From Source to Secure : security events

Tech Ed AU/NZ Call for content – Security Track

RockyH — Wed, 13 May 2009 02:31:32 GMT

The Tech•Ed 2009 season kicks off next week in LA, and the show comes to Australia and New Zealand in mid-September. We’ve just opened the Call for Content tool so now’s the time to submit that great idea for a session. Details about how to submit are at the bottom of this post.

Here are the rules for submitting content and what we’ll cover/not cover if the track owners select your session(s).

All the way through the process you’ll be able to review your submission and track its status. This is the first time we’ve opened up the Call for Content publically like this and we’re likely to receive many more proposals than we’ve got slots to fill, so please don’t be disappointed if your submission isn’t selected.

Tips for Successful Submissions

Write a descriptive, fun and enticing title
Target 300-400 level technical content; 200 level content is in low demand
Describe content that is new, unique or significantly refreshed from a previous presentation.
Take a solution oriented approach
Align your topic to the technologies listed for the track
Ensure there is no marketing in your content
Showcase your speaking experience
Focus on currently released technologies, technologies in beta or technologies that will be released within 12 months of Tech·Ed
Include one or more live demos. Historically, sessions with strong demos receive higher audience scores

By the way, Tech•Ed veteran Greg Low’s done a wonderful screencast series on presenting at large events. Well worth a look if you’re considering submitting content for any event.

Tracks and Technologies

There are 13 tracks at Tech•Ed this year and each one is owned by one or more local Microsoft folk. Here are the tracks, a quick abstract of what they will cover and the owner of each track. You may want to use this to guide your submission.

Windows Client and Server

Owners: Jeff Alexander, Philip Duff, Adam Hall and Deannah Templeton.

The basis of any strong data centre now and for the future starts with the core operation system. The Windows Server® family of products provides you with the best solution to build your IT infrastructure for any size organization. From the Essential Server Solutions to Windows Server 2008 R2, this track shows you the solutions and set of technologies to ensure success.
In addition, this track covers the comprehensive set of management products and solutions enabled by the Microsoft® System Center product suite as well as various Windows Management Technologies to help you gain back control of your environment. The sessions presented provide you with in-depth guidance and technical background in "Managing the Data centre" and "Managing the Desktop" while also covering the management of heterogeneous IT environments.
Finally, the Windows Client and Server track has everything you need to know about adoption, deployment, management, and virtualization of the Windows® Desktop Environment, including a technical introduction into Windows 7 and Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 8. Come learn best practices and hear about the advancements in the Windows Client technologies which will help you manage and accelerate your desktop deployment efforts. Get real-world guidance from our industry experts via sessions that span client-side development, readying applications for your OS roll-out, deployment tools and technologies, virtualization, and much more.

Office System

Owners: Alistair Speirs, Ian Palangio and Paul Quirk

The Office and SharePoint® track provides IT professionals and developers with a deep technical arsenal for the 2007 Microsoft® Office system. Come and learn from industry experts the best practices and advice on how to architect, design, deploy, and implement world-class solutions built on the Office and SharePoint platform technologies. Be prepared to learn more about the next wave of innovations while also going deep into 2007 Office system products and technologies such as SharePoint Server 2007, Office Enterprise, Open XML File Formats, InfoPath® 2007, SharePoint Designer, Project Server 2007, and SharePoint Online. As an IT professional, learn about Office server and client applications with sessions covering security, deployment, management, customization, and administration. As a developer, learn how to take your ASP.NET expertise to the fast-growing SharePoint ecosystem, how to craft the next generation of "Office Business Applications" and about the latest techniques for creating applications involving Microsoft Office, composition, collaboration, software-plus-services, VOIP, Open XML, Silverlight™, and more!

Unified Communications

Owners: Johann Kruse and Paul Dolley

Microsoft unified communications technologies use the power of software to deliver complete communications-messaging, voice, and video-across the applications and devices that people use every day. The Unified Communications track strengthens your knowledge of Microsoft Unified Communications platform and technologies, including Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007 R2, Microsoft Office LiveMeeting and Microsoft® Exchange Online. Explore how you can streamline your organization's communications, build presence aware applications, roll out an on-premise, hosted messaging and collaboration system, and much more!

Web

Owner: Michael Kordahi

The Web and User Experience track brings you all the latest information on cutting-edge Web technologies and provides you with the latest in developing great user experiences from the Windows® desktop to mobile devices to cross-browser and cross-platform on the Web. Get the latest information on Windows Presentation Foundation, XAML, Microsoft® Expression® Studio, and Microsoft® Silverlight™, as well as all the in-depth coverage of Microsoft® Internet Information Services (IIS), ASP.NET, ASP.NET AJAX, Microsoft® Internet Explorer®, Windows Live™ Platform, and Commerce Server. Whether you are interested in taking your ASP.NET development to the next level, or finding out how you can use your .NET development skills to build rich experiences that run in the Safari browser on the Mac, the Web and User Experience track is for you.

