Highlights from the Microsoft Windows 10 devices event (2016)

This week (October 26th) the second Windows 10 devices event is shown. Last year it was all about Xbox, Hololens, Band 2, Lumia 950 (XL) and Surface. Where both Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book where shown. Pity Surface Book still isn't available everywhere yet, but hope the product will become at later time (in The Netherlands).

Let's have a look at #Windows10 and #Windows10devices again!

Windows 10
-Windows 10 Creators Update (coming early 2017)
-This week early build release for all Windows insiders
-Coming to more then 400M Windows 10 devices
-Bringing 3D for everyone & 4K gaming
-Paint 3D (Within Windows 10 Creators Update)
-3D animations brings MS PowerPoint to life
-Connect and share easily with people who matter most

Xbox One S
-Game broadcasting for Windows 10
-Creating custom tournaments yourself
-Dolby Atmos on Xbox One with Windows 10 Creators Update
-4K gaming and watching movies (Netflix?)

Surface Book
-Has the highest user satisfaction among any current Windows 10 machine out there or any MacBook, all of them.
-The ultimate laptop, but people want even more...
-New Surface Book i7 with more power on CPU/GPU and 30% more battery life (16 hours in total)
-Available in November for $2,399

Surface Studio
-Thinnest LCD monitor ever built (12.5mm thin touch screen)
-28" PixelSense Display, 13.5 million pixels, TrueColor, DCI-P3, 3:2 aspect ratio, 192 PPI, True Scale
-i5/i7 Intel CPU, Up to 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GPU, Up to 32GB RAM
-Mic array, Cortana, HD camera, Windows Hello
-Pre-order today $2,999

Surface Dial
-A new tool for the creative process
-Available for Surface Pro 3/4 & Surface Book
-Not included with Surface Studio (additional $100)

So yes, Windows 10 Creators Update on Surface Book and Surface Studio looks great, but no surprises like last year. No news on Band and Lumia at all, where customers are not sure what Microsoft is doing here. Microsoft will probably pull the plug and ending sales by the end of this year. Instead of Lumia devices, Microsoft will announce Surface Phone for business purpose (expected late 2017).

No Surface Phone, no Surface Book 2, no Band 3, or anything else. It's a pity :-)

Highlights from last year (2015)

Final findings on Microsoft Ignite 2016 (Event) recap

Back from Atlanta again, downloading sessions and slides all night. A good script to do this can be found here: Ignite 2016 Slidedeck and Video downloader. At the moment I downloaded around 85GB of content so far, and it's not done yet :-)

As mentioned last year also, I don't like the idea of one big event with focus on several products. This because of networking and community, which is hard between 23.000 attendees. And because of in-depth knowledge and deep-dive sessions, most of community members going to IT/Dev Connections and Midwest Management Summit (MMS). That's not funny if you ask me. Hope that Microsoft wil consider a specific device management event in future again.

Overall the event was better then last year, where Microsoft did a first try to bring several events together. Therefore focus on Azure/Cloud, Server/Client, System Center/Intune, SQL/Visual Studio, Exchange/ Office 365 and SharePoint could all be found on one event. This year improvement was found on transfer shuttles, food (especially lunch), communication (security people) and Wi-Fi connection. Just picking up a name badge on airport is very pleasant, no need to wait on the event for this. No overbooked sessions this year for me also.

Improvements are still possible on food (more snacks between sessions), technical level on breakouts (more in-depth knowledge and demo's, offering level 300 and 400 sessions), sockets in sessions to load devices, and multiple lunch locations (not having to walk 20 minutes to pick up a lunchbox). As a device management focused person myself, I surely missed content on it. There were many sessions for sure, but still having the idea it wasn't enough to fill-up my schedule. No MMS replacement, if that is possible?

Big question is what Microsoft is doing next year. Microsoft Ignite will be back in Orlando, on September 2017, with the same capacity I guess. Not sure if I will attend again, or choosing Nordic Infrastructure Conference, IT/Dev Connections or Midwest Management Summit instead. Like to have more networking and community, more in-depth knowledge and deep-dive sessions, more overall tech-feast feeling. When attended Microsoft Ignite yourself, please use comments to describe "your feeling on the event". Thanks!

