Friday 28 September 2012

Join at the Quest Experts Conference: TEC 2012



Join us at The Experts Conference (TEC) Europe 2012, where old world charm meets new world technology. TEC Europe will be 22-24 October in Barcelona, Spain. Plus, as a TEC attendee, you'll have full access to The Inside Track.
At TEC, you and your peers will receive world-class, advanced technical training on your most vital Microsoft technologies. TEC Europe features sessions on directory and identity, Exchange, virtualization and workspace management.
The deep-dive training and peer networking will help you lead your organization into the next generation of Microsoft proficiency. Agendas are now posted!
For even more value, delegates can attend post-conference workshops or the Windows Management User Group.
The Inside Track is 23-24 October and features a Quest Solution Briefing focused on industry, company and solution updates in six focus areas. Learn more and view the agendas.
Here are the location and logistics details
The Experts Conference Europe
22 - 24 October 2012
Hotel Rey Juan Carlos I
Barcelona, Spain
The Quest TEC 2012 Conference topics include:
  • TEC for Directory & Identity
  • TEC for Exchange
  • TEC for Virtualization  Workspace Management
You can Register for the Quest TEC Event here: Register Here!
Hope to see you in Sunny Barcelona!

Monday 24 September 2012

Quest Workspace Asset Manager 9.0


It's been a busy week here at Quest, with the release of ChangeBASE 5.1, we now have the updated to Quest Workspace Asset Manager from the Scriptlogic team.

Here is a brief summary:

Asset Manager 9.0 is a major product release with significant enhancements to the product usability, a new and improved user interface, numerous enhancements to license and entitlement management, automated software metering, new platform support and much more.  Here are some of the highlights:

License Management Enhancements - License entitlements include rights such as upgrade and downgrade rights, second-use rights and step-up rights.  These entitlements are often overlooked when reviewing a software compliance position and as a consequence, organizations overspend on unnecessary licenses.  Asset Manager 9.0 now provides the ability to automatically track these entitlements to ensure optimal use of licenses within an organization.

Automated Software Metering - Asset Manager 9.0 will now track software usage for many common off-the-shelf software titles automatically when the agents are deployed. 

Automated Financial View of Software Estate - Asset Manager now 'tags' identified software titles and bundles with MSRP data.  This allows organizations to get a quick view of the total cost of software deployed within the organization.  Total software cost can be viewed by software title or manufacturer, computer, location, department and more.  You can also view a report on the total cost of software that has been deployed but has not been used in the past 60 days.

New and Improved UI -  In addition to the new look and feel of the application, there are a number of improvements that streamline many common tasks including new wizard-driven processes that align with best practice standards. Here is a quick snap-shot of the Quest Asset Manager

Enhanced Reporting and Dashboard - All reports are now based off the standard Grid View format.  This allows for simplified report customization by providing a drag and drop interface for adding, removing, sorting, grouping and filtering data.  The new dashboard provides charts and notifications that highlight important information including software installation and usage, license compliance, system data, and more.

Role Based Access - Roles can now be defined and linked to AD groups for defining privileges within the system.  This allows organizations to assign different users as system administrators, license managers, software managers, IT asset managers, contract managers or restrict them to only view reports.

New Microsoft Hyper-V Connector - The Hyper-V connector provides real time insight into the relationship between the virtual machines and the underlying host machine.  This virtual to physical relationship information is critical in supporting software license management for server software products in Hyper-V environments.

Updated Platform Support - Asset Manager 9.0 adds support for the following platform versions:
  • The SCCM connector now supports SCCM 2012
  • The VMware connector now supports ESX/ESXi  version 5 and vCenter version 5
  • The Citrix connector now supports XenApp version 6 and EdgeSight for XenApp version 6
  • The Mac agent now supports Mac OS X Lion (version 10.7)

You can find out more about the Quest Asset Manager update here:

Or, you can read about all the new features and updates in the What's New document located here:



Or, you can visit the new dedicated product page for Asset Manager Discovery Edition

Learn more and download a free 30 day evaluation at http://www.quest.com/asset-manager/


Friday 21 September 2012

Quest ChangeBASE 5.1 Released!


