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Microsoft 70-454 Q & A / Study Guide


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QUESTION 1
You are employed as a database developer at Certkingdom.com. You make use of SQL Server 2008 to develop database strategies.
You are in the process of developing a strategy that has three tables named Certkingdom1, Certkingdom2, and
Certkingdom3. The Certkingdom1 and Certkingdom2 have the integer and varchar data type column types configured
respectively. Certkingdom3 has both the integer and varchar data types configured as column types.
You have configured rowlevel compression on Certkingdom1, and page-level compression on Certkingdom2 and Certkingdom3.
Which of the following describes the reason for this configuration?

A. It allows for the reduction of disk space usage, while modifying the data types in the tables of the database
B. It allows for the reduction of disk space usage without modifying the data types in the tables of the database
C. It allows for the increase of disk space usage, while modifying the data types in the tables of the database
D. It allows for the increase of disk space usage, while modifying the data types in the tables of the database

Answer: B

Explanation:


QUESTION 2
You are employed as a database developer at Certkingdom.com. You make use of SQL Server 2008 to
develop database strategies.
You have received instructions to design a database strategy that includes a table which hosts
data imported from an outside source. This data includes a field named TransactionTime that
should be configured to make use of hh:mm:ss[.n] format.
You have been informed that the data type selected for the TransactionTime field must allow for
storage to be kept to a minimum.
You, therefore, make use of the time(1) data type.
Which of the following is TRUE with regards to the time data type?

A. The default fractional precision is 7 (100ns).
B. The default fractional precision is 3 (100ns).
C. The time produced by the time data type is not time zone aware and is based on a 24-hour clock.
D. The time produced by the time data type is time zone aware and is based on a 12-hour clock.

Answer: A,D

Explanation:


QUESTION 3
You are employed as a database developer at Certkingdom.com. You make use of SQL Server 2008 to
develop database strategies.
You have received instructions to design a strategy that has two tables named CertkingdomVendor and
CertkingdomItem. You have configured a foreign key constraint between the CertkingdomVendor and CertkingdomItem
tables on the CertkingdomVendorID column.
You have configured the CertkingdomVendor table to display a 0 value for the CertkingdomVendorID when a
vendor is removed. You also want make sure that the CertkingdomVendorID value in the CertkingdomItem table is
set to 0 when a vendor is removed.
You then create a default constraint on the CertkingdomVendorID column in the CertkingdomItem table, which is
used to set the value to 0.
Which of the following actions should you take NEXT?

A. You should consider setting the ON DELETE property of the foreign key constraint to Null.
B. You should consider setting the ON DELETE property of the foreign key constraint to Default.
C. You should consider setting the ON DELETE property of the foreign key constraint to Cascade.
D. You should consider setting the ON DELETE property of the foreign key constraint to No Action.

Answer: B

Explanation:


QUESTION 4
You are employed as a database developer at Certkingdom.com. You make use of a SQL Server 2008
instance to develop database strategies.
You are in the process of designing a database strategy that makes use of the Integration
Services and Microsoft Sync Framework SQL Server components.
Which of the following is TRUE with regards to the use of these components?

A. Microsoft Sync Framework allows for collaboration and offline access for applications, services, and devices.
B. Microsoft Sync Framework prevents collaboration and offline access for applications, services, and devices.
C. Integration Services allows for the merging of data from Heterogeneous Data Stores.
D. Integration Services prevents the merging of data from Heterogeneous Data Stores.

Answer: A,C

Explanation:


QUESTION 5
You are employed as a database developer at Certkingdom.com. You make use of SQL Server 2008 to
develop database strategies.
You have received instructions to design a strategy that helps Certkingdom.com’s administration manager.
You have created three entities named User, UserTask, and UserAssignment. You have
configured the User entity to make use of the UserID attribute, the UserTask entity to make use of
the UserTaskID attribute, and the UserAssignment entity to make use of the UserAssignmentID attribute.
You have been informed that the strategy must allow for users to be assigned multiple tasks. You
also need to ensure that a task is deleted when it has been completed, and that the assignment
linked to that task is also deleted. Furthermore, a NULL value has to replace the user reference to
the user assignment as soon as a user becomes unavailable to finish a task.
Which combination of the following actions should you take? (Choose all that apply.)

A. You should consider configuring Foreign Key constraints on the UserTaskID and UserID
attributes in the UserAssignment entity.
B. You should consider configuring Foreign Key constraints on the UserTaskID and UserID
attributes in the UserTask and User entities respectively.
C. You should consider referencing the UserTask and User entities respectively.
D. You should consider referencing the UserAssignment and User entities respectively.
E. You should consider specifying the On Delete property as NULL.
F. You should consider specifying the On Delete property as Default.

