Try Windows Intune, Available Today

View this email in your browser Public Edition | March 23, 2011 Follow us:  Meet Today’s Business Needs with Windows Intune Your customers need to keep their PCs up and running, whether they’re in the office or on the road. Now, with the launch of Windows Intune, you can offer an all-in-one solution that can help your customers stay productive from virtually anywhere. Windows Intune combines an upgrade subscription to Windows 7 with key Microsoft cloud services to simplify PC management and security, so you and your customers can stay focused on driving business success.   Discover how Windows Intune can help you grow revenue, reach new customers, and accelerate the sales cycle. Get ready by taking the latest sales and technical training. And join the Microsoft Partner Network to access even more training, along with special offers and tips to help you get started with Windows Intune. Why Join? | Microsoft Partner Portal | Enroll in the Partner Network Featured This Issue Experience the Full Power of the Web The Windows Internet Explorer 9 browser is here—and with it comes a faster, cleaner, more trusted, and interoperable web. Experience for yourself how support for modern standards like HTML5 makes websites and applications more graphically rich and immersive. And discover an unprecedented level of integration between the web and your Windows desktop with the ability to pin sites directly to the Windows 7 taskbar to quickly and easily interact with online content. Build Your Business Take Your Business to a Whole New Level with Microsoft Cloud Essentials Offer current and prospective customers access to the Microsoft applications they know and trust, while you develop your cloud services practice with the right software, tools, and support. Reduce Costs and Provide Mixed-Source Solutions for Your Customers With Microsoft Open Solutions Group, you can enhance your mixed-source offerings while streamlining and automating back-end support processes—and you can develop and market interoperable technologies that bridge Windows and open source platforms. Learn more about Linux and other open-source development tools. Get Ahead of the Competition in the Virtualization Marketplace Take Practice Accelerator for Server Virtualization with Advanced Management and learn how to improve your capacity to serve customers and deploy virtualization technologies. Are You a Visual Studio Professional? Get More for Your Skills Leverage your Visual Studio expertise to earn the Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) competency. Learn more about the requirements and benefits today. Network News Solve Your Customers’ IT Issues Faster Use the TechNet benefits that come with the Microsoft Action Pack Solution Provider subscription to evaluate, test, and troubleshoot Microsoft technologies. Get the Right Tools to Grow Your Business Order a Microsoft Action Pack Development and Design subscription to access the latest core Microsoft platforms and enhanced support. What Partners Are Saying about the Microsoft Partner Network Orrin Klopper, CEO of Netsurit, says there are good things in progress with the new Microsoft Partner Network that can make your business better. He adds that if the owner of Netsurit can figure out the changes, they can't be too hard to understand. Download roadmaps for step-by-step instructions for earning silver or gold competencies. Product and Solution Center Accelerate Your Sales Cycle with Cloud Offerings Better manage your workload and win more sales with the Cloud Customer Assessment Tool. Generate more revenue by holding proactive discussions about the cloud with your customers. Enter user ID “gocloud” and password “gocloud” to learn more. Download the Service Pack 1 RTM for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 Get ongoing improvements to the Windows operating systems with the latest support updates and fixes.  Training and Readiness Build Your Cloud Services Expertise through New Training and Certifications Demand for cloud-based solutions is growing. You can develop the skills to make the most of the opportunity with new Microsoft cloud certifications and training. Showcase Your Mastery of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Validate your deep technical skills in SQL Server 2008 and become a Microsoft Certified Master (MCM). Onsite training is no longer required, and new resources are available to help you prepare for the exam. Technical Support Sell and Deploy Your Solutions More Efficiently Enroll in a qualifying membership opportunity to receive Partner Advisory Hours that you can use toward presales support, competitive assistance, deployment guidance, and more. Follow Us on Twitter Like Our Page on Facebook In This Issue Internet Explorer 9 Now Available Download: SP1 RTM for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 In Other News Protect Software Assets with Security Lifecycle Development Get the Latest Licensing News Each Month 2011 Worldwide Partner Conference on Facebook Microsoft Partner Network Training on Twitter Windows Springboard Series Blog You are receiving this newsletter at your request. Visit the Microsoft Partner Network Portal Newsletter Legal Information This newsletter was sent by: Microsoft Corporation One Microsoft Way Redmond, Washington, USA 98052 Sign Up for Other Newsletters | Update Your Profile © 2011 Microsoft Corporation.    Terms of Use | Trademarks | Privacy Statement

