Technet resources....

Based on the email I receive, I sometimes wonder if people know about all of the excellent Technet offerings we have. I took some time today to link out to some cool Technet properties. Some you will know very well. Others might be new to you. Check them out!

Technet Webcasts -- Many of you watch the webcasts I deliver and I truly appreciate your attendance and feedback. Did you know that we archive all of our webcasts for on-demand viewing? In most cases you can even download a WMV file and watch offline at your convenience. You can search for archived, on-demand webcasts at the Technet Webcasts site.

Technet Virtual Labs -- I recently set up Forefront Security for Exchange on an Exchange 2007 Edge Server at home. I had never built out an Exchange Edge server or configured Edge subscriptions so instead of fumbling through it in a lab I would have had to build at home, instead I used the Technet Virtual lab on configuring Edge services to test things first, Afterwards, my own implementation at home went smooth as silk! It saved me a tremendous amount of time. Not to mention the effort of having to build out test machines. The Technet Virtual labs are perfect for this kind of learning and testing.

Technet Events -- One of the primary functions of my role is to speak to live audiences about the cool products and technologies that Microsoft has. With our recent re-alignment there are now 6-7 of us that cover the entire United States. You will some new faces in your part of the world and I will be one of them. I still cover the Pacific Northwest as my primary area but I am also about to make a whirlwind tour of the western United States. I will be in Boise, Spokane, Portland, New York (for InterOp), Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Las Vegas (For Windows/Exchange Connections), Irvine, Riverside, Albuquerque, and Phoenix all before the end of the year. You can register at any of those links or search for events in your area at the main Technet Site.

Technet Flash -- The Technet Flash is a customizable bi-weekly newsletter with gobs of information for IT Pros. It only takes a couple of minutes to sign up and customize. You can even view the current and archived Flashes so you don't have to wait for the next one to hit your Inbox. The Scripting Guys are regular contributors. The most recent Microsoft KB articles are previewed in the flash. Lots of good stuff!

Technet Plus Subscriptions -- With a Technet Plus subscription, IT Pros get access to manage Support Newsgroups, two complimentary support incedents, early access to beta releases and other software, full version *non-time-bombed* products to install for testing and evaluation, and of course all of the other support tools and technical information that IT Pros need.

Technet Script Center -- Scripting allows administrators to automate tedious day-to-day tasks providing for hands-off administration of their increasingly complex networks. I have used some of the scripts for the Script Center on my home network with much success. Build your own repository from the sample scripts provided.

Cheers!