Today (16 Oct 2006), it was officially announced that Microsoft will combine the recently acquired tools from Softricity, Winternals, and Desktop Standard into a single package that you can purchase for ~$50 per client. What this package gets you is SoftGrid application virtualization, group policy management/enhancement tools from DesktopStandard, and the remote repair tools from Wintenals. For this price you could not get even the tools from DesktopStandard, the backend for the SoftGrid used to

Rod Trent reported and i am doing the same.. Here is Bill Anderson's take on AssetMetrix and Microsoft. Microsoft aquired AssetMetrix recently. Read the real work that AssetMetrix does.

SMS and MOM Supportability blog from PSS :) Description about the blog: This blog has been created by Microsoft Product Support specifically to document top support issues and resolutions for our Manageability Products. We will cover System Management Server (SMS) and Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) as well as the relevant add-ons and management packs. Sarbjit Singh Gill

Want to write your own MP? Here is the guide . It is a good idea to read topics you are creating the MP for. So for example you wanted to do some management of security events, then the following guides are good add on the to MP Guide. The Threats and Countermeasures Guide http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1b6acf93-147a-4481-9346-f93a4081eea8&DisplayLang=en The Security Monitoring and Attack Detection Planning Guide http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID

The SMS Extended Security Update Inventory Tool is a scan tool built for the sole purpose of helping customers determine SMS client computers that may need security updates that are not detectable using the existing SMS Security Update Inventory Tool built on MBSA. Like the SMS Software Update Inventory Tool, it also has the instructions for locating each applicable update, downloading the update from Microsoft, and deploying it using SMS. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=4897697 Sarbjit Singh Gill

Are you wondering about the differences among these software distribution products? Glance at this easy-to-read comparison table to learn which solution is best for your organization. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=4897693 Sarbjit Singh Gill

The UK, Nigeria and Bill Gates launch a plan to stop TB, with the Microsoft boss tripling his funding for the campaign. Full story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/business/4653338.stm

Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager and NSI Software Double-Take Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM) is a disk-based backup solution for file servers which leverages the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) to provide access to multiple point-in-time snapshots of protected data. NSI Software, Inc. Double-Take provides real-time data protection and replication. It provides disaster recovery and high availability for the data, thus enhancing the value of DPM to customers.

http://computerworld.com.sg/ShowPage.aspx?pagetype=2&articleid=3839&pubid=3&issueid=90 Quest Software has announced its entry into the Microsoft .Net application management marketplace through a series of commercial relationships with AVIcode, a leading provider of .Net application monitoring software. The transactions include agreements for product distribution, joint research and development activities and marketing and sales initiatives, and a Quest equity investment in AVIcode, the

Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 By Barry Nance, Network World http://www.techworld.com/opsys/reviews/index.cfm?reviewID=276&productid =