This week, we released version 5.1 of Quest® Workspace™ ChangeBASE. This release will focus on the addition of an excellent application installer packaging tool, MSI Studio, This new feature also removes some of the barriers of preparing applications for assessment and deployment.

Here is a summary of new features in 5.1:

  • Provide an integrated MSI package authoring tool – MSI Studio will be bundled with ChangeBASE at no extra cost. 
  • Extend ChangeBASE’s ability to import applications by integrating with System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) 2007 – SCCM 2007 is a software deployment tool that has widespread use among organizations and we can now import applications directly from these existing systems. 
  • View application dependencies – This addresses the problem that customers have in identifying whether an application requires resources from other applications or from the operating system in order to run effectively; a common problem for managing virtual applications. 
  • There are other minor improvements in the reporting Dashboard.

MSI Studio Package Editing Tool
With ChangeBASE 5.1, you can now right click and open any MSI or MSI transform (MST) package using the MSI Studio, also available standalone through ScriptLogic. ChangeBASE will include a special version of MSI Studio that allows MSI editing directly through the ChangeBASE UI.

Q: What’s the difference between the full version of MSI Studio and the one included in this release?

The full “Pro” version includes the following features that will not be available in the bundled version within ChangeBASE include: 
  • Software warehouse package database (conflict checking)
  • Repackaging EXE->MSI

Here are some other great additions to the ChangeBASE feature set:
  • System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) Integration: For customers who are using SCCM 2007 as their current deployment tool, this feature will be very handy.  It allows them to get the applications from the existing SCCM 2007 system and import from directly into ChangeBASE.
  • Dependency Viewer: This unique feature allows our customers to see if an application includes files that have a dependency on other applications or the operating system.  This is valuable information for the creation of virtual application packages as well as standard MSI packages.
  • Dashboard Reporting Improvements: Dashboard reporting was introduced in ChangeBASE 5.0.  This release introduces a number of improvements making the reporting richer and easier to use. 
Dashboard Improvements include:

  1. Dashboard Admin moved to main Options tab
  2. Product Name can be used to identify an application
  3. Before-and-after pie chart results improved
  4. Menu bar added


Which of the new features are included in existing licenses? 
Here is a chart to help out with licensing and feature issues.

Here are some handy links to the ChangeBASE 5.1 release documentation

Online Resources
ChangeBASE external community - http://communities.quest.com/community/changebase

How can I get it?
Download is now available on the Quest website: http://www.quest.com/changebase



Thursday 20 September 2012

IE 7/8/9 Zero-day flaw exploited, Patch to be released Friday


As you may have heard recently, that Microsoft has warned that there is now an active (read: people have reported problems on production systems) zero-day security exploit that affects all but the soon to be released versions of Internet Explorer. This means that versions of IE that are affected include versions 6, 7, 8 and 9. 

Arrhg, this is serious. Usually, I would just say download and use the latest version. Actually, I would more commonly say, "please move off of IE6". But, this time things are different. In fact, the advice I was given, was not to use IE at all for the next little while (does this mean weeks or months?) This kind of validates the B+1 mode of thinking that I have been advocating for a while. Each enterprise now needs to fully deploy, support and patch 2 browsers. So, my thinking here is that over the next little while (until the release and change control people are happy) we will be either using Chrome or Firefox.