Developer Tools and Practices

Owner: Dave Glover

Your knowledge of development languages and proficiency with the tools you use to create software are the core of your skill set. The Developer Tools, Languages, and Frameworks track is packed with deep technical training that covers the best of Microsoft® Visual Studio® 2008, and the upcoming Visual Studio® 2010. Get in-depth information on building mission-critical software using Microsoft® Visual Basic® and Visual C#®. Amplify your application development impact with Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) best practices using the Visual Studio Team System. Acquire the skills that you need to make an immediate impact in your organization while preparing for future versions of Visual Studio.

Architecture

Owner: Nigel Watson

The Architecture track offers sessions focused on Architecture of technology and Architecture as a practice. Elements include the architectural process of translating business vision, intent, and strategy into effective technological change in the Enterprise; addressing the skills of creating, communicating, and improving the key tenets, principles, and models that describe the Enterprise's future state and enable its transformation, evolution, or migration.

SQL and BI

Owner: Ron Dunn

The Microsoft® SQL Server® data platform helps your organization manage any data, any place, any time with the security, reliability and scalability that your mission-critical applications require. The SQL and BI track offers the knowledge you need to maximize your Microsoft SQL Server investments and gain the skills needed to seamlessly run a mission-critical environment. Gain insights into future SQL Server technology investments so you can rest assured knowing the bets you make today will continue to pay off in the future.
Now more than ever, your business needs a quick means of getting the right information to the right people so that they can make smarter, more informed decisions. Microsoft's Business Intelligence solutions enable you to do just this. The SQL and BI track also offers sessions covering how to integrate, analyse, and report on all of your corporate data easily using the Microsoft Business Intelligence platform, end-user tools, and analytics applications. Learn how to build custom, robust Business Intelligence solutions using Microsoft® SQL® Server 2005 and 2008 (Integration Services, Analysis Services and Reporting Services) and the 2007 Office system (Microsoft® Office Excel®, Excel Services and Microsoft® Office SharePoint® Server technologies) and how to easily manage them.

Security

Owner: Rocky Heckman

Security continues to be a major concern for almost every company in business today, and technology professionals are always looking for ways to improve and bolster their security strategies and tactics. Microsoft brings unique capabilities together to deliver comprehensive, integrated solutions across IT security, identity, access, and management. The Security, Identity, and Access track provides guidance and technical detail on Microsoft® Forefront™ products, identity-based access technologies, Windows® security technologies, and more!

SOA and Business Process

Owner: Graham Elliott

Organizations of all sizes use technology to automate, manage, and improve business processes, and many are using SOA to create a more flexible set of IT assets. Designing, building, deploying, and managing these distributed applications can be difficult and complex. There are a range of capabilities, products, and technologies that you will need to understand in order to do your job effectively. The SOA and Business Processes track helps to explain these choices, give you concrete approaches to designing distributed applications particularly around loosely coupled service oriented architectures, and to show you the Microsoft products and technologies that you will use to develop and manage these systems. See products such as Microsoft® BizTalk® Server 2009, .NET LOB Adapters and the Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.5, in addition to some major new technologies that are in development and soon to be released.
With a multitude of new tools and technologies in the middle tier, Microsoft's broad platform offering has created tremendous opportunities for you as a developer. Our experts show you products and technologies that provide successful strategies to take advantage of the platform and development tools.

Dynamics

Owner: Catherine Eibner

The Microsoft Dynamics suite of products provide a comprehensive platform for developing and deploying applications and services for retailers, manufacturers, wholesale distributors, and service companies, doing business domestically or in multiple countries. With these tools in hand, people in every key position in your organization can contribute to the success of your company. Microsoft Dynamics enhances all lines of business in your organization and delivers exceptional benefits. Come and hear how to deploy enhance and leverage the base Dynamics products and integrate them with Line of Business Applications through the extensive services interfaces provided.

Mobility

Owner: Rick Anderson

With the increasingly mobile nature of computing today, the Windows Mobile® track gives you the background that you need for selecting, developing for, and securely managing Windows Mobile phones. Did you know you can build for Windows Mobile with Microsoft® Visual Studio® skills you already have? Did you know that you can securely manage your mobile devices with Microsoft® System Center Mobile Device Manager? Find out this and much more in the Windows Mobile track

Azure Services Platform

Owner: Greg Willis

With the new Azure Services Platform, developers can take advantage of an Internet-scale cloud services platform hosted in Microsoft data centres to build new applications in the cloud or extend existing applications quickly and easily, using a flexible and interoperable platform. The Azure Services Platform track explores Azure's cloud operating system and set of developer services, including Windows Azure, SQL Services, .NET Services, and Live Services. Sessions provide an overview of services currently in Community Technology Preview (CTP) and beta release, in addition to discussions on the future of the Azure Services Platform and the possibilities it provides for your business to reduce costs and accelerate innovation.

