Microsoft introduced transparent data encryption (TDE) when it released SQL Server 2008, adding full database encryption rather than the limited cell-based encryption that debuted in SQL Server 2005. While there are no major new TDE features in SQL Server 2012, Microsoft has upped the ante by enabling the database master keys to use the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 256 encryption algorithm. The earlier versions used the Triple Data Encryption Standard (TDE).
Bradley Ball, a senior consultant at Pragmatic Works Software and upcoming sessions speaker at this year's Live! 360 event, has a deep understanding of how to use database encryption in SQL Server 2012.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 11/05/201212 comments
Redmond columnist Don Jones is always the voice of reason. While many have been getting emotional about Windows 8, Don calmly sits down and rationally analyzes the value of this radically new OS.
Jones sees some business reasons for the new OS and makes an argument for companies to love all those Windows Store App tiles.
DirectAccess, which replaces VPNs for remote access, works much better under Win 8.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 11/05/20123 comments
Readers share their thoughts on Google's Eric Schmidt assessment that Microsoft is no longer relevant:
Schmidt is delusional!
In the 1980s Microsoft took the business market away from Apple, then it took the educational market from Apple. In the 1990s, Microsoft took the server market away from Unix (leaving only the research computing market for Linux to dominate).
In the 2000s, Microsoft took a large part of the database market from a number of now-defunct companies. It also took the netbook market away from Linux and kept the Linux desktop market share at around 1 percent and the MacOSX desktop/notebook market at around 9 percent.
In 2010, Apple started to eat into the Windows consumer notebook market with the iPad and now, in 2012, Microsoft has decided to take on Apple once again with it's own tablet.
Google's Schmidt can rant all he wants but Android has been around longer than the iPad and, as a class of devices, has not made a dent in the iPad market except at the very low end. The only reason Android got any traction in smartphones was because the first three Apple iPhones were not available anywhere in the USA except on the AT&T network.
I would not declare Microsoft dead (or even breathing hard) based upon anything Schmidt says about the company.
-Marc
Always enjoy reading your column. This one had me laughing. I know Google has its hands in just about everything in the computing world. But it truly seems you hit this nail on the head with Eric Schmidt sticking his foot in his mouth.
If Microsoft weren't a real contender, particularly in light of all the points you made, why would Google be spending so much time, energy and money to overcome it? (Chrome browser, Chromebook, etc.) For a company that started as a search engine, it has certainly made headway in a lot of different areas outside of programming.
Personally, I don't think Microsoft and Google are really competing in the same marketplace anyway. Microsoft is and has for a very long time been focusing on the enterprise customer. Servers, databases and Web servers aren't something the typical home user shops for. Google may have been trying to get into the enterprise markets by advertising Gmail as an alternative to Exchange. And it has an msi package to install the Chrome browser in an enterprise. But even that is lacking real control. Does Google have anything else besides Google docs for the enterprise? (I hear from some that Google Docs is not all that. Plus, it doesn't really play nice with IE 9.)
I think it would be a nice change of pace for consumers in the enterprise and home markets if all these companies would accept that they are going to have to share our business. I may stick to my Windows box, but that doesn't mean it's my only computer and it doesn't mean I have brand loyalty.
I don't believe Microsoft or Google will outclass the other. Neither can fulfill my computing needs all on their own. They should understand that and accept it.
-Pamela
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Posted by Doug Barney on 11/02/20122 comments
Windows has long had remarkable market share, well over 90 percent for most of its mature life. Now Forrester says that share is down to just 30 percent. So what took over? The Mac, Linux, some new-fangled PC OS? No, it is all smartphones.
This kind of math makes for a good headline, but is horrible research. A smartphone is not a PC, nor is a tablet (unless it's a Surface).
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Posted by Doug Barney on 11/02/201218 comments
Once you decide to run SharePoint in the cloud, what's the best way to present it to your various constituents as a service? Jeremy Thake, an enterprise architect at AvePoint Inc. and upcoming sessions speaker at this year's Live! 360 event, has experience working with organizations that have numerous workloads and has taken time to answer some questions for those considering taking the SharePoint plunge.
Q: Why should a shop consider online SharePoint?
