Redmond | Print Columns Archive


August 2008
	Beta Man Small Business Server 2008: SysAdmin in a Box This Microsoft bundle can actually help small businesses forego a systems administrator. by Peter Varhol
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) Memories of Bill Doug shares some memorable face-offs with Microsoft's erstwhile chairman. by Doug Barney
	Never Again Listen to the People You Hire Communication problems with upper management set one company back a couple grand. by Anonymous
	Mr. Roboto Self-Efficiency Here are a few common-sense tips for making life behind the IT desk a little better. by Jeffery Hicks
	Windows Insider The World's Best Configuration Manager Queries: Part II Readers submit more of their prized queries for everything from checking maintenance windows to deploying software. by Greg Shields
	Security Advisor Virtual Security Virtualization heralds a brave new world of security. Here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to securing a virtual infrastructure. by Joern Wettern
	Foley on Microsoft Microsoft Leaks Like a Sieve The company tries to plug the information drain after Gates' departure. by Mary Jo Foley

July 2008
	Beta Man Working Together Forefront Stirling's integrated components give it an edge over single-purpose products. by Peter Varhol
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) Cloudy Cloud Costs Hang on to your wallets -- Microsoft's lineup of online services probably won't come free. by Doug Barney
	Never Again Please Tell Me That Was a DDS-2 Tape Of all the times to have a backup crisis, it had to be the eve of Y2K. by Derryl Steib
	Never Again Which One Is for Production? Better make sure...especially when you're working with credit card information. by Byron Sisson
	Mr. Roboto At Your Self-Service Directory Update puts users in charge of their own Active Directory administration. by Jeffery Hicks
	Windows Insider Best Configuration Manager Queries Readers share their tried-and-true SCCM queries. by Greg Shields
	Security Advisor Forget Your Passwords There are plenty of easier and more secure ways to authenticate users. by Joern Wettern
	Foley on Microsoft Does Live Mesh Have a Business Future? Microsoft's reticence notwithstanding, many people are excited about what Live Mesh can offer. by Mary Jo Foley

June 2008
	Beta Man Forefront's Communications Are 'Stirling' Upcoming anti-malware suite offers integrated solution across the enterprise. by Peter Varhol
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) Owning Up to Vista More than a year after its release, users still haven't warmed to the new OS. by Doug Barney
	Never Again Making Sure the Backup Backs Up Testing and backup problems result in an all-nighter for a health care IT staff. by Chris Gahlsdorf
	Never Again Population Explosion Or, "The Vacation That Wasn't." by Scott Chimner
	Mr. Roboto Showstopper: Round Two These routines take last month's tool a few steps further. by Jeffery Hicks
	Windows Insider 5 Rules for Managing User Desktops Here are some tips for dealing with users in a relatively pain-free fashion. by Greg Shields
	Security Advisor A Long-Overdue Facelift Microsoft's Certificate Services has a new name and new functionality. Here's an overview. by Joern Wettern
	Foley on Microsoft Will Windows Service Pack History Repeat Itself? Vista SP2 might be a whole new OS in everything but name only. by Mary Jo Foley
	Integration Station Simplified SMB Configuration: Part 1 [online only] In the first installment of this SMB tutorial, Emmett walks you through the first few steps of configuring SMB on a Windows home network, using Fedora 8 as an example. by Emmett Dulaney

May 2008
	Beta Man Internet Explorer 8 Shows Promise The new version of the IE browser renews Microsoft's commitment to the Web. by Peter Varhol
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) Multi-Core Morass Servers are keeping pace, but clients are another story. by Doug Barney
	Never Again I'll Tell You Where to Put That CD Hint: It won't be in your floppy drive. by Anonymous
	Never Again Sometimes You Have to Say No One admin realizes too late that he might have taken more than he could handle. by Brian Mangiaracina
	Mr. Roboto Showstopper It's Windows PowerShell to the rescue, as Mr. Roboto looks for a way to see what services need restarting. by Jeffery Hicks
	Windows Insider Wagging the Finger Admins need to wean themselves from the GUI and embrace the command line. by Greg Shields
	Security Advisor The New Face of Internet Threats It's a brave new world in anti-malware protection. Joern analyzes the latest security trends. by Joern Wettern
	Foley on Microsoft Microsoft Watchers Are Missing the Boat For a company that's under almost-constant scrutiny, Microsoft has been grossly misunderstood. by Mary Jo Foley

