So one thing that has occurred to me over the past three months of being a dad is that munchkin's have the coolest, exciting, comfortable clothes around. I submit into evidence exhibit A below, a picture of Oli wearing her one piece suit and sock shoes!

Exhibit A - Sock Shoes

OK, so have I been stuck in the shed with the lids off my paint tins again? No!! I've been thinking...

Why can't adults have such comfort and convenience. I would love a pair of socks of appropriate thickness and durability, printed with a leather shoe and sock design, that I could wear to work. Off course I would still wear shoes, but only to and from the office. But while in the safe confines of my carpeted castle, I would take off my "outside" shoes to reveal my "inside" shoes, then conduct my daily business routinely. At meetings, my colleagues would not even notice that I wasn't wearing "real" shoes, as it would appear to the casual voyeur that I in fact, I was. And all the while, comfort would be my companion.

Now as for the one piece armless jumpsuit...

So last Friday I was invited to be part of a panel session with my fellow Microsoft'ees Nigel Watson and Chris Vidotto, hosted by MOSSIG's Tim Wragg.

The panel was asked to consider the impact of emerging and developing platforms, such as the cloud and next generation mobility, on current platforms such as Sharepoint Server.

During the session I was asked how would I describe "the cloud". Now, I've spent a fair bit of time thinking about this question myself, and have gone between a number of ideas, but at that point, all I could think off was "Think of the cloud, as the mother of all servers!".

Now, I admit I am a simple man, but before you tip your cup of Quietly Camomile over while scrambling for the comment button, let me tease this out.

For me, there are a couple of reasons why I think the cloud is just a big server.

Firstly, if we go back to that time in desktop computing where there was no such thing as client/server, everything just ran on one machine. As people started to work together in an organisation, they started to need a central place to keep stuff, so came the network computer and client/server was born.  Developers then made decisions around where to deploy certain components of a solution based on whether it was required by one user or required my many. We're back at this point again, only the reach needs of users is extending past the firewall, and the problem of where to deploy shared services is upon us again. Developers are now faced with the problem of where to deploy components of a solution that are needed by one, by many within the organisation, or by many outside the organisation. They need a server somewhere outside their organisational network where they can put their components, but preferably somewhere accessible by their other collaborators. For me, this server is the cloud.

The other aspect is the cloud is not the same as the Internet. The reason for this is that the cloud as a commercial technology concept has the attribute of ownership attached. Therefor, the Microsoft Cloud is different from anyone else's cloud, because unlike the Internet, which is more like public infrastructure, we determine what our cloud does or doesn't do, what is installed or not, who gets access and not.

Finally, the cloud is more than just a bunch of packaged services. The cloud, like a server, has an inherent architecture and set of capabilities, but the fun begins when developers exploit these capabilities to create brand new capabilities.

For me, as a simple person, the way I see the cloud now is really an extension of my server, but for the Internet. If it's to work, it needs to be a seamless extension, one where I simply decide that the characteristics of my solution require an environment that does not reside within my organisations sphere of control, where scalability must happen on demand and reliability is the same whether one or one million users are loaded.

Now, the key here is that the cloud is going to mean something different for everyone. A developer working in-house, a consultant at a Systems Integrator, an architect building bespoke software or an engineer working for a product company, are all going to have different factors that influence their needs and influence their decision to leverage the cloud.

Main thing is, everyone's gonna need one... I hope! ;)

In keeping with my intense desire to constantly improve my top line, I've accepted a new job!

I'll be taking on the role of Chief Weapons Controller at SkyVault, where my colleague Crystal and I will dispatch systems to our team of Centurions as they battle the evil Doc Terror!

Well, ok, so I didn't get that job, but I did one that is just as cool!

My new job will be the Sr. Product Manager for Cloud Services, based at HQ in Redmond, Washington. I'll start my new role while still in Australia, then relocate with Yil, Oli and the doggies to the U.S., probably some time in June.

What will my new job involve? Well, I'll pretty much be spending heaps of time on our cloud stuff, working with the various product engineering groups who are building the new shiny bits, marinating in their cloudy goodness, then spreading the word via blogs, conferences (PDC too, yesh!), and the power of love; that kind of thing. 

Why am I moving? Because I strongly believe that the cloud offers Microsoft an unreal chance to redefine the boundaries of our application platform. To take the whole S+S thing into a new playing field. And to be on the ground floor as we do this is a dream come true! Also, I just miss Franky!

Will I forget everyone in Australia? Probably. I don't know, jeez! Depends on what presents I get. No, no, only joking... *whispers under breath* I better get good presents!

Will Microsoft Australia be waiting until the body goes cold? Not at all! In fact, we're looking for my replacement as I type. So if you are, or know someone, who would love to do what I do (at Microsoft I mean), then send me an email.

