This Friday night, the networks of NBCUniversal will host “Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together,” a one-hour live telethon to benefit the American Red Cross, from 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. ET.

Hosted by Matt Lauer (NBC’s “Today Show”), the November 2 program will feature scheduled performances by Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Christina Aguilera (NBC’s “The Voice”), Bon Jovi and Jimmy Fallon (NBC’s “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”). NBC Nightly News Anchor Brian Williams will also appear.

The networks of NBCUniversal include NBC, USA, E!, G4, Syfy, Bravo, Oxygen, Discovery and A&E, which represent a huge swath of the most popular channels on cable TV. The telethon will be broadcast from the New York studios of NBC at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. It will air live across the East Coast and tape-delayed on the West. It will also will be live-streamed on NBC.com.  All donations will go to the American Red Cross to help with relief aide of Hurricane Sandy.

Tune in Friday night from 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. ET, as the American Red Cross and NBCUniversal Networks host a live telethon benefit.

South Jersey Techies wanted to provide you with some suggested preparations to safely secure your workstations and networks from any storm damage.

Suggestions for Storm Preparations in Your Office:

• Time to do backups of all data: Make back-ups of all data processing software, files, records, etc.  and transport back-ups off-site, via disk, USB drive or in the cloud.
• Document the layout: Get all of the network addresses, the router and firewall configurations.
• Shut off all sensitive electrical equipment, such as computers.
• Ideally all electronic devices should be unplugged or plugged into surge protectors.
• Review inside storage arrangements and relocate all important materials and equipment to safe areas away from windows.
• Update call lists and contact info: All key personnel need to register their updated cell numbers, home email addresses, and physical addresses.
• Leave before you need to: Don’t get stuck in traffic, airports, train stations and in queues. Give yourself ample time.

If you need your data backed up or are unsure as to the last time a backup occurred, please contact our Support Team.  We are here to help ensure that your data is safe and that you are able to be up and operating as soon as the storm passes. Our Support Team can be reached at (856) 745-9990.

Suggestions for Storm Preparations in Your Home:

• Monitor National Weather Service forecasts at http://weather.gov .
• Bring outdoor objects, such as lawn furniture, garbage cans and other loose items, inside the house or tie them down securely.
• Make backups of computer data (consider storing in the cloud or on a USB drive), keep computers or other sensitive electronic devises plugged into a surge protector or unplug entirely.
• If you have a sump pump for your basement, make sure it’s working.
• If the power goes off, unplug appliances like refrigerators and freezers and sensitive electronic equipment like TVs and computers so that they won’t overload when power is restored.
• Keep family supplies on hand, such as:
  • Water, one gallon per day, per person
  • Food, non-perishable food (keep a manual can opener handy) and pet supplies, if needed
  • Medications, contact lenses, glasses and first aid kit
  • Batteries, flashlights and battery operated radios
• Keep cell phones charged while possible, and if possible, have extra charged cell phone batteries.
• Keep copies of any important documents either scanned or digitally saved on a USB drive, off-site or in a plastic bag.
• Car filled up with gas; keep some water, food, first aid kits, contacts, blankets and pet supplies in the car as well.

If you have any issues or questions, please feel free to contact our support team by telephone at (856) 745-9990.

TECHIES is a full Managed IT Services Company headquartered in Marlton, New Jersey for over 20 years with a new location opening soon in Wilson, North Carolina. TECHIES provides Managed IT Services, Cybersecurity Solutions, Website Design Services, Dedicated Server Solutions, IT Consulting, VoIP Phone Solutions, Cloud Solutions, Network Cabling and much more.

Summary: In case you didn’t get the memo — or CEO Steve Ballmer’s latest shareholder letter — Microsoft officially is a devices and services company now.

Microsoft really wants to make sure its shareholders, customers, partners and competitors realize it’s not just a big software company any more.

In an October 9 letter to shareholders, part of Microsoft’s just-released fiscal 2012 annual report, CEO Steve Ballmer repeated his new “devices and services company” mantra to drive it home.

Ballmer hasn’t (yet) chanted “devices, devices, devices” in front of any public or private audiences (that we know of, at least) in the way he once infamously chanted “developers, developers, developers.”

But Ballmer told The Seattle Times a few weeks back that Microsoft can and should be considered a devices and services company. The latest Ballmer shareholder letter re-emphasizes that message.