April 2008
	Beta Man A Sea Change for Project Management The technology is no longer just about command and control. by Peter Varhol
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) Forget Yahoo! Buy Mac Yahoo doesn't have anything Microsoft doesn't already have. Apple, on the other hand... by Doug Barney
	Never Again Brother, Can You Spare a Drive? On the day they call "Black Wednesday," what didn't go wrong? by Todd Miles
	Mr. Roboto Drilling for Files This free utility can handle most of your file-management jobs. by Jeffery Hicks
	Windows Insider Upgrading Soon? Greg takes you through the steps of upgrading your AD from Windows Server 2003 to 2008. by Greg Shields
	Security Advisor The Whole Drive More and more companies are using full-drive encryption (FDE) as a way to protect their data. by Joern Wettern
	Foley on Microsoft Microsoft's SOA Strategy: Back to Earth The skinny on "Oslo." by Mary Jo Foley

March 2008
	Beta Man From the Research Labs They may never become products, but you can still use these utilities today. by Peter Varhol
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) VirtualizationReview.com We're so passionate about virtualization, we're launching a magazine and a Web site all about it. by Doug Barney
	Never Again Trusting to a Fault A consultant learns the hard way to verify information with his own eyes. by Roger Zan
	Mr. Roboto Dive Deep with SubInACL Need to change a security permission? Mr. Roboto has the command-line tool you'll need. by Jeffery Hicks
	Windows Insider Who Doesn't Prefer Sushi? Windows Server 2008's Group Policy Preferences makes balancing your security needs with users' preferences a little easier. by Greg Shields
	Security Advisor Alphabet Soup The government is stepping in to help you protect your systems. Just be prepared for a lot of acronyms. by Joern Wettern
	Foley on Microsoft If MicroHoo Goes Through, What Then Should Microsoft Do? A hypothetical to-do list for Microsoft's hypothetical Yahoo takeover. by Mary Jo Foley

February 2008
	Integration Station Access Control/Authentication Management [online only] Symark's product suite makes integration a whole lot simpler. by Emmett Dulaney
	Beta Man Microsoft Search Server 2008 Express Microsoft enters the growing market for enterprise search with its new solution. by Peter Varhol
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) Dear Steve: Think Enterprise In Doug's first open letter ever, he implores Steve Jobs to take Apple into the IT market. by Doug Barney
	Mr. Roboto Get Answers to Your Storage Questions Need help managing your file server storage? Check out Mr. Roboto's PowerShell functions. by Jeffery Hicks
	Windows Insider A NAP Is Good for Your Health Windows Server 2008's built-in Network Access Protection makes sure only healthy computers get into your network. by Greg Shields
	Security Advisor Virtualization Done Differently Microsoft's SoftGrid Application Virtualization makes managing applications more secure. by Joern Wettern
	Foley on Microsoft The White Elephant in the Room? Puzzling over Silverlight? You're not alone. by Mary Jo Foley

January 2008
	Beta Man Virtualization's Next Step Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 targets the enterprise and broadens SoftGrid's availability. by Peter Varhol
	Never Again First Things Should Never Be Done Second Things fall apart before an admin's first security inspection. by Anonymous
	Letters to Redmond Where's Apple's x64? Plus, readers share their thoughts on Microsoft's monolopy, Vista and pet peeves. by Readers of Redmond magazine
	Foley on Microsoft 10 Apples To Tempt Microsoft Here's hoping that Microsoft doesn't fall for the bait. by Mary Jo Foley
	Windows Insider Au Revoir, MCSE It'll be time to upgrade once Windows Server 2008 enters the picture. by Greg Shields
	Mr. Roboto Command Performance This month, more fun with group membership with Mr. Roboto's Group Reporter HTA. by Jeffery Hicks
	Security Advisor Going Mobile Data security becomes an even bigger concern when users go mobile. Here are some ways to keep your mobile data safe. by Joern Wettern
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) Learning To Love IO Infrastructure optimization is more than just another way for Microsoft to pitch its products. by Doug Barney

