MAP 9 released

New Server and Cloud Enrolment scenario helps to simplify adoption

Server and Cloud Enrolment (SCE) is a new offering under the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement that enables subscribers to standardize broadly on one or more Microsoft Server and Cloud technologies.  The MAP Toolkit 9.0 features an assessment scenario to identify and inventory SCE supported products within an enterprise and help streamline enrolment.

New Remote Desktop Services Licensing Usage Tracking scenario creates a single view for enterprise wide licensing

With an increase in enterprises deploying Remote Desktop Services (RDS) across wider channels, RDS license management has become a focus point for organizations.  With the new RDS Licensing scenario, the MAP Toolkit rolls up license information enterprise-wide into a single report, providing a simple alternative for assessing your RDS licensing position.

Support for software inventory via Software ID tags now available

As part of the Microsoft effort to support ISO 19770-2, the MAP Toolkit now supports inventory of Microsoft products by Software ID (SWID) tag.  SWID enhanced reports will provide greater accuracy and assist large, complex environments to better manage their software compliance efforts by simplifying the software identification process and lowering the cost of managing software assets.

Improved Usage Tracking data collection for SQL Server Usage Tracking scenario

As part of our on-going improvement initiatives, Usage Tracking for SQL Server 2012 has been enhanced to use User Access Logging (UAL).  UAL is a standard protocol in Windows Server 2012 that collects User Access information in near real time and stores the information in a local database, eliminating the need for log parsing to perform Usage Tracking assessments.  UAL vastly improves the speed and helps to eliminate long lead times for environment preparation associated with running Usage Tracking assessments.

Download here;

TechNet Subscriptions Sayonara

Microsoft is retiring the TechNet Subscriptions service to focus on growing its free offerings, including evaluation resources through the TechNet Evaluation Center, expert-led learning through the Microsoft Virtual Academy, and community-moderated technical support through the TechNet Forums to better meet the needs of the growing IT professional community.

The last day to purchase a TechNet Subscription through the TechNet Subscriptions website is August 31, 2013. Subscribers may activate purchased subscriptions through September 30, 2013.

More information can be found here;

Microsoft Message Analyser

Microsoft Message Analyser has been released to the public, available here.  In order to download the program, please join Message Analyser program.

Key capabilities include:

- Integrated "live" event and message capture at various system levels and endpoints
- Parsing and validation of protocol messages and sequences
- Automatic parsing of event messages described by ETW manifests
- Summarized grid display – top level is  “operations”, (requests matched with responses)
- User controlled "on the fly" grouping by message attributes
- Ability to browse for logs of different types (.cap, .etl, .txt) and import them together
- Automatic re-assembly and ability to render payloads
- Ability to import text logs, parsing them into key element/value pairs
- Support for “Trace Scenarios” (one or more message providers, filters, and views)

Bye, Bye Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2010 (TMG) (nee) ISA

It’s a pity, but Microsoft are discontinuing any further releases of the following Forefront-branded solutions:

- Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server (FPE)
- Forefront Protection 2010 for SharePoint (FPSP)
- Forefront Security for Office Communications Server (FSOCS)
- Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2010 (TMG)
- Forefront Threat Management Gateway Web Protection Services (TMG WPS)

More information can be found here and here.