SBS UG Tour - Thank you Tampa!

My departure from Tampa ended the 2006 Small Business Server User Group Tour. I've had a great time travelling down the coast and talking to all of you. We really do appreciate the attendance levels we've hit. I hope you've enjoyed checking out the latest Vista and Office demos, learning about the "ribbon" and full text search. I also hope you've learned something about how Small Business Server 2003 R2 works. Again, if I can answer any questions, please feel free to drop me a comment on my blog, I'll reply to your comment with an answer (usually within a few days).

Let's see if I can recall some of the questions the Tampa croud asked:

Q: Can Vista's new Meeting Space be used from the Internet?
A: I don't believe so, it has to be the same network. We believe it will work over a VPN connection, although performance may very here.

Q: Can you revert back to the old toolbar in Office 2007?
A: Unfortunately, not. Although we believe the new ribbon will be more intuitive than the previous tool bars, and education will most likely only be needed for saving.

Q: Where did the Run command go from the start menu in Vista? How do we launch the command prompt?
A: you can simply type "command" or "cmd" into the search bar and it will run the command, or search the start menu and show you the link. You can also still press WIN+R to pop-up the old fashioned run dialog.

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So now the tour is over, I can share with those of you who didn't attend, some of the great things you missed.

Office 2007

• A new navigation toolbar called "the ribbon" helps you use more features in Word/Excel/PowerPoint without having to search forever to find them.


• What you see *before* you get it, mousing over features changes the actual item on the page prior to you clicking so you can get the right formatting/feature everytime


• The hover menu. Save mouse movement by having common text tasks show up next to highlighted text in Word.


• Improved pictures/Graphics. No longer neccessary to import graphics to get a professional look and feel


• Integration with SharePoint v3. Link document libraries to Sharepoint for offline access, documents will sync up when you're back online. Overlay calendars and pick free/busy time, edit sharepoint calendars simply from within Outlook.
  
• SharePoint v3 - templates! Version Tracking! Recycle bins!


• Sharepoint Designer, a vastly improved environment for editing SharePoint replacing Frontpage

Windows Vista

• Full text search, everything


• Enhanced security using bitlocker
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• ReadyBoost to speed up your system with common tasks using a simple flash disk


• Aero "glass" UI, and the WIN+TAB 3D task switcher
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• The transparent sidebar with endless gadgets

Small Business Server 2003 R2

• Updated Server Status reports -- no more scrolling!


• Simplified patch management, critical patches are automatically approved!


• Customizable update management, reboot your PCs when it's convenient for you!


• Ehanced security and performance around Mobility


• Expanded CAL rights, use SBS CALs to cover additional SQL/Exchange boxes in the network


• File System Resource Manager. Get reports on disk usage, block file types (*.mp3, *.wma) from being stored on the server, directory level quota management

... and much much more

Remember, if you're not an SBSC, it's definately something to consider. I believe for a short time, contact your user group lead for discounts on obtaining this qualification.