From the letter:

“Last year in this letter I said that over time, the full value of our software will be seen and felt in how people use devices and services at work and in their personal lives. This is a significant shift, both in what we do and how we see ourselves — as a devices and services company. It impacts how we run the company, how we develop new experiences, and how we take products to market for both consumers and businesses. The work we have accomplished in the past year and the roadmap in front of us brings this to life.”

The Ballmer shareholder letter also claimed again that Microsoft is still counting on its partners to produce business and consumer devices and hardware that customers want. But it’s clear Microsoft isn’t getting into the hardware game on a lark or just to incent its OEMs to make more well-designed products, as some company watchers and partners have said.

Ballmer noted that, going forward, Microsoft plans to continue to focus on the development of “new form factors that have increasingly natural ways to use them including touch, gestures and speech.”

Along with the Xbox, the Microsoft Surface — which Microsoft described as “a series of Microsoft-designed and manufactured hardware devices” in its latest proxy statement (also released today) — are here to stay and seemingly will include more products as part of the family.

Microsoft kicks off Windows 8, on sale today

Microsoft hopes it can capture the imaginations of tech consumers again, as Apple has.

That was the subtext Thursday for a splashy launch of Microsoft’s Windows 8, the new operating system upgrade on sale today.

“What you’ve seen and heard should leave no doubt that Microsoft’s Windows 8 shatters perceptions of what a PC truly is,” said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. “We’ve re imagined Windows and kicked off a new era for Microsoft and our customers.”

For the first time, the new Windows has a touch-screen interface, with movable tiles, instead of the traditional “Start Menu” and screen. For older computers that upgrade, the touch-screen will not be accessible, but the tiles can be accessed by mouse or touch-pad.

Microsoft says that 1 billion people use its Windows operating system, with 670 million on Microsoft’s Windows 7, which was introduced in 2009.

At Thursday’s launch party, PC partners — including Lenovo, Sony, Toshiba, Dell and Hewlett-Packard — showed off new computers sporting Microsoft’s Windows 8. Many of the laptops have splashy new designs with removable screens that morph into portable tablets.

Microsoft’s new operating system works on tablets and traditional PCs and laptops. Despite twin versions, Windows 8 and Windows RT, Microsoft is taking a notably different course than Apple by providing the same look and feel to both types of devices.

Apple still markets separate operating systems for Macintosh computers (OS X Mountain Lion) and for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch (iOS 6), even though some features are common to both operating systems.

“I think they did a really good job of reintroducing themselves to the consumer today, Microsoft, not just Windows,” says Michael Gartenberg, analyst for technology research firm Gartner.

He says part of Microsoft’s challenge is to explain to consumers why the radically different approach is better.

“Consumers have shown a willingness to learn. They learned how to use mice and keyboards. They learned how to use touch and pinch-to-zoom. They can learn how to do this, too,” he says.

Microsoft’s unified approach to the operating system is based on its belief that touch-screens will soon dominate PCs, says Ross Rubin, principal analyst at Reticle Research.

“Rather than come to market with another tablet operating system — seeing how (Google’s) Android has struggled in that space — they (Microsoft) decided to leverage the high shipping volumes of PCs every year in order to build developer support for a tablet operating system,” he says.

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Microsoft Office coming to Android and Apple devices in early 2013

Summary: A Microsoft executive let slip in the Czech Republic that the long-rumored Microsoft Office for Android smartphones and tablets and Apple iPad and iPhones will be arriving in early 2013. Microsoft now denies that their executive was speaking accurately.

We’ve known for months that Microsoft was bringing a version of Microsoft Office 2013 to Android tablets and Apple’s iPad family. Now, according to the Czech tech news site, IHNED, Microsoft product manager Petr Bobek has said that Microsoft is planning to release native iOS and Android versions of Microsoft Office 2013 in the first quarter of 2013

Bobek, a Microsoft Office portfolio manager in the Czech Republic, said that these new versions of Office will be available to larger companies and Microsoft partners In December 2012. small-office/home-office (SOHO) and household users will have to wait until at least February. The online version of Office 365 edition for mobile devices and tablets will appear in early 2013.

In an e-mail, the author of the INHED story clarified that the release would be after March 2013. “We had a slight miscommunication with the MS guys and the timeline for Office for iOS and Android is not a March release, but release sometime after March.”

Officially, the only thing Microsoft had to say at first was that “As we shared previously, Office Mobile will work across Windows Phones, Android phones and iOS, and we have nothing additional to announce today about retail availability of the new Office.”