More blogposts on Microsoft Ignite:
My findings on Microsoft Ignite 2016 day 4 (Session and Expo) recap
My findings on Microsoft Ignite 2016 day 3 (Session) recap
My findings on Microsoft Ignite 2016 day 2 (Session) recap
My findings on Microsoft Ignite 2016 day 1 (Keynote and Event) recap
My scheduled sessions and product focus on Microsoft Ignite 2016 

My findings on Microsoft Ignite 2016 day 4 (Session and Expo) recap

Day 4 in Atlanta was kind of same as day 3 (in a good way). I did breakout sessions for 75 minutes again only, with lot of great stuff. I skipped the session after lunch, because of Expo closing. Instead of the extra session I spoke to several vendors and received information. Let's see which interesting stuff has been mentioned!
 
Implement Windows as a service
-With LTSB you keep to create big images and update all of your machines every few years (same as old model).
-With CB/CBB it's lot easier where smaller packages/downloads are used, which is quicker (requires new planning).
-Windows 10 cumulative updates supersedes the older ones to increase fragmentation (one big update).
-Only Quality updates (security & critical) and Features updates (optional) are left (new naming scheme).
-Microsoft recommends to implement al Windows 10 builds, and not to skip one (for CB/CBB usage only).
 
How to make the most out of Azure, Intune, O365 and W10
-Have a look at all new Windows 10 cloud services (OneDrive, Windows Update for Business, Windows Store for Business).
-Federation services (ADFS) is though to setup but it's worth it. Most people in room uses ADFS in environment!
-Secure Productive Enterprise contains of: Office365 + EM/S + Windows10. Website
-Secure Productive Enterprise is the most trusted, secure, and productive way to work.

 

Overall the event was better then last year, where things as Wi-Fi, busses and food were better now. Many people from Microsoft to show you the way. Microsoft did a good job on organization, having a event with 23.000 attendees is not that easy.

Let's have a look at my personal pro's on the event:
-Picking up name badge and bag before the event is really handy.
-Location was great, Atlanta is a good city for an event like this.
-Expo hall was really big and a lot of interesting stuff there.
-Shuttles between hotel and conference location were easy to use.
-Food (especially lunch) on the event was better then last year.
-Security people were nicer then last year, not shouting anymore.
-No overbook sessions on this event (for me), which is fine.

Now let's have a look at my personal con's on the event:
-Technical level on sessions may be better, with more in-depth knowledge and demo's, offering Level 300 and 400 sessions. Multiple times a Level 200 session was more tech and in-depth then a Level 300 session, which is strange isn't it?
-No possibility to load devices (tablet, phone) during sessions, where you need to find a place to load them, missing a session at same time.
-No possibility to have a quick lunch also, where a 20 minutes walk was needed. Therefore missing next session, because 30 minutes time is not enough to have lunch and walk back.

Microsoft Ignite is done for this year. Next year they will be back in Orlando, September 25 - 29, 2017. Sign-up now for early registration access and have first choice of hotels in March. I have done it myself already, just to be on time for registration.
 
More blogposts on Microsoft Ignite:
My findings on Microsoft Ignite 2016 day 3 (Session) recap
My findings on Microsoft Ignite 2016 day 2 (Session) recap
My findings on Microsoft Ignite 2016 day 1 (Keynote and Event) recap
My scheduled sessions and product focus on Microsoft Ignite 2016 

My findings on Microsoft Ignite 2016 day 3 (Session) recap

Day 3 in Atlanta was best till now, with lot of great sessions. I did breakout sessions for 75 minutes again only, all on Windows 10 and Microsoft Intune. I skipped the session during lunch, to have some rest and load both Surface and Lumia devices. Two sessions in the morning and two in the afternoon is best for me. Let's see which interesting stuff has been mentioned today!
 
Windows 10 deployment experience
-MDM or Microsoft Intune does not replace Group Policy and ConfigMgr. Improvements are coming!
-Windows Defender team is world class now. Take a look at Defender and you will be surprised :-)
 
Securing Android devices and apps with Microsoft Intune
-Android fragmentation challenges: 24.000 distinct devices within 1.294 brands!
-Android for work, Requires Android 6.0+ devices Website
-Android is missing some key features, Android security is lacking, Android device fragmentation
-Samsung KNOX extends native Android in a number of areas, 28 additional settings exposed by Samsung API's.
-Android for Work is Generally Available starting in October service release.
-Android for Work is filling the gap with managing Android or Samsung KNOX devices, given new policies and a business store!
 
