I recently released two such courses to help those with their Windows 10 roll-out.  The first course, Deploy Windows 10 for Small Businesses,  shows small businesses (those with fewer than 50 employees) how to do a high-touch Windows 10 deployment. For larger organizations, the Deploy Windows 10 with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2013 course will walk admins through using MDT to deploy Windows 10 across the enterprise.  I hope you check out and enjoy the courses!

While I recorded the course prior to the new activation announcement (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/activation-in-windows-10 ).  The technology I discuss in the courses are still valid.  These are great ways to jumpstart your Windows 10 deployments! 

Enjoy the courses!

For more Azure videos take a look here: Azure.msts2.com 

Matt Hester
Sr. Partner Technology Strategist

For more Azure videos take a look here: Azure.msts2.com

Matt Hester
Sr. Partner Technology Strategist

The latest version of Internet Explorer provides increased performance, improved security, better backward compatibility, and support for the modern web technologies that power today’s websites and services.  Upgrading to Internet Explorer 11 on Windows 7 ensures continued support after January 12, 2016, and easier upgrades to Windows 10.  Internet Explorer 11 has great backward compatibility and is supported on Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 to provide a consistent, reliable browser across the plethora of Windows desktops.  Windows 10 will also feature Microsoft Edge, the first browser with “DO” in mind.  It’s personal, productive, and responsive—but most important, it takes you beyond browsing to doing. 

Partners and customers should consider standardizing on Internet Explorer 11 for the fastest web path to Windows 10, but can choose to deploy Microsoft Edge and use the two browsers side-by-side; Microsoft Edge can switch to Internet Explorer 11 as needed to support legacy web sites.

Resources:

• IE Support Lifecycle Policy FAQ:
  http://support.microsoft.com/gp/Microsoft-Internet-Explorer
• August, 2014 lifecycle announcement:
  http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ie/archive/2014/08/07/stay-up-to-date-with-internet-explorer.aspx

IE11 includes a compatibility mode that can be utilized when needed.  Here are some links to learn more:

• https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh772379(v=vs.85).aspx
• https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn268945.aspx

Matt Hester
Sr. Partner Technology Strategist

Take a look at the article here:

Installer stuck at 18% when upgrading from Windows 10 (10074 to 10122)

• 209,000—runners who take part in runDisney events each year
• 26,700—runners registered for the Walt Disney World Marathon
• 12,800—runners registered for the Walt Disney World 5K
• 10,783—Calories burned in 4 days running
• 7,700—Dopey Challenge registrants
• 141—runners who have completed Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge in each of its 10 years
• 65—countries represented among runners

Some interesting perspective it seems like the event can seem overwhelming big, but at the same time I feel like I was running at home.  More importantly I had all of my good friends running it with me.  Huge shout out to Michelle, Pearl, Jimmy, Dan, John and Bill for doing the Dopey Challenge as well.  It was great running with you all and I love running with you all!  

An even extra shout out to Dan for sticking with me for all 4 races! 

As always running in Disney is something special, and this year had the added edge for me.  I wanted a little redemption after my bonk at the 20th anniversary run in 2013.  The only thing that was minor distraction was the temperature this year it was unexpectedly cold, especially during the 5k, but by the marathon the temperature was fantastic and made for a great run!

This year I was able to ride Expedition Everest again.  I was also able to finally fulfill one of wishes, and my magic band helped it to come true.  This is my 4th time running in Disney World, and since the first time I saw 2 runners coming out of the Germany Pavilion with a beer and pretzel as they were running I have wanted to do this.  This year I finally got to have a pretzel right around mile 25.   Overall it was great running in Disney and looking forward to running the Avengers in November.

So here are my individual race reviews:

5k

This was probably my favorite of the 4, not because it was the shortest, but because it had the most fun.  It was a very relaxed and you could tell that Disney was in the air.  What made this run great was when we entered Epcot the sound system was on Full blast, and Animal Book’s, want to be like you .  Awesome way to start the Dopey Challenge.  On fun boost I found during the 5k and continued through the rest of the runs, was counting down the miles, so at Mile 1 of the 5k I yelled out 47.6 miles left, and got a great cheer from my fellow Dopey Challengers.  It was something I did through out all of the runs, and was actually pretty fun.

