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Have you ever tried to use Distributed Applications in Operations Manager, but got frustrated with the manual process of creating the diagrams? They can be difficult to create and harder to maintain in modern, dynamic systems.
Wouldn’t it be great if those diagrams could be built and maintained for you automatically? With the public preview of the new Service Map management pack, that reality is here.
Service Map is an Azure service automatically discovers application components on Windows and Linux systems and maps the communication between services. You can create diagrams for individual servers or complex maps of groups of servers representing your business services.
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With this new integration, you can take the dynamic maps that Service Map creates and have them automatically create and maintain your Distributed Application Diagrams in Operations Manager. As your business services change, your diagrams will change along with them. Now, you can set up dashboards showing the health of your services and trust that the underlying Distributed Applications represent the real-world infrastructures, even as they change.
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Industry Leading System Center Engineering Talent
Do you have the tools in place to empower the "always on" worker, the co-mingling of company and personal business, compliancy, access and data loss? It's time to think about your overall Identity & Access Management Strategy and we can help. Get started with System Center.
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Unify your IT management infrastructure & simplify client health with 0 touch deployments.
Streamline operations with a unified infrastructure that integrates device management and protection across mobile, physical, and virtual environments. With System Center Configuration Manager and our patented SHARC tool automating your client's computers health has never been easier.
You can discover, diagnose and clean all your client devices with just a mouse click, even the ones you didn't know were on your network... Without human intervention.
The future of client health automation is here. Managed Solution provides businesses with complete, end-to-end solutions for their technology needs.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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What to Love About Windows 10
With new features, increased security, simplified IT controls, and more, it's no wonder Windows 10 is deployed on over 400 million devices worldwide. There's a lot of reasons to love Windows 10, so this infographic outlines what you need to know about the best of the best.
Fill out the form below to download the infographic!
For more information on using Windows 10 and other Professional Services, contact us at 800-208-3617
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System Center Configuration Manager: Support for Windows 10 and Microsoft Intune
Windows 10 brings with it powerful new options for deployment and servicing. In System Center, we are committed to providing enterprise customers with best-in-class management for Windows 10 with System Center Configuration Manager, specifically by helping you successfully deploy, manage, and service Windows 10 in the way that suits you best.
As I trust you already know by now, Windows 10 comes in two basic flavors: (1) a Current Branch (also known as Windows-as-a-Service) and (2) the Long-Term Servicing Branch with a more traditional support model. The Current Branch also has the option of Current Branch for Business, which is the same build as the Current Branch, just deferred to a later date to give you time to further validate in your environment. If this is all news to you, stop reading and click here for more information and guidance. Then come on back when you are ready.
The new System Center Configuration Manager
As we announced at Microsoft Ignite with our first technical preview, we will release a new version of Configuration Manager by the end of this calendar year. This new version will bring full support for the deployment, upgrade, and management of Windows 10.
The new System Center Configuration Manager, as it will simply be called, is designed to support the much faster pace of updates for Windows 10 and Microsoft Intune. This new version will also simplify the Configuration Manager upgrade experience itself, and allow us to listen and more quickly respond to your feedback.
We have taken your feedback on making Configuration Manager easier to update, and one of the core capabilities of this upcoming release is a brand new approach for updating the features and functionality of Configuration Manager. Moving faster with System Center Configuration Manager will allow you to take advantage of the very latest feature innovations in Windows 10, as well as other operating systems such as Apple iOS and Android when using Configuration Manager integrated with Microsoft Intune for mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM) capabilities.
The new System Center Configuration Manager will also be a straightforward in-place upgrade of sites and clients, similar to a service pack.
System Center Configuration Manager will support Windows 10 in any flavor: Current Branch, Current Branch for Business, and Long-Term Servicing Branch. This is because we will be able to deliver incremental updates to support the capabilities of future versions of the Windows 10 Current Branch.