Answer: A,C,E

Explanation:

 

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Microsoft 70-236 Q & A / Study Guide

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QUESTION 1
You work as the Exchange Administrator at Certkingdom.com. The Certkingdom.com network has an Exchange
Server 2007 infrastructure.
The network contains a mailbox named TestResources. At present all users are able to diarize
appointments for TestResources. A new company policy states that only Kara Lang and Mia
Hamm are permitted to diarize appointments for TestResources.
What actions must you take to comply with the Certkingdom.com policy?

A. You should run the following cmdlet:
Set- MailboxCalendarSettings – Identity”TestResources” – MonthCalendar calendar = new
MonthCalendar(); KaraLang , MiaHamm.
B. You should run the following cmdlet:
Set-MailboxCalendarSettings – Identity ” TestResources” – BookInPolicy KaraLang , MiaHamm –
AllBookInPolicy $false cmdlet.
C. You should run the following cmdlet:
Set – MonthCalendar calendar = new MonthCalendar(); “host.KaraLang , MiaHamm = calendar ”
this.Content = host;.
D. You should run the following cmdlet:
Set – MonthCalendar calendar = new MonthCalendar();
HwndSource source = HwndSource.FromHwnd(calendar.Handle);
this.Content = calendar;Delegates KaraLang , MiaHamm.

Answer: B

Explanation:


QUESTION 2
You work as the Exchange Administrator at Certkingdom.com. The Certkingdom.com network has an Exchange
Server 2007 environment. Certkingdom.com has headquarters in London and branch offices in Paris and
Berlin. The marketing department is located at the Paris office. The personnel in Paris connect to
the network through the Internet and use Outlook Anywhere on their laptops. To ensure
productivity management wants you to make sure that the marketing personnel have access to the
companies’ mailboxes.
What actions must you take?

A. You should utilize the Test- MAPIConnectivity and the Test- WebServicesConnectivity cmdlet.
B. You should utilize Get- Recipient – Filter cmdlet.
C. You should utilize Show-MailboxStatistics cmdlet.
D. You should utilize List-Mailbox cmdlet.

Answer: A

Explanation:


QUESTION 3
You work as the Exchange administrator at Certkingdom.com. The Certkingdom.com network has an Exchange
Server 2007 environment. The Certkingdom.com network has an Exchange Server 2007 environment.
The Edge Transport Server role is installed on a server named Certkingdom-EX01. Due to this server
failure, you have decided to install a new Microsoft Windows Server 2003 server named CertkingdomEX03
on the network with the reinstallation of the Edge Transport Server role. However, the
address rewrites that was functional on Certkingdom-EX01 did not in operation on Certkingdom-EX03. This
functionality is needed.
What actions must you take?

A. You should use the ImportEdgeConfig.ps1 on Certkingdom-EX03.
B. You should use the iiscnfg/enable: application name check version.
C. You should use the Transaction Logs for sp_configure configuration.
D. You should use create a new Send connector on Certkingdom-EX03.

Answer: A

Explanation:


QUESTION 4
You work as the Exchange administrator at Certkingdom.com. Certkingdom.com has headquarters in London and
a branch office in Paris. The Exchange Server 2007 server in the London office is named CertkingdomEX07
and the Exchange Server 2003 server in the London office is named Certkingdom-EX08. You need
to transfer the mailbox from Certkingdom-EX07 to Certkingdom-EX08.
What actions must you take?

A. You should include the IgnoreRuleLimitErrors parameter when using the Move-Mailbox cmdlet.
B. You should use the System configuration data collector.
C. You should create a mapping schema definition.
D. You should enable the Windows Remote Management (WinRM).

Answer: A

Explanation:


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QUESTION 5
You work as the Exchange administrator at Certkingdom.com. Certkingdom.com has its headquarters in Chicago
and a branch office in Dallas. You are implementing a new Exchange Server 2007 Organization.
The Exchange Server 2007 environment of Certkingdom.com has the following server installed:
• An Edge Transport server named Certkingdom-EX01
• A Hub Transport server named Certkingdom-EX02.
During the course of the day you have received instruction from the CIO to have e-mail routing
configured on Certkingdom-EX01 and Certkingdom-EX02. In your solution you need to ensure that Certkingdom-EX01 is
able to transmit e-mail messages to and from the Internet. You should also ensure that Internet email
is sent to Certkingdom-EX01 via Certkingdom-EX02.
What actions must you take?

A. You should use the Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM).
B. You should export a new Edge Subscription file to Certkingdom-EX01 and Import the Edge Subscription
file to Certkingdom-EX02.
C. You should use the Microsoft System Center Operations Manager (SCOM).
D. You should use the Microsoft Exchange Internet Message Access Protocol, Version 4 (IMAP4).