Virtualisation

Owner: Amit Pawar

With today's IT budget constraints, virtualization enables you to maximize your current hardware investments and provide increased services. The Virtualization track covers all of Virtualization from the desktop to the data centre. Learn about Microsoft's virtualization strategy, as well as our current solutions: Windows Server® Hyper-V, Microsoft® Hyper-V™ Server, App-V, MED-V, System Center Virtual Machine Manager, and Terminal Services (Remote Desktop Services). Sessions include real-world lessons from both Microsoft and industry experts. Come learn all about the present and future of Virtualization at Microsoft.

Submitting a topic

So how do you go about submitting a session? Go to the Call for Content tool and register with your email address and the RSVP code TechEdANZ. Fill in all the details and hit submit. You can come back to the site at any time to update or review the progress of your submission.

Security Tracks Locked In!

RockyH — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 03:12:16 GMT

Tech Ed Australia - http://www.microsoft.com/australia/teched07/index.aspx

Tech Ed New Zealand - http://www.microsoft.com/nz/teched07/index.aspx

Hi Gang,

It's been a while since I've posted. Sorry about that. Been busy traveling to the US, SE Asia, and around Australia. In between airport lounges and taxi's, I managed to sort out the Security track sessions for Tech Ed AU/NZ 07. Here's the line up for this year!

SEC301
It's 11:00 P.M., Do You Know Where Your Data Is?
Steve Riley

SEC302
Making the Tradeoff: Be Secure or Get Work Done
Steve Riley

SEC303
Securing Your Friends and Family
Steve Riley

SEC304
The fortified data center in your future: build it and they will come.
Steve Riley

SEC305
The Fundamental Computer Investigation Guide for Microsoft Windows
Kai Axford

SEC313
How Did They Find THAT?: Implementing the New Microsoft Fundamental Computer Investigation Guide for Windows
Kai Axford

SEC306
Technical Compliance Management with SPIDER - You know you need it!
Rocky Heckman

SEC307
Enterprise Threat Modeling with TAMe
Rocky Heckman

SEC308
User Account Control - Beyond the Hype
Rocky Heckman

SEC309
Forefront Client Security – providing visibility into your corporate Security and Health Status
Lee Hicken

SEC310
Forefront Server Security Management Console: Take control!
Tim Smith

SEC311
Total Protection with Forefront Client and Server.
Tim Smith

SEC312
Deploying and Managing Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 in Enterprise Networks
Jamie Sharp

SEC314
Securing the Small Business
Kai Axford

SEC315
Pushing the limits of EFS in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008
Orin Thomas

Ask The Experts!
It's a great line up for this year. Of course on Wednesday Night (Aug 8) in Australia, and Monday (Aug 13) in New Zealand is the Ask The Experts dinner. The speakers and industry experts in their respective fields will be hanging around for you to talk to and shoot the breeze with. This is always a great opportunity to get the more personal side of the story, and to ask the questions that you didn't have time to ask in the sessions.

1 on 1 Meetings with the Speakers
Also remember that you can schedule 1 on 1 meetings with the speakers in case you have any particular issues you'd like some help with or just to discuss and see how we might do things.

IT Management Seminar
This year's IT Management Seminar is all about Infrastructure Optimisation. Invest a day and learn how optimising your infrastructure is easier and more impactful than you think. Learn from Microsoft, our partners and customers about lowering Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), increasing organisational agility, and freeing staff to focus more on building competitive advantage.

Certification
Microsoft Certified Professionals are in a league of their own. Being an MCP not only conveys your passion for the continuing challenges in IT, the practical expertise you gain through the certification process gives you the kind of know-how that gets recognized by your peers, and more importantly – future employers.

Hands-on Labs
Hands-on Labs provide drill-down technical learning opportunities in a self-paced environment. Included is the key Microsoft product or technology already presented in a Breakout Session. With the support of experienced Technical Learning Guides, you experience a Microsoft product while working at your own speed. Hands-on Labs range from 45 to 75 minutes in length and are available on more than 150 computer stations throughout the TLC.

Instructor-led Labs (Australia Only)
Thanks to attendee feedback, Tech.Ed 2007 will have more Instructor-led Labs than ever before. Each Instructor-led Lab presents the best of Hands-on Lab content in an expert-facilitated environment. You sit at your own computer while Microsoft Certified Trainers and Microsoft program managers use manuals to walk you through exercises. Instructor-led Labs accommodate up to 25 people in each 75-minute session.

