Though best known for its extensive suite of proprietary commercial products, as of late, Microsoft has been dabbling a lot more in the field of open-source development.  Many suspect that this is due to rising competition from major open-source players such as Red Hat, Adobe and Google.  It has just been revealed that Microsoft is working on a new content management software application along with a set of reusable compatible components.  Going by the codename of Orchard, the software details will be shared at the TechEd Europe event.  Perhaps the most surprising part about all of this is that Orchard is said to be a free open-source web CMS set to rival with popular systems such as Joomla, Mambo and Drupal.

While Microsoft is being tight-lipped and secretive about the project, we were able to gather some details on what is currently known about the Orchard CMS.

Orchard Overview

Orchard is Microsoft’s latest effort to distribute free open-source software with reusable components and a fully featured application capable of creating a wide variety of types of websites.  The company’s core team of expert ASP.NET developers is actively seeking contributions and guidance from the community of .NET programmers to help get the project off on the right in the early goings.  According to a representative from Microsoft, Bradley Millington, who has been anointed as Engineering Lead for the Orchid project, will be spearheading interactive discussions to invite the community to get actively involved on the ground floor.  Millington will be accepting input to get better understanding of what developers would like to see in the project, the components they envision for their own applications, and how to encourage the community to contribute to make the project a success.  Microsoft remarked that is open to discussing strategy, logistics, functionality and whatever else developers bring to the table.

Apparently, Orchard is not Microsoft’s first attempt in the open-source content management space.  A while back, it was reported that the company was working on a CMS project called Oxite.  In December of 2008, Microsoft made an alpha version of the Oxite source code available under the MS-P1 (Microsoft Public License).  Mary Joe Foley of ZDNet hinted that Orchard could be right on time and become one of the first projects announced for the CodePlex Foundation.  Created to allow for the exchange of code and collaboration among software vendors and the open-source developer community, the Foundation recently released the first working draft of its Project Acceptance and Operation Guidelines.  When Foley asked if Orchard was simply a revamped version Oxite under a different name, Microsoft did not respond.

We all know that Microsoft is very skilled at keeping secrets and rolling out big surprises.  Therefore, we just might have to wait until the TechEd Europe Session takes place on November 11 to get more comprehensive details on the Orchard project.  As soon we get something more concrete, we will surely try to pass along the news.

Developed by software specialist Parallels, Virtuozzo Containers is a virtualization program that differs greatly from the norm.  Unlike most software that virtualizes the hardware, this one virtualizes the host operating system.  The result is similar as it provides the ability to support a number of isolated virtual environments or containers on a single machine.  The distinct advantage of Virtuozzo is that it can support far more containers and allows them to be managed easier and with greater efficiency.  This software is a direct competitor of high-end virtualization solutions created by vendors such as Citrix, Microsoft and VMWare.  While it supports the Windows operating system and various Linux distributions, all you need to do is install a single host OS, which evenly distributes all the resources each container requires.

Easy to Get up and Running

Virtuozzo Containers is easy to install on a server.  The installation process is effortless when installing the software without patches or applications, as this avoids conflict.  On a standard piece of equipment, you can have the application installed and ready to go in about 20 minutes.  After installation, you can easily access the tools needed to configure and manage your containers.  Virtuozzo comes bundled with the Parallels Management Console, which is the administrative tool you can use on the server itself, as well as the Parallels Infrastructure, a web-based facility that allows you to remotely administer your virtual private servers and other compatible Parallels products.

Virtuozzo Containers offers a straightforward user interface that adds ease to the process of creating and managing containers.  However, because you only have to install the operating system one time, creating new containers is much faster and easier.  Templates add to the simplicity and if need be, end-users can be provided with the freedom to create and maintain their own containers by using the Parallels Power Panel, another web-based management tool developed by Parallels.