Later the same day, Microsoft’s head of corporate communications, Frank X. Shaw, denied the whole story. Shaw tweeted, “The information shared by our Czech Republic subsidiary is not accurate. We have nothing further to share.”

No matter when Microsoft delivers the Android and iOS goods, Microsoft’s support of any version of Office on a non-Windows smartphone or tablet strikes me as an odd move. In a shareholder letter, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that Microsoft is shifting its model to focus on devices and services. This is a radical and dangerous shift for a company that’s always made it money from software licensing. And, now, instead of using Office as a crowbar to pry users from iPads and Android tablets to its Surface tablets, Microsoft is going to offer Microsoft Office 2013 on its device rivals? Odd. Very odd.

Historically, Microsoft has locked its customers into its software ecosystem. Since Microsoft is a non-starter in the mobile space, I find it surprising that they’re not trying to exploit its Office suite in a similar manner in this new market.

That said, given the early reports of Office 2013, which didn’t even have touch enabled for its tablet versions by default, I don’t see Google, with Google Docs and QuickOffice, being worried about Microsoft being a rival on either devices or services anytime soon.

Are we allowed to mention cheaper is not always better?

Takeaway: IT in general becomes a better value with improving technology every single year, but that does not equate to cheaper being best.

The register has published a couple of articles recently that have been gnawing away at me. Brid-Aine Parnell reports that just 5 percent of UK CIOs surveyed by the Corporate IT Forum consider Google a credible supplier to business, citing “missing features” when compared with mainstream offerings from companies like Microsoft.

For the last couple of years it’s seemed that talking disrespectfully about any element of cloud computing was corporate suicide. I’ve sat in meetings where organizations with anywhere from 40 to 100 users have asked us why they can’t use Google docs rather than Office with a fileserver, why we recommend laptops and workstations when PC World or Comet have alternatives for sale that may be hundreds of pounds cheaper, and why, on one occasion, we were recommending a phone system that was costly when Skype did everything an office phone did and cost nothing.

On the September 3, Rik Myslewski commented on Net Applications’ monthly ‘Net Market Share’ survey, which calculates Desktop Operating System Market Share based on internet usage reported by 40,000 websites worldwide.

Microsoft Windows 7 has just overtaken XP with 42.76% of the market share against 42.52% for XP. That’s over 85% of worldwide desktop computers running either Windows 7, the version of Windows currently in the shops and that a number of IT departments have, possibly reluctantly, upgraded their workforce to, or Windows XP, the version that shipped on PC’s between 2003 and 2007 and that plenty of large IT departments still choose to deploy.

Of the remaining 14.72 percent, Vista, reviled by users and IT departments everywhere, claims 6.15%. All flavors of OS X account for 7.13% (the largest single contributor was Lion, with 2.45%) leaving Linux with 1.10%.

Most IT pros have used Linux at some point; its appeal is too great not to. It’s powerful, stable and incredibly configurable, and costs either nothing or very little. Linux is fun to get working and to work with. So why 1.10%? It most likely comes down to the fact that most PC users are not prepared to put much learning time into using their operating system, and Linux is far enough removed from Windows that, other than for standard tasks, navigating the OS will demand at least some investment. Also, the variety of builds and hardware, support (professional or otherwise) has to be more awkward. It’s easy to overlook that one of Apple’s greatest strengths is the benefit of designing both the hardware and software and knowing they function well with the other. Support is simplified.

Most people, particularly those making IT purchasing decisions, will have used a PC. Discussing whether Linux is a good fit for them, especially in a corporate environment, would be fairly straightforward. So why do we struggle with convincing people that Skype is not an alternative to a fully-featured phone system, or that Gmail can only be compared to Microsoft Exchange in the most basic of functions?

Part of the answer lies in the hype of the cloud, promoted as all things to all men (at least IT-wise) while saving money too. Has a concept, gadget, or major software release ever generated the same buzz? The triumvirate of new, technically advanced and cheap is an extremely powerful lure. The cloud will change how we work and will have relatively low-cost elements, but is not an entity in its own right. Gartner industry analysts report that cloud computing has passed through the hype stage and is now entrenched in the “trough of disillusionment.” This is not a comment on the state of IT in 2012, it’s the expected reaction to the hype created by those intent on making a buck in the short term. In the middle of difficult trading conditions, it was easy for decision makers to be seduced by the promise of better and cheaper, without needing to test a product in action.

