12/01/2006

December 2006 - Marching Orders for 2007

Plus: how partners can take advantage of search engine optimization; getting sales leads from Microsoft; Office Live; more


News

New-Gen SharePoint, Exchange Exams Go Beta

The Microsoft Learning Group plans to take no time off during the holidays, with work continuing this week on beta testing for several exams.


6 Held in Spain for Hacking

Spanish police arrests 6 suspects for allegedly hacking financial data.


Seagate Acquires EVault

Hard-disk drive manufacture makes move into online data storage.


MCITP: Enterprise Support Upgrade Exam Hits Beta Phase

Upgrade exam for MCDST certification holders goes through testing rigors in next two weeks.


Feds: NJ Worker Put 'Bomb' in Computers

Systems administrator alleged to have planted logic bomb that could have wiped out critical patient data.


Universities Vulnerable to ID Thieves

UCLA breach latest among several universities to have student records hacked. Breach went undetected for more than a year, affects about 40,000 students.


Gates Testifies -- Via 1998 Videotape

Lawyers show videotape deposition of Bill Gates in class-action lawsuit against Microsoft.


'Big Yellow' Worm Hits Antivirus Program

Worm hits some systems using Norton Antivirus, even though company issued patch back in May.


2 Retailers Settle Software Claims

Payless ShoeSource, Burlington Coat Factory pay up for using unlicensed software.


MCP Exam Discounts, and the Protection of Exam Insurance

Exam discounts are back and "second-shot" offer returns in a new form, dubbed "Exam Insurance."


HP Says More Cost-Cutting Ahead

Now that the company's past the pretexting scandal, company returns to work on last year's plan to cut 14,500 jobs and overhaul its retirement packages.


How Much Will Windows Security Matter?

As Windows Vista becomes more secure against known threats, it's what hackers and cybercriminals devise in the next generation of attacks that keeps Microsoft on its toes.


Exchange 2007, Forefront for Exchange Ship

Long-awaited update to Microsoft messaging platform goes RTM; security suite also gets rolling.


Microsoft, Tech Firms Seek Privacy Law

Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and other companies are preparing to push for data-privacy legislation next year.


HP Settles Pretexting Scandal with Fines

HP stock unscathed by scandal, but $14.5M settlement highlights legal woes.


3 Convicted in Microsoft Software Scam

Trio resold sharply discounted educational versions of software to nonacademic customers.


Office 2007 Translators for Mac Coming

With last week’s release of Office 2007, early adopters who work in heterogeneous system environments -- in business marketing organizations, for example -- are likely to experience some short-term angst.


Critical Fixes for Windows, Visual Studio Coming Next Week

Microsoft issued an Advance Bulletin today stating it will release six fixes for various flaws next Tuesday as part of its regularly scheduled "Patch Tuesday" update.


Microsoft Beefs Up Vista Support

As businesses start to kick the tires on Windows Vista, Office 2007 and Exchange 2007, and consumers get ready to gear up for Vista in particular, Microsoft understandably is preparing for the inevitable onslaught of support calls.


Vista, SQL Server BI Exams in Beta

Microsoft puts four new exam in front of testers.


HP Leak Case May End in Settlement

Embattled former and current HP execs expected to settle state lawsuit over pretexting scandal


Microsoft's Open XML Gets Nod from Standards Group

Ecma International approves Microsoft Office format as international standard for data.


Microsoft and Dell Roll Out Unified Storage

Dell and Microsoft Corp. announced Wednesday that the PC maker is shipping a unified, networked storage system based on the software giant's Unified Data Storage Server 2003.


A Million Zunes By June?

Still trailing the iPod, Zune still selling better than expected for company, say officials.


Microsoft Investigates Word Flaw

A newly disclosed flaw in Microsoft Word could let malicious hackers take control of victims' computers by sending them e-mail with a Word document attached.


Novell's OpenOffice to Deliver Office 2007 Compatibility

Novell Inc. announced this week that its edition of the OpenOffice.org office productivity suite will offer support for Microsoft's Office Open XML format by the time the consumer release of Office 2007 ships at the end of January.


Plaintiffs in Microsoft Case Won't Call Gates

Gates deposition from 1998 tobe used in case in lieu of appearance that would "cause disruption."


The ISV Competency Payoff

Analysis: IDC study shows profitability benefits in Microsoft's ISV Competency.


Precious Gems in Plain Sight

Microsoft offers a wealth of resources that its executives really want you to use.


Devenuti Retirement Casts a Shadow over Microsoft Services

He makes the cover of RCP, then bolts Microsoft.


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