Manage and secure iOS and Mac devices with Microsoft Intune
-Microsoft Intune with Apple DEP looks great, but it's a pain to get the certificate from resellers sometimes?
-Lots of information today on Android and iOS management with Microsoft Intune. It's getting better and better!

-Mac OS management with Microsoft Intune, seems to be a great solution!
-It doesn't care which iOS apps are installed by users, you can hide them with Microsoft Intune (in supervised mode)
-Coming up: Azure based console, Device based VPP, Multi-token support, iOS education features, Lost mode, More restrictions

-Azure based Intune console (looks great to me!)

Windows 10 security with ConfigMgr and Microsoft Intune
-Running your ConfigMgr environment on Azure is an Infrastructures as a Service (IaaS) solution
-Windows Store for Business integration in Microsoft Intune or ConfigMgr console is nice add-on for publishing apps!
-Google Play for Work looks and works same as Windows Store for Business Website
-Lot's of (new) dashboards in ConfigMgr console: Health Attestation, Software Updates and Windows Defender ATP

-What's new in Windows Update for Business (WUfB)
-WUfB Is the way to update devices in ConfigMgr in a controlled way

-Coming soon: Windows Upgrade Analytics in ConfigMgr console
 
Hope you like my findings so far! Stay tuned for more session findings later this week. Microsoft Ignite is rocking bigtime!

More blogposts on Microsoft Ignite:
My findings on Microsoft Ignite 2016 day 2 (Session) recap
My findings on Microsoft Ignite 2016 day 1 (Keynote and Event) recap
My scheduled sessions and product focus on Microsoft Ignite 2016 

My findings on Microsoft Ignite 2016 day 2 (Session) recap

Day 2 in Atlanta was better overall, where I did breakout sessions for 75 minutes only. No theater or other short sessions for me. Because of long walk between the sessions, you want to give your legs and feet some rest, and sit for a while. Problem again was the battery load on both Surface and Lumia device. When you use your device a lot for tweeting too (like me), you must load your battery during the day. Unfortunately you must really search for that, where it's not possible to load during the sessions.

Therefore I skipped a session partly during the day, to load both devices. Other point of complaining is lunch, which is a 15-20 minute walk, depends on where you are. Where spare time between sessions is around 30 minutes, you don't have time to walk to food service, eat your lunch, and be on time for the next session. Everything you need to do must be in a rush, which I do not prefer. Today I did 5 breakout sessions, with mixed feelings. Some where great, some moderate. It depends per session, but you can't walk out for another one, because of timeframe between other locations.

The following interesting stuff I heard (in first session):
-When you need to go fast with Windows 10, you need to go fast with ConfigMgr too.

-All Windows 10 deployment methodologies possible, where servicing is advised for future upgrades!
-A new Microsoft Deployment Toolkit is coming this year named MDT and not MDT 2016, which is the latest version!
-ConfigMgr Technical Preview 1609 is released yesterday with lot of great new features. Website

-How to migrate BIOS to UEFI during OSD task sequence > multiple solutions available.
-Nested task sequences are coming in ConfigMgr, which is the most requested feature!

-Language and region support (installing language packs) and customizable end user notifications are coming too!
-Coming soon: Clients will fallback to a next distribution point in 2 minutes by default (used to be 2 hours)
-User voice: 623 submitted ideas, 60 shipped in ConfigMgr current branch. Feedback

-What's needed for Windows 10 servicing in ConfigMgr Current Branch?
-With Windows Update for Business you delegate updates to Microsoft. Handy or not?

The following interesting stuff I heard (in other sessions):
 -The Microsoft Intune portal is moving from Silverlight to Azure platform completely! Really awesome.
-The New Microsoft Intune portal in Azure is expected somewhere in Q1 2017.
-Microsoft Intune Mobile Application Management is the way to go! Really awesome functionality and possibilities
-Everything is going to the cloud: Identity, Membership, Applications, Policies, you name it.

-20,533 total tenants on ConfigMgr Current Branch worldwide! With around 50% running on the latest build (1606).

