What's New

• Windows Server 2012: IT Pros Will Need WS-MAN Remoting Skills (And Not Just for PowerShell)

  Don Jones breaks down why you won't be able to skip learning the WS-MAN protocol in Windows Server 2012.

• A United Microsoft: How Real Is It?

  Mary Jo Foley on how Microsoft is trying to unite itself, and whether it's actually working.

• 10 Years of Trustworthy Computing: The Current State of Windows Security

  A decade after launching its Trustworthy Computing initiative, Microsoft has come a long way but faces new challenges.

• Gartner: Governance and Strategy Key to SharePoint Deployments

  Gartner recently offered some tips on deploying Microsoft SharePoint, which requires lots of team effort and coordination.

• IT Maturity Part 4: Conclusions for a Successful IT Organization

  Success starts with finding the right person for the right job.

• Server Message Block 3.0: Microsoft's New Storage Model

  Considering buying a SAN? Stop what you're doing. The world of storage is about to change and its future lies in a surprisingly familiar protocol: the Server Message Block (SMB).

• Proper Employee Monitoring: Best Practices for Doing It Right

  Some companies demand that IT track Web use or go even deeper into user behavior. Here are some tips on how to do it right and what tools to use.

• Q&A: RSA Chief Art Coviello on 10 Years of Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing

  In an interview with Redmond, Coviello recalls where Microsoft was a decade ago when it announced Trustworthy Computing and the progress it has made since.

• Don Jones: Why I Use a Mac

  Yes, Redmond magazine columnist and Windows author and expert Don Jones uses a Mac -- and not just occasionally. Read on to find out why.

• 10 Common IT Security Blunders (and How To Avoid Them)

  While IT managers are trained early on to avoid obvious threats, many still fail to watch out for the basics. From password issues to excessive auditing to not using Group Policy, here's a list of 10 things to make sure your shop is taking care of.

• IT Maturity Part 3: What We Didn't See in a Successful Organization

  What's not working is sometimes more telling than what is working.

• Talking TechMentor: Now on the Microsoft Campus

  If you've ever considered attending our independent TechMentor training conference (and meeting some of your favorite Redmond authors in the process), this year may be the year.

• Dumping the Home Network for Office 365

  Brien discusses what brought him to the switch and how things are going with Microsoft's hosted suite.

• Windows 8 Enterprise Edition To Bring VDI Licensing Complications

  According to independent experts, licensing for Windows 8 Enterprise virtual desktops may end up costing you more and/or bring new restrictions.

• IT Maturity Part 2: Behaviors of a Successful IT Organization

  Success is hard to define. Especially in an IT organization where unmeasurable factors can make all the difference.

• Internet Service Providers To Become Piracy Police?

  With little news on how exactly ISPs will monitor illegal online activity, giving them this much power seems like a bad idea.

• IT Maturity Part 1: What Does a Successful IT Organization Look Like?

  Part one of Don Jones' blog series focuses on the criteria that makes an IT shop great.

• What To Expect in SharePoint 15

  A new version of the Microsoft collaboration and enterprise content management platform is in the works, and it will offer improved social networking, client and mobile UI enhancements, an app marketplace, and better cloud support. And that just scratches the surface.

• Windows 8: Show Us the Hardware!

  Mary Jo Foley points out that while Microsoft can talk Windows 8 all it wants, there's currently no hardware that can truly show off what Window 8 will do.

• 3 Reasons Office 365 Could Ultimately Fail

  After migrating a non-technical friend to Microsoft's Office 365, Greg now wonders whether the online suite can make it long-term.

• What's Wrong with SharePoint?: Third-Party SharePoint Developers Weigh In

  Stakeholders looking to Microsoft for guidance about this very complex product discuss what they don't like about SharePoint 2010 and what they'd like to see in the next version.

• Tech Outlook: SharePoint Takes a Bigger Piece of the ECM Pie

  As Microsoft boosts the product's functionality, SharePoint's influence grows.

• Think of Yourself as an Outsourced Services Provider

  Your clients aren't customers; part of doing your job right will be saying "no."

• Limits of Unlimited Storage

  The capability is there but, according to Doug, the tools are lacking.

• SharePoint 2010 Set-Up Guide: A Configuration Primer

  SharePoint 2010 is surprisingly complicated, but this primer will help simplify one of Microsoft's more powerful offerings.