December 2007
	Integration Station Obtaining User Buy-In Before a Change [online only] Considering a migration? You'll need to woo your users first. Emmett shares a few tips on conducting an effective feasibility study. by Emmett Dulaney
	Beta Man SQL Server 2008: Administration Simplified Policy-based management improves database performance. by Peter Varhol
	Letters to Redmond Playing Catch-Up One reader thinks it's worth it to give Vista a little more time. Plus, readers tell us about their technology pet peeves. by Readers of Redmond magazine
	Foley on Microsoft 2007: All About Windows Vista Vista's debut year had mixed results. by Mary Jo Foley
	Mr. Roboto Membership Has Its Privileges It's getting harder and harder to track who belongs to what group. Mr. Roboto's Group Auditor can help make membership management easier. by Jeffery Hicks
	Windows Insider The Password Drama Continues Setting password policies is tricky enough. Now, throw Windows Server 2008 into the mix. by Greg Shields
	Security Advisor The Weakest Link: Part II Keeping your users informed and involved can save your network. by Joern Wettern
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) Barney's Lists From the coolest recent invention to the biggest unsolved problem, here are Doug's picks. by Doug Barney

November 2007
	Beta Man SQL Server 2008: 'Katmai' Another step on the road to integrated data and applications. by Peter Varhol
	Security Advisor Users: The Weakest Link Bad things can happen when administrators don't put their users first. by Joern Wettern
	Foley on Microsoft Microsoft Spreading Itself Too Thin? In its quest to be "hip" and "cutting edge," Redmond may be forgetting the essentials. by Mary Jo Foley
	Letters to Redmond Not at Home with Windows Home Server Plus, readers weigh in on our list of 2008's hottest certifications. by Readers of Redmond magazine
	Mr. Roboto Power Up Your GPO Management With the release of PowerShell, you now have a few more options when it comes to Group Policy. Here are two of them. by Jeffery Hicks
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) Super PCs Deserve a Super OS Software still has a ways to go before it can do justice to today's supercomputers. by Doug Barney
	Windows Insider VM Within a VM Yes, it's possible. Greg shows you how. by Greg Shields

October 2007
	Backing Up Live Virtual Server VMs [online only] Use this script to back up running Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 virtual machines. by Chris Wolf
	Beta Man Silverlight Bridges the Gap Silverlight will change the game across the board for developers, administrators and users. by Peter Varhol
	Mr. Roboto Event by Event Strapped for cash? Forget expensive server management tools -- here's a real-time event log monitor for the smaller shops. by Jeffery Hicks
	Windows Insider First Look: WinRM & WinRS Two new tools from Microosft that can drastically help server and workstation management. by Greg Shields
	Security Advisor Virtual Security How virtual technology can help you keep your network safe. by Joern Wettern
	Foley on Microsoft Why Is Redmond So Bullish on Office Live? Despite the offering's rocky beginnings, Office Live may still turn out to be a pleasant surprise. by Mary Jo Foley
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) Stop Bugging Me From wastefulness to tangled cords, here are just a few PC-related things that bug Doug. by Doug Barney

September 2007
	Integration Station The Next Phase for Migration [online only] Transforming critical data from one platform to another has always been the hardest part about migrating to Linux. So why are there so few third-party tools available to help you through the process? by Emmett Dulaney
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) Ozzie's Dream Software Plus Services slowly emerges out of the ether. by Doug Barney
	Beta Man Round and Round the Passwords Go Lieberman Software's Roulette is an elegant and effective password-management tool. by Peter Varhol
	Mr. Roboto Old and In the Way Tired of wading through old folders in your file servers? Check out this script. by Jeffery Hicks
	Never Again Tale of the Vanishing E-Mails IT folks are left scratching their heads as messages disappear into e-mail limbo. by Syed Asif
	Windows Insider RODC in the USA You can use Windows Server 2008 to build a hack-resistant, read-only DC. by Greg Shields
	Security Advisor The Right To Remain Anonymous Here are some tools to help you protect your privacy on the 'Net. by Joern Wettern
	Foley on Microsoft Feeling Assured About Software Assurance? Analysts say customers are dumping it, Microsoft says they're signing up in droves. Is the truth somewhere in the middle? by Mary Jo Foley
	Letters to Redmond Linux: Pluses...and Minuses Readers weigh in on Linux and Windows Mobile. by Readers of Redmond magazine