TechNet Flash: IE9 released and a cloud skills makeover

Unsubscribe | Customize TechNet Flash Volume 13, Issue 6 | March 23, 2011     Top Stories     Windows Internet Explorer 9 Released to Web You can now download Internet Explorer 9. Check out the latest features for IT professionals, and get guidance to help you pilot and deploy this enterprise-ready browser in your organization with the Springboard Series for Internet Explorer 9. Download Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 Beta System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2012 is a management solution for the virtualized datacenter, enabling you to configure and manage your virtualization host, networking, and storage resources in order to create and deploy virtual machines and services to private clouds that you have created. Aligning Tech and Business Today Requires Cloud Skills Developing cloud expertise now means job security and career growth in the future. This edition of TechNet ON takes a look at the changing requirements and provides resources to develop the new skills. Your Featured Content Microsoft App-V 4.6 Service Pack 1 and MED-V 2.0 Released Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) 2011, featuring Microsoft App-V 4.6 Service Pack 1 (SP1) and MED-V 2.0, is now available. App-V 4.6 SP1 makes App-V packaging easy, fast, and predictable, and MED-V 2.0 is easier to use than ever, with no dedicated infrastructure required. Windows XP to Windows 7 Migration Guide Now Available Walk through the decisions you'll make when migrating from Windows XP to Windows 7. This guide provides assistance on migration - from gathering information about your environment to deploying the operating system. You'll learn about the tools and resources available from Microsoft and make the best decisions for your environment. Highly Virtualized Computing vs. Private Cloud Explained You are already running a highly virtualized environment; do you still need a private cloud? Virtualization and private cloud are not the same - find out what the key differences are. Download the Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Edge Server Reference Architecture Diagrams Download the zip file, which contains diagrams for the Single Consolidated Edge, Scaled Consolidated Edge (DNS Load Balanced), and Scaled Consolidated Edge (Hardware Load Balanced) topologies. You must have Microsoft Visio installed to view these files.   Virtual Roundtable Event: Windows Intune Technology Tune-up March 31, 2011, 9:00 A.M. Pacific Time Join Microsoft Technical Fellow Mark Russinovich and a panel of IT pros for the Windows Intune Technology Tune-up, a virtual roundtable event showcasing Microsoft's cloud-based PC management solution, Windows Intune. This event is designed to jumpstart your trial of Windows Intune and includes product demonstrations, how-to tips and tricks, and live Q&A. Poster Available: Windows 7 Deployment Options for Small and Midsize Businesses Explore the different options for deploying Windows 7 in a small or midsize organization. This print-ready poster from the Springboard Series for Windows 7 features an overview of each method, details on advantages and limitations, basic requirements, and helpful links to additional tools and guidance. Let the Scripting Games Begin - April 4, 2011 The 2011 Scripting Games begin April 4, 2011 and run through April 15, 2011. Preparation for the 2011 Games is already underway, with a learning guide, step-by-step tutorials, videos, and other new resources added on a daily basis. Subscribe to Solution Accelerator Notifications Stay current with new IT pro tools and guidance and keep your organization up and running - faster and easier - with Microsoft technologies.   TechNet Flash Sponsors ScriptLogic, and EminentWare: •  Elevate Privileges - 100% Free Download •  Extend WSUS or SCCM to Manage Third-Party Patches Editor's Note TechNet Flash Editor Mitch Irsfeld Think Outside the IT Box to Expand Your Cloud Opportunities Developing cloud expertise now can mean job security and career growth in the future. But the newer, emerging skills are evolving as fast as the market, and to remain relevant and competitive, IT pros are being challenged to keep their skills current. Microsoft can help you keep up with the pace of change. Check out TechNet's newly-launched Cloud home page, featuring five new videos with... Read more ADVERTISEMENT Free Tool: Manage Admin Rights with Privilege Authority Block the bad apps, unlock just the good ones. You decide which apps are safe, without having to give users local admin rights. Download now. Training and Books New Microsoft Virtual Academy for IT Professionals Microsoft has launched a new virtual training portal aimed at IT professionals who want to learn new skills and enhance existing ones for cloud computing environments. The Microsoft Virtual Academy (MVA) offers no-cost training for IT professionals with 100- and 200-level content. Save Big on Virtualization Training Microsoft Learning Partners are offering training specials on course 10215A, Implementing and Managing Microsoft Server Virtualization. Learn to manage and implement server virtualization technologies on your network (Windows Server 2008 knowledge required). This offer is good through March 31, 2011 or while supplies last. Get a Second Chance to Pass Your Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Certification Exam Whether you are just beginning to explore the benefits of Microsoft certification, or need to pass just one more exam to achieve a Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) credential, the Second Shot offer (regular exam price plus 15 percent) allows you to retake a Microsoft Windows Server 2008 certification exam if you do not pass it on the first attempt. ADVERTISEMENT Extend WSUS or SCCM to Manage Third-Party Patches EminentWare extends WSUS or SCCM to deploy third-party patches for Adobe Acrobat, Reader, Flash, Firefox, iTunes, Sun Java Runtime and more. We send you the patches, you simply deploy. Try it now. Events Join Us for Tech·Ed 2011 May 16 - 19, 2011 Atlanta, GA Join us this year in Atlanta and take advantage of more than 1,000 learning opportunities, including breakout sessions, hands-on labs, and product demo stations. Resources TechNet Plus Direct Subscription TechNet Flash Feed Blog TechNet Flash Archive TechNet Magazine MSDN Flash Newsletter Security Newsletter IT Management Community Hub TechNet | Sign up for other newsletters | Unsubscribe | Update your profile ©2011 Microsoft Corporation Terms of Use | Trademarks | Privacy Statement Microsoft respects your privacy.  Please read our online Privacy Statement. If you would prefer to no longer receive this this newsletter, please click here to unsubscribe.  These settings will not affect any other newsletters you've requested or any mandatory service communications that are considered part of certain Microsoft services.  To set your contact preferences for other Microsoft communications, see the communications preferences section of the Microsoft Privacy Statement. Microsoft Corporation One Microsoft Way Redmond, WA 98052