Answer: B

Explanation:


QUESTION 6
You work as the Exchange administrator at Certkingdom.com. The Certkingdom.com network has an Exchange
Server 2007 environment.
You were compelled to restore the directory objects and settings from a backup. However, after
the restoration a number of employees reported that they are unable to access their mailboxes
that were assigned to them before the backup was made. The employees need to access their
mailboxes.
What actions must you take?

A. You should use the Get-Mailbox cmdlet.
B. You should use the Get-MailboxInformation cmdlet.
C. You should use the Connect-Mailbox cmdlet.
D. You should use the Show-Information cmdlet.

Answer: C

Explanation:


QUESTION 7
You work as the Exchange administrator at Certkingdom.com. The Certkingdom.com network has an Exchange
Server 2007 environment.
During routine maintenance of the Exchange server you discover that the storage limits are all
different in the mailboxes.
What actions must you take to ensure that the storage limits to be the same?

A. You should use the Get-MailboxStatistics cmdlet and forward it to the Get-Mailbox cmdlet.
B. You should use the Show-MailboxStatistics cmdlet and forward it to the Select-Object cmdlet.
C. You should use the Get-MailboxInformation cmdlet and forward it to the Select-Object cmdlet.
D. You should create an Exchange Management Shell script and forward the Get-Mailbox
Database cmdlet output to the Set-Mailbox Database cmdlet.

Answer: D

Explanation:


QUESTION 8
You work as the Exchange administrator at Certkingdom.com. The Certkingdom.com network has an Exchange
Server 2007 environment. The Certkingdom.com network contains a stand-alone server named CertkingdomSR09.
Your boss, CertKingdom, wants to know which Exchange Server 2007 server role can Certkingdom-SR09
support.
What would you reply?

A. It can support the Terminal Service Session Broker (TS Session Broker) role.
B. It can support the Edge Transport server role.
C. It can support the PDC emulator role.
D. It can support the Exchange Recipient Administrators role.

Answer: B

Explanation:


QUESTION 9
You work as the Exchange Administrator at Certkingdom.com. The Certkingdom.com network has an Exchange
Server 2007 infrastructure that has two Client Access Servers with load balancing.
The employees on the intranet has 24/7 access to data when utilizing Outlook Anywhere. During
the course of the day you have received instruction from the CIO to ensure that the employees
who connect to the Exchange infrastructure via the IUnernet also have access to data 24/7.
What actions must you take?

A. You should enable the Microsoft Exchange Information Store.
B. You should enable the Microsoft Exchange Search Service.
C. You should set the external URL on every Client Access Server.
D. You should enable the Microsoft Exchange File Distribution service.

Answer: C

Explanation:


QUESTION 10
You work as the Exchange administrator at Certkingdom.com. The Certkingdom.com network has an Exchange
Server 2007 environment.
You have received several complaints from employees in various departments stating that e-mail
messages are ending up in their Junk E-mail folder even though the sender’s e-mail address is on
their Safe Senders List. You need to ensure that the employees’ Safe Senders Lists are used.
What actions must you take?

A. You should modify the SMTP Send connectors.
B. You should utilize the Get-Mailbox cmdlet.
C. You should utilize the Show-Information cmdlet.
D. You should utilize the Update-SafeList cmdlet on each mailbox.

Answer: D

Explanation:

Microsoft patches critical Windows 7 bug, downplays exploit threat

Microsoft today delivered four security updates that patched four vulnerabilities in Windows, most of them affecting the newer editions of Vista and Windows 7.

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Only one of the updates was marked “critical,” Microsoft’s most-serious threat ranking. Two of the remaining were labeled “important” and the fourth was tagged as “moderate.”

As expected, Microsoft did not patch the Windows kernel vulnerability exploited by the Duqu campaign.

Top on Microsoft’s chart today — and on outside researchers’ to-do lists as well — was the MS10-083 update that patches a bug in Windows Vista’s, Windows 7’s and Server 2008’s TCP/IP stack, which regulates Internet connections.

The vulnerability could be used by attackers in certain circumstances to hijack an unpatched PC, said Microsoft, which nevertheless downplayed the likelihood of successful attacks.

“This critical bug allows an attack via the network, and looks troublesome at first glance,” said Andrew Storms, director of security operations at nCircle Security. “But it doesn’t look very easy to pull off, so in this case, it’s not as big a concern as one would think.”

Storms pointed to a post by Microsoft engineers on the Security Research & Defense blog that spelled out the necessary conditions for an effective attack.

“We believe it is difficult to achieve [remote code execution] using this vulnerability considering that the type of network packets required are normally filtered at the perimeter and the small timing window … and [that] a large number of packets are required to pull off the attack,” wrote Ali Rahbar and Mark Wodrich of the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC).

