I find the Microsoft properties vast and fertile locations to find good contextual and relevant training material.
It’s true… With properties like the ones bellow, there is so much content, that it become hard to keep track of all the sessions you want to review.
I’m always going through and finding gems, and the week after that someone asks me “where did you find that?” , “where can I learn this?”
To address those question, I started keeping a list. I' started keeping this list mostly for me at first. But for the benefit of my fellow IT pros, I decided I’d post it and keep it updated every time I find a gem.
Here are the rules regarding this list:
1- The first rule of fight…. Oops wrong list.
1- The first rule is “this is not an all-encompassing list of available resource” (that means I will miss a few). if you find something that you find useful and that is not on this list, let me know.
2- Second rule. We don’t maintain the sites where the links come from. So the links may change and/or disappear without notice. (so if you find a dead link, let me know).
3- Have fun.
4- Keep learning.
5- BE AWESOME!!! That is the most important rule.
Like I said, bookmark this page or subscribe to it. The whole team will be updating it as we find new content.
So here are your calls to action…get downloading and testing the new versions of Windows client, Windows server and System Center for yourself:
- Subscribe to this blog.
- Download the Office 365 Preview and see how it can make your life easier.
- Download Windows 8 Enterprise and take a look at the changes and improvements the new client will bring to your organization.
- Download Windows Server 2012 evaluation and start exploring the how Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 are better together.
- Download System Center 2012 SP1 Beta to start testing your deployment and management of Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.
Cheers!
Pierre Roman, MCITP, ITIL | IT Pro Advisor
Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn
Here are some I found covering the new Office 2013 and Office 365
| New Office for IT pros Get the IT pro resources you need to try the new Office (Office 2013 and Office 365 ProPlus) including details about activation, compatibility, and deployment. | http://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/office/fp160948 |
Office 2013 Resource Kit Documentation intended for IT professionals who plan, implement, and maintain Office installations in their organizations. New and updated content s published regularly. | http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc303401(v=office.15).aspx |
| Office IT Pro Blog | http://blogs.technet.com/b/office_resource_kit/ |
| Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus Preview Evaluation Resources This link provides information on the following:
| http://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/evalcenter/hh973392.aspx?wt.mc_id=TEC_124_1_27 |
| Make the switch to the new Office | Make the switch to Outlook 2013 Make the switch to Publisher 2013 Make the switch to Access 2013 Make the switch to Project 2013 |
| Microsoft Virtual Academy Enable the Consumerization of IT People are increasingly buying their own devices and want the freedom to work and communicate anywhere, anytime, on the device they choose. Opportunities exist to enable greater productivity, hire great employees and keep them happy, but also a responsibility to properly secure and manage devices and data. See how your company cannot afford to block these opportunities and if you do nothing are you sure your data is safe? Learn how Microsoft can help you responsibly enable this vision to “Consumerize the IT” inside your company. The first overview module is designed to paint the entire picture at a 200 level and then the remaining modules are designed to give you 300 level knowledge for specific scenarios across the various products which relate to Consumerization of IT (i.e. how to configure MDM in SCCM 2012). This course is NOT designed to make you an expert in each product all-up after the base is installed (i.e. you won't know how to architect, design, or deploy "Product X"). | https://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/tracks/enable-the-consumerization-of-it |
| Microsoft Virtual Academy Administering Office 365 for Small Businesses Microsoft’s Small Business Competency team and Microsoft Learning tailored a new exam specifically for partners looking to obtain the SMB Competency. This Jump Start prepares field engineers, network administrators, and related IT professionals for Exam 74-324: Administering Office 365 for Small Business and is offered to individuals interested in acquiring the skills necessary to administer Office 365 for Small Business clients. The popular “Jump Start” virtual classroom approach leverages two experts and an engaging team-teaching approach. We’re excited to introduce you to Chris Oakman from Eastridge Technology and Stephen Hall from District Computers—two Microsoft partners with real world experience and proven success implementing Office 365 for SMB customers. Chris and Steve will deliver this 200-level course via an accelerated, demo-rich learning experience. Hands-on Labs are not be provided. If you do not have access to Office 365, please create an Office 365 trial account on which to practice. | https://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/tracks/administering-office-365-for-smb |
Here are some info regarding Windows Server 2012
| Microsoft Virtual Academy Windows Server 2012 Windows Server 2012 offers businesses and service providers a scalable, dynamic, and multitenant platform that allows IT to respond to business needs faster and more efficiently. After completing the following courses on Windows Server 2012, you will have an understanding of how Windows Server 2012 takes you beyond virtualization, delivers the power of many servers, opens the door to every app on any cloud, and enables the modern workstyle. | Courses:
|
| Windows Server 2012 Jump Start Series Core Hyper-V Start with an accelerated overview then dig right into the Core Hyper-V content. After discussing and illustrating how new Hyper-V features enable better scale, they lead a discussion on NUMA (Non-Uniform Memory Access) and finish the module with Network Virtualization and IP portability. | Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (01): Core Hyper-V |