This last point is pertinent in the small- and medium-sized business (up to perhaps 500 workstations) marketplace. We can tell our clients where we think cloud solutions will suit them and where they won’t. Actually giving them a working demonstration is significantly harder; there are numerous difficulties to moving an office, department or team over to Gmail, or certain folders off the file server to Google docs. We’ve done it and it’s awkward and clients don’t want awkward from their IT; they want the additional benefits and lower costs advertised.

There’s also an issue with IT departments being reluctant to say no. In those meetings where decision makers are pushing for Skype and Gmail, or cheap laptops and workstations, we want to be as helpful as possible and it’s absolutely our duty to recognize the benefits of lower cost and to either provide an agreed solution (specification and features) at the lowest price, or to be perfectly clear about the different feature sets at different price points. It’s rarely our place to set the budget, but we must be able to deliver the best option at any price point or to demonstrate why a cheaper option may be of lesser value.

That can be a more obvious problem during a recession when companies are receiving dozens of calls every week from IT providers pitching for business offering what they claim is both better and cheaper. We’re in no doubt that the cloud will continue to be a huge benefit at a huge number of price points. A $1,600 workstation will be better value to some users than a $320 netbook, while plenty of users will find Gmail does exactly what they need at a fraction of the cost of Exchange 2010. IT in general becomes a better value with improving technology every single year, but that does not equate to cheaper being best.

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The invitations to the ball have arrived!

October 25th is going to be busy one for Microsoft watchers, fans, and foes. 

Drip, drip, drip

The Redmondians are continuing to torture us Microsoft watchers with a slow flow of information about the company’s bet-its-business launch.

We already knew Microsoft planned to launch Windows 8 and its ARM-based Surface RT devices in New York City on October 25, thanks to a save-the-date invitation we got a while back. We knew those products would become available commercially the following day, and we found out this week that Microsoft would be opening 30-plus holiday pop-up stores in the U.S. and Canada on October 26 as well.

As of October 4, we now know that the launch is going to be a lengthy affair — from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET.

Here’s what I just got in my in-box:

Will there also be, as some are reporting, some kind of “midnight madness” event here in New York to coincide with Windows 8 and Windows RT PCs, tablets — and Microsoft’s own Surface RTs — going on sale as of October 26? No word on that yet. (I asked.) But I’d be surprised if there wasn’t. Microsoft officials have said its Surface tablet devices will be sold only through its own brick-and-mortar stores, as well as “select” Microsoft online stores. Those without a Microsoft Store nearby will only be able to purchase online, unless Microsoft modifies its previously stated plan.

Microsoft still has not released pricing or a full and complete spec list for its Surface RT tablets/PCs. It has not yet made them available for preorder. The Intel-based Surface Pro versions are not due out until three months, give or take, after the Windows RT launch.

If you’ll be in/around New York City on October 25 and 26, stay tuned for information about a meetup/tweetup that a few of us Microsoft bloggers, including my Windows Weekly cohost and Windows SuperSite editor, Paul Thurrott, are planning. More details on that to come soon via Twitter. Hope you can join us.

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Takeaway: Does Outlook’s pokey performance have you gnashing your teeth with frustration? Try these simple fixes to give it a kick in the pants.

If you’ve used Microsoft Outlook for a while, you know that it can slow down… way down. In fact, when not looked after, Outlook can become nearly useless. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to make Outlook not only usable, but significantly improved. And none of these techniques requires a single configuration change to your Exchange server (IMAP or POP3).

Of course, some of these suggestions might seem to have a bit more “‘duh” factor than others. But you never know what level of skills you’re dealing with, so we’ll cover all the bases. In the end, you should have a much faster Outlook experience.

1: Update Windows

Many people don’t realize that with Windows updates, the updates for Microsoft Office are also “hidden.” But it’s not just the Office updates that can help speed up Outlook. Make sure you allow the updates to happen. Why? There are times when Microsoft might update Exchange. In some cases, those updates can either break or cause problems with the communication between Outlook and Exchange. Or Microsoft might issue a patch to the application to resolve a speed issue or security hole.

2: Download Complete Items

When you connect Microsoft Outlook with either IMAP or POP3, you should have Outlook set up to download the complete message (instead of just the header). If you do this, Outlook won’t have to sync with the server every time you click on a new item (as it will already be in the data file.) How you do this will depend upon which version of Outlook you’re using. But basically, you’re looking for the setting Download Complete Item Including Attachments.

