Month: June 2007

Microsoft has released beta 2 of the Forefront Server Security Management Console.  Here’s what MS have to say about it:

It "… allows administrators to easily manage Forefront Security for Exchange Server, Forefront Security for SharePoint and Microsoft Antigen, providing a web-based console to centralize configuration and operation, automate the download and distribution of signature and scan engine updates, and generate comprehensive reports. Forefront Server Security Management Console also allows administrators to rapidly respond to outbreaks and update protection across enterprise deployments, improving organizational agility in responding to new threats. Through integration with Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft SQL Server, Forefront Server Security Management Console helps maintain reliability and performance of messaging and collaboration protection".

Long story short: It gives you a central console to manage the common functionality of each of MS’s corporate anti-malware solutions.

There is a user guide that you can download.

I’m off the market.  There’s an economic slowdown on the way in Ireland and there’s about to be large numbers of layoffs.  Not to mention the fact that contract rates have dropped recently.  So, I’ve gotten myself a permanent role with an outsourcing firm in Dublin.  It’s shaping up to be a real cracker.  The management is really keen on adopting technologies that can give them unique and competitive solutions.  My role will put me in at the coal face of this.

I’ll continue to keep this blog going.  I’ve learned a fair bit since I started it last year and I’d like to keep that up.

A Community Technology Preview release of SQL Server 2008 has been released by Microsoft.  There is loads of blurb on product features and some webcasts on that site as well.

MS has released some guides for SCE 2007:

• Operations Guide
• Migration to SCE from WSUS, SMS 2003/CM 2007 and OM.

So, you’re with BT Ireland you’ve lodged a complaint with someone about your broadband.  What happens?  They ask for your Universal Account Number (UAN).  So where do you get that?  If you call BT then they will promise to post it out to you … I’m waiting two days for mine.  According to Comreg, it’s on the tight-hand side of your bill under "UAN".  Unfortunately, that isn’t true.  the guy handling my case in Comreg asked me to send in a scan of my bill because he didn’t believe me.  He then emailed me back … the UAN is on the left hand side and is listed as "Eircom Account Number".  Apparently, this is not appropriate so the guy has lodged a complaint with BT.

Anyway, Comreg have now forwarded my UAN to Eircom so they can continue handling my formal complaint.  No word on that yet.

Dell is the latest "technology" company to announce layoffs.  There are fears that they could lay off up to 400 employees in the Irish based manufacturing and support offices in Limerick and Dublin.  There’s some spin going on this afternoon, namely that 400 employees  won’t be laid off.  Instead, it’s likely that contractors won’t have their contracts renewed.  They just don’t count. Grrr!  Back in early 2002, I heard that Dell were recruiting for people in Eastern Europe for a new plant that would be built there.  Their new Polish plant is actually bigger than the Irish plant.  There cannot be justification for both plants being in operation unless Dell have monstrous increases in orders.  Also, a Polish employee’s salary is 1/3 of what an Irish employee would expect.  We can expect more job losses here … or should I rephrase that as natural losses via contracts not being renewed 😉  This trend of Eastern Europe taking jobs is set to continue beyond Dell.

I also noticed that there was a pretty sudden drop in the amount of contract work out there.  There’s loads of guff about there being huge amounts of IT jobs being open.  I’ve never believed that stuff … we used to hear the same bluffing back in 2001/2002 when the IT job market went to the wall.

There are some other bad signs too … unemployment numbers are up, the Central Statistics Office and AIB are saying estimates for next year are down and the construction industry (which is driving the Irish economy) is expecting huge job losses.

My advice: Batten down the hatches because my dodgy knee feels like there’s a storm on the way.

The other day, I mentioned the problem with companies not having appropriate leaving procedures in place.  Steve Riley blogged a little about this problem.

Microsoft has released Service Pack 3 for ISA 2004 Standard and Enterprise editions.  Improvements include:

• All software updates issued since ISA Server 2004 was released to manufacturing.
• Fixes for common issues reported by customers through Microsoft Customer Service and Support.
• Improved log viewer functionality, including an enhanced details pane view, text coloring, and new log filtering functionality.
• Updated ISA Server Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in functionality that provides access to troubleshooting tools and options available directly from the ISA Server Management console.
• Integration with the Microsoft ISA Server Best Practices Analyzer Tool. For more information, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=79754.
• New diagnostic logging functionality.
• Support for publishing computers running Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 both to receive and send Internet e-mail messages.