August 2007
	Integration Station The Need for an Integration Certification [online only] There's a certification program for practically every skill out there -- so why not for intergration? Emmett analyzes author Warren Wyrostek's proposal to fill the integration certification void. by Emmett Dulaney
	Foley on Microsoft Microsoft's iPhone? With Windows Home Server, Microsoft finally appears to be following Apple's marketing lead -- and it just might work. by Mary Jo Foley
	Security Advisor Protect Your Crown Jewels Tips and tricks for making sure your network's domain controllers remain as secure as possible. by Joern Wettern
	Mr. Roboto Peek in on Your Processes Get to know the ins and outs of your system's processes with ProcPeek. by Jeffery Hicks
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) A Scheme Too Grand Despite all the talk surrounding SOA, will the technology crash and burn like many others before? by Doug Barney
	Beta Man Microsoft Windows Office Live Not an Office clone, but a way to move the office online. by Peter Varhol
	Windows Insider Syslog ... 20 Years Later Greg looks at a "new" feature in Vista and Server 2008: Event Log subscription. by Greg Shields

July 2007
	Redmond Negotiator Survey Says... [online only] Scott reveals the results of our recent reader licensing survey and answers several reader questions. by Scott Braden
	Integration Station Integration Answers: Part One [online only] Which version of Linux is best for you? Should you really try integrating with Windows NT 4? You asked, and Emmett answers. by Emmett Dulaney
	Beta Man 'Orcas' Beta a Killer? An early look at the next Visual Studio shows better tools integration and more features. by Peter Varhol
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) Sounds of Silence Microsoft's habit of pleading the Fifth on key issues has left some IT pros hanging. by Doug Barney
	Mr. Roboto No Shoes, No Script, No Service Never miss another e-mail notification again. by Jeffery Hicks
	Windows Insider Set Access Control on Mandatory Getting past the complexities in Windows Integrity Control. by Greg Shields
	Security Advisor The Essential Security Toolbox From protocol analyzers to vulnerability scanners, here are some tools that can help keep your network secure. by Joern Wettern
	Foley on Microsoft Vista's Six-Month Report Card What, precisely, is dragging the OS down? by Mary Jo Foley

June 2007
	Integration Station Making Users and Administrators Happy [online only] Pleasing both camps can be a complicated task in itself. Here are a few tips that might help. by Emmett Dulaney
	Redmond Negotiator Will Microsoft Ever Change Its Licensing Ways? [online only] No, Microsoft will not be "nicer" next time around. Deal with it. by Scott Braden
	Beta Man Longhorn Beta 3 Drops Is it worth migrating servers in the next year? by Peter Varhol
	Letters to Redmond Letters@Redmondmag.com Readers chime in on the rise of online news outlets and what that means for print. by Readers of Redmond magazine
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) Take No Prisoners When it comes to Microsoft's take-charge philosophy, how aggressive is too aggressive? by Doug Barney
	Mr. Roboto More Power for PowerShell Need a boost in PowerShell amps? Take Power Gadgets out for a spin. by Jeffery Hicks
	Foley on Microsoft Compliance vs. Compatibility After all the hard lessons it learned from IE, which one will Microsoft pick? by Mary Jo Foley
	Never Again All's Well that Ends Well The pitfalls of early adoption. Plus, logging in can be a lot easier said than done. by Steven Fishman and Alex Albright
	Windows Insider Isolation Automation Exploration: Part II Making an isolation group -- step by step. by Greg Shields
	Security Advisor Protect Your Customer Data Joern shows you how to cover your security bases -- and keep your customers happy. by Joern Wettern