The fact that we are not including a calendar year in the name is a reflection of the fact that the new System Center Configuration Manager will be updated frequently. In documentation, in product, and for evaluation and volume licensing download sites we will denote each particular version with a version number, for example “v1512”, for a version shipping in December 2015.
We plan to support each version/update for 12 months before we require that customers upgrade to the latest one to continue support. Finally we do intend to ship a version aligned with the rest of System Center and Windows Server when they ship in 2016.
Windows 10 support with System Center 2012 Configuration Manager
Back in May, the release of System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager SP1 and System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP2 delivered full compatibility with existing features for Windows 10 deployment, upgrade and management. Also note that we released Cumulative Update 1 in August to further enhance support for Windows 10. (For simplicity, I’ll just refer to these products collectively as “ConfigMgr 2012” for the rest of this post.)
The ConfigMgr 2012 Supported Configuration article on TechNet only lists support for Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2015. Knowing that customers are eager to deploy Windows 10 Current Branch now prior to the release of the new System Center Configuration Manager later this calendar year, we are extending ConfigMgr 2012 support for Windows 10 to also include the first two builds of the Windows 10 Current Branch. This translates to the initial build of Windows 10 released this summer, and the second build of Windows 10 expected to release this fall.
We will not extend support for further versions of Windows 10 Current Branch with ConfigMgr 2012 because we need the new System Center Configuration Manager updating model to keep pace with Windows as a Service and Microsoft Intune.
In Summary: Planning and Guidance
Product Version
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Release Timing
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Windows Servicing Support
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System Center Configuration Manager
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By end of 2015 for initial release
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-
Windows 10 Current Branch, Current Branch for Business, and Long Term Servicing Branch
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System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP2 CU1
AND System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager SP1 CU1
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May 2015, with cumulative updates as needed
|
-
Windows 10 LTSB 2015,
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Windows 10 CB/CBB through February 2016*
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*ConfigMgr 2012 supports Windows 10 version 1507 (build 10.0.10240) and 1511 (build 10.0.10586) for the lifecycle of these builds. Any new Windows 10 CB/CBB builds released in the future will not be supported With ConfigMgr 2012 and will require System Center Configuration Manager current branch for supported management.
If you want to deploy Windows 10 in your environment today, you should have already upgraded ConfigMgr 2012 to the latest service pack and cumulative update as many of our customers already have.
If you are deploying Windows 10 Current Branch, then you also need a plan to upgrade to System Center Configuration Manager. Once your environment is upgraded to System Center Configuration Manager, then you will be ready to start managing future builds of Windows 10 Current Branch as they are released.
If you don’t think you’ll be able to upgrade your environment to System Center Configuration Manager in the next several months, then you’ll need to deploy Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2015 with ConfigMgr 2012 to remain in a supported configuration going forward. Subsequent releases of the Windows 10 Current Branch in 2016 and beyond will not be supported with ConfigMgr 2012.
Cloud Platform Release Announcements for October 14, 2015
In today’s mobile first, cloud first world, Microsoft provides the technologies and tools to enable enterprises to embrace a cloud culture. Our differentiated innovations, comprehensive mobile solutions and developer tools help all of our customers realize the true potential of the cloud first era.
