When pundits claimed in recent years that Google was a major Microsoft competitor I scoffed. That's because back then they weren't. Their apps were bare-bones and the company's enterprise story weaker than a Keith Richards bicep.
But just as Microsoft has done time and time again, Google hung in there and its story slowly got better. Now Google Apps are stealing real business from Redmond, and with over 1,000 Google resellers, these apps are only going to get stronger.
I say good. Without competition, what incentive does Microsoft have to lower prices or fundamentally improve? In fact, you could argue that Google Apps drove Microsoft to build a free (albeit ad-driven) version of Office.
Even some Microsoft partners are starting to push Google. This could get real fun real soon.
Is Google a credible alternative to Office or just another lumbering monopoly? Tell it straight at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 05/17/2010 at 1:17 PM5 comments
IT is a nerve-wracking profession. You have dopey end-users, unrealistic bosses and vendors looking to squeeze out every dime.
And then you have hacker creeps. Amplitude Research feels your pain and just released a report detailing what worries you the most.
Busting through the network is the number one fear, so say nearly 40 percent of those polled. A close second is "risky user activity" such as visiting malicious Web sites or falling victim to phishing schemes.
Social media also raises IT blood pressure as these sites can give hackers access to information that should really be kept private (especially given Facebook's lax attitude towards privacy).
Finally an increasing number of you are worried that the cloud is insecure, a topic we're tackling in the June issue of Redmond.
What are your biggest security concerns? How do you train your users to be careful? Should Facebook be more circumspect with our information? Shoot your answers, not you buffer overflow attacks, to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 05/14/2010 at 1:17 PM0 comments
With almost half of shops planning on migrating to Exchange 2010 in the next year, here's a reader's plans regarding the new version:
I'm investigating Exchange 2010 migration. We moved to 2007 last year, but we would like to take advantage of the archiving feature in 2010 (and other features). I will wait for SP1 for sure.
-Adrian
Another reader chimes in on the changing face of Apple's image:
Apple is the cult of tech users. Ever try to debate -- not argue -- about the merits of your PC system vs. their Apple's system? I'm not sure what kind of subliminal messages are sent through that one button mouse, but it has got to be some powerful stuff!
Now their façade is cracking, be it ever so slightly, with the crusade against Adobe Flash and sending the paratroopers to Gizmodo. The Flash thing didn't raise the attention of the general public, but Gizmodo did, pointing out that the Apple faithful will do anything for a glimpse of what they will pay for next.
Who will fall on their swords to defend Apple now, and how much longer will they do so?
-Heidi
After asking readers how they train users in security, one reader responds:
I have found that education of users is very important in helping with security, especially teaching them not to click or respond to suspicious e-mails, Web sites, etc. Showing some basic examples of suspicious e-mails and how they may attempt to trick you has been helpful. Now the people I work with will inform me about suspicious content so that I can investigate before systems have incurred any damage from malware. Keeping up on the standard processes -- basic network security, firewalls, patching, etc. -- is important. Adding the element of user education brings another tool to your use and further reduces the likelihood of malware taking root.
-Craig
Share your thoughts with the editors of this newsletter! Write to [email protected]. Letters printed in this newsletter may be edited for length and clarity, and will be credited by first name only (we do NOT print last names or e-mail addresses).
Posted by Doug Barney on 05/14/2010 at 1:17 PM0 comments
If Elena Kagan is confirmed for the Supreme Court, she may have a say in the future of Microsoft Word.
In case you hadn't heard, software company i4i sued Microsoft claiming Word violated an i4i XML patent. i4i won, Microsoft appealed and i4i won again. Now the patent is fully substantiated by the U.S. Patent Office.
You'd think Microsoft has nowhere to turn, especially since it already stripped the offending code from Word. But no, Microsoft is considering taking this puppy all the way to the Supreme Court. Kagan better start reading up an XML and metacode maps!
Should Microsoft keep pushing, or put its lawyers to a different use? You tell me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 05/14/2010 at 1:17 PM3 comments
If you are an average schmoe, you'll have to wait a month to get your mitts on Office 2010 or SharePoint 2010. If you are an enterprise licensee, well you can get the finished goods right now.
I've seen Office 2010 and interviewed many of you that tested this bad boy, and if you like feature-rich software, this Bud's for you.
Office 2010 is truly for the power user. You can do all kinds of crazy formatting, produce videos and slice and dice data six ways to Sunday.
And if you have SharePoint, SQL Server and Office Communication Server, you can integrate and communicate to your heart's content. Perhaps communicate too well.
Posted by Doug Barney on 05/14/2010 at 4:59 PM0 comments
Another reader comments on why the negativity towards the ribbon is counterproductive:
You know, sometimes you just have to accept change -- even if it's more painful, at first, than not changing.
I was once employed by a brick-and-mortar retailer. We used an OS/2-based point of sale (POS) system that was essentially 100 percent text-based. You pressed function keys to engage specific tasks, like ringing in a sale or a return. I was eventually tasked with writing a new POS, in-house, and entirely from scratch -- for Windows 95. Unfortunately, the main business goal was to minimize impact -- so I essentially had to eschew this great GUI-based environment and resort to having people press function keys.
The moral? Sticking with an old paradigm for too long holds back functionality. It was years later than a successor developer was able to break the mold and finally create a real GUI-based POS, which was easier to use, easier to train new associates on and so forth. It also offered better transaction models, making for faster checkouts and happier customers, and the ability to more easily integrate new initiatives like gift cards and whatnot.