Anyhoo, I'm off to get my lego hair and high pants fitted, but please leave comments and let me know how much you'll miss me (or leave porn spam... you know who you are!).

Ba bye!

Cat and Andrew have tagged me as part of the chain meme going around, so here are 8 little known things about moi. But first:

The background/rules:-

1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

My 8 tidbits:-

1. Both my parents were born in Sri Lanka (Ceylon)

2. My first car was a magnificent 1967 Holden HR Special

3. I have a half sleeve tattoo on my right arm

4. I appeared on The Price is Right as a model when I was 17 years old (My gridiron team was invited to sit in the car when it was driven out)

5. I was born in Melbourne but spent 7 years in Western Australia from ages 7 to 14 during which time my parents owned and ran a pizza shop!

6. My middle name is Jonathan

7. I'm currently studying Law at Monash University in their Juris Doctor/LLM program

8. I once applied to be a Navy Pilot but was advised during my JOES day that flying machinery was not something I should consider ;)

So now to tag 8 folks I'd like to know 8 random things about:

• Shane Morris
• Nigel Watson
• Graham Elliott
• Tim Wragg
• Ben Riga
• Phil Richardson
• Jorke Odolphi
• Brian Madsen

Franky sent me a wonderful little present that arrived today:

Every "fact" is pure gold. And what makes it even more special is its now almost legendary status!

So to leave you with a random fact, let me open the book to...

Page 72 - "If you ask Chuck Norris what time it is, he always says, 'Two seconds till.' After you ask, 'Two seconds till what?' he roundhouse kicks you in the face."

Pure gold!

From the CRM Resource Center, some great goodies!

• 11 Things to Know About Customization - Conceptual article aimed at system administrators, developers, people who customize CRM. This article contains links to 11 other articles in a series format. Revised for 4.0.
• Design considerations for business units - Conceptual article aimed at system administrators, people who deploy and customize CRM. This one is about structuring CRM for your business hierarchy. Revised for 4.0.
• Edit your Site Map: Configure the Site Map to customize application navigation - Combination how-to and conceptual article for system customizers, developers, and system administrators. New for 4.0.
• Close multiple activities with a workflow - Scenario-based article with how-to steps for one of 4.0’s new features. General interest. New for 4.0.
• To delete or not to delete: How Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook handles deleted records - This article explains some of the behavior of CRM that causes confusion for users. It contains guidelines and 2 tables with examples. General interest. New for 4.0.

All the above articles are focused on CRM 4.0 ;)

OK, now I know the public perception of Dave Lemphers is that of a hard nosed corporate assassin who deals with only the most challenging challenges, worthy of my Hasselhoff like good looks and Norris agility. A pitbull in a pinstripe suit some might say.

But even the most deft business master has a soft side. So when I received this heartfelt message from Sabrin B (lidayfoss@holidays.net) in my Junk Email folder, I was touched to say the least.

I mean, who doesn't want to cook while being watched by someone sitting under a blanket (preferably if they are in the same room, not across the street in a blacked out, cockroach infested bedsitter). I now fully understand how Britney felt when Chris Crocker was moved to do something similar.

And oh the thought of kissing some ones hair (lips are so overrated). Or having someone feed me fruit using their hands for once (feet just don't do food justice). Or how I've yearned to "click" someone from behind (I'm not sure what that's street talk for?).

But alas Sabrin, I already have someone who watches my smile while I sleep (and I don't think he wants someone else joining him in the large oak tree at the back of my house), so you will have to continue your search.

All I can say is... I hope you am find the thoughtfulness and care hugs you seek :)

Happy reading,

Dave.

Shanemo and I went for an adventure today, down to Myer to see the new Asus Eee.

The first thing that hits you is how small it is, that's a 20c coin next to it!

The next thing that hits you is how fast and responsive the Linux OS is. The trick is it doesn't do lots of nearly worthwhile things, but does a few very useful things. Always a good move.

Next, it has all the bits and pieces you'd expect from a full strength notebook. It has 3 USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet and Telephony ports, Video out port, Webcam, cool touch pad with a single multifunction touch pad button (press on the left side is left click, right side is right click), speakers, and audio out and microphone jacks.

It is light as (under 1 kg), and also has a Windows version coming out very soon.

To be honest, it's a great buy, and at $499 AUD, it meets the number one rule of product selling, don't make the purchasing decision too hard. At that price, with those features, the decision to buy is not intensive, which is why these little machines are running out like hot cakes.

Noice.

Btw, if anyone at Asus would like me to "test" one of these babies (or any mobile computer for that matter), please feel free to furnish me with goodies ;)

Another delivery of Dynamics CRM 4 goodies just arrived, and this time, it's a couple of very handy data sheets.