Microsoft gave the vulnerability an exploitability index rating of “2,” meaning that it expects only unreliable exploit code to appear in the next 30 days.

Even so, some researchers warned that if criminals focused their attention on the bug, they may be able to craft a consistent exploit that could be used to launch worm-based attacks.

Microsoft also updated Windows Mail and Windows Meeting Space on Vista, Windows 7 and Server 2008 to fix yet another “DLL load hijacking” vulnerability.

DLL load hijacking, sometimes called “binary pre-loading,” describes a class of bugs first revealed in August 2010. Microsoft has been patching its software to fix the problem — which can be exploited by tricking an application into loading a malicious file with the same name as a required dynamic link library, or DLL — since last November.

Today’s MS11-085 update was the eighteenth Microsoft has issued to fix DLL load-hijacking vulnerabilities in its software.

“They’re a dime-a-dozen these days,” said Storms of the latest in the long-running series.

Researchers also noted that while Microsoft did not patch the Duqu-exploited bug, it did fix a different flaw in the TrueType font parsing engine, the component targeted by the Trojan’s attacks.

MS11-084 fixes a single vulnerability in the Windows kernel-mode driver “Win32k.sys” that can be exploited through a malformed TrueType font file.

“We’re see a pattern of kernel-level bugs and parsing of font files,” said Storms. “And they’re going to have to come back and patch this again for Duqu.”

Microsoft patched the TrueType engine within Win32k.sys just last month, fixing a flaw that let hackers conduct denial-of-service attacks to cripple Windows PCs. Today’s bug was also categorized as a denial-of-service flaw.

In lieu of a fix, Microsoft last week told customers that they could defend their systems by blocking access to “t2embed.dll,” the dynamic link library that handles embedded TrueType fonts.

An advisory offered command-prompt strings IT administrators can use to deny access to t2embed.dll, and links to one of Microsoft’s “Fix-it” tools that automate the process of blocking or unblocking access to the library.

Blocking t2embed.dll, however, has side effects: Applications, including Web browsers, applications in Microsoft’s Office suite and Adobe’s Reader, may not render text properly.

Microsoft also updated that advisory today with a link to a list of its antivirus partners that have issued signatures to detect the kernel-based Duqu attacks.

November’s security patches can be downloaded and installed via the Microsoft Update and Windows Update services, as well as through Windows Server Update Services.

Europe Approves Microsoft Purchase of Skype

The European Commission on Friday approved Microsoft’s $8.5 billion purchase of Skype, saying it had no objections to a deal that would link the world’s largest software maker with the leading Internet communications service.

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While the assent from the European competition commissioner, Joaquín Almunia, is not the final antitrust hurdle for the transaction — regulators in Russia, Ukraine, Serbia and Taiwan are still deliberating — the positive review from Brussels was considered the last significant threat to what would be Microsoft’s largest takeover to date.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission approved the transaction in June.

In voicing no objections to the deal, Mr. Almunia, a Spanish economist, chose not to act on a complaint from an Italian competitor to Skype, Messagenet of Milan, which had asked that the deal be blocked unless Microsoft opened Skype’s 124-million user network to competitors.

Mr. Almunia in February approved Microsoft’s purchase of the search advertising business of Yahoo. This time, the competition commissioner said he was approving the purchase of Skype “because the deal would not significantly impede effective competition,” according to a statement by his office.

In the consumer communications business, the commission said Microsoft and Skype overlapped only in video communications, which Microsoft offers separately through its Windows Live Messenger program.

“However, the commission considers that there are no competition concerns in this growing market where numerous players, including Google, are present,” the commission said in its statement.

In the sale of Internet communications to businesses, Skype had only “a limited presence,” the commission concluded, which did not overlap with Microsoft’s Lync Internet communications software, used by large companies.

Microsoft, in a statement, called the European approval “an important milestone. We look forward to completing the final steps needed to close the acquisition.”

The approval from Brussels will expedite the fusion of Microsoft, maker of the ubiquitous Windows computer operating system and Office business application suite, with Skype, an Internet seller of free and low-cost audio and video telephony founded in 2003 by Niklas Zennstrom, a Swede, and Janus Friis of Denmark.

During the past eight years, Skype has become the largest provider of Internet-based communications. But profitability has remained elusive.

A previous owner, eBay, which bought Skype for an estimated $2.6 billion in October 2005, was not able to integrate Skype profitably into its online auction business. In October 2007, eBay took a $1.4 billion impairment charge reflecting what it estimated that it had overpaid for Skype.

Last November, eBay sold a 70 percent stake in Skype to an investor group led by Silver Lake Partners for an estimated $2 billion.

Microsoft, which announced its agreement to buy Skype on May 10, is paying nearly three times Skype’s market value, as measured by the sale of eBay’s stake almost a year ago to private investors.

