From the Editor: Let the Conversation Begin

Article
09/08/2016

From the EditorLet the Conversation Begin

Joshua Hoffman

Almost everything important that has ever happened has begun with a conversation.

"I don't really think the world is flat. We should go check that out, don't you think?"

"Why don't we send a person to the moon?"

"Can I talk to you about an idea I have for these new PCs?"

"Let's meet up for a cup of coffee."

(That last one isn't really an important event ... I just really like coffee. But hey—if we met for coffee, we might come up with an important idea!)

In any case, the notion that everything important usually begins with a conversation rings true to me on two levels this month. The first relates to an actual conversation currently happening—on blogs, in hallways, and even in this issue of TechNet Magazine (see Romi Mahajan's Field Notes column on p. 91). It's about the consumerization of IT. It centers on the notion that we're not just IT pros at work. The reality is that what we do in our daily lives (volunteer for charity, sing karaoke, play Xbox, whatever) has an impact on the work we do and the decisions we make in our professional lives. It's a conversation that Romi and I, along with a few special guests, will be continuing in a panel discussion titled "The Fungible Future" at the upcoming Windows Connections conference in Las Vegas. I hope you'll join us in person or check out the Web site at WeWantToKnow.net. And please feel free to add to the conversation on our blog at blogs.technet.com/tnmag because we want your input!

The second aspect I want to discuss is the technology we use to enable these conversations. In this month's issue of TechNet Magazine, we examine major enhancements to Exchange Server that make it easier for you to stay connected—whether you're across the hallway or across the world. We'll show you the improvements Exchange Server 2007 SP1 has to offer, how Standby Continuous Replication can dramatically strengthen your disaster recovery plans, how the Exchange platform will be enhanced by Windows Server 2008, and how Unified Messaging makes your conversations even more powerful. As a special bonus this month, the print edition of TechNet Magazine includes the latest in the series of extremely popular posters from contributing editors Astrid McClean and Martin McClean. You may have seen their award-winning Active Directory Component Jigsaw poster or the Windows Server 2008 posters that have appeared here in the past. This month, they tackle Exchange. Let the conversation begin! —Joshua Hoffman

Thank you to the following Microsoft technical experts: Ed Banti, Anah Cameron, Chun Yong Chua, Cliff Didcock, Jeremy Kelly, Michael Murgolo, Jon Orton, Jeff Ressler, Kevin Sullivan, Jim Truher, Scot Vidican, and Michael Wilson.

Joshua Hoffman

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