3: Archive your Inbox

I can’t tell you how many times I see clients with thousands upon thousands (and in some cases tens of thousands) of emails in their Inbox. This can cause serious issues, especially when using PST files. Instead of just letting those Inbox folders grow to outrageous proportions, set up auto archiving so that your Inbox retains only a portion of those emails. I like to tell clients to keep the current and previous months’ email in the Inbox and archive everything else. When you archive, you effectively create a new data file, so Outlook doesn’t have to strain against the weight of an oversize PST or OST file

4: Use Cached Exchange Mode

If you use Cached Exchange Mode in Outlook, you effectively take the data file from the server (PST) and cache it on your local machine (OST). This can go a long way toward speeding up your Outlook experience because Outlook doesn’t have to read its data file across a network. Instead, all it has to do is read the locally stored data file. This option (obviously) is available only when connecting Outlook with an Exchange server.

5: Compact your PST File

When the Outlook PST file gets out of hand, a built-in tool can keep the size of that file under control. One of the issues is that even when you delete email from your Inbox, the size of the PST file may remain the same. If you’re using Outlook 2010, you can go to Account Settings | Data Files and select the data file to be compacted. Once you’ve selected the file click Settings | Advanced | Outlook Data File Settings and click Compact Now. Depending on the size of your data file, this process can take some time.

6: Repair your PST File

Scanpst is often my go-to tool when Outlook is acting off kilter. It will scan through your data file and look for data inconsistencies and errors. Here’s the thing about Scanpst — it’s not always the easiest tool to find. Do yourself a favor and search through your C drive to locate the Scanpst.exe file. Make note of its location (usually within the Office installation folder). But be forewarned: This tool can cause PST files to become unusable. Make sure you back up that data file before you start the repair tool. Fortunately, should Scanpst find errors, it will prompt you to make a backup before it attempts to fix the errors.

7: Cut down on the published and shared calendars

Yes, it’s easy to publish and share your calendars with others. The problem is, the more you do it, the more drag you’re putting on Outlook. The more data Outlook has to share and pull down from the Internet, the slower it will perform. Sure, it’s fine to have one or two shared calendars (and even more if you have a lightning-fast data pipe). Just know that the more data you have to push and pull, the slower your connection will be.

8: Disable RSS

By default, Microsoft Outlook will sync RSS feeds from Internet Explorer to the RSS reader in Outlook. If you have a lot of RSS feeds bookmarked in Internet Explorer, that syncing could easily bring Outlook to a crawl. Disable this feature (if you don’t use Outlook as an RSS reader) from within Outlook 2010 by going to Options | Advanced and then unchecking both options under RSS Feeds.

9: Disable add-ins

How many times have you installed some program only to find it installed something else behind your back? This can happen to Outlook as well as Internet Explorer. Sometimes those add-ins can cause major Outlook slowdowns. To find out what add-ins you have installed in Outlook 2010, go to Options | Add-ins. Select COM Add-ins from the drop-down and click the Go button. The resultant window will list all add-ins available to Outlook. Search through this list and uncheck any that might seem suspect.

10: Fix ShoreTel Windows 7 Integration

If you use the ShoreTel Communicator, you might notice some issues when trying to open and use Outlook. The problem lies in an incompatibility issue between ShoreTel and Windows 7. The fix is simple. Open up the Task Manager and look for a process called Agent.exe. Right-click that entry and click Properties |Compatibility. Choose the Run This Program In Compatibility Mode For option and then select Windows XP (Service Pack 3).

Other Tricks?

There’s no reason why anyone should have to struggle with a bogged down Outlook that will have you pulling your hair out strand by strand. These tips should help you enjoy a much speedier and reliable Outlook experience.

What other methods have you found for improving Outlook performance? Share your suggestions with fellow TechRepublic members.

10 Compelling Reasons to Upgrade to Windows Server 2012

Takeaway: Windows Server 2012 is generating a significant buzz among IT pros. Deb Shinder highlights several notable enhancements and new capabilities.

We’ve had a chance to play around a bit with the release preview of Windows Server 2012. Some have been put off by the interface-formerly-known-as-Metro, but with more emphasis on Server Core and the Minimal Server Interface, the UI is unlikely to be a “make it or break it” issue for most of those who are deciding whether to upgrade. More important are the big changes and new capabilities that make Server 2012 better able to handle your network’s workloads and needs. That’s what has many IT pros excited.