10k

The 10K was another great new run and through the parks, and got to go through the boardwalk area.  This was the first year I got to see football Mickey and I jumped at the chance to take the picture.  While this was easiest one of the longest lines I waited in all week.  It was worth it, as Dan and I were waiting our good friend and running partner Michelle came up.  While she did not want to wait, we told her she was and hopped into the picture with us. It was a great run and I continued calling out the miles with a lot of fun.  That afternoon we went to see a movie in downtown Disney I think it was the Hobbit, but the theatre provided a great napping environment. 

1/2 Marathon

This was the first run we actually got to go into the magic kingdom and as always running down main street with the crowds and lights was just awesome.  Truly makes you feel like a kid again!    There are two things I remember about the 1/2 one was the continued cheers as I counted down the miles.  The second was coming back into the finish we had a really steep curve uphill going up one of the clover leafs going to the finish.  It was pretty gnarly, and I walked most of it.  I was saving myself for the marathon the next day.  Overall it was a great half and I was feeling strong going into the last day of the challenge.

Marathon

The big day was here and I was ready and very relaxed as I approached the start line.  I felt good and had gotten some good rest before the run.  I was a little nervous based on the last time I got to the start line of the marathon.  This was a run I truly just owned from start to finish.  I did not really feel in trouble during the run at all.  The lure of the roller coaster pulled me through the first 13 miles, the finish line pulled me the rest of the way, of course the beer and pretzel helped as always.  .    A couple of things about this run.  One thing I noticed is my countdown of miles was not received with as much gusto as the prior days.  So I changed and reminded everyone that we would not have to get up at 3am to run on Monday.  That went over much better.  Also this was the day before the national title game for college football and my buckeyes were playing (and won!!!!!). It seemed no matter where I turned there were OSU fans every where.  So Dan and I made rule anytime we saw someone wearing Ohio State geared we would stop and cheer.  Even at the grandstands it was amazing and to all the buckeye fans all I have to say is

O H …..

As always Disney was a great run, not sure I will do the Dopey again, but I will most likely do Goofy one day again.  However I do someday want to do the Wine and Dine 1/2.  Take care everyone and God Bless!

Upcoming Webinars

There is a series of upcoming webinars running now through May that you should attend.  Below are descriptions and links to register .  The first webinar is on April 30^th, so don’t delay!   These will be available on-demand as well.

• “Keeping Windows 10 Current“ on April 30th
  This session looks into how we plan to evolve our approach to releases as we move to more rapidly respond to the priorities and desires of our customers. We will also address how Windows is being built addressing ongoing customer input and feedback, paving the path to faster customer adoption. We will explore options for businesses to stay secure and up to date with features at the pace that is right for their environment.
  Register today or watch on demand
  
• “Windows 10 Licensing“ on May 5th
  Learn how Windows as a Service will impact Volume Licensing. We cover Windows 10 editions and entitlements for commercial customers, both with and without Software Assurance. Learn why Software Assurance continues to be the optimal choice for customers who need enterprise capabilities.
  Register today or watch on demand
  
• “Windows 10 Security” on May 19th
  Disrupting the revolution of cyber-threats requires a platform with revolutionary security capabilities, and Windows 10 is rising to the occasion. In this session, we'll talk about technologies that can end the use of passwords and make multi factor authentication the default, provide data loss prevention (DLP) capabilities right in the platform, and technology that changes the game for malware threats to the platform including those that come by way of the browser. Please join us on May 19^th, 8:00am Pacific Time to learn about this important topic.
  Register today or watch on demand
  
• “The Path to Windows 10” on May 22nd
  Attend this webcast to learn why Windows 10 will be a game changer for your SMB customers. Simone Ando, Product Marketing Manager, Windows and Devices, will be sharing how Windows 10 will be the best business platform ever – enabling our business customers to be more productive, simplifying management and deployment, working with all their existing apps and helping protect data in a modern world. This new platform adapts to the devices you're on with a consistent, familiar and compatible experience that enables your customers to be more productive. What’s more, Windows 10 apps will work across all Windows devices from mobile to tablet to PC, including Xbox One – if it works on one, it will work on all! And there’s so much more it can do. Don’t miss this webinar! 
  Register today or watch on demand
  

Upcoming In Person Training for Windows 10 and Office 365

We are hosting an in person event about Microsoft’s Windows 10 geared towards IT Pro’s:

Mobility Transformed: The Path to Windows 10.