Microsoft has offered some other advice including:

  • Deploy the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET).  This will help prevent exploitation by providing mitigations to help protect against this issue and should not affect usability of websites.
  • Set Internet and local intranet security zone settings to "High" to block ActiveX Controls and Active Scripting in these zones. This will help prevent exploitation but may affect usability; therefore, trusted sites should be added to the Internet Explorer Trusted Sites zone to minimize disruption.
  • xConfigure Internet Explorer to prompt before running Active Scripting or to disable Active Scripting in the Internet and local intranet security zones. This will help prevent exploitation but can affect usability, so trusted sites should be added to the Internet Explorer Trusted Sites zone to minimize disruption.
Downloading the Microsoft EMET is easy - deploying will not be. In fact, for most of the organisations that I work with (read large-scale enterprises) I would not roll-out any EMET components without some serious testing. If you are doubt, read this from the EMET download and support page;
"The security mitigation technologies that EMET uses carry an application compatibility risk with them. Some applications rely on exactly the behavior that the mitigations block. It is important to thoroughly test EMET on all target computers by using test scenarios before you deploy EMET in a production environment. If you encounter a problem with a specific mitigation, you can individually enable and disable the specific mitigations. For more information, refer to the user's guide that is installed with EMET."
Luckily for us, a security update for IE (6,7,8,9) , which will automatically patch several hundred million PCs around the globe via Microsoft’s Windows Update service, is scheduled for release this Friday. I will post an update to this blog with the location of the security update patch.


References:
You can find the Microsoft EMET tool-kit here: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=29851

Microsoft Security Advisory: Vulnerability in Internet Explorer could allow remote code execution:

Microsoft EMET Support page: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2458544


Microsoft Security Advisory (2757760)
Vulnerability in Internet Explorer Could Allow Remote Code Execution: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/advisory/2757760

You can read more about Zero-day attacks here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-day_attack

Friday 14 September 2012

Migrating to Windows 7: Achieving Application Compatibility








Your migration to Windows 7 is inevitable. And virtualizing some of the applications you’re moving there is also a good idea. Doing both at the same time could reduce costs, help you avoid application sprawl, boost scalability improve user productivity. But the reality is that testing and validating application compatibility across a large number of legacy and homegrown applications can be huge burdens.

Fortunately, new solutions and best practices have emerged to help you overcome these burdens. Download this white paper to see how to easily test and fix application compatibility issues, and simplify migrations to Windows 7 and streamline the conversion of applications for virtual environments.


Download now »




Live Webcast: How to Manage All Your Devices from One Console
September 25, 2:00 p.m. (EDT)

Ready to take control of your multi-platform environment? On Thursday, September 25, join Microsoft and Quest to learn how you can manage all your devices from one console – regardless of platform!

With Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2012, coupled with Quest Management Xtensions (QMX), you can distribute software, push profiles and apps and more to iPads, iPhones, Apple notebooks -- and, of course, to your Microsoft Windows operating system devices. 


Register now »


Wednesday 12 September 2012

ChangeBASE Patch Tuesday Report - September 2012


With this September Microsoft Patch Tuesday update, we see a set of 2 Important updates.

The Patch Tuesday Security Update analysis was performed by the Quest ChangeBASE Patch Impact team. From the thousands of applications included in testing for this release, they identified no Amber or Red issues.

Given that these patches update non-critical files a reboot is most probably not required.

Testing Summary

  • MS12-061: Vulnerability in Visual Studio Team Foundation Server Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (2719584)
  • MS12-062: Vulnerability in System Center Configuration Manager Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (2741528)






MS12-061
Vulnerability in Visual Studio Team Foundation Server Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (2719584)
Description
This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Visual Studio Team Foundation Server. The vulnerability could allow elevation of privilege if a user clicks a specially crafted link in an email message or browses to a webpage that is used to exploit the vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to perform these actions. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to visit a website, typically by getting them to click a link in an email message or Instant Messenger message that takes them to the attacker's website.
Payload
No specific file information
Impact
Important - Elevation of Privilege


MS12-062
Vulnerability in System Center Configuration Manager Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (2741528)
Description
This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager. The vulnerability could allow elevation of privilege if a user visits an affected website by way of a specially crafted URL. An attacker would have no way to force users to visit such a website. Instead, an attacker would have to persuade users to visit the website, typically by getting them to click a link in an email message or Instant Messenger message that takes users to the attacker's website.
Payload
A.     Reportchart.asp, Reportinginstall.exe, Smsse.dll
Impact
Important - Elevation of Privilege

*All results are based on a ChangeBASE Application Compatibility Lab’s test portfolio of over 1,000 applications.