-40,497,142 million total clients managed by ConfigMgr worldwide! With around 75% on latest builds (1602, 1606)
-New ConfigMgr Current Branch release is called 1610 and offers cloud-based management and peer caching for all content.
-Identity is the new attack surface! Not firewall anymore
-Identity challenges today: organizations want greater control, users wants simple passwords, multi-factor is to complex.

Stay tuned for more on new ConfigMgr features, Windows 10 servicing and mobile device & application management.

More blogposts on Microsoft Ignite:
My findings on Microsoft Ignite 2016 day 1 (Keynote and Event) recap
My scheduled sessions and product focus on Microsoft Ignite 2016 

My findings on Microsoft Ignite 2016 day 1 (Keynote and Event) recap

Day 1 in Atlanta was somewhat expected but not what I hoped for. The day was starting with the keynote (part 1), where part 2 was presented end of day. With around 23.000 attendees (which is equal as last year) it was full house! Within the Philips Arena itself there was plenty of space left, which is strange because there is room for 18.000 people as mentioned on Wikipedia. My guess is there were around 10.000-12.000 people at maximum :-)

Speakers were Julia White, Satya Nadella, Scott Guthrie, Donovan Brown and Laura Jones. No names like Joe Belfiore, Gurdeep Singh Pall or Brad Anderson this time. Instead of other keynotes before, Wi-Fi was working great this time. Even during the keynote opening, which is very pleasant! Point is, there were some announcements mentioned, but no technology demo's on them. Instead of that a lot of Microsoft marketing and topics like cloud solutions and artificial intelligence were mentioned. And that's pity if you get what I mean.

Julia White on stage

Announcements were done on the following products or solutions:
-Windows Server 2016 is GA (Download)
-System Center 2016 is GA (Download)
-Azure Monitoring dashboard, for overview
-Delve Analytics Outlook add-in for email statistics 
-Surface hub stormboard app, offers new features
-Windows Defender Application Guard for Edge browser

Furthermore the following was mentioned during the first keynote:
-IT stands for Innovation and Transformation
-Azure in 34 regions now, 2 times more as Amazon AWS
-Azure platform is growing strong says Gartner
-Windows 10 running on 400 million devices now
-MS Edge is the most secure browser for enterprises
-Cortana has 133 million users, 12 billion questions

Small moment of fame

Besides of that I went to two sessions on Windows 10 functionality and deployment. Both were level 200, which is kind of marketing level with a bit of tech information. More information on that in a next blogpost. No interesting information on Windows Server 2016, System Center 2016, Enterprise Mobility and/or MS Intune at all which is odd.

The Georgia World Congress Center itself is a really huge place, with lot's of floors and escalators. Many of them were malfunction for a while too. When moving between sessions, Expo hall or Food service, it is possible that a 20-30 minutes walk is needed. When a session is overbooked, it's almost impossible to be on-time for another one. That's the downside of an event with so many attendees. Back in the days of Microsoft Management Summit (MMS), with around 5.000 attendees this was never a problem at all.

Bus transfers are great, you never have to wait for transfers to Microsoft Ignite conference or hotel. Point of discussion is there is no paper conference guide this time, it's all mobile driven now. When you use your phone a lot for tweeting too (like me), you must load your battery during the day. Unfortunately you must really search for that, where it's not possible to load during the sessions. Between the sessions there is less time in between, which given a (partly)missed session to be battery loaded again.

My overall feeling after day 1 with two keynotes is somewhat expected but not what I hoped for (as mentioned earlier). Because Microsoft is talking about Mobile-first, Cloud-first and Azure solutions only, there's no feeling with new on-premises solutions and features like Windows Server 2016 and/or System Center 2016. Count that with long walks and bad lunch, and you have a kind of superficial day. Hope that next days (with more tech sessions) will be much better!

Stay tuned for more information on this.

More blogposts on Microsoft Ignite:
My scheduled sessions and product focus on Microsoft Ignite 2016

My scheduled sessions and product focus on Microsoft Ignite 2016

Next week Microsoft Ignite is already there! As for many months, the Microsoft Ignite general attendee registration is SOLD OUT! With around 20,000 attendees in attendance (which is same as last year), it will be a great event full off Microsoft announcements and new technology. More about that can be found HERE. In this blogpost I mention my focus on products and sessions scheduled.

