Hello again from CSTechcast.com, the latest in our weekly podcast series for IT professionals is online. This week we discuss the unifying potential of Office Communication Server with Ron Barrett, author of How to Cheat at Administering Office Communications Server 2007. Find Ron at http://www.networkworld.com/community/barrett. The news brings us Intel launching the Centrino 2 laptop chipset with vPro features for enterprise management, an insider admin locked out the San Francisco network with a password change, a major spike in malware due mainly to SQL injection attacks, new terabyte tape backup capacity, and some users get locked out of validating their Office installations. Big media going after moms gets "The Worst Tech Move of the Week", IT managers strike a nerve in "The IT Pet Peeve", and "The Weekly Tech Tip" gets you straight when accessing JET with 64-bit SSIS.

Links to stories discussed during the show:
Intel vPro: What is New for IT (eWeek)
Insider threat looms large as San Francisco's network crisis plays out (Network World)
Huge rise in malware this year (InfoWorld)
IBM and Sun each claim to develop 'first' 1TB tape drive (Network World)
Users reporting failed Windows and Office validations (ArsTechnica)

Don't forget to submit feedback at CSTechcast.com to be entered to win an Amazon.com gift certificate. Allow us a little shine by blogging about us or writing a review at your favorite podcast directory and iTunes. Join us every week for a new episode of CS Techcast.

Link to the episode: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=34

- Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)

Digg It

No need to wait in line for our newest podcast; all the week's tech news and insight for IT Pros is here at CSTechcast.com. We explore the latest in delivering applications to remote and global networks with Zach Seils, author of Deploying Cisco Wide Area Application Services. This week, Microsoft lobs another offer at Yahoo, DNS gets patched across all vendors, NVidia slowly reveals more about their overheating laptop chips, cloud apps have downtime woes, SQL Server will be out in August, and a new Microsoft push for software plus services. Overreacting tech bloggers make "The Worst tech Move of the Week", we take "A Closer Look" at the new Microsoft Certified Master program, and "The Weekly Tech Tip" covers WSUS troubleshooting.

Links to stories discussed during the show:

Yahoo Rejects Joint Microsoft/Icahn Deal But Open To $33 Per Share All-Microsoft Sale (Search Engine Land)
Patch domain name servers now (ComputerWorld)
Report: NVIDIA issues cover all G84 and G86 GPUs (ZDNet)
Rackspace Downtime: A Reminder That All Are Vulnerable (TechCrunchIT)
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Due in August (eWeek)
Oracle, Salesforce.com Jump on iPhone Bandwagon (eWeek)
Microsoft still pushing Vista compatibility story (CNet)
iPhone 3G disaster (Scobleizer's Recent Qik Videos)
Microsoft Certified Master Program (Microsoft)
More on the Certified Master programs from me, Per, the program owner... (Technet Blogs)
Troubleshooting WSUS downloads (Technet Blogs)

Thanks for listening and give Dana a warm welcome. She will be helping us out with the news and shaking up the format a bit. We hope you like her as much as we do. Don't forget our give away. Enter at CSTechcast.com for your chance to win and take our money in the form of an Amazon.com gift certificate.

Link to the episode: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=33

- Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)

Digg It

A special episode at cstechcast.com this week as we record our podcast live from PASS Camp. This keynote address features an expert panel to explore the upcoming SQL Server 2008 database release with questions on features, technology, and strategy for our panel. Featured on our panel are Paul Nielsen - Microsoft SQL Server MVP and author of the “SQL Server Bible” book series (SqlServerBible.com), Kevin Cox – member of the SQL Server Product Group in the Customer Advisory Team at Microsoft (sqlcat.com), and Ben Hoelting - a .NET developer with Colorado Technology Consultants (benhblog.com). Of course, we also have our own co-hosts contribute; Eric Johnson, Microsoft SQL Server MVP, and Josh Jones, published author on many SQL topics. Author and co-host of the podcast Eric Beehler moderates the discussion. We are offering a video version of this episode as well; check it out at cstechcast.com.

Detailed topics include the delay of the official launch and it's effect on the market and its supporters. We also discuss SQL Server 2008 in the enterprise and how it takes on its biggest competitors, IBM and Oracle. On the flip side, we discuss perhaps the smallest competitor, mySQL, and what SQL Server is doing to stay small business friendly. Attendees bring up questions on horizontal scalability and data modeling tools. We get into it with new developer feature LINQ and the possible consequences to proper database management. We also get a read on the panelist's favorite new features of SQL 2008.

We would like to thank Quest Software for allowing us to bring you this event through their sponsorship of this episode. Find out how they can help you with their suite of database management solutions at quest.com.

Don't forget our drive to find new listeners through our Amazon.com gift certificate giveaway. Go to cstechcast.com and "refer-a-friend". Leave your comments at this blog post and thanks for listening.

