leedesmond’s blog

Am Dienstag 14. Sep 2010 wird die kostenlose Veranstaltung um Communications Server “14″ bei Microsoft Schweiz, Wallisellen/Zurich (1630 - 1930 Uhr) stattfinden. Die Synopse lautet folgendermaßen:

Erhalten Sie einen Überblick, was der neue Communications Server ‘14′ alles kann! Egal ob neues User Interface, Integration in SharePoint Search oder erweiterte Presence Informationen. Sie erhalten zudem einen Informationen über technische und architektonische Änderungen gegenüber seinem Vorgänger, dabei klären wir Fragen der Koexistenz und Upgrade Möglichkeiten. Ein kleiner Exkurs in die Netzwerktechnik darf auch nicht fehlen, denn dabei klären wir die Grundvoraussetzungen für ein erfolgreiches Deployment von CS ‘14′.

Mehr Informationen und Anmeldung hier.

Technorati tags: Event, Training, LCS/OCS/CS14, Community/User Groups, Communications Server 14

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I am very pleased to be invited by the Macedonian Exchange User Group* to present a session at their upcoming user group meeting. This will take place on Wed 11 Aug 2010 at 1900 hrs (UTC+2) via Live Meeting. An abstract of the presentation cum demo is as follows:

The full feature set of Communications Server “14? was officially disclosed at the recent TechEd North America 2010 conference in New Orleans. Come hear about the exciting changes in areas of functionality, deployment, management, virtualization and PowerShell support, among others …

For more information, visit the Macedonian Exchange User Group today.

* by Vladimir Meloski, Exchange MVP

Technorati tags: PowerShell, LCS/OCS/CS14, Community/User Groups, Communications Server 14

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New in Communications Server 14 is the ability to manage, administer and automate the Unified Communications infrastructure with the CS PowerShell Management Console.

In earlier implementations of OCS 2007 RTM and R2, administration using PowerShell can be achieved by calling into the WMI repository via the Get-WmiObject cmdlet. This can target local and remote machines.

With CS 14, the WMI model is no longer available. Instead, you can now use native cmdlets exposed via the CS 14 PowerShell Module (not PSSnapin). In fact, the CS 14 management interface and Communications Server Control Panel (CSCSP) are all built to run on PowerShell*.

To help you get up-to-speed, the all new Communications Server 14 Powershell Blog is now open for business. To quote - “this blog is going to be your one-stop shop for all things Communications Server 14 PowerShell”. Go check it out today!

PS: I am typing away at the just concluded “WSV401: Advanced Automation Using Windows PowerShell 2.0″ breakout session at Auditorium B (New Orleans Morial Convention Center).

* see UI-to-PowerShell Mapping

Technorati tags: LCS/OCS, OCS 2007 R2, TechEd, PowerShell

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With the official announcement of Communications Server 14 at Tech.Ed North America 2010 (New Orleans), attendees are learning first hand from product group experts, partners, vendors and the community (MCT, MVP) the many CS 14 feature detail sets in breakout-, interactive-, TLC- sessions and Hands-on-Labs.

As part of the celebration, the all new Communications Server 14 website has also been launched. From news and reviews, business highlights, customer stories, partner contacts to technology coverage, do not miss out on the Community section. This leads to additional technical resources covering Events and Webcasts, Forums, Microsoft and CS team member blogs, and MVP Highlights with even more community resources.

Together with MVP peers Jeff Schertz, Mike Stacy and Keith Kabza, I am very honored to be recognized as one of the top (English) online contributors for the most recent quarter! Come by and check it out here today!

See also:
Microsoft Communications Server Technical Reference Hub (DrRez)
Twitter DrRez
Unified Communications Group Team Blog

Technorati tags: LCS/OCS/CS14, TechEd, Community/User Groups, Communications Server 14

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Live from TechEd 2010 North America (New Orleans) keynote session. The full feature set of Communications Server “14″ is officially disclosed with an interative live demo by Gurdeep SinghPall (Corp Vice President). Some of the key new feature highlights of Communicator “14″:

• Communication Server (Wave 14) tightly integrated with corporate Active Directory, SharePoint and Exchange infrastructure
• display picture for personal Contacts pulled from SharePoint, AD or user-specified URL
• powerful aggregated search feature by name or skill against SharePoint backend (by expertise for instance sales)
• hover over name/picture to expose the Contact card with corporate information from AD, org chart (reporting structure)
• playback voice mail directly in Communicator (or Outlook for more)
• High Definition video playback directly in Communicator (HD cameras from Microsoft and partners controllable by policy)
• direct data collaboration à la Live Meeting right in Communicator client (powerpoint, desktop sharing, whiteboarding)

If you are attending TechEd this week, make sure that you check out the exciting line-up of UNC breakout sesions (more here). Take this opportunity to visit us on site at the Technical Learning Center (TLC) and experience Communications Server 14 live! Stop by and say hi

Stay tune for more on CS 14 … By the way, do not forget to check out the Exchange Server 2010 SP1 Public Beta - download available here.

Technorati tags: LCS/OCS, OCS 2007 R2, TechEd, Events

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Es gibt nur wenigen Platz für den Windows Server 2008 R2 Basics Kurs bei EB Zürich, den nächste Woche in Zürich am Montag 31.5.2010 (für 4x) stattfinden wird. Interessern bitte melden Sie sich unverzüglich hier an.