Leif-Olof Wallin, an analyst in Stockholm for Gartner, said Microsoft would use Skype to bolster its push into Internet-based telephony around its Lync software for businesses. With Skype’s huge user base, Microsoft will be able to greatly expand the availability of low-cost Internet telephony, Mr. Wallin said.

He added that Microsoft’s distribution of Skype through its Windows operating system would improve the image of Internet calling, especially among businesses, which are increasingly encouraging workers to use their own computers and software for company business.

That will make Microsoft more of a direct competitive threat to Cisco Systems and Avaya, the two biggest companies that sell Internet-based telephone service software for businesses.

But it will also accelerate downward pressure on long-distance and international calling prices, Mr. Wallin said.

“Once it is preloaded on a device, whether it is a computer or a phone, it becomes more convenient to use,” Mr. Wallin said. “That will make consumers more likely to discover and try it.”

Whether Microsoft can generate a profit from Skype, or create profitable synergies with its other software services and products remains unclear, said David W. Cearley, an analyst for Gartner in Stamford, Connecticut.

“I do not believe that direct revenue was the main reason for the purchase,” Mr. Cearley said. “The main thing that Microsoft is buying with Skype is brand presence on the Web and a customer base.”

Update: Duqu exploits zero-day flaw in Windows kernel

The Duqu trojan infects systems by exploiting a previously unknown Windows kernel vulnerability that is remotely executable, security vendor Symantec said today.

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Symantec said in a blog post that CrySys, the Hungarian research firm that discovered the Duqu Trojan earlier this month, has identified a dropper file that was used to infect systems with the malware.

The installer file is a malicious Microsoft Word document designed to exploit a zero-day code execution vulnerability in the Windows kernel.

“When the file is opened, malicious code executes and installs the main Duqu binaries” on the compromised system, Symantec said.

According to Symantec, the malicious Word document in the recovered installer appears to have been specifically crafted for the targeted organization. The file was designed to ensure that Duqu would only be installed during a specific eight-day window in August, Symantec noted.

No known workarounds exist for the zero-day vulnerability that Duqu exploits. The installer that was recovered is one of several that may have been used to spread the Trojan.

It is possible that other methods of infection are also being used to spread Duqu, Symantec noted.

Jerry Bryant, Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing group manager, said that the company is working “diligently” to address the issue.

“Microsoft is collaborating with our partners to provide protections for a vulnerability used in targeted attempts to infect computers with the Duqu malware,” Bryant said in an email.

The company will issue a security update to address the vulnerability “through our security bulletin process,” Bryant said.

The Duqu trojan was discovered earlier this month by CrySys and has garnered considerable attention because of its supposed link to last year’s Stuxnet worm that was used to disrupt industrial control equipment at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility.

Symantec, one of the first researchers to release a detailed analysis of the Duqu malware, has labeled it a precursor to the next Stuxnet because of what it said are similarities in code and function.

Symantec said that its researchers determined that Duqu was likely created by Stuxnet’s authors, and was designed specifically to steal information from vendors of industrial control systems.

The company said it believes the information gathered from the systems will be used to craft another Stuxnet-like worm.

In today’s update, Symantec noted that once Duqu gains a foothold in an organization, it can be remotely commanded to infect other systems.

In one of the six organizations that are confirmed to have been infected by the malware, attackers remotely ordered Duqu to spread by using the Server Message Block protocol used for file and printer sharing functions, Symantec said.

In some cases, computers infected with Duqu did not have the ability to communicate with a central command and control server, so the malware was configured to use a file-sharing protocol to communicate with another compromised computer on the same network that could to connect to a server.

“Consequently, Duqu creates a bridge between the network’s internal servers and the C&C (control and command) server. This allowed the attackers to access Duqu infections in secure zones with the help of computers outside the secure zone being used as proxies,” Symantec said.

Syamantec said it confirmed that systems in six organizations in eight countries — France, India, Iran, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sudan, Ukraine and Vietnam — have been infected with Duqu. Unconfirmed infections have also been reported in Hungary, Indonesia and the United Kingdom, Symantec said.

Meanwhile, researchers discovered two command and control servers used to communicate with computers infected with Duqu.

The first one was found in India and taken down last week, while the second one, located in Belgium, was also shut down.

Don Jackson, a security researcher at Dell SecureWorks, said today that it’ss not clear from Symantec’s description whether the zero-day flaw exists in the Windows kernel, in Word, or in both.

Finding and exploiting a Windows kernel level zero-day vulnerability suggests that those behind Duqu likely has “pretty high level of technical capability” and/or is very well funded, Jackson said.

Zero-day flaws in the Windows kernel can easily cost upwards of $10,000 in the underground market, Jackson noted.