When we look on products first, the following have my attention:
- Microsoft Azure
- Microsoft Intune
- System Center 2016
- Windows 10
- Windows Server 2016

Most sessions will be on Mobile Device & Application Management and how to keep Windows 10 secure:
- Conditional Access 
- Credential Guard
- Device Guard
- Federation Services
- Manage Android devices
- Manage iOS devices
- Windows Defender ATP
- Windows Information Protection
- Windows Store for Business
- Windows Update for Business

Where Windows 10 is one year old now, there's a business need to keep it secure and safely. Therefore less sessions on OS deployment this year for me, but security it is :-)

Expect a lot of tweets and blogposts around Microsoft Ignite from me, and lot's of other people love sharing knowledge.

Follow me on Twitter: @HenkHoogendoorn / @SCCM2016 / @Server2016 / @SysCtr2016

Difference between Intune Standalone and ConfigMgr hybrid mode (part 4)

Recently I did some blogposts about the difference using Intune Standalone or ConfigMgr hybrid mode.
You can find them here: part 1 / part 2 / part 3

For ConfigMgr hybrid mode I mentioned the following:
As for ConfigMgr hybrid mode, this must be done in Configuration items and baselines, where not sure when they arrive. Monitoring - deployments is not the right place also, given a 'Unknown' status most of times. Did a lot of compliance checks and reboots on mobile devices, but nothing seems to happen..

Trick is, you need to do some additional configuration. When policies in Intune are working immediately, they are in ConfigMgr not.

When creating configuration items in ConfigMgr, "Remediate noncompliant settings" is turned on by default.

When creating and deploying configuration baselines, this is not the case. "Remediate noncompliant rules when supported" is not turned on by default. Trick is, you need to enable this for making them active.

In the baseline deployment properties "Remediate noncompliant rules when supported" must be selected. I did change the schedule for 7 days to 5 minutes too. After that configuration was starting on mobile devices right away.

Why this isn't configured by default is the question? Without this setting you can wait forever for policies to come through..

Difference between Intune Standalone and ConfigMgr hybrid mode (part 3)

In an earlier blogpost i wrote about pros and cons between Intune standalone and ConfigMgr hybrid mode, and the difference in speed between both solutions. This because Intune standalone (SAAS) is very fast (few seconds, sometimes few minutes) on enrollment of applications and/or policies. With ConfigMgr hybrid mode this is way slower, and can take up to multiple hours (or more) for making it happen. This time I want to share something on difference for Windows and Windows Phone devices.

With Windows 10, Microsoft is saying that there is One universal app platform, One security model, One management system, One deployment approach, and One familiar experience. Unfortunately that's not true when using a Windows 10 Mobile, managed by Intune standalone or ConfigMgr hybrid mode.

When deploying applications from one of both solutions, you will see that sometimes it's needed to choose Windows, the other time Windows Phone. Some apps are available for Windows, but not for Windows Phone (or the other way around). Very confusing if you ask me! So you must choose between a Windows app package or Windows Phone app package. That's hard to explain to customers..

When choosing a Windows app package (like I did), applications will not be offered on Windows 10 Mobile. In my perception this is not a Windows Phone anymore, with a different Windows Phone store. So yes, you must still use Windows Phone app package to make them available on Windows 10 Mobile. Very confusing if you ask me. Where does this fit in the One unified app store across devices, One great experience model? But wait there's more..

Within the post: Windows 10: A Store That’s Ready for Business, Microsoft is mentioning the following: 'with Windows 10 we will deliver one Windows Store for all Windows devices'. But therefore the new web-based Store portal must be used. So open Windows Store for Business and start adding apps to your inventory. When signing in with your Azure account (or add it next to your Live ID) a new tab in the default Store will be present.

After that a new tab is present in Windows Store, with the company name used, with apps added in Windows Store for Business. Because it can take up to 24 hours for the app to get present in the Private store, you must be patience on this :-)

More on that in a next blogpost. Thanks for reading.
Read more on part 1 and part 2

Difference between Intune Standalone and ConfigMgr hybrid mode (part 2)

In an earlier blogpost i wrote about pros and cons between Intune standalone and ConfigMgr hybrid mode. Is this post I will mention the difference in speed between both solutions. This because Intune standalone (SAAS) is very fast (few seconds, sometimes few minutes) on enrollment of applications and/or policies. With ConfigMgr hybrid mode this is way slower, and can take up to multiple hours (or more) for making it happen. This is very annoying indeed!
 
