This Week: The Microsoft Report Card is in!

[SearchWin2000.com]

Title: SearchWin2000.com

Published by SearchWin2000.com  May 18, 2004 >> Receive this e-mail as text  >> About this e-mail   In this Issue >> From the Editor: The Microsoft Report Card is in! >> Featured Topic: Crash Course: Patch Management >> Expert Technical Advice: Featured Expert: Roberta Bragg, Security Site Exclusives: >>Minasi: Longhorn to offer plethora of features >>Microsoft extends availability of spam filter >>Linux mentor now heads Windows group Tip of the Week: Remind users to never patch from e-mail attachments >> Site Highlights: Chapter Download: IIS 6 admin resource White Paper: Is your Office truly fax-integrated? Vendor Webcast: MS Office 2003 and local installation source  From the Editor: by Marilyn Cohodas, Editor The results are in! We crunched numbers from 1,000 responses to our third annual Microsoft Report Card survey and -- just as we suspected -- there are some interesting trends to report. The big news: Windows Server 2003 gets strong marks from early adopters on security -- a solid B -- which is significantly higher than customer security ratings for earlier desktop and server operating systems. Still, IT pros remain wary about the software vendor's "trustworthy computing" initiative. Four out of 10 respondents said that reports of security vulnerabilities in Microsoft products are pushing them to consider alternatives. Other highlights: Customer perceptions of Microsoft Microsoft has done a better job working with its customers this year compared with previous years, or at least customers perceive they are making these improvements. Exchange continues momentum For the third consecutive year, SearchWin2000.com members report growing satisfaction with Microsoft Exchange across the board. Newcomer Exchange Server 2003 gets strong marks from early adopters. Certification loses a little luster Microsoft's certification program lost some allure in recent years but recent changes to its testing practices are starting to pay off. Users still confused by Software Assurance Microsoft hasn't made much progress convincing IT departments that its Software Assurance maintenance program is a good deal. Customers are still confused by the company's licensing program. The Linux challenge Interest in migrating to Linux appears to have cooled. Learn why users are applying the brakes. You'll find the details -- including all the data, whys and wherefores -- in our Microsoft Report Card for 2004. Look it over and let us know if you agree or disagree. --Marilyn Cohodas  Featured Topic: Crash Course: Patch Management by Vandana Sharma, Assistant Editor Patch management could be called pain management. Get the scoop on tips, articles and expert advice, and learn to be a champion of security at your company. Read more about this topic  Expert Technical Advice: Featured Expert: Roberta Bragg Category: Security Dear Roberta, A user encrypted important data on Windows 2000 NTFS disc, but then reinstalled Windows 2000 without backing up his personal certificate. Is there any chance to decrypt the data? Read Roberta's expert response. Site Exclusives: >> Minasi: Longhorn to offer plethora of features Windows author and technology commentator Mark Minasi offers his take on what's to come in the Longhorn operating system. >> Microsoft extends availability of spam filter More Microsoft customers will have access to the soon-to-be released Intelligent Messaging Filter (IMF) under a plan quietly announced by the software maker last week. >> Linux mentor now heads Windows group Kent Smith has made a career of consulting on Unix and Linux installations. Now he's on the other side of the fence as the new chairman of the Boston Windows Server User Group. Tip of the Week: As with any other e-mail attachments, it's essential to train your users never to use them to patch systems. There are many incredibly convincing hoaxes that look and read exactly like a real Microsoft security bulletin. The fact is, neither Microsoft nor any other reputable software vendors ever send patches or updates to subscribers or users via e-mail. >> Remind users to never patch from e-mail attachments  Site Highlights Chapter Download: IIS 6 admin resource Think you know all there is to know about maintaining and troubleshooting Microsoft's newest IIS Web servers? Check out this week's chapter download 'Maintenance and Troubleshooting.' For an understanding of critical HTTP error messages and more, download this chapter. White Paper: Is your Office truly fax-integrated? This guide outlines the prevalence of Microsoft Office and the fax messaging challenges business users encounter. You'll also learn the benefits of combining fax with Office. Find out more on integrating fax in this white paper. Vendor Webcast: MS Office 2003 and local installation source Learn about Local Installation Source (LIS) in this webcast. View today! LIS is a setup feature that copies required installation files to a hidden folder on the local computer. Learn about what happens behind the scenes and how this deployment method can help users work more independently. FREE EMAIL SERVICES! Enter your e-mail and start receiving Administrator Tips. E-mail    Not a member? We'll activate your membership with your subscription. Migrating from NT4 The purpose of this paper is to highlight the primary considerations for migrating across the wire from an NT4 platform to Windows 2003. Download today. Free VS.NET trial Visual Studio .NET 2003 is the most productive and powerful tool for addressing today's pressing application development challenges. Try out Visual Studio .NET 2003 now! Sign up now. E-mail management Learn why and how to recover individual mailbox items without brick level backups and recovery servers using PowerControls, a mailbox recovery software. Download today.   A B O U T   T H I S   N E W S L E T T E R Contact us: SearchWin2000 MemberServices 117 Kendrick Street, Suite 800 Needham, MA 02494 This e-newsletter is published by SearchWin2000.com, a targeted Web site from TechTarget, the most targeted IT media and events company. TechTarget offers magazines, Web sites, e-newsletters, Webcasts and conferences for enterprise IT professionals. Copyright 2004 TechTarget. All rights reserved. To unsubscribe from "Updates on new site content": Go to unsubscribe: http://searchWin2000.techtarget.com/unsubscribe?track=NL-119&ad=482653 Please note, unsubscribe requests may take up to 24 hours to process; you may receive additional mailings during that time. A confirmation e-mail will be sent when your request has been successfully processed.