Microsoft: BPOS components average 99.9-plus percent uptime

The hosted applications in Microsoft’s Business Productivity Online Standard Suite (BPOS) have averaged uptime of 99.9 percent or better in the past year, according to the company.

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BPOS, a collaboration and communications suite hosted by Microsoft and sold with partners, includes Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Office Communications Online and Live Meeting.

Last week, Google touted a 99.98 percent uptime for its hosted Gmail service in 2010, for both individual account holders and people who use it as part of Google Apps, a BPOS rival. Google didn’t provide the uptime rate for the other Apps suite components, like Docs and Calendar.

Google and Microsoft offer a 99.9 percent uptime guarantee for their Apps and BPOS suites, respectively. When that service level agreement (SLA) isn’t met, Google offers affected customers credits and extends their subscriptions, while Microsoft offers cash reimbursement.

Google announced last week that it was modifying its SLA to count every instance of downtime; previously, it logged only outages of 10 minutes or more. It also tweaked its SLA to include outages due to planned maintenance work, which previously wasn’t counted against the 99.9 percent uptime commitment.

According to a spokesman for Microsoft, the BPOS SLA counts “any service issue as downtime, from the minute it starts to resolution.”

“We also count issues for any number of impacted users, not just if ‘enough’ users are impacted,” he said via e-mail.

The competition between Google Apps and BPOS has been heating up in the past year. Google has been updating its suite with capabilities aimed at large enterprises and their CIOs. Google Apps has traditionally been aimed at small and medium-size businesses.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is beta testing a big upgrade to BPOS called Office 365, whose applications will be based on the latest 2010 versions of their on-premise counterparts. Office 365 will also include versions that come with Office Web Apps, a hosted version of Microsoft Office, and with the option of the full-featured Office suite itself.

Because BPOS and Google Apps are cloud-hosted suites, their performance and uptime are critical aspects to their respective customers, most of whom rely on the suites as their primary workplace e-mail service.

Microsoft delivers Windows Intune 2.0 cloud-management service

Microsoft has made the second version of its Windows Intune cloud-management service generally available to customers on October 17, as promised.

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On October 17, Microsoft made generally available the second version of its Windows Intune cloud-management service.

Windows Intune enables businesses to manage and secure PCs. It also provides users with rights to current and future versions of Windows — similar to what they’d get if they signed up for Microsoft’s Software Assurance volume-licensing program. Microsoft also is attempting to pitch Windows Intune as a way to get customers to move from Windows XP to Windows 7 because of the current/future Windows 7 rights.

Windows Intune is a Microsoft cloud service that provides IT pros with PC management and security for $11 per seat per month. (There’s a free 30-day trial for users with up to 25 PCs available.)

Windows Intune is comprised of two components: On-premises Windows and Windows management tools, plus an online management and security service. Windows Intune evolved from a Microsoft project known as System Center Online Desktop Manager (SCODM).

The new (2.0) version of Intune supports third-party application updates and patching. It also will add the ability to perform remote IT tasks, and read-only access to the administration console and new reporting capabilities.

Update: Though many of us currently refer to the latest version as “Windows Intune 2.0″ (to differentiate it from the first release, a Microsoft spokesperson noted that, going forward, this update will be known officially either as “just Windows Intune or the Windows Intune October 2011 release.”

Current Windows Intune customers will be automatically upgraded “in the few weeks following October 17,” with no action required by customers, according to Microsoft officials. Current Intune users will see an alert displayed in the Windows Intune administration console, indicating the exact date and time when Intune will be updated. Those beta testing Intune 2.0 will see the beta close on November 17.

Microsoft released version 1.0 of Windows Intune in March 2011.

There’s still no official date from the Softies as to when the company plans to integrate Windows Intune with Office 365, though that is the plan of record. The new Windows Intune FAQ (frequently asked questions) document notes that Office 365 and Windows Intune’s portals are still separate and that the two cloud properties require separate logins.

Microsoft to boost Bing’s music, TV, movies, game search

Microsoft will unveil new features next week to enhance the Bing search engine’s capabilities to search for entertainment-related content, specifically in areas such as music, television, movies and online games.

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The announcement will be made on Tuesday by Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of Microsoft’s Online Audience Business, at a press conference in West Hollywood, California, according to an invitation Microsoft sent to journalists.

The goal is to significantly beef up Bing’s handling of entertainment-related queries, an area that draws much interest from users, along with other “verticals” such as health, travel and shopping that Microsoft will also strengthen in the near future, according to people familiar with the plans.

For example, TV search results will get enhanced with programming listings and with the ability to stream episodes from the search engine user interface, these people said.

Likewise, music searches will return richer and more extensive information about artists, concerts and songs, including lyrics, and a music player will let users play back tunes on Bing, these people said. Users will also get options to purchase music.