Deep Dive Workshops (Australia Only)
Do you want more than the surface info that you can cover in an hour. Then you'll want to sign up for Deep Dive Workshops! Check out this year's great topics!

How Microsoft Windows Server codename "Longhorn" changes IT infrastructure

Key products and technologies
Windows Server code-named "Longhorn", Microsoft Virtual Server R2 SP1, Windows Server Virtualization, Branch Office Solutions, Terminal Services, Active Directory Directory Services and Active Directory Federation Services, Active Directory Certificate Services, Networking, Server Clustering, Windows Server Update Services, Windows PowerShell and Windows Storage Server.

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (Overview, Deployment, Configuration, and Management) and Development Tools and the 2007 Microsoft Office System

Key products and technologies
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, Microsoft Office Project Server 2007, Microsoft Office client suites and applications, Visual Studio Tools for Office STO SE, Visual Studio 2005 Extensions for SharePoint, Open XML File Formats, Workflow.

Unified Communications

Key products and technologies
Exchange Server 2003/2007, Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging, Live Communications Server 2005/Office Communications Server 2007, Office Outlook® 2007, Outlook Web Access, Office Communicator 2007, Office Communicator Mobile 2007, Office Communicator Web Access 2007, Forefront Security for Exchange Server, Exchange Hosted Services, Office Live Meeting 2007, Office RoundTable™ (for Video Conferencing), Telephony Devices.

Designing, Developing and Deploying a Performance Management Solution on top of the Microsoft Business Intelligence Stack

Key products and technologies
SQL Server 2005, Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007, ProClarity 6.3, Business Scorecard Manager 2005, 2007 Office system, SharePoint Portal Server 2007, Excel for Business Intelligence.

BEST OF ALL IS THE PARTIES!!!!!

This year, in Australia the Tech Ed Party is in Movie World! That is always a blast! But I think this year, I'm just as excited about the party in New Zealand. Why you might ask? Because it's featuring one of my favourite bands Evermore! Yes you read it right, Evermore is playing at the Tech Ed NZ Party this year!! I'm pretty stoked about that.

Tech Ed is right around the corner. See You There!

Tech Ed Australia - http://www.microsoft.com/australia/teched07/index.aspx

Tech Ed New Zealand - http://www.microsoft.com/nz/teched07/index.aspx (SOLD OUT)

The Tech Ed Australia 07 Countdown Gadget

RockyH — Wed, 02 May 2007 12:51:26 GMT

Hi Gang!

Well in the spirit of Tech Ed ANZ 07, I posted a countdown gadget. Now this one is a bit strange to install due to the limitations of what files my other provider will serve. So follow these instructions:

Download the TechEdAU07.zip file from here
Change the extension from .zip to .gadget
Double click the resulting TechEdAU07.gadget file and it will install in your Windows Vista Sidebar

Easy enough. So there you have it. If you like the gadget let me know. If you don't like it, well delete it and speak of this to no-one.

Melbourne Security Interchange

RockyH — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 02:44:00 GMT

Melbourne Security Interchange

You are invited to attend the inaugural Melbourne Security Interchange. The Security Interchange is a community driven event that promotes peer networking, panel discussions and interaction with security experts. The aim of the Security Interchange is to run a monthly event delivering technical sessions focused on the latest Information Security topics. Put your hand up and get answers to your questions, mix with your peers and tap into key security insights. The event will be held at the Microsoft Southbank office on the 16th April from 5:30-7:30pm.

This month’s topic

‘Taking the Religion out of Information Security Vulnerabilities’ presented by Jeff Jones, Security Strategy Director, Microsoft Corporation. http://blogs.technet.com/security

The session will start with comparisons for various operating systems covering vulnerabilities and days of risk. Using these comparisons as a reference point, we’ll have a group discussion concerning the underlying mechanics of open source, closed source, commercial Linux, full disclosure, responsible disclosure etc and how it all works together to produce the results we can observe.

About Jeff Jones

As a Security Strategy Director, Jeff works with CSOs and Microsoft's internal security teams to drive practical and measurable security improvements to Microsoft process and products. Previously, Jeff was the vice president of product management for security products at Network Associates. His responsibilities included PGP, Gauntlet, CyberCop and portions of the McAfee product line. These latest positions cap a 20-year hands-on career in security performing risk assessments, building customised firewalls and being involved in DARPA security research projects. Jeff is a frequent global speaker and writer on security topics ranging from the very technical to more high-level CxO-focused topics such as Security TCO and metrics.

Details

Monday 16th April
5:30-7:30pm
Microsoft
Level 5, 4 Freshwater Place
Southbank VIC 3006

Drinks and pizza will be provided so please RSVP jamiesh at microsoft com if you wish to attend.