Patches for July 2015

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/894199


Be aware MS are re-released a patch from Jan but the KB makes no mentions of it.  I did find it in the SCCM console and the WSUS update release above:


MS15-006: Security Update for Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2 (KB3004365)

Locale: All
Deployment: Important/Automatic Updates, WSUS, and Catalog
Classification: Security Updates
Security severity rating: Important
Supersedes: MS15-006 (KB3004365) on Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2
Target platforms: Windows 8.1, Windows RT* 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2
Approximate file sizes:

• Windows 8.1 update: ~ 1830KB
• Windows 8.1/Windows Server 2012 R2 x64 update: ~ 2904KB
• Windows RT 8.1 update: ~ 1765KB

Description:
A security issue has been identified in a Microsoft software product that could affect your system. You can help protect your system by installing this update from Microsoft. For a complete listing of the issues that are included in this update, see the associated Microsoft Knowledge Base article. After you install this update, you may have to restart your system.

https://support.microsoft.com/kb/3004365

Getting ramped on Windows 10 with Preview 2 on SCCM 2012

So you want more Windows 10 Features.  You will notice in Preview 2 that MS has once again extended their Branch Cache support .

This release is expected to hit the marked in Q4 of this year.  Given how smooth Windows 10 testing has go thus far hopefully we can see in in the November time frame but a Christmas present would be good as well.  Granted this is all dependent on the Windows 10 Enterprise rollout that is expected some time after the Home users recieve their updates. 

• Universal Windows apps support for Windows 10 – You can now side-load internally developed Universal Windows apps to Windows 10 devices.
• Peer cache support for Windows PE – Peer cache support now includes OS deployment scenarios for Windows PE, extending our existing Configuration Manager peer cache content management.
• Ability to manage Windows 10 PCs and mobile devices via MDM with on-premises Configuration Manager infrastructure – Support now includes Windows 10 PCs in addition to existing support for mobile devices which was added in the first Technical Preview. With this new option, you can manage Windows 10 devices using Configuration Manager integrated with Microsoft Intune (hybrid) without the need to store your data in the cloud. This is especially helpful for managing devices that are unable to connect to the Internet such as Windows IoT/Embedded devices. Note: An Intune subscription is required.

Full Article
http://blogs.technet.com/b/configmgrteam/archive/2015/07/09/whats-new-in-configmgr-tp2.aspx

Magic Quadrantfor MDM, 2015

When you think of Garter, you think of the "Magic Quadrant".  This is the top right corner where the big leaders are sitting.  Many won't buy a product unless they see you in the square. 
Microsoft recently submitted their entry to the MDM Review.


Main report here:
http://www.gartner.com/technology/reprints.do?id=1-2HIRGAD&ct=150609&st=sb

Microsoft is not in the top right but they have some strong advances.
One weakness described is the lag behind of the on-prem SCCM link to Intune.  Microsoft is working on this and we should see it in the next rounds of updates Microsoft is releasing.  If you have been watching, Microsoft has starting using a quicker cadence in updates/fixes/upgrades for SCCM as well as Intune.  I would expect the Microsoft will be in the magic quadrant in the next round of reviews.

Microsoft

Microsoft's EMM product is the Enterprise Mobility Suite (EMS), which includes Microsoft Intune, Azure Active Directory Premium and Azure Rights Management. Microsoft Intune provides the core EMM capabilities of MDM and MAM. Intune's strengths are its support of Office 365 and integration of System Center Configuration Manager (ConfigMgr). Microsoft also recently developed a secure PIM capability based on the Outlook mobile app for iOS and Android. This will rival secure PIM offerings available from other EMM vendors. While the end-user functionality of the Outlook mobile app looks compelling, it was not generally available at the time of this report. The EMS represents a comprehensive mobility security and management vision, and it positions Microsoft well for the future in this market. Currently, Intune adoption is low, and the product is still maturing. Organizations that should consider Intune are those that want to extend the Office 365 services to mobile devices and ConfigMgr customers that value client management and EMM integration over best-of-breed EMM functionality.

Strengths

• Intune has unique technical capabilities to manage the Office Mobile apps on iOS and Android devices, including "conditional access," app-level authentication and copy/paste control.
• The Intune license includes entitlement to ConfigMgr, allowing organizations to manage PCs and mobile devices through the same license and console.
• The combination of Azure Active Directory Premium, Azure Rights Management and Intune addresses some useful mobile scenarios, for example, changing an Active Directory password from a mobile device.

Cautions

• Intune has two modes: "standalone" and "hybrid" with ConfigMgr. The "hybrid" mode creates dependencies between Intune and ConfigMgr. Advanced administrative functionality requires Intune to be connected to ConfigMgr. However, new Intune functionality is not immediately available when Intune is connected to SCCM, and changes to ConfigMgr can affect its ability to work with Intune. The next major version of ConfigMgr plans to address this issue.
• Intune supports most of the generic Android MDM APIs, as well as some Samsung Knox capabilities. It does not support MDM APIs of Android for Work or other handset manufacturers (such as LG and HTC).
• Intune's MAM has limited compatibility with third-party mobile application development tools, and it is behind most competitive products on containerization and analytics features.

Schlumberger Interect Cloud offering

Schlumberger recently announced their first commercial SaaS (Software as a Service) for the  Azure cloud named, INTERSECT. 

http://azure.microsoft.com/blog/2015/07/01/big-compute-for-large-engineering-simulations/

I am reminded of the old TV show Chuck and how we the human Intersect.  A computer system that could detect and recall information about various criminals and terrorists. 

From their own words:

The INTERSECT high-resolution reservoir simulator goes beyond the capabilities of current-generation simulators to improve the accuracy and efficiency of field development planning and risk mitigation—even for the most complex fields.
Accurately and quickly model

• Complex geological structures
• Highly heterogeneous formations
• Challenging wells and completion configurations
• Advanced production controls in terms of reservoir coupling and flexible field management

 

The INTERSECT simulator is available in the cloud for leveraging its power without having to build your own high-performance computing infrastructure. The subscription-based model scales with your business to give you models and data that are secure, access-controlled, and always available.

 

Schlumberger is largest oilfield services company in the world.  I should mention that I work for Schlumberger but this article is completely independent of that relationship.

 

I recommend reading the article even if your not interested in what the oil field does in the way of simulation or reservoir models.  It shows what a company can do with Azure and the cloud in general.

 

Cloud Tax

Chicago now has about a 9% tax on streaming services.  This covers streaming media as well as remote database or computing platforms.  The affects will be far reaching, like the phone taxes.I think i saw a report estimate of 12 Millions dollars a year in revenue.

http://www.theverge.com/2015/7/1/8876817/chicago-cloud-tax-online-streaming-sales-netflix-spotify

How will this affect services and cities?  Well if you are a pour city, just tax the digital services.
This could create issues between not only the large services but the small services that trying to grow.

The question is what the actual line says in the bill  What if you have devices that are managed via the Intune cloud, or cloud DP.  How will this affect the company using or managing these services.


Only time will tell.