Exchange 2003 SP 2 features

This article has the official Microsoft scoop on Exchange Server 2003 SP 2. Included in SP 2 are some impressive new mobile functionality as well as my personal favorite: Increase Standard Database size to 75GB!!!

Interestingly as a side note, Microsoft touts the Cached mode for Outlook as a way to increase number of users per Exchange Server. Never thought of it that way, but good spin I think.

MSN to Launch Virtual Earth but is it a Google maps killer?

So will MSN Virtual Earth be a Google Maps Killer? Who knows but officially its live on Monday I guess. I heard about it as it was leaked through Scoble's blog but even he didn't link directly to it. He does give a little glimpse of how it got out.

After seeing what the moon is really made of from Google Moon last week, its seems that the MSN Virtual Earth team have some catch up to do to establish credibility, but it sure is nice to finally see another software company truly pushing Microsoft to innovate and compete. Its been a while since they've had some tough competition that Microsoft couldn't just buy.

I love Google, but I like pulling for the underdog, which strangely happens to be Microsoft in this case.

Decent article on Exchange2003 SP2 Anti-spam features

I found the link to the article below from Exchange Security but I think that despite Microsoft's efforts, which seem sincere, still the best option is choosing a company to outsource corporate anti-spam efforts.

It takes far too much time and effort to achieve even close to the accuracy that an gateway anti-spam service can deliver. Interestingly, despite Microsoft's "multi layered" approach with the Exchange Server System and SP 2 for Exchange 2003, we still see that Microsoft bought Front Bridge


Great article on SP2 spam filtering

My choice for Gateway Spam Filtering is: SpamSoap

Microsoft buys FrontBridge

Microsoft buys FrontBridge

Just got the press release: Microsoft is buying FrontBridge, a hosted message hygiene service provider. This is primarily interesting because of FrontBridge's strength in compliance solutions; they have a broad range of services built around compliance for email and IM. Their hosted anti-spam services got good props from eWeek, but I think the combination of their data centers (which promise a 99.999% uptime SLA) and their compliance services opens the door for MS to diversify beyond Windows OneCare into a broader scope of direct service provision. I can't wait to see what part they play in the promised Exchange 12 updates for better compliance and message hygiene.

[Exchange Security]

Symantec Disaster Recovery Strategies seminar... in Cancun

Got an email today from Symantec touting their new "Symantec Disaster Recovery Strategies" conference. It's in Cancun, in October. The email says:

Learn from the experts who best know VERITAS technology, while enjoying beautiful Cancun! It's the perfect combination of work and play.

Training sessions run from 8:00 to noon; the rest of the day is free to "meet in small discussion groups, meet one on one with the instructor, or absorb what you have learned while relaxing by the pool." Now this is the kind of conference I could get into! I mean, TechEd and Exchange Connections are draining because there's so much, y'know, work stuff going on. It's hard! Thank goodness Symantec is going to help out by dialing back the pace a bit.

I thought of making fun of their list of covered topics by adding "Hangover Recovery Planning", "High Golf Availability Design", and "Maximizing Your Return on Bikini Watching", but that would just be unfair-- people might think I'm bitter at not being asked to speak :)

[ personal to Devin: no, you can't go. ]

[Exchange Security]

RDP now vulnerable?

Microsoft recommends changing default ports to protect from potential DoS on RDP.

From Microsoft

From eWeek

space shuttle - RETURN TO FLIGHT

The Space Shuttle Discovery will lift off from Launch Pad 39B at Cape Canaveral today in less the 4 hours. This is the first Space Shuttle mission since the Columbia disaster. If you want to watch, go to www.space.com The crew is loading as you read this.

To read more about the RETURN TO FLIGHT go here!

Why should we trust Microsoft to detect Spyware?

Here is a interesting post from Scoble, and while he and Ed Bott make some great points, all roads need to lead to accountability and diversification. Just like you shouldn't invest all your life savings into one company stock, you shouldn't trust just one vendor for AntiSpyware services. Microsoft's offering is good, but now requires more knowledge by end users on what to do, and unfortunately the people that know what app does what, aren't the ones that have chronic Spyware problems. I am looking for and hoping for a panacea.

=====================================================

Ed asks why should anyone trust Microsoft to detect spyware?

Ed Bott: Dear Microsoft: Why should we trust you to detect spyware?"

Ed is so right on with this post it isn't funny. EVERY MICROSOFT EMPLOYEE SHOULD READ IT NOW AND FOLLOW HIS ADVICE!

I get asked a lot "how do we win customer trust?" You know our execs care about it. They sponsor programs like "trustworthy computing."

But, it starts here with Ed's post. He nails it. I thought about saying more, but he just so completely nails it that I can't improve on it.

On a tangental issue. I keep thinking back to Ballmer's respect of Google (in his interview last week with me he mentioned that Google is one of those companies that does interesting stuff).

What Google did was to nail the trust issue. They didn't piss off end users to serve some other business end. Now, maybe they were lucky enough not to have other business needs to serve. I guess we'll find out as Google expands into other markets. But, Google's primary competency has been to earn customer trust.

If Microsoft wants to grow its business it needs to really get this stuff right. Listen to Ed. Enough said.

[Scobleizer: Microsoft Geek Blogger]

MBSA 2.0 Released

MBSA 2.0 released

Microsoft today [JULY 1, 2005 ]released version 2.0 of the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer. Among its many other new features, it can scan for Office security updates (among other products), it works with WSUS, and it presents more data on potential vulnerabilities. Go get it now.

[Exchange Security]