Win, Drive, Grow Datasheet (breadth) provides an overview of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM product that is non-version specific. Use this breadth data sheet in situations where high-level general exposure to the Microsoft Dynamics CRM product is needed.

Enterprise Brochure (depth) focuses on details relevant to enterprise implementations. Use this depth brochure to detail Microsoft Dynamics CRM to enterprise customers.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 - What’s New data sheet provides an overview of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 product features and is intended to be used in conjunction with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 What’s New – Top 60 Features Guide (to be released next week). This data sheet provides a quick overview of 4.0 whereas the guide delves into feature details.

The data sheets are best used when you want to give someone a high level snapshot of CRM's capabilities, as the starting point for a more detailed discussion.

As always, enjoy :)

Today's good oil is four BDM decks for CRM 4.

CRM Overview BDM Deck – High-level summary of the CRM suite capabilities and overall business.  Leverage this deck to kick off sales discussions.

Marketing BDM Deck – Deeper dive into Marketing to help business decision makers better understand the capabilities and value of leveraging Microsoft Dynamics CRM for marketing organizations (including customer evidence, etc.).  Use this deck in conjunction with the CRM Overview BDM Deck.

Sales BDM Deck - Deeper dive into Sales to help business decision makers better understand the capabilities and value of leveraging Microsoft Dynamics CRM for sales organizations (including customer evidence, etc.).  Use this deck in conjunction with the CRM Overview BDM Deck.

Service BDM Deck - Deeper dive into service to help business decision makers better understand the capabilities and value of leveraging Microsoft Dynamics CRM for service organizations (including customer evidence, etc.).  Use this deck in conjunction with the CRM Overview BDM Deck.

BDM decks are unreal for those who are trying to position the business value of CRM 4 to internal stakeholders or customers.

They are really slick and shiny, and provide a great base to build on if you're trying to paint a bigger picture.

I've uploaded them to Skydrive, but they will be also publicly available on the usual Microsoft sites very soon.

Enjoy :)

OK, so since my last post on my new costume for the CRM 4 DevJam, I've had a bunch of emails asking:

1. What is the CRM 4 DevJam?

2. Who is running it?

3. Where is it being run?

4. What's the format?

5. What's the cost?

All great questions.

The CRM 4 DevJam is just an idea I came up with to help get developers trained on Microsoft CRM 4.

The idea is that it is run by the local user groups, with content and VPC's provided by Microsoft.

My hope was that it would be run everywhere in Oz, but it really depends on local state support from the community, to actually facilitate the days.

The format I thought was really basic, to make sure the barrier to running it was low. So I thought, what if it was BYO laptop, with hard drives and wireless storage servers setup with the VPC on them, so folks could get in early and copy the stuff down (it's also already available on the web). Then, it would be a set of hands on lab sessions on how to develop on CRM 4. The training content is already baked and tested for extra flavor, so need to stress about that.

Finally, the goal would be to keep the cost low. With some clever thinking, I reckon the event could be run free, if we leverage the local user groups (.NET, SharePoint, CRM, whichever) and their local Microsoft office folks.

Now, this is where the rubber meets the road. I live in Melbourne, so getting my community peeps together is a cinch. Most of my .NET and Dynamics mafia live in Sydney, so getting that cranking is also easy. My challenge is QLD, ACT, WA (I'm already watching my Inbox Brian!), SA and TAS.

So what I need to know is, who can I reach out to in states other than VIC and NSW to help get a CRM 4 DevJam going? And what are folks thoughts about the way to get these going?

Holla!

Well, it finally arrived, and how splendid it is!

So where am I planning to wear this fantastic garb to? Well, to the community CRM 4 launch!

When is that? Good question. Not sure. I'm working on the plan now, but my high level thinking is that we run a weekend DevJam in conjunction with the local User Groups, and serve up some of the hot developer training content that was developed at HQ in Redmond by the product team (9 smoking HOLs on how to do everything from custom entities to workflow to plug-ins, in Visual Studio, Sharepoint and CRM).

My thoughts at this point is we (those passionate about CRM 4 development) reach out to the local user group el presidentes, work with them to setup events in each city through their favorite training company, then run a full day of hands-on lab style training and breakouts.

What do folks think? Is this something we can do? Who wants to put their hands up to help me do this! We can try and get some sponsorship from local companies (I'll put my hand up to run around with the hat), and I reckon if I cry loud enough, big daddy (MSFT) will cough up some cash too. I'll also front the VPC images and lab manuals.

Spread the word. And what's more, if we can stagger the dates, then I'll do my very best to bring Optimus to a local Dynamics CRM 4 Community DevJam near you ;)

I've been working on a CRM/GPS/Mobile demo app as an example of how to leverage your Windows Mobile 6 device as a field tool when dealing with customers.