Movie queries will return smarter results with information about local showtimes and critic reviews, while gaming enthusiasts will get specialized tools to discover games, view ratings and access overall game information in a central, consolidated place.

Some of the new entertainment-search capabilities involve deals and partnerships with other companies, as Microsoft continues its attempts to put up stronger competition in search against market leader Google, these people said.

Microsoft didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The press conference will be followed by an event about the future of entertainment, hosted by TV and radio personality Ryan Seacrest and featuring a panel discussion and musical performances.

Microsoft to ship last service pack for Office 2007 this month

Microsoft yesterday announced it will ship a third and final service pack update for Office 2007 before year’s end.

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It appears that Microsoft will deliver Office 2007 Service Pack 3 (SP3) this month.

“The October 2011 release provides a six-month window to test and deploy the release prior to exiting mainstream support,” Microsoft said in a blog post Thursday.

Office 2007, which went on general sale in January 2007 alongside Windows Vista, exits what Microsoft calls “mainstream support” in April 2012.

The suite will continue to be updated with security fixes for another five years after that, through April 11, 2017, during the “extended support” phase.

The biggest difference between the two support phases is that extended, non-security fixes are provided only to companies that have paid for special support contracts.

Microsoft, however, never issues service packs — which are mostly composed of past security and other patches — once a product is retired from mainstream support.

Office 2007 SP3 will be offered using Microsoft’s now-standard procedure. Initially, the service pack will be available as a manual download and through Windows Update as an optional install. Three months later, the company will kick SP3 into Windows Update for automatic distribution and deployment.

Microsoft also usually gives corporate customers another heads-up about 30 days before it starts serving Office service packs through its update services.

Service Pack 3 is Office’s 2007’s first SP since 2009’s SP2.

Not surprisingly, Microsoft touted the newer Office 2010 as an option for customers who want to retire Office 2007 or the even-older Office 2003.

Office 2003 has more than two years of life left in it: The suite won’t be retired from security support until April 2014.

TR: The 10 Best IT Certifications 2010

Here’s a list of the 10 accreditations with the greatest potential for technology support professionals, administrators, and managers seeking employment within consulting firms or small and midsize organizations.

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By Erik Eckel

Just as with many popular arguments — Red Sox v. Yankees, Chelsea v. Manchester United, Ford v. Chevy — IT certifications are popular fodder for debate. Except that certifications, in an IT professional’s microcosm of a world, have a bigger impact on the future. Just which certifications hold the most value today? Here’s my list of the 10 accreditations with the greatest potential for technology support professionals, administrators, and managers seeking employment within consulting firms or small and midsize organizations.

1: MCITP

This best certification list could be built using 10 Microsoft certifications, many of which would be MCITP accreditations. The world runs on Microsoft. Those professionals earning Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) certification give employers and clients confidence that they’ve developed the knowledge and skills necessary to plan, deploy, support, maintain, and optimize Windows technologies. Specifically, the Enterprise Desktop Administrator 7 and Server Administrator tracks hold great appeal, as will Enterprise Messaging Administrator 2010, as older Exchange servers are retired in favor of the newer platform.

2: MCTS

With operating systems (Windows 2000, 2003, 2008, etc.) cycling through every several years, many IT professionals simply aren’t going to invest the effort to earn MCITP or MCSE accreditation on every version. That’s understandable. But mastering a single exam, especially when available examinations help IT pros demonstrate expertise with such popular platforms as Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, and Microsoft SQL Server 2008, is more than reasonable. That’s why the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) accreditation earns a spot on the list; it provides the opportunity for IT pros to demonstrate expertise on a specific technology that an organization may require right here, right now.

3: Network+

There’s simply no denying that IT professionals must know and understand the network principles and concepts that power everything within an organization’s IT infrastructure, whether running Windows, Linux, Apple, or other technologies. Instead of dismissing CompTIA’s Network+ as a baseline accreditation, every IT professional should add it to their resume.

4: A+

Just as with CompTIA’s Network+ certification, the A+ accreditation is another cert that all IT professionals should have on their resume. Proving baseline knowledge and expertise with the hardware components that power today’s computers should be required of all technicians. I’m amazed at the number of smart, intelligent, and seasoned IT pros who aren’t sure how to crack the case of a Sony Vaio or diagnose failed capacitors with a simple glance. The more industry staff can learn about the fundamental hardware components, the better.

5: CSSA

SonicWALLs power countless SMB VPNs. The company’s network devices also provide firewall and routing services, while extending gateway and perimeter security protections to organizations of all sizes. By gaining Certified SonicWALL Security Administrator (CSSA) certification, engineers can demonstrate their mastery of network security essentials, secure remote access, or secure wireless administration. There’s an immediate need for engineers with the knowledge and expertise required to configure and troubleshoot SonicWALL devices providing security services.