You expect cloud-speed innovation from us, and we’re delivering across the breadth of our Cloud Platform product portfolio. Below is a consolidated list of our latest releases to help you stay current, with links to additional details if you’d like more information. In this update:
•Azure SQL Database Security
•Azure SQL Database full text search generally available
•New Power BI Content Packs for Azure Audit Logs and Microsoft Dynamics NAV generally available
•Azure Backup supports application workloads generally available
•ASR integrates with SQL AlwaysOn public review
•Azure Premium Storage generally available in additional regions: US Central and EU North
•OMS Log Analytics Mobile Apps generally available
•Azure Active Directory Domain Services in public preview
•General availability of Azure RMS Document Tracking, MFA support for RMS Sharing app on all platforms and RMS support for Outlook on Android
•Azure Active Directory Application Proxy: Remote Desktop publishing and non-MS apps SSO public preview
•System Center Configuration Manager technical preview 3 update 2
•Azure Government Continues Momentum to Meet Government Customer Challenges
Azure SQL Database Security
Today we are announcing how Azure SQL Database provides unparalleled data security in the cloud with Always Encrypted. From the smallest startup to the largest enterprise, data security is an increasingly top of mind concern for all businesses, especially as they continue to target the cloud for both new and existing applications. As you transform your business and move to the cloud, Azure SQL Database offers a set of built-in, world class features so you can secure your data from malicious and unauthorized users. You can choose from a portfolio of easy-to-use features designed to help you quickly protect your data and confidently build secure applications within Azure. Key features include: SQL Database support for Azure Active Directory authentication, Row-Level Security, dynamic data masking, transparent data encryption and Always Encrypted.
Azure SQL Database full text search generally available
For applications that manage and store character-based data in Azure SQL Database, Full-Text Search provides fast, rich search functionality integrated into the database platform. In addition to preview capabilities, we enhanced the feature with support for .xml doc types and self-service diagnostic experience through XEvents. Users can now easily troubleshoot and will have visibility into issues like indexing errors or unsupported doc types. This will optimize even further the search experience and bringing it closer to on-premises SQL Server capabilities. Full-Text Search is available in all service tiers in Azure SQL Database V12 through familiar TSQL syntax and Microsoft SQL Server tools.
New Power BI Content Packs for Azure Audit Logs and Microsoft Dynamics NAV generally available
Power BI continues to make it easier for users to connect to their data, providing pre-built solutions for popular services as part of the experience. This month we added content packs for Azure Audit Logs and Microsoft Dynamics NAV.
Azure Audit Logs allows you to view control-plane operational logs in your Azure subscription. The Power BI Azure Audit Logs content pack can help you easily analyze and visualize the wealth of information contained in these logs. The content pack allows you to connect to your data and begin to discover insights with the out-of-the box dashboard and reports.
Microsoft Dynamics NAV is a business management solution for small to medium organizations. It offers customers a full solution for their business with greater control over their financials and business processes. The Power BI content pack provides out-of-box reports for Dynamics NAV users, such as sales and profit, opportunities pipeline, profitability and more. These metrics are organized on a dashboard that can be fully customized, allowing you to easily connect and immediately start exploring your data.
Subscribers to these supported services can now quickly connect to their account from Power BI and see their data through live dashboards and interactive reports that have been pre-built for them. Getting started with data visualization and analysis has never been easier, for additional information visit the Power BI blog.
Azure Backup supports application workloads generally available
Azure Backup can now backup your on-premises application workloads including SQL, Hyper-V VMs, SharePoint and Exchange. You can back up your applications to a local disk or to Azure, allowing you to eliminate local tape libraries, and leverage the unlimited storage capability of Azure. In addition, you can manage all of your on-premises backups from a single user interface.
Azure Backup continues to support backing up your production IaaS VMs in Azure, and protect Windows Clients data, and shared Files and Folders.
Azure backup is now available as part of the Microsoft Operations Management Suite – the all-in-one IT management solution for Windows or Linux, across on-premises or any cloud environments.
Check out the Azure Backup web page for more details on these new features and capabilities.
ASR integrates with SQL AlwaysOn public review
In public preview: Azure Site Recovery now provides native support for SQL AlwaysOn. SQL Availability Groups can be added to an ASR Recovery Plan along with virtual machines. All capabilities of ASR Recovery Plans including sequencing, scripting, and manual actions can be leveraged to orchestrate the failover of a multi-tier application that uses an SQL database, configured with AlwaysOn replication.
Azure Site Recovery is now available through the Microsoft Operations Management Suite – the all-in-one IT management solution for Windows or Linux, across on-premises or any cloud environments.
The Azure Site Recovery web page will give you more details about these new features and capabilities.
