Expert Blogs

Hello, I'm Buck Woody - Microsoft's "Real World DBA". I go by that title not because I'm a DBA here (we do have a lot of those, though) but because for over 25 years I've worked as a Data Professional. I've worked at organizations from NASA facilities to hospitals, and from legal offices to manufacturing firms and software development companies. I've been a DBA, a data developer, and a database consultant on everything from mainframes running COBOL flat-file databases to microcomputers running Oracle, DB/2, Sybase, SQL Server, Postgres and Ingres. I've written a few books on SQL Server, been a SQL Server Most Valuable Professional (MVP) and I've run several user groups over the years.

I joined Microsoft just a few years ago and since that time I've worked on the product team as a Program Manager working on the SQL Server 2008 product, and I now work as a Senior Technical Specialist on SQL Server, helping our clients figure out where the SQL Server product fits in their architecture. I also teach a database design course at the University of Washington, and I still volunteer as a DBA so that I keep my hands in the tools and the trade.

From time to time I'll post information here that is different from my daily blogs and weekly articles - but like those posts I'll always make sure that the information has "real world" value. Functions and features are great, but they have to *do something* meaningful before I get excited about them. When I do, you'll be the first to hear it!

Tags: SQL Server 

This morning I am delivering a webcast on Technet regarding some exciting new releases in our System Center product lineup.  I hope you can join us.  Here is the link to the event.

Jeff Wettlaufer 
Sr. Technical Product Manager
System Center

Good morning everyone from  a dark and raining Redmond, USA.  My name is Jeff Wettlaufer and I am excited to join you here on the ‘Because It’s Everybody’s Business’ blog.

Like many of you, I have been in the IT industry for a number of years, and have enjoyed a passion for technology throughout.  I have been with Microsoft for about 10 years, both in the UK and here in Redmond.   My time in Redmond has mostly been in the System Center team (~4 years now) where we produce a powerful collection of configuration and performance management tools.  It has been an incredible 4 years being a part of a product group that is growing like the System Center business.  It is even more exciting to look ahead at the stuff in the pipes.  The short term ahead of us is jammed with new market shaping capabilities across a number of areas that are especially important to you. 

You guys have a lot on your plate.  Your success is measured in ways that even a few years ago did not exist.  As you strive to do more with less, centralizing your workflows, management technologies, admin consoles, investigating virtualization and improving workload strategies have  all become massive accelerators to saving you cost – direct and indirect.  I want to help you do that.

Our team has been active on the ‘social networking’ scene for a few years, and personally I have been blogging for both work and family for quite a while.  If you haven’t seen our System Center team blog yet, check us out here, it’s a very active blog, with a lot of passionate contributors. 

I am really pleased to be given a chance to connect with you here on this blog, and I am really looking forward to sharing news, updates and stories about our management and security division through the BIEB site.   I hope you find my contributions valuable.  If there is some topic or capability you would like me to dive on, let me know.  This site is for you guys, its your valuable time you are spending reading our posts, and I want to make sure you find it worthwhile.

I don't want to assume anything, you guys know your business, your challenges, and where your pain points are.  Let’s work together on helping you succeed, grow, gain agility and streamline your costs. 

Thank you for your time.

Jeff Wettlaufer 
Sr. Technical Product Manager
System Center

Tags: expert  Jeff Wettlaufer  welcome 

Hello, my name is Jason Buffington and I am really excited to be part of Microsoft’s new initiative – Because It’s Everybody’s Business (BIEB).

As my backgrounder, I have been a “backup guy” for most of the last 18 years:

• For the last four years (as of December 5), I have been at Microsoft, driving System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM)
• Before Microsoft, I was with NSI Software, now Double-Take Software, for 9 years
• I spent a few years with Cheyenne Software doing ARCserve, before Computer Associates bought it
• I have been at various resellers/channel partners – including running my own small consultancy
• And along the way, I was an MCSE, MCT, Disaster Recovery Planner and Microsoft MVP.

During my time at Microsoft and DPM, I have been privileged to pick up a few other products.  For two years, I also had the chance to influence our Storage Solutions and the file services role of Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2.  And starting a few months ago, I began working with System Center Essentials (SCE). 

But at heart, I have always been a “backup and recovery guy”. 

That is the reason why I like BIEB … because it takes a perspective much like what I have on “protecting your data” … it is “everybody’s business”.   As a backup guy, I touch all of the Exchange, and SQL, and SharePoint, and Virtualization, and Windows servers and desktops – not because I am an expert in those platforms, but because they need to be backed up. 

Backup touches everything – because without your data, you don’t have your business. 

And while I am soap-boxing, back up your data at home.  Those family pictures are probably worth more to you personally than last month’s budget spreadsheet at work. 

So, backup is everyone’s business – and that’s one of the lenses that you’ll hear from me on this blog, as I offer my thoughts and resources around how backup matters and adds to the core elements of BIEB, as well as how BIEB applies to those management needs in midsized businesses.

Thanks for reading – and I look forward to visiting with you in the near future.

Jason Buffington Senior Technical Product Manager – System Center       System Center Data Protection Manager System Center Essentials

Tags: Essentials  Jason Buffington  Data Protection Manager 

If you're like most companies, you have a solution to block or log employee access to websites. You also might have some form of network intrusion detection system (NIS) to help prevent unwanted attacks. Additionally, your company probably only relies upon the client AV software to detect malware when someone wants to download something from the web. With the release of Forefront Threat Management Gateway (TMG) you can improve upon all of the above situations to "modernize your web security" while reducing your risk and saving money.

TMG was rightfully renamed from ISA server because of all of the new capabilities it brings to the table in addition to the old functionality of ISA. TMG can now filter URLs utilizing a well-known reputation service, block malware from people trying to download files from the web over HTTP or SSL, and prevent zero-day attacks through it's own NIS.

What are some of the key reasons why you would want to switch from your existing solution(s) and/or upgrade from ISA 2006?

Reduce your Risk 

• TMG protects against zero-day attacks which are compromised through signatures based on the known vulnerabilities in Microsoft products.  This adds an extra layer of security for vulnerabilities which come through the web, even if the patches have not been installed on your client machines.
• TMG protects users from downloading malicious files on the web over HTTP or HTTPS through the built-in malware engine.  This adds another layer of security over simply relying upon the client AV to provide protection.
• TMG protects non-Microsoft and unmanaged clients because all traffic which goes through TMG is protected via the AV scanning, URL filtering, and NIS – regardless of the browser, operating system, or whether or not it is joined to a domain or managed.

Save Money 

• TMG reduces licensing costs by being able to pay only one company for NIS/URL Filtering/AV scanning instead of each of them separately.  Also if you have certain licensing agreements with Microsoft, some of this functionality comes at no extra cost.
• TMG eases administration because instead of having to go to multiple servers and consoles for things like URL filtering, Malware scanning, and Network Intrusion, it’s all in one place.  This frees up time of administrators, hence saving money.
• TMG reduces money spent on network bandwidth by working well with the Branch Cache functionality in Windows Server 2008 R2 and also caching website traffic.

For additional information, you can watch this video interview I had with David Cross:

Tags: forefront  featured  TMG  David Tesar  Security