange Server 2007: Virtual Lab Express Get a quick, hands-on overview of Exchange Server 2007. In just 30 minutes, familiarise yourself with the Exchange Management Console and Outlook Web Access, and work with compliance and records management rules. Also, watch our live and on-demand Exchange Server webcasts and download Exchange Server podcasts . Technorati...

  • Demo Showcase and Action Pack shipments

    [Please also read the Action Pack FAQ on this blog at http://uksbsguy.com/blogs/doverton/archive/2007/02/13/windows-vista-windows-xp-office-2003-and-office-2007-action-pack-update-my-faq.aspx ] Ok, so we failed to hit the January shipment, which is not something I am proud of, but everyone knows that we missed the shipment and my feelings already :-) If you are wanting to Demo Vista and Office then there are a few things you can do: Load it yourself and tell people how you use it Read the case study information on the bCentral web site and tell people about UK small businesses that are benefiting from the products already Portfolio Communications goes green Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 system help PR company A portrait of a small business Photography company snaps up Windows Vista and Office 2007 Accountancy firm profits from Microsoft investment Windows Vista and Office 2007 lift Aggarwal and Co. Load one of your Action Pack instances onto a PC. If you want to upgrade to Ultimate then do so, or run...

  • Just as predicted - Vista is driving new PC Sales - are you driving these into your customers?

    I was reading this http://news.com.com/Sales+of+boxed+Vista+copies+down+over+XP/2100-1016_3-6159700.html?tag=nefd.top and it said that Vista boxed product was down by 59% compared to XP and 32% by revenue (means people are buying Ultimate), but then noticed that it said PC sales were up 67%.. hmm, so I wonder what was on those. What we are seeing is people buying new PCs rather than upgrading. While people are doing that, perhaps we should ask our customers if they would like to take advantage of the great things that Vista, Office SBS and Windows Mobile can do for them and put together a package, potentially using Open Value Subscription to spread the cost (or finance) and help them get that new PC and everything else they need in 1 easy go :) ttfn David

  • Getting started with Word, including Word 2007 training, tools to make moving from Word 2003 (or earlier) to Word 2007 much easier including Word 2003 to 2007 command reference and how to build your own Ribbon tabs

    I saw these links in the latest Microsoft downloads e-mail, but the more I looked into this the more I was amazed: Training materials you can use to deliver training on Word 2007 to your customers Tools that load onto a customers PC to enable them to find Word 2003 commands in Word 2007 Tools that put a useful set of getting started tools into a "Getting Started" tab within word Tools to build your own customised Ribbon tabs I'm going to start with the simplest of tools, the Interactive Command Reference . The Word 2007 Guide- Word 2003 to Word 2007 interactive command reference guide is available online, but the link is to the standalone downloadable version - which gives you an emulation of Word 2003, you click around on it and it then tells you where to find the selected item in Word 2007. great for that "Where has my command gone" conversations. Getting Started Tab for Word 2007 (download here) As you can see this tab has several features - the 1st one takes you off to the online version of the downloadable...
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(c)David Overton 2006-23