Office Communications Server Team Blog : Free Instructor-Led Training for end-users: Introduction to Office Communicator

Office Communications Server Team Blog : Free Instructor-Led Training for end-users: Introduction to Office Communicator: "Free Instructor-Led Training for end-users: Introduction to Office Communicator"

Download details: Critical BI Platform Whitepaper

Download details: Critical BI Platform Whitepaper: "Critical Business Intelligence Platform for the Agile Enterprise"

Cisco Space Router (IRIS) Is Orbiting The Earth Now

Cisco has successfully launched it's first IP router in space abroad Intelsat's IS-14 satellite on Nov. 23, 2009. The satellite and the router attests a major milestone in Internet Routing in Space (IRIS) technology.

German government warns against using MS Explorer

From my friend Mike Veltman

I like the statement made by the spokesman of Microsoft Germany, that this was a specific attack by highly motivated people. Somehow I doubt that other hackers abusing Internet explorer are less motivated. Money always motivates very well.

Russian hackers who want to plunder your accounts are also highly motivated people. So saying that this is a special occasion is a joke.There will always be people who exploit the weaknesses of software for own gain. Whatever these gains would be.But those hackers would focus on Firefox when 95% of the users would use that. So its not only a IE problem. But saying that this is special occasion would will make all security people laugh".

Here is the news at BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8463516.stm

Virtualboy @ TechNet Edge

Great resources on anything virtual on Windows 2008 R2, be it RDS or Hyper-V, this is the place: VirtualBoy

Windows 7's 'GodMode'

Understanding Windows 7's 'GodMode' Beyond Binary - CNET News: "Understanding Windows 7's 'GodMode'"

Avaya Lists 10 Communications Trends for 2010

Avaya Lists 10 Communications Trends for 2010: "Avaya Lists 10 Communications Trends for 2010"

Plan, Planning, Baseline and something is better than nothing

A well-prepared plan provides the management team with a means to accomplish project objectives and to direct work and assess project status and is critical to the success of the project. Assessing project status requires a baseline project plan from which cost, schedule, and performance status can be compared and change management corrective actions taken, if required.

A plan is nothing more than our best estimate of how a project will be performed. Plans must be modified as a project progresses. The right thing to do is to develop and baseline the deliverables and assumptions and plan to the best of our ability. Imperfect planning is far better than no planning!

The set of plans required for a project are unique to each project. Use this sequence of plan preparation to ensure inter-plan consistency.

• Baseline the Requirements
• Determine the Technical Approach
  Determine major risks
• Develop the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS), Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM), and Financial Control Structure
• Identify resource training needs (as part of the project team training plan)
• Identify risks and perform risk assessment and mitigation planning
• Develop the Schedules, Resource Requirements and Cost Estimates
• Update the Resources and Budgets
• Set up the cost management and control approach (as part of the Cost Management & Control Plan)
• Develop the escalation and jeopardy plans
• Define the project status-ing and reporting Approach (as part of the Communications Plan)
• Define project information system and distribution needs (as part of the Project Information System)

To summarize,

Something is better than nothing.
Start with a baseline and update as project progresses. In time, your baseline gets more accurate.