May 2007
	Redmond Negotiator Microsoft Licensing Survey and Contest! [online only] Here's your chance to win consulting time or a Redmond T-shirt just by letting Scott know your most pressing licensing questions! Plus, why you don't want to let the the "tail wag the dog" when it comes to software. by Scott Braden
	Integration Station Doing Integration Right [online only] When it comes to tackling integration, you'd be hard-pressed to find a company that does it better than FileEngine. by Emmett Dulaney
	Security Advisor Patch It Up Tips for picking your ultimate patching tool. by Joern Wettern
	Windows Insider Isolation Automation Exploration: Part I Vista makes system-to-system IPSec authentication MUCH easier, if you know how to use it. by Greg Shields
	Foley on Microsoft Software+Services Madness If Microsoft can't even explain its SaaS strategy, how can it expect anyone to buy into it? by Mary Jo Foley
	Mr. Roboto Stay on Schedule Need to keep track of all your network's scheduled tasks? Here's just the tool to do it. by Jeffery Hicks
	Letters to Redmond Letters@Redmondmag.com This month, readers chime in on Microsoft and open source, and sound off about the Office UI. by Readers of Redmond magazine
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) I'm All Ears Opinions about Vista are as varied as the day is long. by Doug Barney

April 2007
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) Print Is Dead -- Not! The ink hasn't dried on good, old-fashioned journalism. by Doug Barney
	Mr. Roboto Instant Log-On Scripts Generating VBScipt log-on scripts -- without all the the VBS. by Jeffery Hicks
	Windows Insider Why Read When You Can Parse? Microsoft's Log Parser might be the one of the most flexible tools you never knew about. by Greg Shields
	Security Advisor DNS Security Basics: Part II Joern shows you two more ways you can keep your DNS safe. by Joern Wettern
	Never Again It Comes Down to Faith and Trust Snooping on your employees' e-mails -- that can't be good for morale. by Anonymous
	Foley on Microsoft Thinking Differently About Open Source Don't be fooled -- Microsoft still has a long way to go. by Mary Jo Foley
	Integration Station How Marketable Are Your Skills? [online only] Emmett scours a popular job site to determine what employers are looking for the most. by Emmett Dulaney

March 2007
	Redmond Negotiator The More Things Change... [online only] Scott looks at the fairly static state of Microsoft negotiations, and what you can do about it. by Scott Braden
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) The Expanding Redmond Universe The more, the merrier. by Doug Barney
	Mr. Roboto To Serve and To Report EventReporter can help make event log management...manageable. by Jeffery Hicks
	Windows Insider The ImageX X-Files There's nothing otherworldly about Vista's OS imaging tool -- just some command-line craziness. by Greg Shields
	Security Advisor DNS Security Basics Your DNS is a sweet spot for hackers who want to compromise your network; learn to protect it. by Joern Wettern
	Foley on Microsoft Resisting the Siren Call of Software as a Service Sometimes, the unfashionable choice is smart the smart one. by Mary Jo Foley
	Letters to Redmond Letters@Redmondmag.com This month, readers question the extent of Microsoft's innovation, wonder why more people use Google over Yahoo, and more. by Readers of Redmond magazine

February 2007
	Redmond Negotiator Accurate Thinking [online only] Knowing what you have (and having the ability to prove it) is key to saving money on your licensing fees. by Scott Braden
	Integration Station Who You Gonna Call? [online only] Whether your next big project is integration or migration, you don't have to go it alone. Here are some companies that can give you the guidance you need. by Emmett Dulaney
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) Who Will Not Wear the Ribbon? Protecting the Office 2007 UI might just cause a schism in the market. by Doug Barney
	Mr. Roboto Members Only Skip the Group Policy administration -- here's a free and simple way to set a unique policy for multiple computers. by Jeffery Hicks
	Security Advisor Does Vista Matter? A look at Vista's security enhancements and just how much they can help your network. by Joern Wettern
	Windows Insider Vista's ADMX Marks the Spot Getting to know XML. by Greg Shields
	Foley on Microsoft Windows Vista Down; On to Windows 7? Looking ahead to a whole new breed of Windows. by Mary Jo Foley
	Letters to Redmond Letters@Redmondmag.com: Feb. 2007 This month, readers add to our list of free tools, and weigh in on virtual licensing and more. by Readers of Redmond magazine