Technorati tags: Event, Training, Windows Server 2008 R2

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Tech Ed North America 2010 will take place in New Orleans in less than 3 weeks. From 7 to 10 June, 2010, I shall be contributing as an Ask the Expert staff in the Technical Learning Center - UNC Track Area. Working closely together with the Microsoft product teams, ATE will station at the Unified Communications (UNC) product demo booth areas.

This year, there are 3 IT Pro demos each dedicated to Exchange 2010 and Communications Server “14″ plus one developer track encompassing these two products. You can find me covering all the CS 14 product demos (UNC-5, 6 and 7) at TLC/Yellow/UNC throughout the week.

I look forward to meeting you in person and share the excitement around CS 14 and more! More information and registration can be found here.

UNC-7 Microsoft Communications Server “14″: Communicate from Microsoft Office
Microsoft Communications Server “14” works consistently with Microsoft Office, enriching the experience of familiar applications like Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word, Microsoft SharePoint, and more. Come see how this can help with broad user adoption in your environment!

UNC-6 Microsoft Communications Server “14″: Connect in new ways
Microsoft Communications Server “14” ushers in a new connected experience, transforming every communication into an interaction that is more collaborative, engaging, and accessible from anywhere. Come see how this captivating experience can engage your users!

UNC-5 Microsoft Communications Server “14″: Reduce costs, integrate communications
Microsoft Communications Server “14” provides a single experience and solution that unites voice, IM, audio-, video-, and web-conferencing into a richer, more simplified offering. Come see how this can help reduce costs in your organization!

UNC-3 Microsoft Exchange Server 2010: Anywhere Access
Giving your users anywhere access to email, calendar, contacts, and tasks from all their devices is essential in today’s business environment. See demonstrations of how Exchange Server 2010 helps users manage their communications more effectively across the PC, Web browser, and mobile device. Also, learn how you can improve productivity and save your organization money by replacing your legacy voicemail system with Exchange Server Unified Messaging.

UNC-2 Microsoft Exchange Server 2010: Protection and Compliance
Worried about employees accidentally leaking valuable corporate email? Stop by to learn about new methods of information protection and control powered by Exchange Server 2010. While you’re here, see how Exchange enables organizations of all sizes to cost-effectively address email archiving and compliance requirements.

UNC-1 Microsoft Exchange Server 2010: Flexible and Reliable
Wouldn’t it be great if you could give giant mailboxes to all your users, without spending a bundle on storage hardware or sacrificing system uptime? Drop by to see how it’s done with the improvements we’ve made to high availability and storage flexibility in Exchange Server 2010.

UNC-4 Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 and Communications Server “14″: Developer Demos
Come and experience the new Wave ‘14’ Developer Platform of Communications Server “14″ and Exchange 2010. Lean how you can build capabilities like voice-over IP telephony, conferencing, data collaboration, Presence and IM, email, calendaring and contact management right into your application. Demos and experts are provided!

Technorati tags: LCS/OCS, OCS 2007 R2, TechEd, Events

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Currently taking place in beautiful Interlaken, Switzerland, X.DAYS is a 2-day event (17-18 March 2010) that brings together the “Who is Who” in the Swiss ICT industry. Delegates include 3C level executives - CEOs, CIOs, CFOs - and decision and policy makers from KMU, small, medium to large international organizations.

More information and registration can be found at the official web-site.

Interested in the Microsoft System Center family of products? Check out the cool videos here and here (first in 3D TV/three dimension television live _without_ 3D glasses at the event).

Technorati tags: Events

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Tech Days is the largest and most important Swiss Microsoft Technology conference in the country. For the 6th time now, the event will place take in Basel (6 to 7 Apr) and Geneva (14 to 15 Apr) this year.

With over 50 breakout sessions based on the theme “Explore new horizons” delivered by global and local speakers covering IT Pro and developer tracks, TechDays is a not-to-be-missed annual event to interact, network, share and  exchange ideas and technical information on latest technologies from Exchange 2010, Windows Server 2008 R2/Hyper-V V2, SharePoint 2010, System Center Service Manager 2010, ForeFront UAG 2010, Silverlight 4, Visual Studio 2010 to Azure and Online Services.

I shall be supporting the event as part of the Ask-The-Experts (ATE) team covering Unified Communications and Collaboration. It will certainly be great to meet-and-greet you personally at this event.

With less than 3 weeks away, do not hesitate to register at www.techdays.ch today (agenda in German and French now live). Registered delegates will stand a chance to win a copy of Windows 7 Ultimate.

Technorati tags: Events, TechDays

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News Flash 2 - Due to the overwhelming turnout and popularity of the “(ILL016) Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 High Availability and Storage Scenarios” Instructor-Led Lab yesterday, many of you did not have the chance to secure a seat equipped with computers to work on the lab in the overflowed room.

The good news is that we have heard your feedback, suggestions and comments. Today Tue 2 Mar 2010, an extra ILL session has been scheduled. It will take place in the Abu Dhabi B room from 1715 to 1815 hrs local time. After the session, you will still have sufficient time to get onto the bus and head to the party.

Don’t miss out on this special extra session. My fellow MVP, MCT and Technical Exchange experts will be on-site to support this lab. Thanks all in advance!

Technorati tags: TechEd, Events

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