Link to CS Techcast Episode 15 podcast: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=15

- Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)

Digg It

Back, once again, with notable news and discussion at cstechcast.com. We talk with Microsoft MVP Brandon Shell this week, about the PowerShell scripting tool. You can find his blog at bsonposh.com. In the news, MySQL claimed by Sun and Oracle brings home BEA, Oracle patches and admin's lack thereof, EMC goes SSD, and a Macbook out of thin Air. The "Worst Tech Move of the Week", "Weekly Tech Tip", and "Meet Your Local User Group" segments round out the half hour.

Show Notes

Links to the stories discussed in our podcast:
http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/apple-macbook-air-1/4505-3121_7-32818756.html?tag=nefdprod.rev
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Storage/EMC-Breaks-New-Ground-with-SSDs-in-Storage-Arrays/
http://www.sentrigo.com/press_releases-newsid-39.htm
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/141412/oracle_releases_security_patch.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,141409-pg,1/article.html
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205800904&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All

Featured User Group

The Boulder SQL Users Group in Colorado is in the spotlight this week. Check them out, in person, every month and visit the website at boulder.sqlgroups.com to find all the detail. They are a part of the Colorado PASS Camp as well, a collaborative effort between the front range SQL users groups to bring training for free to their members.

If you like us, put a link to cstechcast.com on your blog or web site. Comments about the episode are welcome at this blog post. Thanks.
- Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)

Digg It

After a problem with the local telco, we are back up with our latest at cstechcast.com. We've got some humor and some know how in this episode. A nice balance if I do say so myself. This week we chat with Claudia Baca, author of "Project Management for Mere Mortals". Find her at the web site www.claudiambaca.com, where you will find additional information including white papers and case studies. Also, check out the video series Project Management for Mere Mortals(R) (Video LiveLessons). In the news; a new Firefox vulnerability, Dell and Sun team up, Office 2008 for the Mac, and Hitachi drops 1.8 inch and smaller hard drive lines. Plus, "The Worst Tech Move of the Week", "Meet your Local User Group", "The Tech News Flash Forward", and "The Weekly Tech Tip".

Show Notes

Links to the stories discussed in our podcast:

http://googlewatch.eweek.com/content/google_vs_facebook/scoble_unmasked_as_facebook_digibomber.html
http://msmvps.com/blogs/bradley/archive/2007/11/28/still-having-issues-post-office-2003-sp3.aspx
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUST22530420080104
http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/15941/
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Storage/Dell-to-Offer-Suns-Solaris-OpenSolaris-in-Servers/
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,140997-page,1/article.html
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205208536&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All
http://blogs.technet.com/tarpara/archive/2008/01/02/office-2003-sp3-legacy-file-formats-disabled.aspx

A quick update on the Office 2003 service pack 3 issue with blocked files. Microsoft is backing down on it's overarching file blocking stance of older files as detailed in this article: http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Windows/Microsoft-Backs-Down-over-Office-2003-SP3-File-Blocking/. Find a tersely worded explanation of of why the file blocking was put in place at this Technet blog post: http://blogs.technet.com/tarpara/archive/2008/01/07/office-2003-sp3-the-facts-and-fiction.aspx.

Featured User Group

Our featured user group is the Colorado Springs SQL Server User Group. They focus on Microsoft SQL Server technology and the group is headed by SQL MVP and CS Techcast member Eric Johnson. Come on out and get involved. Find them at springssql.org.

As always, leave your comments at this blog post and check back every week for a new episode.

- Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)

Digg It

Episode 2 of CS TechCast is posted and ready for your consumption at www.cstechcast.com. Here you will find notes and links on the topics discussed in CS TechCast # 2. This week we talk with Bill Inmon, the Father of Data Warehousing, about his now book "Tapping into Unstructured Data". In the news, new stuff from Microsoft, a new old DNS flaw, Sun goes virtual, compliance audits, and IT spending. Plus, "The Worst Tech Move of the Week", "IT Shout Out", and "The Tech Tip of the Week".

Please visit Bill Inmon's web site at www.inmoncif.com. In addition, pick up the latest book from this definitive authority, Tapping into Unstructured Data: Integrating Unstructured Data and Textual Analytics into Business Intelligence, due out in a couple weeks.

Show Notes

Here are link to stories discussed during our news and other segments:

http://entmag.com/news/rss.asp?editorialsid=9308#10

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2228177,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03129TX1K0000610

http://www.eweek.com/slideshow/0,1206,a=220909,00.asp

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2228717,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594

http://entmag.com/news/rss.asp?editorialsid=9307#5

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/140340/global_tech_spending_growth_to_slow_in_2008.html

http://www.baselinemag.com/article2/0,1397,2228885,00.asp

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2227513,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,140268-pg,1/article.html

It looks like the DNS flaw we discussed has not been addressed in the latest round of patches. For now, all you can do to protect yourself is to disable Auto-discovery in Internet Explorer or other browsers that use this feature, but see the full Microsoft Advisory 945713. The complete list of December patches can be found at the Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for December 2007.

Our user group spotlight this week is Pacific IT Professionals at https://owa.consortioservices.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.pacitpros.org. Get involved with your local technology community and learn from each other!

Leave your comments about our podcast at this blog post. Thanks for listening.

- Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)

Digg It