I'm using the SAAS solution myself; using it for demo purpose on my Windows 10 Mobile (Lumia 950). When doing enrollment on that and start a deploying applications and/or policies, they will be visible in a few seconds. Just have a look at some examples on that:
 

When deploying applications, or changing icons (or something like that), they are visible almost immediately.
 

When using Allow manual unenrollment (No), Intune cannot be removed from a Windows Phone or Windows 10 Mobile. Way better, because this isn't possible on iOS or Android devices, or special configuration is needed (iOS).
 

When using Allow application store for Windows 10 Mobile (No), the store isn't available anymore. Just an example how easy an application can be blocked, but again for Windows Phone only.
 

This for both the tile on start screen as for the start menu present on Windows Phones. They will be greyed out on start screen and start menu. Just want to see more off that.

When using Allow Camera (No), the following message is given, presenting a black screen when choosing OK. A message that the camera is blocked would be better I guess then presenting a black screen, but maybe it will be in future.

As for ConfigMgr hybrid mode, this must be done in Configuration items and baselines, where not sure when they arrive. Monitoring - deployments is not the right place also, given a 'Unknown' status most of times. Did a lot of compliance checks and reboots on mobile devices, but nothing seem to happen..

As mentioned in an earlier blogpost: Still I truly believe in ConfigMgr hybrid mode, having best of both worlds. But Microsoft still needs some development for a way better experience on that!

More on that in a next blogpost. Thanks for reading.
Read more on part 1 and part 3

Difference between Intune Standalone and ConfigMgr hybrid mode

When using Microsoft Intune, you can choose between Intune Standalone and ConfigMgr hybrid mode. Both have their own pros and cons. Microsoft is still recommending hybrid mode, because then you have best of both worlds. Point is, I'm not convinced anymore. Both ConfigMgr and Intune are great products, where Intune still need some development on new features. Customers are not always convinced about the solution, asking more enterprise features.
 

Having a look at my experience so far, I detect the following:
 
Intune standalone (pros):
-Easy to setup, Software As A Service (SAAS) solution;
-Can be managed everywhere with internet access;
-Very fast on enrollment of applications and/or policies (!);
-Can be used for both patch management & antivirus on endpoints with internet access;
-New features are released immediately.
Intune standalone (cons):
-With ConfigMgr in-place, two consoles for management;
-On some parts, less features then hybrid mode;
-You need to sign-in at every application change.
 
ConfigMgr hybrid mode (pros):
-Recommended configuration by Microsoft;
-Best of both worlds in a single management console;
-More features then Intune standalone;
-Deployment types and deployments are easier to handle.
ConfigMgr hybrid mode (cons):
-Less easy to setup; on-premises ConfigMgr infrastructure needed;
-Cannot be managed from everywhere, on-premises ConfigMgr console needed;
-Way slower on enrollment of applications and/or policies (!);
-Cannot be used for both patch management & antivirus on endpoints with internet access, because you need direct access or internet-based client management (IBCM) for that;
-New features will released slower in hybrid mode.

So yes, Microsoft is working on the feature part, and new features are available in ConfigMgr hybrid mode sooner. This because of the Service Connection point in ConfigMgr Current Branch.
But what's most annoying, You cannot have both patch management & antivirus on endpoints with internet access, because a ConfigMgr agent will be present on the device. Not an Intune agent, pointing to a SAAS solution. Therefore additional solutions like direct access or internet-based client management (IBCM) are needed.

And overall; when deploying applications and/or policies from Intune standalone, they are applied in few seconds. Within ConfigMgr hybrid mode it can take multiple hours (or more) when something happens. Still I truly believe in ConfigMgr hybrid mode, having best of both worlds. But Microsoft still needs some development for a way better experience on that! Hope they will soon :-)

More on that in a next blogpost. Thanks for reading.
Read more on part 2 and part 3

My contributions on the Microsoft TechNet Gallery

Besides of sharing my knowledge on Microsoft TechNet Forums (most on ConfigMgr OS deployment), I want to share some handy scripts too. Therefore I did some contributions on the Microsoft TechNet Gallery. Hope you like them as I do.