6: CCNA

Although SonicWALL has eaten some of Cisco’s lunch, the demand for Cisco skills remains strong. Adding Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) expertise to your resume does no harm and helps convince larger organizations, in particular, that you have the knowledge and skills necessary to deploy and troubleshoot Cisco routing and switching hardware.

7: ACTC

Here’s where the debate really begins. Increasingly, my office is being asked to deploy and administer Mac OS X networks. In the real world, divorced from IT-industry rhetoric, we’re being asked to replace older Windows networks with Mac OS X client-server environments. We’re particularly seeing Apple traction within nonprofit environments. We’ve found the best bet is to get up to speed on the technologies clients are requesting, so it stands to reason that earning Apple Certified Technical Coordinator (ACTC) 10.6 accreditation won’t hurt. In fact, developing mastery over Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server will help provide confidence needed to actually begin pursuing Apple projects, instead of reactively responding to client requests to deploy and maintain Apple infrastructure.

8: ACSP

Apple Certified Support Professional (ACSP) 10.6 accreditation helps IT professionals demonstrate expertise supporting Mac OS X client workstations. If you work for a single organization, and that firm doesn’t use Macs, you won’t need this certification. But larger organizations adding Macs due to demand within different departments or consultants working with a wide client base will do well to ensure they have Snow Leopard client skills. The ACSP is the perfect way to prove mastery.

9: CISSP

Unchanged from the last 10 best certifications list, ISC2’s security accreditation for industry professionals with at least five years of full-time experience is internationally recognized for its value and validity. The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) title demonstrates expertise with operations and network security, subjects that will only increase in importance as legal compliance, privacy, and risk mitigation continue commanding larger organizations’ attention.

10: PMP

I fear organizations begin cutting project managers first when times get tough. Management roles and responsibilities often get passed to technical staff when layoffs occur. Even in challenging economic times, though, IT departments require staff familiar with planning, scheduling, budgeting, and project management. That’s why the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Project Management Professional (PMP) accreditation makes the list. The cert measures candidates’ expertise in managing and planning projects, budgeting expenses, and keeping initiatives on track. While there’s an argument to place CompTIA’s Project+ certification in this slot, PMI is a respected organization that exists solely to further professional project management and, as such, deserves the nod.

Honorable mentions: MCSE, ITIL, RHCP, Linux+, VCP, ACE, QuickBooks, Security+

In the previous version of this article, readers asked where NetWare certification stands. It’s not on the list. That’s not a mistake. It’s gone the way of BNC connectors, in my opinion. Microsoft owns the market. MCSEs have more value.

ITIL has its place, particularly in larger environments. RHCP (or Linux+) and VCP have roles within enterprises dependent upon Red Hat/Linux and VMware virtualization technologies certainly, but those organizations remain hit or miss.

Acronis’ ACE deserves a look. With some 3 million systems being backed up now by Acronis image software, it would behoove technology professionals to learn how to properly use the software. I think it’s fair to say there’s still some confusion as to the software’s tremendous potential.

SMBs are also demonstrating a surge of interest in QuickBooks technologies. From QuickBooks Point-of-Sale to QuickBooks Enterprise platforms, there’s strong, growing demand for QuickBooks expertise in the field. The company’s growth is impressive. There’s no other way to describe it. In a crappy economy, Intuit’s growing.

Security+, really, is a no brainer, but I’ll get lit up if I include nothing but CompTIA certifications in the top 10 list. However, my advice for anyone entering the industry or even veterans seeking their first accreditations would be to load up on CompTIA certs. How can you go wrong with the manufacturer-independent certifications that demonstrate mastery of fundamentals across a range of topics, including project management, hardware, networking, security, and voice networks? You could do much worse.

A word on the methodology

There’s no double-blind statistically valid data analysis run through a Bayesian probability calculus formula here. I’ve worked in IT long enough, however, and with enough different SMBs, to know what skills we need when the firm I co-own hires engineers and sends technicians onsite to deploy new systems or troubleshoot issues.

Sure, I could have thrown in ITIL to satisfy enterprise professionals, included RHCP to sate the rabid open source crowd, and added VCP to look hip modernizing the list with a virtualization element. But I’m just not seeing the demand for those skills in companies with up to several hundred employees. My firm’s been asked to deploy exactly one Linux server in almost seven years. And we’ve virtualized maybe a dozen systems. Therefore, I feel it would be a disservice to readers to include such accreditations when I see, on a daily basis, vastly greater demand for these other skill sets.

Erik Eckel is president of two privately held technology consulting companies. He previously served as executive editor at TechRepublic. Read his full bio and profile.