Microsoft System Center Advisor is Release Candidate

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Microsoft System Center Advisor is a cloud service hosted on Windows Azure that regularly analyzes your servers configuration. It wil automatically highlight server configuration problems and their solutions for Windows Server and SQL Server. You can check for any recommendations by logging into the Advisor portal. You also have the option of email alerts and recommendations delivered directly to your inbox.

Advisor builds on the architecture of System Center Operations Manager agents, but you don’t have to have System Center Operations Manager installed. Initially, the System Center Advisor provides support for Windows Server and SQL Server workloads, in the near future their will be extend support to additional server products.

System Center Advisor is a new benefit of Software Assurance for SQL Server or Windows Server, currently available in 26 countries. You can evaluate System Center Advisor now through the 60 day free trial. If your organization is already covered by Software Assurance on either SQL Server or Windows Server you can activate the full Advisor service immediately. To find out more about Software Assurance, go to the Software Assurance website.

Further information is also available on the System Center Advisor web page.

System Center 2012 Suite News and Benefits Summary

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There are tons of new features in System Center 2012 but what if need a summary.
Here is a list of new System Center 2012 features and benefits.

System Center App Controller (NEW product)
What’s new?
-          Role-based access for the App Owner
-          Single view of delegated resources across private & public clouds
-          Deploy and manage services as well as virtual machines
Benefits:
-          Increase App Owner agility with self-service interface
-          Save time by bringing together all delegated infrastructure
-          Improve reliability by deploying template-based services
 
Orchestrator (NEW product)
What’s new?
-          Workflow automation
-          Third party integration
-          Simple design of custom workflow runbooks and integration packs
-          Publish-Subscribe Data Bus
Benefits:
-          Lower costs and increase reliability by automating repetitive tasks
-          Simplify heterogeneous datacenter management
 
Virtual Machine Manager
What’s new?
-          Aggregate, standardize and delegate datacenter resources
-          Multi-vendor hypervisor support
-          Service Templates
-          Server Application Virtualization
-          Dynamic Optimization
Benefits:
-          Preserve and optimize existing infrastructure investments
-          Improve infrastructure SLAs
-          Save time with standardized service creation and upgrades
-          Reduce costs through power optimization
 
Configuration Manager
What’s new?
-          Improved Settings management with remediation
-          Integrated anti-malware with System Center Endpoint Protection
-          Delegated Administration
Benefits:
-          Increase compliance
-          Improve support for virtualized environments
-          Reduce cost through integrated security

Service Manager
What’s new?
-          Service Catalog
-          Self Service Request Portal
-          Release & SLA Management
-          Data Warehouse & Reporting
Benefits:
-          Increase organizational agility with customized service offerings
-          Improve corporate compliance through process management
-          Improve business intelligence through customized reporting

Endpoint Protection
What’s new?
-          Role-based management across security and operations.
-          Improved alerting and reporting.
-          Automatic software deployment model.
Benefits:
-          Single Infrastructure for Client Management and Security
-          Industry-leading Malware Detection
-          Improved Visibility for Identifying and Remediating Vulnerabilities

Operations Manager
What’s new?
-          Application Performance Management
-          Monitoring across public and private clouds
-          Improved UNIX & Linux support
-          Network Monitoring
-          Customizable dashboards
Benefits:
-          Simplify management with visibility across the stack
-          Decrease time to resolution with deep application insight
-          Improve insights with personalized reporting

Data Protection Manager
What’s new?
-          Centralized management of DPM servers
-          Role based administration
-          Item-level recovery for virtual machines
Benefits:
-          Save time with consolidated management server console
-          Secure access for the broader IT team
-          Quicker time to recovery

New System Center 2012 Suite for Private Cloud

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Today on January 17, 2012 at the Microsoft Private Cloud event, at http://www.microsoft.com/business/events/en-us/PrivateCloudExec

Microsoft is announcing a change in how System Center is licensed.

Two new System Center 2012 Suite licensing models:
- System Center 2012 Standard
- System Center 2012 Datacenter

The difference between the two versions is
- Pricing
- Virtualization

In both System Center 2012 suite is included:
- Configuration Manager
- Service Manager
- Virtual Machine Manager
- Operations Manager
- Data Protection Manager
- Orchestrator
- App Controller
- Endpoint Protection

Remember that Software Assurance is needed!

Standard versus Datacenter

Standard version is for lightly virtualized customers, the license for Standard is for  2 processors and 2 VMs. If you need more you can stack licenses and but there is a breakpoint at 5 VMs.
Datacenter version is for the ones who are more virtualized. System Center 2012 Datacenter licenses include an unlimited number of VM’s in an on premises 2 processor environment or 8 VM’s in a public cloud environment. Large Enterprises and Cloud providers will benefit most from this model.

More detailed information: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/server-cloud/new.aspx

 

About Private Cloud and Microsoft System Center

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What is Private Cloud about?

There are many definitions for cloud computing, but one of the more concise and widely recognized definitions comes from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). NIST defines five essential characteristics. The essential characteristics form the core of the definition. The required characteristics for any solution to be called a true “cloud” solution includes:

  • On-demand self-service (pay-by-use)
  • Broad network access
  • Resource pooling
  • Rapid elasticity
  • Measured service

So Private Cloud is a computing model that deliverers a standardized manner with the additional control and customization available from dedicated resources onsite in your own IT infrastructure. In order to build that Private Cloud we need Microsoft System Center products and Hyper-V virtualization:
For faciliating the Private Cloud Self Service Portal an already existing Microsoft Sharepoint Portal is a great place to host the System Centrer and Forefront Identity Manager.

Transforming IT with Microsoft Private Cloud

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The definition, business value, and technology benefits of the “the cloud” have been hotly debated in recent months. Most agree that cloud computing can accelerate innovation, reduce costs, and increase business agility in the market. In 2012, cloud computing will transition from hype and discussion, to part of every enterprise’s reality, and IT is uniquely positioned to lead this transformation and help business reap the benefits of cloud computing.

The new System Center 2012 vision will be laid out in full detail!

Register for it here: http://www.microsoft.com/business/events/en-us/PrivateCloudExec

Date: January 17th 2012 Time: 17:30h CET

Changing

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This site is about changing the way we use and implement our Microsoft infrastructure.

Many companies are under economic pressure. Reorganizations, takeovers, mergers, downsizings, joint ventures, and other changes are extremely common, as companies try to grow and survive. This will present new challenges and demands for everyone, from the C.E.O to the telephone receptionist. All members of the organization must learn to cope with change or suffer consequences.

Most of us prefer established routines off course, but this blog is about the fun of changing the way we work with Microsoft Information Technology. I will try to wite down my interpretation of today’s changes in the way we use our Microsoft infrastructure Software in order to get more benefits out of investments.

Kind Regards, Frank van Hout