Here are 10 reasons to give serious consideration to upgrading to Windows Server 2012 sooner rather than later.

1: Freedom of interface choice

A Server Core installation provides security and performance advantages, but in the past, you had to make a commitment: If you installed Server Core, you were stuck in the “dark place” with only the command line as your interface. Windows Server 2012 changes all that. Now we have choices.

The truth that Microsoft realized is that the command line is great for some tasks and the graphical interface is preferable for others. Server 2012 makes the graphic user interface a “feature” — one that can be turned on and off at will. You do it through the Remove Roles Or Features option in Server Manager.

2: Server Manager

Speaking of Server Manager (Figure A), even many of those who dislike the new tile-based interface overall have admitted that the design’s implementation in the new Server Manager is excellent.

One of the nicest things about the new Server Manager is the multi-server capabilities, which makes it easy to deploy roles and features remotely to physical and virtual servers. It’s easy to create a server group — a collection of servers that can be managed together. The remote administration improvements let you provision servers without having to make an RDP connection.

3: SMB 3.0

The Server Message Block (SMB) protocol has been significantly improved in Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8. The new version of SMB supports new file server features, such as SMB transparent failover , SMB Scale Out, SMB Multichannel, SMB Direct, SMB encryption, VSS for SMB file sharing, SMB directory leasing, and SMB PowerShell. That’s a lot of bang for the buck. It works beautifully with Hyper-V, so that VHD files and virtual machine configuration files can be hosted on SMB 3.0 shares. A SQL system database can be stored on an SMB share, as well, with improvements to performance. For more details about what’s new in SMB 3.0, see this blog post.

4: Dynamic Access Control (DAC)

Even though some say Microsoft has shifted the focus away from security in recent years, it would be more accurate to say it has shifted the focus from separate security products to a more “baked in” approach of integrating security into every part of the operating system.

Dynamic Access Control is one such example, helping IT pros create more centralized security models for access to network resources by tagging sensitive data both manually and automatically, based on factors such as the file content or the creator. Then claims based access controls can be applied. Read more about DAC in my “First Look” article over on Windowsecurity.com.

5: Storage Spaces

Storage is a hot — and complex — topic in the IT world these days. Despite the idea that we’re all going to be storing everything in the public cloud one day, that day is a long way off (and for many organizations concerned about security and reliability, it may never happen). There are myriad solutions for storing data on your network in a way that provides better utilization of storage resources, centralized management, and better scalability, along with security and reliability. Storage area networks (SANs) and network attached storage (NAS) do that, but they can be expensive and difficult to set up.

Storage Spaces is a new feature in Server 2012 that lets you use inexpensive hard drives to create a storage pool, which can then be divided into spaces that are used like physical disks. They can include hot standby drives and use redundancy methods such as 2- or 3-way mirroring or parity. You can add new disks any time, and a space can be larger than the physical capacity of the pool. When you add new drives, the space automatically uses the extra capacity. Read more about Storage Spaces in this MSDN blog post.

6: Hyper-V Replica

Virtualization is the name of the game in the server world these days, and Hyper-V is Microsoft’s answer to VMware. Although the latter had a big head start, Microsoft’s virtualization platform has been working hard at catching up, and many IT pros now believe it has surpassed its rival in many key areas. With each iteration, the Windows hypervisor gets a little better, and Hyper-V in Windows Server 2012 brings a number of new features to the table. One of the most interesting is Hyper-V Replica.

This is a replication mechanism that will be a disaster recovery godsend to SMBs that may not be able to deploy complex and costly replication solutions. It logs changes to the disks in a VM and uses compression to save on bandwidth, replicating from a primary server to a replica server. You can store multiple snapshots of a VM on the replica server and then select the one you want to use. It works with both standalone hosts and clusters in any combination (standalone to standalone, cluster to cluster, standalone to cluster or cluster to standalone). To find out more about Hyper-V replica, see this TechNet article.

7: Improvements to VDI

Windows Terminal Services has come a long way, baby, since I first met it in Windows NT TS Edition. Renamed Remote Desktop Services, it has expanded to encompass much more than the ability to RDP into the desktop of a remote machine. Microsoft offered a centralized Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solution in Windows Server 2008 R2, but it was still a little rough around the edges. Significant improvements have been made in Server 2012.