Set Computername during deployment
Show Computername during deployment
Match SCCM content library with WMI

When handy, leave a comment and give a rating please ;)

My TechNet profile: Henk_Hoogendoorn

New projects coming with lots off cool stuff

Next coming months I will do several new projects with lots of cool stuff. Most projects will be around the products: ConfigMgr 1511, Windows 10, ADFS and Enterprise Mobility Suite (Azure AD Premium, Rights Management, Intune in hybrid mode).

Expect multiple blogposts about my experiences soon. Azure cloud and Enterprise mobility Suite is the way to go! Microsoft is bringing cool features here :) #lovemyjob

Why there is no free Display Dock offer for Lumia 950 owners?

Why would Microsoft offer a new Display Dock to 950XL owners and not for people like me who purchased the 950 model. I don't want to hold a 5.7" Phone daily, just because of the free Display Dock offer. (I guess most people ordered the 950XL for that one?)

The Lumia 950XL has benefits enough for $100 extra:
-5.7" display
-Gorilla Glass 4
-Qualcomm Snapdragon 810
-3340mAh battery

Still pity because I don’t want to spend another $99 just to try the Continuum feature. Colleagues asking me about the feature a lot, but cannot show it to them. A missed oppurtunity if you ask me!

Expect a personal review for the Lumia 950 soon. (and hopefully for the Continuum feature at a later time)

Microsoft Lumia 950 vs 950XL comparison

Recently on the Microsoft Windows 10 devices event new Lumia phones are announced. Last year the last Nokia phone (930) was released, which is still loved by many people. Microsoft skipped the 940 version, and is using the 950 and 950XL version now. Devices are called Microsoft Lumia now, with Windows 10 Mobile onboard. With this release, Microsoft wants to make sure this is a major release, kind of new generation. Same thing as for Windows 10 for desktops.

Let's have a look at the 950 and 950XL specs so far:

When looking for a comparison with the 930 have a look here:

Because of new functionality (Continuum, Windows Hello, Wireless charging, Cortana, Adaptive antenna technology, Octacore & Hexacore processors and Liquid cooling technology) this must be my next phone! Therefore I ordered the Lumia 950 today, which will be my next device in around 6 weeks. Hope to share my personal experience within a few months. Just click on the pictures for a better view :)
 
Source and photos: OneTechStop.net

Microsoft Band 2 vs Apple Watch comparison and specs

Recently Microsoft Band 2 is announced, which has some nice benefits above of the first edition. The first Band was a good start, but design was not what most people want. This time it has a rounder design and offers more functionality. It has a Barometer, Gorilla Glass 3 and Cortana build-in. It has all known features from the first Band: Built-in GPS, UV monitoring, Guided workouts, Sleep & Calorie tracking and Smart notifications. Let's have a look at a nice comparison on the specs! This comparison is based on Band 2 and Apple Watch.

As far as comparing the technical specs of the two devices, here's a breakdown of some of the more pertinent categories.

Band 2 has a few advantages over Apple Watch, most notably better battery life and a greater array of sensors. By adding a curved display, Band 2 also addresses one of the weaknesses of the first-generation model, since that model's flat display made the device sit awkwardly on the wrist. Just great if you ask me!

Just click on the picture for a better view :)

Source: The Motley Fool

Microsoft Ignite moved from Chicago to Atlanta now!

Last year I attended Microsoft Ignite in Chicago (IL). With 23.000 attendees the event was SOLD OUT and hugh! Instead of TechEd and Management Summit (MMS) before, Microsoft want to bring all IT Pro's to one single event. My personal pro's and con's on the event are available here: Microsoft Ignite 2015 (Event) recap. It was told that Ignite 2016 should be done in Chicago again, on May 9-13, 2016 this time. That is however NOT the case anymore ;)

Lucky me (I couldn't make it in May 2016) the event is scheduled now for September 26-30, in Atlanta (GA). Hope this time there will be better possibilities on networking. This because last time attendees where divided on more then 60 hotels around the conference center. With the new date and location I may give it another try! Hope the old MMS feeling will come back to the event too. Microsoft is doing a good job again, and hope the event will be even better this time.

Pre-register now and Microsoft will contact you with more details when it's time to complete your registration.

