Moving to the Modern OS Roadmap

In this welcome session, we will discuss some of the key challenges IT professionals face in today’s economy.  We’ll talk about scenarios with Windows 2000 and Windows XP and the importance of moving to a modern OS.  In addition, we will cover Windows Vista and improvements that have been made with SP2 as well as review guidance concerning Windows Vista deployments.

Developing Cloud Applications with Windows Azure

Cloud computing is one of more recent buzzwords in software development, and Microsoft has thrown its hat in the ring with Windows Azure and the Azure Services Platform.  You’ll discover what makes Microsoft’s unique Software + Services approach tick through discussions and demonstrations of key components like Azure storage, the .NET Service Bus, Live Services, and SQL Data Services.

Windows Security and Application/Driver Compatibility

This session discusses security, data protection with the new “Bitlocker-To-Go”, rich support tools like Reliability Monitor, Resource Monitor, Windows Recovery Environment, and the new System Restore and Problem Steps Recorder. We will also cover application control using group policy and implement simple rule structures that include working with an application to Allow, Exception or Deny the installation. We’ll also discuss Group Policy Preferences and how users can change their own policy settings.

Developing Rich Internet Applications with Silverlight

Silverlight is the technology of choice for building applications with rich features and broad reach.  Using Silverlight 2 today, we’ll show you what you can accomplish with .NET and XAML to deliver a great user experience.  Then, we’ll up the ante with a preview of Silverlight 3 including out-of-browser support and productivity and performance enhancements.  We’ll also take a look at some of the great features in Expression Blend 3, sure to please your designer side.

Windows 7 Release Candidate 

The way Microsoft develops Windows has changed. We’ll discuss the changes we have made in Windows Vista that affect Windows 7, such as hardware, and new features that work with Windows Server 2008 R2 like DirectAccess™, which provides seamless remote access to corporate network resources. We also will cover BranchCache ™, which caches content downloaded from file and web servers; users in the branch can quickly open files stored in the cache, which frees up network bandwidth for other uses.

Developing applications with Windows Mobile

With worldwide mobile phone shipments predicted to grow at a 31% rate in 2009, there’s no time like the present to bring your applications to Windows Mobile.  In this session we’ll discuss the components of the Windows Mobile Platform, notably the Compact Framework and SDK, and use familiar tools and constructs in Visual Studio to build and deploy a mobile application from the ground up.  There’s also a look forward to some of the great features coming in Windows Mobile 6.5.