You no longer need a dedicated GPU graphics card in the server to use RemoteFX, which vastly improves the quality of graphics over RDP. Instead, you can use a virtualized GPU on standard server hardware. USB over RDP is much better, and the Fair Share feature can manage how CPU, memory, disk space, and bandwidth are allocated among users to thwart bandwidth hogs. Read more about Server 2012 VDI and RDP improvements here.

8: DirectAccess without the hassle factor

DirectAccess was designed to be Microsoft’s “VPN replacement,” a way to create a secure connection from client to corporate network without the performance drain and with a more transparent user experience than a traditional VPN. Not only do users not have to deal with making the VPN work, but administrators get more control over the machines, with the ability to manage them even before users log in. You apply group policy using the same tools you use to manage computers physically located on the corporate network.

So why hasn’t everyone been using DirectAccess with Server 2008 R2 instead of VPNs? One big obstacle was the dependency on IPv6. Plus, it couldn’t be virtualized. Those obstacles are gone now. In Windows Server 2012, DirectAccess works with IPv4 without having to fool with conversion technologies, and the server running DirectAccess at the network edge can now be a Hyper-V virtual machine. The Server 2012 version of DA is also easier to configure, thanks to the new wizard.

9: ReFS

Despite the many advantages NTFS offers over early FAT file systems, it’s been around since 1993, and Windows aficionados have been longing for a new file system for quite some time. Way back in 2004, we were eagerly looking forward to WinFS, but Vista disappointed us by not including it. Likewise, there was speculation early on that a new file system would be introduced with Windows 7, but it didn’t happen.

Windows Server 2012 brings us our long-awaited new file system, ReFS or the Resilient File System. It supports many of the same features as NTFS, although it leaves behind some others, perhaps most notably file compression, EFS, and disk quotas. In return, ReFS gives us data verification and auto correction, and it’s designed to work with Storage Spaces to create shrinkable/expandable logical storage pools. The new file system is all about maximum scalability, supporting up to 16 exabytes in practice. (This is the theoretical maximum in the NTFS specifications, but in the real world, it’s limited to 16 terabytes.) ReFS supports a theoretical limit of 256 zetabytes (more than 270 billion terabytes). That allows for a lot of scaling.

10: Simplified Licensing

Anyone who has worked with server licenses might say the very term “simplified licensing” is an oxymoron. But Microsoft really has listened to customers who are confused and frustrated by the complexity involved in finding the right edition and figuring out what it’s really going to cost. Windows Server 2012 is offered in only four editions: Datacenter, Standard, Essentials, and Foundation. The first two are licensed per-processor plus CAL, and the latter two (for small businesses) are licensed per-server with limits on the number of user accounts (15 for Foundation and 25 for Essentials).

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GoDaddy.com, the largest domain name registrar on the Web, has been taken offline, and a self-proclaimed member of the Anonymous hacktivism collective is taking responsibility.

The administrators of GoDaddy confirmed on Monday that they were suffering from technical issues, which the website TechCrunch reports to be impacting a multitude of websites and their affiliated email accounts that are hosted through the service. Although the company has not discussed the specifics yet, a self-described member of Anonymous says that he or she is responsible, a claim that has not been verified yet.

On Twitter, user @AnonymousOwn3r writes, “the attack is not coming from Anonymous coletive [sic] , the attack it’s coming only from me” and that the the action is being carried out “to test how the cyber security is safe and for more reasons that i can not talk now.”

GoDaddy has tweeted, “We’re aware of the trouble people are having with our site. We’re working on it.”

On Friday, it was reported that the White House is preparing to roll out an cyber security Executive Order that will serve as a surrogate until Congress can come to agreement on a bipartisan legislation to protect America’s computer infrastructure.

Earlier this year, GoDaddy announced that they would be supporting the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, a controversial legislation that if approved would have greatly changed the US government’s ability to monitor the Internet. The company eventually reversed their stance, but not before a massive protest resulted in many of their clients switching to other domain registrars. The boycott reportedly ended with thousands of GoDaddy’s millions of customers, including Wikipedia, cancelling their accounts.

Founded in 1997, Arizona-based GoDaddy.com is used by millions of customers worldwide, including a large number of small businesses. At 4 p.m. EST, GoDaddy tweeted, “Update: Still working on it, but we’re making progress. Some service has already been restored. Stick with us.”

Other social media accounts affiliated with Anonymous have not confirmed the validity of the alleged culprit’s claim and have largely distanced themselves from the hack. GoDaddy’s 24-hour tech support telephone line has also been inaccessible during the duration of the outage.