More items on Microsoft Ignite:
Henk's blog: Microsoft Ignite 2015 (Event) recap
Microsoft Ignite Canceled for Chicago - Rescheduled
Pre-registering for Ignite Gets You on a List for a Discount

Highlights from the Microsoft Windows 10 devices event

During the Microsoft October 2015 event today (October 6th) Microsoft made the following announcements. It's full of great hardware and even greater functionality running on Windows 10. Microsoft is back in business again with both great hardware AND software. Microsoft will be loved again, that's for sure :)

It's all about #Windows10 and #Windows10devices now!

Windows 10
-Running on 110 million devices worldwide within eight weeks
-1.25 billion store visits worldwide within 10 weeks
-Running on Xbox One and mobile devices soon

Xbox One
-This holiday a great line-up games running on Xbox One and Pc
-New games are: Rise of the Tomb Raider, Halo 5, Gears of War 4, Forza Motorsport 6, and many more
-New Xbox One Limited Edition consoles with 1TB storage (multiple editions) with a new game enclosed

Hololens
-With Project X-ray you can play games in your own environment (mixed reality)
-The Hololens development edition kit will be available Q1 2016 for $3,000
-Expect more holographic games soon!

Band 2
-Has a rounder design and offers more functionality. It has a Barometer, Gorilla Glass 3 and Cortana build-in
-Has all known features from the first Band: Built-in GPS, UV monitoring, Guided workouts, Sleep & Calorie tracking and Smart notifications
-Note: Still no Endomondo support, which I'm using for running :(
-Pre-order today and available October 30th for $249

Lumia 950 and 950XL
-Best mobile phone ever. It has Adaptive antenna technology, Octacore & Hexacore processors and Liquid cooling technology
-Lumia 950 specs: Hexacore-chip, 5,2 inch OLED screen, 564 PPI, 20MP sensor, Triple LED, and many more
-Lumia 950XL specs: Octacore-chip, 5,7 inch OLED screen, 518 PPI, 20MP sensor, Triple LED, and many more
-4k video with hardware button, saving on Cloud-storage, 32GB local storage and 2TB (maximum) on SD-cards
-Support for Continuum (with Microsoft Display Dock) and Windows Hello (works with iris scanners) on both phones
-Multitasking on multiple screens possible, keyboard/mouse and USB-drive support (Full Pc experience)
-Available November for $549 (Lumia 950) and $649 (Lumia 950XL) and Lumia 550 (budget-phone) available December for $139

Surface Pro 4
-Note: 98% of people using Surface Pro 3 recommend it, I too :)
-Bigger screen, using 12,3 inch now (no 14 inch as rumoured) and thinner/lighter (from 9.1 to 8.4 mm)
-The screen has 267 PPI and 5 million pixels, which is 20% more then Surface Pro 3
-Maximum configuration available is 1TB local storage, 16GB memory (finally) and Gorilla Glass 4
-Pen storage when/where you need it (magnetic) in multiple colors available (better then Surface Pro 3)
-Surface Pro 4 is 30% faster then Surface Pro 3 and 50% faster then MacBook Air :)
-New type cover with fingerprint reader, better keyset (scissor design) and precision glass trackpad in multiple colors available
-New docking station with 4x USB 3.0 ports, 2x 4k display ports, Gigabit Ethernet and more (for Surface Pro 3 also)
-Pre-order October 7th and available October 26th for $899 (at minimum)

Surface Book
-The 14 inch Surface (as mentioned earlier) has become a 13,5 inch laptop called Surface Book :)
-This is the first laptop ever made by Microsoft, and the fastest laptop anywhere on any planet ever (!)
-The screen has 267 PPI and 6 million pixels, it has touch and pen support same as Surface
-Has a perfect typing experience (quiet, stable and comfortable) a precision glass and 5-point multi-touch trackpad
-Onboard are a new Intel Skylake CPU, nVidia Geforce GPU and high-speed GDDR5 memory
-Surface Book is 50% faster then MacBook Pro, has 12 hour battery life and works with new docking station also
-Has a screen which can be detached from the keyboard, it's a laptop and a clipboard in one (!)
-It's the most powerful and ultimate laptop on the planet :)
-Pre-order October 7th and available October 26th for $1,499 (at minimum)

I'm really thrilled and excited about all the new stuff coming. Hope to have a Band 2, Lumia 950 and Surface Book soon :)

Watch the recorded session on: http://www.microsoft.com/october2015event/en-us/live-event