It was great to see all my peeps and old MS friends again and meet the new folks in the HSBS product groups. I learned a lot ( yes I remember the entire week is under NDA) and hopefully provided some useful feedback as well.

I would also like to send out a job well done to Al, Kym and the gang at Steward Transportation, most of you won’t even know who they are, but that is because of the great job they do getting us where we need to be, when we need to be there. It makes them invisible, believe me a few years ago the busing was a complete cluster and since they have taken over, it is almost a pleasurable experience, well it is sill a bus ride after all :>)

So long gang, travel safe back to your respective corners of the world, I am headed to Calif before making the trek home to the east coast.

• Do you sell to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs)?
• Do you provide your SMB customers with Microsoft technologies and related services?
• Do you want to differentiate yourself in your marketplace?

If you answered “Yes,” have you considered joining the Microsoft Small Business Specialist Community (SBSC), a group of 6,500 trusted technology advisors focused on selling to Small Business customers. Benefits of joining include access to exclusive marketing dollars, recognition from displaying the SBSC logo, support from an Online Technical Community, and increased exposure to partners and customers through the Microsoft Partner Finder and Solution Finder.

As an SBSC Advisory Council member, let me tell you why I am part of this Community.  Proving my company not only has the technical skills necessary to serve small businesses but the understanding of how technology must be applied differently than as the one-size-fits-all mentality applied to most larger business solutions. The Small Business Specialist competency shows our customers we “get” small business.

You too can become a Small Business Specialist in just 2 easy steps, as an Action Pack Subscriber:

Currently, Microsoft is offering a 100 percent off voucher applicable to exams 70-653: TS: Windows Small Business Server 2008, Configuring and 70-654: TS: Windows Essential Business Server 2008, Configuring. Alternatively, we are offering a 50 percent off exam voucher to complete the other three exams.

Call 877-254-6825 or send a message to msppexp@microsoft.com by March 15, 2010 to pick up your voucher, and an expert agent will guide you through the sign-up process.

Tarheel AITP & Triad SBS Groups Present Windows 7
Presenters: Yung Chou and John Baker, IT Pro Evangelists, Microsoft

In association with the Tarheel AITP Group we are putting together a morning presentation with Microsoft. Two of the best presenters I know will be delivering the Windows 7 content. The agenda is below. We were only able to book a room large enough for 75 people so this event will fill up fast and we will not be able to extend it. You will need your confirmed reservation to attend. You can sign-up now at http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=145662 . Please do not wait to sign up, I will feel terrible if I have to turn you away. There is no cost to attend this event except your time and attention!
Keep an eye on our website for updates www.tSBSg.org

Agenda
Pre-Session 7:30AM Breakfast and Registration

Welcome & Introductions 8:30AM

 Session 1 = 8:45AM Cloud Computing Overview and Direction

Session 2 = 9:15AM: What’s New and Why Windows 7
Windows 7 uplifts Enterprise IT abilities to address business needs to a new dimension with many new innovations and improved functions. This session highlights the new features and capabilities of Windows 7 by walking through Windows 7 desktop fundamentals and business scenarios using Windows 7 optimized desktops including BitLocker to Go, Windows XP Mode, Direct Access, and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure.

Break = 10:15am

Session 3 = 10:30AM: Windows 7 Deployment
Deploying Windows 7 is easy if you’re using the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2010. This session will walk you through the various tools that can help simplify your deployments. We’ll drill down in the MDT Workbench and look at how the MDT process helps you create a reference image, which can then be easily deployed to the target computers. We’ll look at how to configure the deployment environment, show how you can add operating systems, applications, drivers, and language packs using the Deployment Workbench, and then finish up by creating a task sequenced deployment to a target computer.

Closing = 11:45AM
Q&A, user group and communities information sharing, prize drawings, etc

 You can sign-up now at http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=145662

 Also, I want all the women to go with St. Peter.’ With that said and done, the next time God looked, the women were gone and there were two lines. The line of men who were ruled by their women was 1000 miles long, and in the line of men who ruled their women, there was only one man.

 God became angry and said, ‘You men should be ashamed of yourselves. I created you in my image and you were all whipped by your mates. Look at the only one of my sons who stood up and made me proud. Learn from him! Tell them, my son, how did you manage to be the only one in this line?’

 The man replied, ‘I don’t know, my wife told me to stand here.’

Remember that notification that SBS 2003 sent you whenever the server rebooted
Do you miss it on your SBS 2008 and Windows HomeServers?

GFIMAX can give it back to you and I will show you how easy it is to add.

First open up your GFI MAX Dashboard and select the server you wish to know about

GFIMAX Dashboard

Click the Checks button
Next click Add 247 Check
Now click Event Log Check (note all the other options for future reference)

Select Type of Check

An empty form will appear to let us set our criteria
Note all of the options available just for this one type of check, this is a very powerful tool

Blank Event Log Form

Lets name it ” – Server Rebooted” without the quotes.
That is a blank space a hyphen and another blank space before the Server Rebooted
It will make sense later when you see it in the console, it just makes it a bit clearer to read 

Set the event log to query to System
Set Alert when to Log Contains
Set Event ID to 6005
Select Information for the Event Type
Set event source to EventLog
Check the message contains string and set it to started
Click OK

Filled in Event Log Form

Now we have to give it a little time to sync the changes to the server
Note currently it says Awaiting Synchronization in the status view

Finished Awaiting Synchronization

Once the server syncs to MAX the next time the server should reboot
you will get a message in you inbox like this 

E-Mail Notification Message

And if you go back to the GFIMAX Dashboard you will also see it shows up there as well

Reboot Message Status showing last occurance

Well that is all there is to it .
I hope you realize this is just one of the hundreds of things MAX can tell you about on you servers and workstations

If you would like more info about MAX simply click on him below!

Mitch Tulloch, one of my favorite geeks, just did an independent review of the recently released GFI WebMonitor. Take a look at his impressions of the new release HERE. He also does a nice walk through of the installation in the article, including a gotcha with Win7 and Vista clients to watch out for.

You can get a 30 day demo of GFI WebMonitor try out yourself  HERE and currently there is a   on new licenses.

Please note: I did not add you to any mailing list, I just used MarketAmerica’s new “tell a friend” mailing system and imported my contact list to it. No DL’s, no yahoo or google groups, just e-mail addresses from my own contacts. I must know too many people because it went haywire. Once again let me apologize for this nuance, if you were a receipient.  I really do feel terrible and wish I could undo it!

For those of you who are fellow MarketAmerica partners, take this as a warning to you. Do not try to import a large list of names into “tell a friend” all at once, the system cannot handle it. I would not try more than a half dozen at a time, if I were you.

Thank You for Your Understanding,
HandyAndy

PS if you are wondering about the cash back progam and were one of the few who did not get bombarded by my mailing you can get details at http://www.marketamerica.com/shopmabc/index.cfm?action=services.custLanding&landingID=csmcp_maCash

So you have been looking at the new requirements from MS and realize you need to take and pass 70-653. Don’t panic my friend Bea the queen of IT Training, a.k.a. Beatrice Mulzer has just finished her MCTS EXAM 70-653 Primer, Configuring Windows Small Business Server 2008. This is not only the definitive guide to passing 70-653 but it also includes over 200 practice tests on the included CD as well as a 15% discount voucher to take your test. This self-paced training kit won Remond Magazines Best of the Best Award for Best Exam Preparation Product. Do yourself a favor and hop on over to your favorite bookstore and grab a copy, or get it from Amazon HERE.