A new UI like the Ribbon can obviously be painful. Windows was painful for its first DOS-accustomed users. The Start menu was painful for Program Manager adherents. But, as readers Mike, Randy and Heidi point out, once you get used to it it can be easier and more productive. Heidi, in particular, is dead-on: Office's old toolbars had grown entirely too cumbersome as Office's functionality began to require an increasing number of them. Office was overdue for a fresher UI concept, and as professional technologists we should really just get on-board.
Personally, I'm not a big Ribbon fan myself. My next version of Office (Office Mac 2010) is Ribbon-ized, so I'll just have to get used to it. I'm sure once I do I'll be just as happy with it as I am with the current "Inspector" UI approach.
-Don
Share your thoughts with the editors of this newsletter! Write to [email protected]. Letters printed in this newsletter may be edited for length and clarity, and will be credited by first name only (we do NOT print last names or e-mail addresses).
Posted by Doug Barney on 05/12/2010 at 1:17 PM1 comments
Microsoft is offering current Open Value customers Office 2010 for half off -- but you better move fast -- this deal is only good through June. And the 50 percent discount is only for Office 2003 and 2007 customers. Older versions are simply too ancient to qualify.
I'm not sure if IT can decide about this migration by July. Let's face it. Office 2010 hasn't even shipped. All your testing on macro, hardware and application compatibility are based on unfinished software.
I hear great things about Office 2010 (as long as you are a ribbon fan) and even wrote a cover story with your help.
But as good as 2010 sounds, it's the little things that take lots of testing that'll get ya.
What do you think? Are you moving to Office 2010, sticking with the old, or do you have an alternative productivity suite? You tell me at [email protected].
By the way, the much talked about Office 2010 (there really are no Office 2010 secrets) will be announced today. This is like Obama announcing the pick of Elena Kagan for the Supreme Court. If we all already know what you're going to say, how is that an announcement?
Posted by Doug Barney on 05/12/2010 at 1:17 PM3 comments
User Account Control in Vista and Window 7 is either God's gift to security or the bane of end users -- or maybe both. Two things often happen. Either UAC privileges are restricted, in which case users' machines are locked down; or, they have full admin rights, and you have no control over rogue software.
ScriptLogic has a new free tool, Privilege Authority, which aims to meet halfway in between.
With Privilege Authority, end-users are not full administrators, but IT can set policies and guidelines that grant admin-style privileges for special occasions.
For instance, Privilege Authority can grant admin rights to application installers so all your corporate software is up to date.
To get the most out of the tool, ScriptLogic launched a community Web site.
Posted by Doug Barney on 05/12/2010 at 1:17 PM1 comments
Hyper-V is now a more than credible contender in the server hypervisor space and is gaining new features and tools everyday (not everyday, more like once a week). This week four new virt tools either debuted or got enhanced.
First up is not a Hyper-V tool per se, but a tool that helps App-V (the application virtualization product Microsoft acquired from Softricity) deploy Office 2010.
On the Hyper-V side we have:
- Virtual Machine Servicing Tool 3.0, which updates VMs when they are not online.
- Hyper-V Best Practice Analyzer, which double checks your configurations.
- And Linux Integration Services 2.1, which can now see if Linux guests are actually working.
Are you using Hyper-V and if so, are you moving away from VMware? Share your stories at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 05/12/2010 at 1:17 PM0 comments
If you are a pre-alpha junkie, you may want to download the second preview of Internet Explorer 9. However, if you want a browser that actually does something, you should probably wait for a later version.
IE 9 is truly in its early stages, and as such, the browser is in a test form that has no real controls. The main goal of the test release is for developers to understand its performance, and see how the browser adopts newly evolving standards such as HTML 5. The idea is that if developers write Web-based applications against the standards, those apps should work on IE 9 and other like-minded browsers. Microsoft has generated a number of HTML 5 tests, with some showing different interpretations of standards by browser makers.
For those interested, Microsoft has an amazingly in-depth blog on IE 9.
Posted by Doug Barney on 05/10/2010 at 1:17 PM1 comments
I know that 2010 is already here, but all the Microsoft products ending with those numbers aren't -- though soon most will be. To prime the pump, Microsoft has a new toolkit, the Proof of Concept Jumpstart Kit, which lets you test Office 2010, Windows 7 and more quite thoroughly by running them virtually. This way you don't have to deal with all the problems of installing new software.
The kit can also look backwards, letting you test older tools such as SQL Server 2005 and 2008.
How do you evaluate new software and are there any packages you are really looking forward to? Answers to both welcome at [email protected].
Posted on 05/10/2010 at 1:17 PM0 comments
Tomorrow is the second Tuesday of the month, which for Microsoft shops means it's time to patch. This time there is two fixes deemed critical. One bulletin fixes application problems from Office XP to Office 2003 and 2007. Apparently, remote code execution attacks can be waged through Visual Basic for Application.
The other bulletin fixes operating systems, and is mainly aimed at Windows 2000, Windows XP, Vista and Server 2003 and 2008. The good news is operating systems properly configured aren't really at risk, Microsoft says.
Are hack attacks getting worse or are we beating these creeps back? You tell me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 05/10/2010 at 1:17 PM0 comments