January 2007
	Redmond Negotiator Dealing with Multiple Microsoft Licensing Agreements You can almost always bring these together -- and save money in the process. Our licensing guru Scott Braden shows you how. by Scott Braden
	Never Again Lucky I Didn't Blow Up When upgrading hard drives, make sure your wires aren't crossed. by Rick Colbert
	Letters to Redmond Letters@Redmondmag.com: Jan. 2007 This month, readers weigh in on Vista, life as an IT consultant and the magic of the Unix "file" command. by Readers of Redmond magazine
	Foley on Microsoft Breathing New Life into Microsoft 'Live' After a frenzied start, why is Live now laying low? by Mary Jo Foley
	Security Advisor Step by Secure Step With a little prioritization, setting up a network security plan doesn't have to eat up all your time. by Joern Wettern
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) The 'Net Doesn't Know Everything! Some answers are much more than a few mouse clicks away. by Doug Barney
	Mr. Roboto Password Please? The PWDMan tool can help make changing the password settings on multiple systems a breeze. by Jeffery Hicks
	Windows Insider 8 AD Mistakes You May Have Missed Keep getting error messages? Check this list for something you might have overlooked. by Greg Shields

December 2006
	Redmond Negotiator 2007 Licensing Resolutions Our licensing and negotiation guru Scott Braden walks you through what you can do now make sure your Microsoft licensing costs stay in check through the new year. by Scott Braden
	Integration Station A New Meaning for CIO? [online only] Emmett won't be surprised if the "I" in CIO soon stands for integration instead of information. by Emmett Dulaney
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) Saving the World: One Line at a Time There's a heart underneath Microsoft's muscle. by Doug Barney
	Mr. Roboto Shut Down, Redux The Specops Gpupdate tool eases the task of remotely shutting down and restarting whole groups of machines. by Don Jones
	Never Again The Grass Is Greener in Your Own Backyard A long week spent on the other side of the fence can really put things in perspective. by Jim Madden
	Security Advisor Security Myths Exposed: Part 2 Common security practices -- debunked. by Joern Wettern
	Foley on Microsoft Microsoft Prognostications: What's Up in 2007? Which of these will you hold your breath for? by Mary Jo Foley
	Letters to Redmond Letters@Redmondmag.com: Dec. 2006 This month, readers size up Microsoft Dynamics and Virtual PC. Plus, is the world ready for President Gates? Some readers aren't so sure. by Readers of Redmond magazine

November 2006
	Integration Station If It Can Go Wrong, It Will: A Migration Case Study [online only] A problem-by-problem breakdown of why one company's three-year Unix to Windows migration went so horribly, horribly wrong. by Emmett Dulaney
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) Reddevnews.com! Doug welcomes the newest member of the Redmond publication family, Redmond Developer News. by Doug Barney
	Beta Man Shell Game Microsoft's PowerShell puts scripting power in your hands. by Beta Man
	Foley on Microsoft Vista: 5 Reasons to Deploy; 5 to Delay Which will you choose? by Mary Jo Foley
	Letters to Redmond Letters@Redmondmag.com: Nov. 2006 This month, readers take issue with our use of bikers to depict "IT Gone Bad." Plus, is Microsoft taking unfair advantage by jumping into the security market, or just doing its job? by Readers of Redmond magazine
	Windows Insider The Poor Man's VMFS Greg walks you through new ways to set up this technology. by Greg Shields
	Mr. Roboto Got the Time? Reader Tim FitzPatrick sends in a great scripting tip for managing time across time zones. by Don Jones
	Never Again Just Say No Drinking and disk management just don't mix. by Chris Murdoch
	Security Advisor To Outsource -- or Not For some security chores, outsourcing just might be the right answer. by Joern Wettern

