REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 26, 1998 — Recognizing the growing desire of information technology (IT) professionals to have greater access to Microsoft technicians, resources and information, Microsoft Corp. today announced a $40 million investment in new technical resources for the IT community. The investment focuses on an expansion of the TechNet CD-ROM subscription, Microsoft’s leading technical resource used by more than 240,000 IT professionals, to include more than 1,000 free technical quarterly briefings worldwide and the TechNet Web site, an online resource dedicated to the needs of IT professionals.
“The IT community needs more from us,”
said Steve Ballmer, president of Microsoft.
“With increasing numbers of IT professionals using our technology to build mission-critical applications, we have to be easily accessible and create greater efficiencies to provide the information and support they need.”
The enhanced TechNet initiative is designed to provide IT professionals with the essential how-to information, tools and resources they need to take full advantage of their existing Microsoft technology investments, plan for future deployments, and better engage with Microsoft and fellow IT professionals.
“IT professionals have asked for clear, in-depth, technical information and resources on how to install, deploy and support our products,”
said Paul Bazley, general manager, technical community development, Microsoft.
“With our expanded online resources, worldwide events and an enhanced CD reference product, TechNet addresses these requests in a way that meets the time and resource constraints facing IT professionals today.”
Local Technical Briefings
TechNet quarterly briefings are conducted by Microsoft technical professionals, giving IT professionals the opportunity to hear from Microsoft directly. Worldwide attendance this year is expected to exceed 500,000 people. The briefings are organized to present technical topics; the following are this quarter’s offerings:
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Administering IT infrastructure. Performance Analysis and Optimization of MicrosoftWindows NT Server 4.0; Microsoft Exchange Server Performance and Scalability; Implementing Thin-Clients Using Windows NT Server Terminal Server Edition 4.0
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Deploying Internet Solutions. How to Build Internet Services Using Microsoft BackOffice; Using Microsoft Internet Information Server and Internet Explorer to Implement Security; Building eCommerce Solutions
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Development. Introduction to COM+; Developer’s Overview of Office; Introduction to Creating 3-Tier Intranet-Based Applications With Microsoft Internet Information Server, Internet Explorer, Transaction Server and Message Queue Server
“The technical how-to content of the TechNet briefings will be an incredibly valuable resource to help me and my staff stay up to date on existing products as well as plan for new technologies,”
said Steven E. Jones, manager of architecture and planning for Johnson Controls Inc. in Milwaukee.
Online Technical Resources
The TechNet Web site, located at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/ , provides easy online access to technical information and resources for IT professionals. Key features include the following:
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Resource and reference areas. Resource areas provide information on topics such as year 2000, interoperability, intranet solutions, eCommerce, data warehousing, the euro and total cost of ownership. Reference pages provide specific technical information and case studies on topics such as clustering, interoperability of the Windows NT operating system and UNIX, server migration planning and troubleshooting.
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Training resources. Easy access to training resources such as Microsoft Seminar Online and Microsoft training curricula will help IT professionals stay up to date on the latest technologies.
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Online engagement. Threaded discussions, online bulletin boards, technical chats and peer-to-peer white pages will allow IT professionals to engage with Microsoft while fostering peer interaction, best-practice sharing and collaboration.
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Briefing registration and reference materials. Online Briefing schedules and registration is complemented by detailed reference areas for briefing attendees to receive further information on a specific topic.
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Microsoft IT Showcase. These pages provide case studies and real-world information about Microsoft’s internal IT solutions, so IT professionals can find out how Microsoft uses its technology to solve business problems.
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TechNet Flash Newsletter. This e-mail news service from Microsoft delivers updates to IT professionals regarding the availability of new TechNet resources and enhancements.
TechNet CD Subscription
The Microsoft TechNet CD-ROM is a monthly subscription product designed for IT professionals who install, deploy and support technology solutions using Microsoft products. The CD includes more than 150,000 pages of technical information about products such as the Microsoft BackOffice family, the Microsoft Office suite, Windows NT, the Windows® 98 operating system, and Microsoft’s Internet service technologies (including Site Server, Proxy
Server, Internet Information Server in Windows NT 4.0 and Microsoft Internet Explorer). The TechNet subscription is updated with more than 2,000 pages of new content each month delivering the latest service packs, resource kits, drivers, patches and utilities directly to the user’s desktop. Starting with the September 1998 issue, the TechNet CD also will complement the TechNet briefings by providing additional, in-depth articles related to the briefing topics.
For more information regarding Microsoft TechNet, view the TechNet Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/ .
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
Microsoft, Windows NT, BackOffice and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
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