Small Business Server 2003 Study Group (70-282)

WWITPRO is proud to provide a new venue for assisting those interested in passing the Microsoft Small Business Specialist Exam 70-282.

We've started an in person study group and it is very exciting!

Check out the WWITPRO website for information.

Office 12 – Biting the Bullet

You may recall I mentioned in a post quite some time ago that I was really excited about the future of the Microsoft Office suite of products.

I'd seen a webcast and it was all wonderful and made me excited to be in the computer industry.

I have had access to the Office 2007 (formerly Office12) beta download and Windows Vista some time ago, but the idea behind the beta software residing on my laptop that I use on a daily basis didn't put my heart rate to a resting state.

This evening I attended the June WWITPRO meeting and met up with a Technet Advisor Barnaby Jeans. We always have excellent discussions and tonight was no exception. He mentioned how much he really likes the Office 2007 Outlook, and me being the email lover that I am thought, "Well if Barnaby is working with it, this release must be good." So I installed the Office 2007 Beta 2 cd for only Office (there were four cd's in the pack - I have yet to install them all - give me time) and got to work on it right away.

The install was really quick. It allowed me to keep my existing install of Office 2003 (with the exception of Outlook - which is obvious we shouldn't run two versions of a mail client) and it retained all of my settings. A seemless upgrade from Outlook 2003 to 2007 and my Exchange profile and all pop accounts worked great. My mailbox retained all of the email, appointments, tasks etc as I had in 2003 and WOW - can you say SLICK.

The interface is clean. There are still many menu and toolbar features in Outlook that you don't get in Word/Excel/PowerPoint or Publisher, but what a wonderful tool.

I've yet to dive deep into it, but the look and feel makes me happy I took the plunge. You can find a download of the beta software at the the Microsoft Office site.

I highly recommend taking a look at the future of office productivity software.

Microsoft Technet IT Manager’s Blog - Canada

As a member of the executive committee for Waterloo-Wellington IT Professions (WWITPRO) I met some wonderful TechNet Advisors with Microsoft Canada.

I was asked to prepare an article on training designed for IT Managers, so you will find my post in the Canadian IT Managers Blog.

Also, you will find another article I wrote on getting my Blackberry mobile device synchronizing with the new Office 2007 Beta.

Piracy Doesn’t Pay – Unless You are Jack Sparrow

Well it might in the short term, but big tech business is out to change that - starting with Microsoft Canada.

That's right! Microsoft Canada and Symantec join forces to protect end users from illegally installed software by taking 6 resellers to court over the case of illegally loading Microsoft and Symantec software onto PC's for sale.

And the verdict is: GUILTY
http://www.microsoft.com/canada/media/releases/2006_02_01.mspx


60 days in jail and a fine in excess of $100,000 was sentencing. This is an interesting look at just one of the 6 cases going on in the court system since late last fall.

When Things Go Wrong…

As they often do, things may go wrong when you are presenting information to an audience.

I doubt there is anyone out there that can say everything has always gone 100% as planned, and if they can say that, I'd love to have even a tiny piece of their golden horseshoe!

The thing about disasters is, they can't be planned for and that's why it is a disaster...but a few little tricks can help you get over small hurdles that COULD become potential disasters.

If you are presenting a speech:

• have cue cards, you may never need them, but just in case, they are great to help you through - if not cue cards, a piece of paper with your main points will help jog your memory.
  

If you are using electronic equipment:

• remember to check it prior to your presentation
  
• carry a spare lightbulb
  
• carry a spare extension cord
  
• have a paper copy of your presentation in the event the equipment fails
  

General Tips:

• if something does go wrong, don't stop to fiddle with it for more than ONE MINUTE
  
• appologize once and keep it brief example: "I'm sorry for the interruption, it's only momentary, let's continue."
  
• thank your audience for thier patience when malfunction is rectified
  
• if possible and time permits have a quick break - say something like "this is a great opportunity to network and stretch - please give yourself a five minute break and we'll jump right back into this"
  
• Keep Calm
  

The biggest tip I can give you is to keep calm and don't sweat it, one day you may even laugh about it - like on the way home or when you share your day with a loved one. Things sometimes happen that are beyond our control, how you deal with them is what will set you apart from other presenters.

Waterloo-Wellington IT Professionals Group

There's a new user group dedicated to IT Pros using Windows server technology!

We don't have to drive to Toronto anymore - Microsoft is going to come to us.

Check out the upcoming meetings for Waterloo Wellington IT Professional User group - we hope to see you out at a meeting soon.