I've been the IT guy on the development team - it's not pretty.  Generally, you take one of two paths as soon as possible: you either become a developer full-time (guilty), or you dive headfirst back into the infrastructure team, never again to let anyone know that you're constantly developing scripts and apps to make your life easier.

The Microsoft IT-facing bloggers have been faced with a barely tangential dilemma - blogging about IT platform development and problems, while swimming in a flood of MSDN-camp SDK and API blogs.  Well, no more.  http://blogs.technet.com/ is born.

I found it via Kevin Lisota - apparently he's one of the first to get migrated over, and so the “soft launch” of TechNet blogs first peeks its head above the water to see if anyone's watching.  The site is definitely in a state of forming - the title still says “MSDN Blogs”, and there's a few test posts in there - but I know I'll definitely be subscribing to the main feed - and if you're an IT-head, or you have any interest in being one of the developers that actually has a clue about how your platform works, you will be too.

- G

From Microsoft (via Susan Bradley):

Microsoft Office Visio 2003 Connector for the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA)

Securing your network has just gotten easier. The Visio Connector for MBSA lets you view the results of a Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer scan in a clear, comprehensive Microsoft Office Visio 2003 network diagram. You must have both Visio 2003 and the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer — a free security tool from Microsoft — for this connector to function.

This is definitely a great tool to help SBS or other small/medium network administrators keep track of which servers and workstations are behind on their patches.  Heck, those of us with more than a machine or two at home could get good mileage out of this as well - and yes, it's free.

- G

From eWeek (via Taz):

The new Windows Server SKU—called, at least for now, Windows Midmarket Server, or MMS—is not soup yet. But Microsoft executives have a good idea about how they plan to reach the midmarket sweet spot, which Microsoft identifies as users with 50 to 250 PCs.

As does Windows Small Business Server, the MMS product will bundle together a number of different Microsoft server products into a single deliverable. Exchange Server and SharePoint are expected to be part of MMS, sources close to Microsoft said.

This an exciting announcement for those in SBSland - hopefully many of the common complaints: only one (SBS) server per domain, only one domain in the forest, etc. will be solved and used as the differentiator in this new offering.  It sounds like a second product that the SBS consultants can start marketing to new, formerly unreachable, customers - while providing an upsell opportunity to current clients that are outgrowing their current SBS solution.

Orlando Ayala (Sr. VP, MS SMB group) has stated, "In the next six months, we'll [Microsoft'll] roll out something very clear.”  Sounds like Q3 will be a good time to get some marketing/research time in place - especially if MS decides to ramp up the opportunities given to their partners like they did for SBS 2003.

- G

The Scoble says:

OK, are five bloggers who want total control of their content gonna ruin it for everyone?

No.

Instead, anyone who wants out can have out. Just send me email. Leave the rest of us alone.

In case you missed it, someone complained that Scoble's linkblog wasn't taking excerpts, but rather full posts from other people's blogs.  Seems to me that if no copyright is exerted, he/she is out of luck.  If a copyright is there and ignored, then it seems to me that Robert's had one too many sips from the “Fark you, we're Microsoft - what're you going to do about it” flavored kool-aid.

Me?  I have no problem with it - as long as you put my name next to it, and don't try to make money from it, you're good to go.  By the way, dear Robert, you make the point that search engines et. al. are making money on our content - they only publish that content in bite-size chunks, with a link right there to take you to the full content.  The commercial aggregator argument goes right out the window as well: people are paying for the software, not the content - it'd be like the RIAA demanding a kickback for every CD player ever produced - not even they're that greedy (well, not yet anyway).

“My linkblog is an advertisement for how smart you are.
If you're not there, well, that's OK.” - Robert Scoble

- G

From SlackerManager.com:

You know what I'd like to see? A "blog showdown" between Fred Gratzon, of The Lazy Way to Success, and Steve Pavlina, of, well, Steve Pavlina's blog. Heck, I'd even host the showdown right here on Slacker Manager. Maybe readers could contribute questions, to be answered over the course of three or four days (leave those questions in the comments, just in case these guys agree to it).

Well... IT'S ON.  If you think that there's no such thing as a workaholic, or if you think the worst thing in the world is someone that can't get enough workahol - go comment and get your questions answered!

- G