October 2006
	Redmond Negotiator A Redmond Negotiator Mulligan Stew [online only] Tips, tidbits and other news from our Microsoft negotiating guru Scott Braden. by Scott Braden
	Integration Station Break Out the Case Studies [online only] Yes, vendor-sponsored case studies and whitepapers are notorious for not-too-honest marketing take on projects. However, if you know how to use them to your advantage, they can become one of the best research tools for any interop project. by Emmett Dulaney
	Foley on Microsoft What's Next for Microsoft's IE? With IE 7 due to go live shortly, it's time to start speculating about the next versions! by Mary Jo Foley
	Mr. Roboto Intelligent Transfer Lift the load of downloads using Window's Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) 2.0. by Don Jones
	Windows Insider Cut the Crap Using Microsoft's new File Storage Resource Manager tool to stop users from filling up their hard drives with all sorts of useless stuff. by Greg Shields
	Beta Man Windows PowerShell: Command Performance Windows PowerShell is almost ready for prime time. by Beta Man
	Security Advisor Risky Travels: Can You Stay Secure? Security risks for computer users on the go keep multiplying. by Joern Wettern
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) Bill for President Is it time for Gates in 2008? by Doug Barney
	Letters to Redmond Letters@Redmondmag.com: October 2006 Is the Redmond staff just a bunch of crybabies? One reader thinks so. Plus feedback on Microsoft's appetitie for competitors and more 3Com switch woes. by Readers of Redmond magazine
	Never Again SQL Slip Up What happens when a query goes wrong -- very, very wrong. by Jim Desmond

September 2006
	Redmond Negotiator Getting Serious About Microsoft Alternatives [online only] Scott offers realistic steps for gaining the ultimate bargaining chip when dealing with Microsoft: a willingness to move to something else. by Scott Braden
	Integration Station Simplifying Integration Emmett offers his top tips and advice to help any interop project run smoother. by Emmett Dulaney
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) Glutton for Market Share There seems to be no end to Microsoft's appetite for acquisitions and new markets. by Doug Barney
	Foley on Microsoft Microsoft Bloggers: A Who's Who Mary Jo lists her 10 favorite blogs by Microsoft employees. by Mary Jo Foley
	Windows Insider Spend Less Time Looking for Logs Here's Greg's short list of some key extended Active Directory log reports. by Greg Shields
	Security Advisor Do You Need an SSL VPN? Microsoft's recent acquisition of SSL VPN provider Whale could be a good catch for remote access. by Joern Wettern
	Beta Man HTTP Traffic Cop Major enhancements to ISA Server 2006 include better bandwidth controls and improved monitoring. by Beta Man
	Never Again Time Is Money Relocating and long commutes can be a waste of money and morale. by Barry McBride
	Letters to Redmond Letters@Redmondmag.com: September 2006 Visual Studio 2005, Microsoft and self-criticism, basic security measures and mobile productivity. by Readers of Redmond magazine

August 2006
	Integration Station Working with Microsoft's Services for Unix, Part 2 In the second of a two-part series, Emmett walks through setting up password synchronization in heterogenous environments. by Emmett Dulaney
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) Let's Get Small Upcoming Microsoft products will be more powerful and larger than their predecessors -- but with such great size comes great responsibilities. by Doug Barney
	Foley on Microsoft Microsoft's Future Is ... Robotics? Mary Jo talks with Microsoft about a world of robots. by Mary Jo Foley
	Mr. Roboto Get Your Shell On Automate admin tasks easier with the new Windows PowerShell. by Don Jones
	Security Advisor Bit by Bit Encrypt an entire system partition with Microsoft's BitLocker for Windows Vista. by Joern Wettern
	Windows Insider Get a Grip on Those Gripes From software packaging to lying users, the world can be an annoying place for IT admins. by Greg Shields
	Beta Man Deja Vu ISA Server 2006 is similar to its predecessor, but there's enough new stuff to make it worth a look. by Beta Man
	Never Again Virtual Panic On one sunny summer day, this IT manager's network turned slow and lazy -- to his consternation. by Hong-Lok Li
	Letters to Redmond Letters@Redmondmag.com: August 2006 Readers give their impressions of Microsoft's "digital work style." by Readers of Redmond magazine