| Windows Server 2012 Jump Start Series Virtualization Infrastructure In this two-part module, Rick Claus and Corey Hynes dive into virtualization infrastructure. Throughout the conversation, they demonstrate a variety of new features and functionality covering Shared Nothing Migration, Storage Migration, and Hyper-V Replica. The session finishes with a cool discussion of Hyper-V Server 2012 | Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (02a): Virtualization Infrastructure, Part 1 Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (02b): Virtualization Infrastructure, Part 2 |
| Windows Server 2012 Jump Start Series Storage Architecture This is a two-part module on Storage Architecture. Rick Claus and Corey Hynes focus on an overview of the Windows Server 2012 Storage Platform, including Platform Storage, De-duplication, Disk Provisioning, Clustering, File and Block Access, Networking, Virtualization and Management | Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (03a): Storage Architecture, Part 1 Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (03b): Storage Architecture, Part 2 |
| Windows Server 2012 Jump Start Series Continuous Availability Rick Claus and Corey Hynes dive into Continuous Availability in this demo-rich session. Key topics include Workloads (SQL / Hyper-V), a great discussion of the "modern CHKDSK," File Services SMB Failover, NIC Teaming / Multi-Path IO, Clustering / Cluster-Aware Updating. | Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (04): Continuous Availability |
| Windows Server 2012 Jump Start Series Multi-Server Management In this two-part module on Multi-Server Management. Rick Claus and Corey Hynes focus on demo-rich conversations on essential features like Server Manager, PowerShell w/ ISE, Remote Management Tools and Remote Deployment. Important for students to watch both sessions. | Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (05a): Multi-Server Management, Part 1 Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (05b): Multi-Server Management, Part 2 |
| Windows Server 2012 Jump Start Series Security and Access This is a two-part module on Security and Access. Rick Claus and Corey Hynes provide clear illustrations of how, why and where Windows Server 2012 tools like Server Core, MinShell and full GUI are appropriate. Next, they cover some important improvements to Dynamic Access Control and spend time outlining new changes in Active Directory, the Recycle Bin and password policy. |
Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (06a): Security and Access, Part 1 Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (06b): Security and Access, Part 2 |
| Windows Server 2012 Jump Start Series Remote Connectivity and Networking Rick Claus and Corey Hynes dive into Remote Connectivity and Networking in this session. Key topics include Direct Access Setup, BranchCache, and VDI Deployment (Remote Access, Remote Desktop, Pooled vs. Personal, Patching, Storage, RemoteFX). | Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (07): Remote Connectivity and Networking |
| Windows Server 2012 Jump Start Series IIS, DHCP and IPAM In this appropriately-named session, Rick Claus and Corey Hynes leverage a demo-rich conversational approach to cover IIS, DHCP and IP Address Management (IPAM). Essential concepts such as securing and scaling your web servers, certificate support, DHCP failover, and important IPAM topics are covered. | Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (08): IIS, DHCP and IPAM |
| Microsoft Virtual Academy Windows Server 2012: Technical Overview This course is designed to provide you with the key details of Windows Server 2012. The seven modules in this course, through video and whitepaper, provide details of the new capabilities, features, and solutions built into the product. With so many new features to cover, this course is designed to be the introduction to Windows Server 2012. After completing this course, you will be ready to dive deeper into Windows Server 2012 through additional Microsoft Virtual Academy (MVA) courses dedicated to each topic introduced in this “Technical Overview.” |
https://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/tracks/windows-server-2012-technical-overview |
| Microsoft Virtual Academy Windows Server 2012: Server Virtualization This course introduces server virtualization features and capabilities within Windows Server 2012 that enable customers to take advantage of the cost savings of virtualization and make the optimum use of server hardware investment. These features include:
| https://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/tracks/windows-server-2012-server-virtualization |
| Microsoft Virtual Academy Windows Server 2012: Storage Windows Server 2012 introduces many new storage features and capabilities. These new capabilities are designed to provide enhanced reliability, availability, and performance at every layer of the Microsoft storage stack. They allow IT pros to combine features to build powerful new storage solutions, such as the ability to deliver feature-rich high performance storage functionality and performance without sacrificing budget. This course covers a number of these new features, including:
| https://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/tracks/windows-server-2012-storage |
| Microsoft Virtual Academy Windows Server 2012: Identity and Access Today’s organizations need to give workers access to data and information — across varied networks and devices — while still keeping costs down. Innovations that meet these needs — such as virtualization and cloud-based applications — help organizations maximize existing infrastructure investments, while exploring new services, improving management, and increasing availability.
| https://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/tracks/windows-server-2012-identity-and-access |
| Microsoft Virtual Academy Using Solution Accelerators to Prepare for Windows Server 2012 Microsoft Solution Accelerators provide tested guidance and automated tools to help you plan, securely deploy, and manage new Microsoft technologies — easier, faster, and at less cost. This course introduces three Solution Accelerators that will help prepare your business for Windows Server 2012.
| https://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/tracks/using-solution-accelerators-to-prepare-for-windows-server-2012 |
| Microsoft Virtual Academy Windows Server 2012: Networking Windows Server 2012 introduces new networking features and capabilities that help to reduce networking complexity while lowering costs and simplifying management tasks. These features include:
| https://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/tracks/windows-server-2012-networking |