A: The main reason to look for a cloud-based provider for SharePoint is to outsource the operational and maintenance costs of running SharePoint on-premises. If you put it into perspective, while organizations are cognizant of the hardware cost of SharePoint on-premises, they often forget about the real estate, power, redundant systems and staff that are also necessary. When you take all of this into account, the reduced-cost story becomes even more compelling.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 11/02/20120 comments
Why have one launch event when you can have three? That was Microsoft's thinking as it held its third launch event in less than five days on Monday. This time around, Windows Phone 8 was the guest of honor.
Just like the events for Microsoft Surface and Windows 8, presentations by Joe Belfiore, Steve Ballmer and Jessica Alba (yes, it was as awkward as you can imagine) were light on news and heavy on cheerleading. But that's the whole point of these events. For us that have followed these products since their conceptions, these events aren't for us; they're to let the general public know that these products are now awaiting your money.
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Posted by Chris Paoli on 10/31/20120 comments
There are many options now for running SharePoint in the cloud, but the question is: Should you make the move? And if the answer is yes, then which alternative cloud offering should you choose? Office 365, Windows Azure or one of many third-party cloud providers?
Richard Harbridge, a senior SharePoint architect and upcoming sessions speaker at this year's Live! 360 event, will address the pitfalls of moving SharePoint to the cloud.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 10/31/20120 comments
Every time Google's Eric Schmidt opens his mouth, his foot flies in. His latest spout of idiocy is calling Microsoft well run but then arguing it isn't part of today's fight for computing supremacy.
If you read me with any regularity you know I am the furthest thing from a Microsoft apologist. And I fully admit that Microsoft is not sexy (never has been, doesn't try to be) and when it comes to new technologies is clearly overshadowed by the iPad, Facebook and some of Google's cooler services.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 10/29/20126 comments
The New York Times has an article discussing how BlackBerry users are so embarrassed about their devices that they hide them when in public. Now I've complained loads about my BlackBerry but that means I admit to the world that I have one.
The folks in the Times' article are worried that Android and iPhone users will think less of them. Poppycock! These are the same folks that have to a fancy, new car when their old one was perfectly fine, and have to have everything their neighbors have. Shallow.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 10/29/20122 comments
A half-dozen years ago virtualization startups were all the rage. It seems that once or twice a week I was meeting with the head of this or that new company. So where are they now? Some are out of business, some are still around in a low-key way and some got sold (Microsoft bought its fair share).
One in particular stood out. One that was utterly aggressive in making its name known. And that name was Veeam.
Many companies have names that don't mean a darn thing -- most names that actually make sense have been taken. At first blush Veeam may seem like nonsense, but it actually indicates VM. It took me a while to figure that out.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 10/29/20124 comments
Wouldn't you know it, the very week I install Office 2010, Office 2013 becomes available (for some). The new productivity suite is accompanied by Exchange 2013, SharePoint 2013 and Lync 2013 -- all considered Office 2013 Servers.
The products are all now available to TechNet and MSDN subscribers. General availability is generally expected early next year.
Which of these tools are you itching to try? Let us all know at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/29/20120 comments
Forgive me if I don't show the requisite excitement over the formal announcement of Windows 8 and Surface tablets yesterday. Nothing new came out of the fanfare.
In the case of Surface, prices have already been revealed and orders taken. Why stop what we are doing and pay attention to what is
essentially a regurgitation of what is already known?
As for Windows 8, nothing has really changed since I interviewed you all a few months ago.
The events were held to reiterate the fact that Surface RT, the ARM-based tablet that doesn't run any existing x86-compatible apps (but does have a long battery life and solid state storage), and Windows 8 are now available.
It is no surprise that Microsoft is proud of Windows 8, and said so in a one-hour press conference in New York City. "Windows 8 PCs are the best PCs ever. The lineup is both diverse and stunning," boasted CEO Steve Ballmer.
Beside announcing its own Surface machines, Redmond showed wares from Dell, Acer, ASUS and Lenovo.
These OEMs' prices aren't much different than Microsoft's Surface prices. Around 500 smackers gets you a tablet with no keyboard, roughly similar in function and price to an iPad. An extra yard gets you that keyboard and the world of real functionality that comes with it (or you could use a cheaper, Bluetooth-enabled keyboard).
Are you eying a new Win 8 or Win RT machine? If so, spill the details at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/26/201219 comments