July 2006
	Integration Station Working with Microsoft's Services for Unix, Part 1 [online only] In this first installment of a two-part series, Emmett explains how this free tool is essential for any integrator's toolbox. by Emmett Dulaney
	Redmond Negotiator Is Microsoft's SAM Just a Shakedown in Disguise? [online only] While Software Asset Management once showed promise for customers, Braden warns that the way Microsoft appears to be implementing the program should raise red flags. by Scott Braden
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) Say It Ain't So, Bill After three decades as the heart and soul of Microsoft, Bill Gates calls it quits. by Doug Barney
	Foley on Microsoft How to Fix Microsoft in Five (Not So) Easy Steps Mary Jo offers her tips on rectifying Microsoft's troubles. by Mary Jo Foley
	Mr. Roboto Shut Down, Already Use this script to shut down or reboot a group of computers. by Don Jones
	Windows Insider Virtually Ending Conflicts Microsoft seeks to end system software conflicts with SoftGrid. by Greg Shields
	Security Advisor Security Myths Exposed Joern demystifies common misconceptions about SSL and complex passwords. by Joern Wettern
	Never Again Time Machine An accidental power outage wreaks havoc in a data center. by Jeremy Price
	Letters to Redmond Letters@Redmondmag.com: July 2006 Politics and IT, eliminating spyware, password security and global warming. by Readers of Redmond magazine
	Beta Man Exchange Lockdown Security is the focus of the latest Exchange 12 beta. by Beta Man

June 2006
	Redmond Negotiator Last-Minute Deal Tips About to sign on the dotted line with Microsoft? You still have time to get the best deal possible. by Scott Braden
	Integration Station Defining Integration If you think of interop as simply getting Windows and Linux to talk to each other, then you're missing the true potential of both technologies. by Emmett Dulaney
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) The Barney Browser Doug offers his suggestions for the perfect Web browser. by Doug Barney
	Mr. Roboto Hoarding Logs Archive your security logs in one place with this command-line tool. by Don Jones
	Security Advisor Share and Share Alike Microsoft's Shared Computer Toolkit can help ease the pain of configuring security for a shared computer. by Joern Wettern
	Foley on Microsoft Office Dinosaurs Unite Microsoft is calling workers everywhere to join its "digital work style" revolution. by Mary Jo Foley
	Never Again I've Put My Finger on the Problem... Powering down the wrong server makes for a sticky situation, plus another admin shares his virus horror story. by Chris Grant and Adrian Dickreiter
	Letters to Redmond Letters@Redmondmag.com: June 2006 Extreme computing, beta testing, password tips, Microsoft Live and more. by Readers of Redmond magazine
	Windows Insider Speed Up Terminal Server Streamline your Terminal Services for Windows 2003 with these Registry tweaks. by Greg Shields

May 2006
	Redmond Negotiator Why Does Microsoft Keep Its Volume Pricing Secret? Hey Microsoft, want to really help your customers? Publish your volume licensing price list! (Yes, all of it!) by Scott Braden
	Integration Station Linux Printing in a Microsoft World (and Vice-Versa) [online only] Need to get Linux to access the printers on your Windows server? Or Windows clients to access your Linux printers? Our expert walks you through both scenarios, using SUSE Linux and Windows 2000 Server as primary examples. by Emmett Dulaney
	Beta Man Exchange 12: Unified Messaging Rules Check all your voice, text and fax messages through Exchange 12. by Beta Man
	Foley on Microsoft Microsoft Live: A Six-Month Report Card Mary Jo explains what the Live services are all about and how she rates their success so far. by Mary Jo Foley
	Never Again Out of Control Hell hath no fury like two employees scorned. by David Harding
	Mr. Roboto Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? Use this script to find out which time zones your computers are in. by Don Jones
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) Computers Make You Stupid Do we rely on our electronic counterparts too much? by Doug Barney
	Security Advisor Microsoft at Your Service Joern takes a look at Microsoft's new Live security services. by Joern Wettern
	Letters to Redmond Letters@Redmondmag.com: May 2006 Windows alternatives, Vista beta testing, and more. by Readers of Redmond magazine
	Windows Insider Extending Security Secure non-Microsoft server apps with your own SCW extensions. by Greg Shields

April 2006
	Redmond Negotiator Patents, Patches and Patently Absurd Ideas [online only] Microsoft's most recent patch Tuesday wasn't just about security, it also patched a licensing problem. Here's why you can expect to see more patches like this in the future, and why patches won't be the end of it. by Scott Braden
	Barney's Rubble (formerly Chief Concerns) Speak No Evil Politics pervades all things, including technology. by Doug Barney
	Mr. Roboto Service Control Freak Services are invaluable, but be sure to keep them from taking over. by Don Jones
	Windows Insider The Guiding Lights Harden your computers' defenses with the tips in these Microsoft studies. by Greg Shields
	Beta Man Exchange 12: Better Than Ever