Features and Capabilities

In the virtualization environment, containers look and feel just like individual instances of the host operating system.  Therefore, Virtuozzo allows you to connect them to a Windows or Linux server using a remote desktop tool to install and run applications just as you would when connecting to a real, physical computer system.  In addition, the software provides monitoring tools, backup utilities and other features that aid in the process of transferring both physical and virtual content to the Virtuozzo environment.  It also offers features such as dynamic resource allocation, load balancing and a built-in migration function that enables you to move containers between servers without needing to be shut down.  This software is a complete virtualization solution for ensuring a high level of stability, performance, security and availability.

Summary

Virtuozzo is a very capable product, but not perfect.  The one gleaming disadvantage is its inability to run different platforms on the same host operating system like many competing virtualization tools.  For example, if Windows is your host OS, you can’t run SUSE and CentOS Linux distributions on top of it.  On the other hand, you can expect this product to deliver the performance of the leading virtualizaiton products with added benefits such as lower storage overhead and the ability to efficiently run more private environments.  If your host system is up to par with patches and security updates, Virtuozzo can provide a secure and high performing virtual server management environment that matches up with the best of them.

More businesses are turning to software solutions to increase the efficiency of their customer service and support systems.  In this day and age, customer service software ranges from intuitive to very complex.  Although not all companies require this type of software, if your business thrives off the internet, possessing a significant level of customer service is necessary as it will help you keep critical data organized while providing your customers with a high level of service that meets their expectations.  Whether you need a simple or more advanced application all depends on the specific needs of your business.

Types of Customer Service Software

There are many types of customer service applications available, from the basic point-of-sale systems to more sophisticated CRM (customer relationship management) systems.  The latter represents solutions that allow you to store various types of data, including essential information about your customers.  Such a tool facilitates efficient data management to make important information easily and quickly accessible.  CRM software is an excellent tool for businesses of any size as most platforms can be customized to meet the specific needs of the organization.

CRM Software Vendors

Microsoft is among the companies leading the charge in customer service software products. One of its most popular solutions is a CRM package called Microsoft Dynamics CRM.  This particular product is available in a small business version that has a pretty reasonable licensing fee.  It integrates seamlessly with several other Microsoft applications such as Excel and Outlook to facilitate efficient customer communications and report generation.  The software also supports a number of modules that enable automated marketing functions such as lead organization, campaign management, follow-up functionality, service scheduling and the customization of various customer support features and communications.

Sales Force is another reputable vendor that delivers highly reliable, customizable customer service and CRM software solutions.  Its products are ideal for integrating and automating sales, customer service and technical support functions.  While these are two of the most prominent vendors on the market, there are many other companies out there that can provide you with viable customer service management tools.  Some require programming skills for customization, while others are out-of-the-box solutions that can be mastered by any user with basic computing abilities.

Considerations for Your Software Solution

When shopping for any software program to integrate with your business, customer service tools included, it is advisable to not only consider your existing needs, but what you might require in the future as well.  This will help you plan ahead and ensure that the product continues to suit your business is terms of compatibility and functionality as more systems are added and your company grows.  You should also take note of the requirements as some solutions, particularly web-based versions, call for database support while others can be installed and operated directly from your PC or small business network.  With a compatible, scalable, easy to use platform, you can better assure enhanced productivity, keep your loyal customers around and most importantly, strengthen your bottom line.

Microsoft is making its presence felt in the ongoing development of the web.  Its proprietary technologies are being increasingly used to create everything from blogs and e-commerce sites to dynamic business applications and large corporate portals.  One development tool that has Microsoft written all over is a little software package known as Graffiti.

What is Graffiti?

Graffiti is a simply built CMS used to create and manage various types of websites.  In this instance, the CMS abbreviation stands for content made simple.  Some refer to Graffiti as a blogging platform, even though it offers features and functionality that you commonly find in more robust content management systems.  To put it simple, Graffiti offers the power to create a blog or perform basic web content management.  It’s all about what you need the software to do.

Core Technologies

Graffiti is built on the ASP.NET 2.0 framework.  The package is very Microsoft friendly as it supports databases that include MS SQL, MS Access and VistaDB.  A major advantage of its database configuration is that it allows you to easily switch to any of the supported databases without making adjustments to the code itself.  Being scripted in ASP.NET makes Graffiti incredibly easy to install.  Simply copy the code into the IIS virtual directory, tweak a few system settings and you’re done.