Azure Premium Storage generally available in additional regions: US Central and EU North
Azure Premium Storage is a solid-state drive (SSD)–based storage solution designed to support I/O-intensive workloads. With Premium Storage, you can add up to 32 TB of persistent storage per virtual machine (VM), with more than 64,000 IOPS per VM and extremely low latencies for read operations. Offering a service-level agreement (SLA) for 99.9 percent availability, Premium Storage is now available in the US Central - DM and EU North - DB regions, as well as the previously announced regions.
OMS Log Analytics Mobile Apps generally available
Microsoft Operations Management suite provides management of any platform, anywhere from any devices, anytime. Starting today, customers can access their personalized dashboards, solutions and search queries on the go, identify and troubleshoot IT operational issues at the touch of fingertips using the Microsoft Operations Management suite mobile app for Windows Phone, iOS, and Android. Visit the Microsoft Operations Management Suite mobile app website here to download and install the apps, and gain insights on the move anytime.
Tools for Universal Windows Apps 1.1.1 RTM
This update, which is what you’ll get with a new installation, fixes a bug in Tools for Universal Windows Apps 1.1 where Visual Studio failed to create a package for a UWP app that uses a WinRT component. You can find additional information and installation instructions in Generating Store associated package fails for a UWP application with a WinRT component (.winmd).
Azure Active Directory Domain Services in public preview
Azure Active Directory Domain Services provide scalable, high-performance, managed domain services such as domain-join, LDAP, Kerberos, Windows Integrated Authentication and Group Policy support. With the click of a button, administrators can enable managed domain services for virtual machines and directory-aware applications deployed in Azure Infrastructure Services. By maintaining compatibility with Windows Server Active Directory, Azure AD Domain Services provide an easy way to migrate traditional on-premises applications to the cloud. For more details please visit the Azure Active Directory Domain Services website.
General availability of Azure RMS Document Tracking, MFA support for RMS Sharing app on all platforms and RMS support for Outlook on Android
Document Tracking, a feature of Microsoft Azure Rights Management will be generally available starting October 14, 2015. This feature enables document owners to track activities on sensitive files that they share with others. Activities such as recipients opening the files, unauthorized users being denied access to the files and the latest state of the files can be viewed on a web hosted site. With a single click, the document owner can also revoke access to a shared file. This feature will be available as a part of the Azure Rights Management Premium subscription or the Microsoft Enterprise Mobility Suite or Microsoft Enterprise Cloud Suite.
We’re also excited to announce that the RMS Sharing app on Windows desktop, iOS, Android, OSX, and Window Phone will now support your current Multi-Factor Authentication investments such as Azure MFA, Smart Cards or other MFA solutions as an option to require additional authentication to open rights protected documents.
Finally, we’re happy to announce RMS support for Outlook on Android, so you can now read and reply to RMS protected emails on Android devices. Learn more about all these new features and more on The RMS Blog.
Azure Active Directory Application Proxy: Remote Desktop publishing and non-MS apps SSO public preview
Azure Active Directory Application Proxy provides remote access and single-sign on for many types of on-premises web applications side by side with the thousands of SaaS applications that Azure Active Directory supports.
Now it expands its capabilities by providing single-sign on for even more types of web application including Remote Desktop, non-Windows applications and for applications hosted in cloud IaaS platforms. For more information, please read the documentation on Application Proxy.
System Center Configuration Manager technical preview 3 update 2
Today we are making available update 1510 for System Center Configuration Manager Technical Preview 3. This new update brings with it an early view of the new Windows 10 Servicing node, which enables you to view the state of Windows as a service in your environment, create flexible servicing plans to form deployment rings, and view alerts when Windows 10 clients are near end of support for their build of Current Branch or Current Branch for Business.
Azure Government continues momentum to meet government customer challenges
Announcing Azure Government’s five new capabilities and how Government agencies and partners are leveraging our trusted cloud to experience breakthrough ways of delivering hybrid applications, and business continuity. Find out more here.