Like most field based agents, I spend quite a bit of time moving around. I'm either walking or driving, and generally I'm on my way to see a customer or just leaving.

As I was looking around for some industry specific examples of field based CRM tools, I came across our Windows Automotive site, and Ford's Sync site.

Now, my imagination immediately went to work. See, one of the major issues I have about using all my favorite online tools, such as CRM Live, Flickr or Twitter, is that I can't really do any of these things in the car. Not only because it's kinda unsafe to be rummaging around with my phone while driving, but the experience isn't the type of experience I expect when inside a car.

I was thinking specifically of a customer I worked with last year who was trying to develop a field support tool using CRM and Windows Mobile. The main part of the system was to take information from Exchange and CRM (mainly the upcoming appointment and task info for customers), then mash that with Virtual Earth to create a map based appointment schedule. But also to allow the field agent to attach photos and video files to the contact after the visit (it was a property maintenance application).

Now, the solution we pitched was based on using the Windows Mobile device as the main device, however, the only way to solve the in-car problem was to simply mount the phone on the dashboard using an inexpensive plastic holder.

Ideally, having some kind of in-car platform would have been the way to go. Imagine getting into your car, your Windows Mobile establishes a BT connection to your in-car computer platform running Vista (or something), the phone kicks of Internet Sharing so the car now has Internet access, then the in-car screen kick in with a digital dashboard of widgets, showing not only email info, customer and next appointment info, but also other data like latest Twitter info or Flickr feeds.

Or event better, why not have your car just be Internet connected, using your existing 3G account, and have it use a similar system to the Vista SideShow so that when the car is in low power mode, it's sync'ing your emails and contacts and such. That's were I imagine the Ford Sync platform going.

Either way, the opportunity for developers to start targeting in-car platforms is getting to be a reality, as no matter what you think about Microsoft, the one awesome thing we do well is making it easier for developers to spread into new areas, and personally, I would love nothing more than to start developing cool widgets for in-car computing. I mean, the thought of being productive and connected within my car definitely spins my rims ;)

There are two types of email:

1. Email that you need to attend to because it directly affects you. Eg. Email from your accountant telling you the ATO is about to sue your butt for tax evasion.

2. Email that someone else needs you to attend to because it directly affects them.

Now, type 2 has two sub-types:

2a. Stuff that is critical. Eg. Email from your boss asking for your billing sheets. Sure, somewhere down the line, it's going to affect you directly in the form of a lost commission or something, but more importantly, it's going to affect someone directly enough that they are going to follow up with enough regularity (including cc'ing the world) as to make you look like a complete slacker.

2b. Stuff that is non-critical. Eg. Email from you boss asking you to put "together" a quick "report" about how many customers you think use random product x. Now, this type of email is a classic Inbox stuffer. It may not come across in this exact form, but more times than not, it's the type of email that someone doesn't really care too much about in terms of response/action, but more along the lines of "well, I've dealt with it", also known as "passing it on".

Now for most folks, and me too for the first year of my job at Microsoft, most of the emails that were in my Inbox, under the category of last week or before, were type 2b emails. I spent most of my productive time attending to these, only to find that most people didn't really care two hoots about them.

Then, one day, I started just deleting them. And you know what happened? Nothing. No one ever pinged me back, unlike if I had just deleted a type 1 or 2a email. So then, as a matter of course, I would go through at the end of the day, and rank my emails. Anything 2b, just got deleted, everything else got actioned.

Or, you delete all type 2's, and wait for the 2a's to show themselves (trust me, you'll know which ones they are ;)).

To this day, my strategy has paid off. I'm yet to have a deleted 2b email come back to bite me, so for those out there who are struggling under the weight of a bloated email, delete your 2b's, you'll feel better for it!

Check this out:

• http://www.msreadiness.com/crm4

It's a page, a web page, on a web site, with links!

But within these links, lies the key to your future! Well, future is a loose term.

But some of these Partner Readiness links have some top content, such as:

• Microsoft Dynamics CRM – Microsoft Tools for Marketing
• Microsoft Dynamics Support Series: Planning for the Microsoft Dynamics 4.0 Upgrade - New Features in 4.0
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM – New Features and Functions in 4.0
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM Pre-Sales Technical Series – Demonstrating CRM for Sales
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM Pre-Sales Technical Series - Setting Up & Using Your VPC
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 – Multi-lingual, Multi-currency, Multi-tenancy
• Partnering with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Live
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 – Workflow Series
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM – New Features and Functions in 4.0
• Sales Best Practices for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

So get along, do some training, firm up those CRM 4 Abba-Dabbas, and make Jake proud ;)