Content Management

Graffiti is a simple CMS.  Therefore, it does have some administrative features, but they are not as extensive as what you would find in other systems.  Nevertheless, there are a number of useful features that allow you to easily manage your site and content items.

Site Settings - This lets you set site wide default settings for your website title, tagline, metadata, header and Feedburner links among other elements.

Comments - This lets you set site wide settings for your comments based on criteria such as the Askiment ID, the time period an entry can be commented on and who is allowed to comment on what post.  Even if comments are allowed on a site wide basis, they can still be disabled for specific content entries.

Plugins - Allows you to view, enable and disable the extensions currently incorporated into your site.

Packages – In the world of Graffitti, packages are a collection of components such as plugins, themes, widgets and alert filters.  This setting allows you to manage these elements from a centralized area.

Utilities – This represents a toolkit that allows you to manage your site in various ways.  You can rebuild pages, view log files and access a web-based file browser.

License – Allows you to view and manage the licenses for your relative software.

Keep An Eye on Graffiti

According to Telligent, the software’s developer, Graffiti will undergo major improvements in the very near future.  The company plans to leverage cloud storage as well as a more advanced spam filtering solution.  Look for this CMS to become more extendable as it is made to support a wider variety of themes, widgets and plugins from the developer community.  If you want an easy to use platform that favors the Microsoft .NET stack, Graffiti could be the solution.

Microsoft has placed its stamp on the virtualization phenomenon with the launch of Hyper-V, a new technology that adds to the power of the Windows Server 2008 platform.  Hyper-V represents the next era of virtualization, allowing administrators and hosting customers to get the most out of their sever investments and usage.  What sets it apart from other virtualization platforms is the ability to run a number of different operating systems in parallel on a single physical server.  It doesn’t matter if you prefer Windows, Linux or Unix, Hyper-V allows you to take full advantage of 64-bit computing.

Server Consolidation

Today’s businesses are under a lot of pressure to simplify management processes all while reducing costs and maintaining competitive benefits such as flexibility, scalability, reliability and security.  Hyper-V enables organizations to meet these goals by consolidating multiple servers within a single system while maintaining isolation.  Aside from saving money on individual servers, this type of virtualization also provides for lower processing power, cooling and management costs.  Businesses of various sizes can benefit from an asset standpoint as well as capabilities that allow them to effectively balance workloads across multiple resources.  This results in improved flexibility that allows for the integration of 32-bit and 64-bit operations in the same environment.

Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity

Business continuity refers to the ability to reduce both scheduled and unscheduled downtime.  This includes time lost due to routine operations such as backup and maintenance as well untimely events caused by failures and outages.  Hyper-V offers extensive business continuity features such as live backup and seamless migration capabilities that enable businesses to meet demanding uptime and response metrics.

Disaster recovery is an essential element of business continuity.  Emergencies, natural disasters, malicious physical attacks and even simple configuration issues such as software conflict all have the power to cripple an organization’s vital data before administrators have a chance to back it up.  Leveraging the clustering features integrated into Windows Server 2008, Hyper-V supports disaster recovery across diverse IT environments and data centers.  Fast, reliable disaster recovery and business continuity tools help to ensure minimal data loss and enhanced remote management capabilities.

Improved Testing and Development

Testing and development are usually the first functions businesses take advantage of with virtualization technology.  The use of virtual machines allows development staff to create and test a wide range of scenarios in a secure, self-contained environment that precisely approximates the operation of physical clients and servers.  Hyper-V enables the maximum utilization of test hardware, helping to reduce costs, improve test coverage and life cycle management.  With support for numerous operating systems and checkpoint features, this virtualization solution makes an excellent platform for test and development environments.

Server virtualization is a hot commodity in the IT world for the potential of benefits that can be weighed on the scales of cost and performance.  Already one of the pioneers in web technology, Microsoft can now be credited for enhancing the virtualization concept and enabling businesses all over the world to enjoy a more dynamic IT infrastructure.