If you are interested in attending and inviting your customers to attend this event, it will showcase Windows 10 and Office 365 with interactive discussions & demos.  You and your customers can be one of the first to learn tips and tricks for Windows 10, Office 365, and other leading edge of devices and services!  During the event you will join members of the Microsoft product team and cover the following topics:

• Windows 10
• Next Generation Windows Devices
• Internet Explorer and Project Spartan
• Office 365, Delve, Sway, & Skype for Business
• Windows Phone 10
• Surface Hub
• Enterprise Mobility Suite

Don’t miss this opportunity to get an insider view into many of the new products and services Microsoft has to offer.   To register and learn more click the following link:

Mobility Transformed: The Path to Windows 10

Here is the Schedule and Cities the events will be help at:

“It is on the roadmap.”  

To which I always got a follow up question, “Can we see the roadmap?”.  Followed by some thumb twirling a brief but polite no.

In an effort to offer more visibility into our cloud efforts, I am excited to announce, you know can see the roadmap!  Take a look here:

Cloud Platform Roadmap

The Cloud Platform Roadmap will provide you a comprehensive and current view of our roadmap, including where we are focusing some of our development efforts and what technology is currently in development and coming within the next few months.   When you visit the site you will see 4 categories on how we look at cloud updates:

• Recently Available
• Public Preview
• In Development
• Cancelled

The categories are pretty straight forward, if you want to learn more about the types of updates you can read that here:

Increasing Visibility for Our Customers: Announcing the Cloud Platform Roadmap Site.

The Cloud Platform Roadmap will not be an exhaustive list of all our products and service releases, but a curated list that includes:

1. Product and service releases that are business priorities the market needs to be aware of
2. Product solutions to specific pain points that we are ready to address in the market.

Product and service releases included in the Cloud Platform Roadmap span:

• Cloud services like Azure, Intune, Power BI, and Visual Studio Online,
• Server offerings such as Windows Server, System Center, SQL Server and Visual Studio, and 
• Converged system appliances such as Cloud Platform System, Analytics Platform System and StorSimple

• Completed my 6th marathon running with fellow dopey runner Dan.  It was a solid day, even though I was recovery from food poisoning.
• PR several training runs, including a 10k under an hour.  Overall I am very happy with my training plan this year, would have liked more consistent cross training.  My times during my runs have been some of the fastest
• Got a New Camera, for all the pictures I hopefully will be taking along the runs.

Which brings me to……

RACE WEEK!

I am just blessed and excited to get to run in Disney World again!  Seems like I just started my training in July and now it is here!  I am starting to get that kid feeling all over again, and I cannot wait until I meet my friends (Jimmy, Dan, Michelle, Pearl, and John) Disney this week!  I am over the moon excited!  Maybe I have been watching too many of these videos:

So what are my goals for the runs this year.  To be honest I really only have the 2 I always tell my kids:

Have Fun and Do My Best

That is all I can ask, and I will add in one additional one.  Ride Expedition Everest if it is open, I hope to be riding it again! 

If you are heading to Disney, or running anywhere this weekend.  I hope you are as excited as I am and if not watch this:

Thank you for reading these posts and look for a race recap in the next few weeks.

Have a Blessed and fantastic week!

Another point I was reminded of on my 20 mile run is that for me I need to have a balance of water and my electrolyte drink.  I use UCann’s new hydration product very good: https://store.generationucan.com/products/hydrationlemonlime.  When I went for the run at about mile 10 I knew I was not getting enough liquids, even though I was drinking regularly my ucan drink I knew I needed just water.  When I run I always carry a little cash for water/snacks or a cab.  Luckily at the 10 mile mark I was right next to a convenience store and was able to get my water.  I am sure I smelled like roses.   I should have known I needed water, because when I come up on water stops during races I will normally mix the water and electrolyte drink together to dilute it a bit.  Lesson reminded, and I was solid for the remaining 10 miles.

So a couple of points to remember you still need to drink on a regular basis even on cooler days and find the right balance for you between just water and your electrolyte drink.

Here  is my schedule for this week:

If you want to join me and my friends you will have to wait for another time the runs are all sold out!

In future posts I will talk more about some of the challenges Dopey will pose and what I am looking forward too.  If you have any questions about training or running  just let me know have a Blessed Day!