here they come... so MS catches up in maps, and now Google comes out with IM. 

dood, this is pretty sweet actually... http://www.start.com/3/  hm... we have interesting random stuff too...

Slowly but surely, MS always catches up and one ups the competition - http://virtualearth.msn.com/.  Here's a fun video: http://www.virtualearthinfo.com/video.asp.

Too bad the international maps are still really bad.  Can't look up things in Hong Kong yet. 

Dvorak talks about marketing at Microsoft.  I must say that quite often I must agree with him.  Although there is a gradual (and I mean very slow) shift of power from development to marketing, today development is still king. 

There are pockets at which this is not true, but when that's the case, we usually lead the market TOO much and then don't put enough resource behind these investments to really make these break through successes.  Look at the amount of money Apple spent on the IPod advertising and marketing vs. the amount we spend on Portable Media Center.  I don't think any average joe knows that there is even such a thing as a PMC.  

Maintaining security continues to be one of the biggest issue affecting customers today.  Although we have improved our process for releasing updates in a timely manner, we have not had a good track record of keeping our update deployment tools in sync with our security updates.  Well this has come to an end this month. 

Last week Microsoft released 12 security bulletins touching many different products and platforms, with 3 of the vulnerabilities not detected by MBSA.  Previously, all we could offer our SMS customers was additional guidance from the update management solution accelerator, using process to remedy a technology limitation.  This month however, the SMS team has stepped up to deliver a new enterprise scanner that scans for these vulnerabilities at the SAME TIME we released the bulletins, allowing our customers to immediately and easily secure their environment.

Although update management conversations with customers are often difficult and uncomfortable, they are a harsh reality of the industry as a whole.  SMS has constantly been dragged into competitive battles with pure update management solutions because our customers don’t believe that SMS can detect and deploy all security updates from Microsoft.  With the SMS teams commitment demonstrated, we can now firmly tell customers that SMS is THE enterprise update management tool for Microsoft. 

In an interview, Connors also pointed to strong performance by the company's server and tools unit during the just-ended quarter. Operating income for that unit rose to $2.52 billion, compared with $2.15 billion a year earlier.

"We've been joking internally (that) our server and tools business is comparable to the New England Patriots in the NFL playoffs -- they just don't lose."  (http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/050127/earns_microsoft_12.html)

It's an international themed post. 

1)  We've just released the international versions of the Systems Management Server 2003 OS Deployment Feature Pack and the Systems Management Server 2003 Device Management Feature Pack (such great timing right before Christmas so there's going to be SOO many people looking at it... sigh...)  If you are looking for something super exciting to do over the holidays, check them out.

2)  I'm going to Hong Kong in 2 days!  Absolutely ecstatic.  The next 2 weeks are going to be great.  :)  Merry Christmas everyone!

April 18^th-22^nd 2005, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada

MMS 2005 Registration is now open!

Thank you for your interest in the Microsoft Management Summit 2005 and for registering to receive email updates about this event. 

On-line registration for MMS 2005 is now open, and can be accessed from the event web site at www.mms2005.com.  This site also provides an overview of the event, the facilities at the venue and information about the schedule and receptions.

This year’s summit will be held at The Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.  This year two different registration options are available for MMS 2005 attendees. You may either purchase your MMS 2005 Registration and hotel accommodation separately, or as a package.

If you choose to register using the “Package” option, your registration fee includes accommodation for the nights of April 18th – 21st 2005, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. These rooms are the closest available to the event venue.

Alternatively you may choose to purchase accommodation separately from your registration, during the registration process or at any time before March 15th 2005.  The registration web site offers rooms at three different hotel locations, each close to the event venue. The MMS 2005 Event Team has negotiated special rates at these hotels, available only through the registration web site. Details of all the accommodation on offer is provided at the MMS 2005 web site.

“Knowledge” is this year’s conference theme and the event will be packed with useful information about how to optimize Windows®-based client and server networks. You'll learn about smart solutions for deployment and management of services and security, as well as how to seamlessly incorporate the latest innovations into your enterprise.

Over 80 breakout sessions and three keynotes will provide a wealth of technical content ranging from software and patch deployment, to asset tracking and fault diagnosis and remediation. These sessions by Microsoft staff and Industry Experts will provide the latest information about the products and technologies available for Windows-based Management.

You will learn how to efficiently plan and deploy Windows-based management solutions as well as how to improve the performance of the systems and solutions deployed across your corporate network, including servers, desktops, mobile devices and embedded systems. Many sessions will focus on best practices developed from real-world deployments, allowing you to benefit from the experience of others.

At MMS 2005 a variety of opportunities will be available to network with experts from Microsoft and the IT industry, as well as with your peers. Ask-the-Experts sessions offer an opportunity to discuss your issues with the Microsoft teams responsible for developing Windows management products, as well as with a variety of Industry experts. In addition, evening Birds-of-a-feather sessions will focus on specific topics, allow group discussion between attendees and an opportunity to learn from the experiences of others with similar management needs.

With over 6,000 Hands-on Lab places provided during the event, you will be able to learn about many of the solutions described during this event at first hand. With lab topics covering deployment, configuration, troubleshooting and optimization of management solutions, at a variety of technical levels, there is something for everyone to learn in either a self-paced or instructor led environment.

With all of this detailed content and the usual expert speakers the Microsoft Management Summit will clearly be the top management event of 2005.  Visit the conference web site at www.mms2005.com for more details and registration information.