© 2012 Quest Software, Inc.

Tuesday 11 September 2012

Manage all your devices: Windows 7, iOS or OSX

Doing my bit to help out the team here...

This webinar should be an interesting one as we get to find out how to manage your iPhone and your Mac Air while still managing your Windows legacy kit...

Find out more here: 



Live Webcast: How to Manage All Your Devices from One Console
September 27, 2:00 p.m. (EDT)

Ready to take control of your multi-platform environment? On Thursday, September 27, join Microsoft and Quest to learn how you can manage all your devices from one console – regardless of platform! 
With Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2012, coupled with Quest Management Xtensions (QMX), you can distribute software, push profiles and apps and more to iPads, iPhones, Apple notebooks -- and, of course, to your Microsoft Windows operating system devices.
Register now »

Monday 10 September 2012

Quest UWM Webinar and Session Calendar Update


It's back to school and time to get back to work - so, I thought I would post a brief update on some of the Quest UWM (User Workspace Management) seminar and webinar calendar dates.

Here is a quick reminder for those in Europe: 

How to Deploy Windows 7 with Ease
Speaker: Microsoft & Quest
Friday, September 14 10.30 a.m. BST

And if you care about application compatibility, application packaging or just getting applications deployed to your user base, you should check out the Packaging Event in the Netherlands.

Date: October 11-12 2012

The ChangeBASE team will  have two speaking slots and a workshop at this Packaging and Compatibility focused trade-show. 

See details of these below:
  • Speaker Session, Oct. 11: “User Workspace Management and Application Readiness” (Sophie Tidman, Systems Consulting Manager): Find out how to easily prepare your applications for migration to new Microsoft Windows and Office platforms, new Internet Explorer versions, and virtualized desktop and application environments.
  • Speaker Session, Oct. 12 : “Application Compatibility Beyond Windows 7 – Turbo-Charging Your Packaging”(Ann Maya, Senior Workspace Technologist): Learn how automated packaging and an integrated MSI editing tool can dramatically accelerate adoption of not only Windows 7, but Windows 8, App-V 5.0, Windows Server 2012 and more.
  • ChangeBASE Workshop, Oct. 11: (Led by Ben Cook, Systems Consultant and Sophie Tidman, Systems Consulting Manager): See firsthand how our unmatched solution can find and fix application compatibility issues  in minutes, and then provide you with a wide range of reports — from high-level overviews to technical details. 

You might have heard that Dell now has a special interest in Quest. 


As part of this acquisition process, DELL and Quest are getting together and having a "Lunch and Learn" where you will be able to find out how Dell and Quest make a great team to deliver your migrations faster.

Topic: Accelerate and Simplify Windows 7 and 8 Deployments for Any Device
Wednesday, September 26, 2012 - Pasadena, CA

Thursday, September 27, 2012 - Salt Lake City, UT

Have Fun!

Tuesday 4 September 2012

Quest TEC Conference 2012: Barcelona

Just a quick note that I will be presenting some of the ChangeBASE application compatibility and virtualization tracks at the Quest TEC conference in Barcelona this October.

What is the TEC Conferencce? Here are the basics:

The Experts Conference (TEC) Europe 2012, along with the first-ever Quest User Conference. TEC Europe will be held Oct. 22-24, at the Hotel Rey Juan Carlos in Barcelona, Spain, and will take place in conjunction with the Quest User Conference, Oct. 23-25, at the same location. 

TEC Europe will feature advanced technical training focused on enhancing the skills of the most experienced users of Microsoft® directory and identity; Exchange Server; virtualization and user workspace management; and PowerShell technologies. The Quest User Conference will provide expert training on Quest products and peer-to-peer networking with industry colleagues, along with Quest product development and executive leadership.

You can find out more here:

And, you can register here: https://www.questeurope2012.com/TEC/