January2008January 2008

System Center:Real Control with Virtual Machine Manager 2007

Virtualization allows organizations to consolidate resources and save money. But as you begin to implement increasing numbers of virtual machines, you'll want a convenient way to manage them. Here's a guide to setting up Virtual Machine Manager and using it to perform administrative tasks from a centralized interface. Edwin Yuen

System Center:Better Backups with Data Protection Manager 2007

The latest version of Data Protection Manager offers many new features, delivering a powerful and flexible solution for managing your backups. Here's an overview of how DPM can protect everything from Exchange and SQL Server to branch offices and SharePoint sites. Calvin Keaton

System Center:Online Services Help Simplify Software Inventory

Software asset management is an essential task for every business—large or small. But with the amount of software businesses now purchase and deploy, getting a handle on those assets can feel next to impossible. Find out how the new Asset Inventory Service from Microsoft can help. Paul Bourgeau

Group Policy:Inside ADM and ADMX Templates for Group Policy

ADM files are both necessary and often confusing. Don't let this slow your Group Policy efforts. This guided tour will help you better understand what's inside ADM files and the new ADMX format, which tools you can use to handle them, and how you can make the best use of these files. Jeremy Moskowitz

Group Policy:Optimizing Group Policy Performance

All Group Policy is not the same, and knowing the differences between types can help you fine-tune performance on your systems. Explore monolithic and functional GPs, learn how to process Group Policy, and find out what happens when Group Policy changes occur. Darren Mar-Elia

Group Policy:Dive into Advanced Group Policy Management

AGPM, or Advanced Group Policy Management, is a handy tool that lets you work with Group Policy Objects in ways that other tools don't. And it's now available to members of the Microsoft Software Assurance program. Check out how you can use AGPM to edit GPOs offline, delegate administration, track changes, and more. Derek Melber

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Columns

From the Editor:Winning Over a Cynic
Joshua Hoffman
Letters:Readers Speak Out
Toolbox:New Products for IT Pros
Greg Steen
Exchange Queue & A:Adding Voice Prompts, Choosing a PBX , and More
Have questions about Exchange Unified Messaging? We've got answers. In this installment of Exchange Queue & A, we focus on Unified Messaging, discussing how you can implement phone and fax features, offer high availability, set up voice prompts, and more.Seema Rahman
Utility Spotlight:Windows Easy Transfer Companion
This free tool can simplify the migration of key applications from Windows XP to Windows Vista.Lance Whitney
The Cable Guy:DNS Enhancements in Windows Server 2008
Windows Server 2008 includes many DNS server enhancements. Take a close look at how these updates make name resolution faster, improve support for IPv6, and add greater flexibility to DNS administration.Joseph Davies
Windows PowerShell:Heading Off Malicious Code
When designing Windows PowerShell, a lot of thought was put into security. But, as with any software, Windows PowerShell can still be exposed to malicious code. Here are some recommendations for choosing an Execution Policy that will keep your systems more secure.Don Jones
Hey, Scripting Guy!:There's No Mistaking Regular Expressions
Looking for a way to avoid making mistakes? Validation is a good start. Learn how to perform character pattern matching in a script using regular expressions.The Microsoft Scripting Guys
Security Watch:Island Hopping: The Infectious Allure of Vendor Swag
Security threats don't just come from e-mail and malicious Web sites. See how a USB thumb drive and some simple social engineering can be used to gain access to your entire network. And find out what you can do to keep your network more secure against this threat.Jesper M. Johansson
The Desktop Files:Shared Computing with Windows SteadyState
The new Windows SteadyState toolkit can help you improve security and simplify management of Windows XP systems in a shared-use environment? Take a guided tour to find out how.Wes Miller
Field Notes:Your Most Important Task of the Day
When you're working on a project, don't underestimate the importance of setting aside time to think, plan, and prioritize.Eric N. Bush
Windows Confidential:Remind Me Never to Do That Again
Hardware detection in the days before proper Plug and Play devices was a very scary undertaking. Find out why.Raymond Chen