This article first appeared on Microsoft.com

The future of Windows XP

The future is here, and it's better than ever with Windows 7, the latest Microsoft operating system. Windows 7 has proven benefits over earlier versions of Windows. It combines the latest in reliability, security, and responsiveness with the familiarity and compatibility of Windows XP, so you’ll feel right at home, right away.

We know you love Windows XP, and you're in good company. Millions of Windows XP users are fans of the operating system, and many depend on Windows XP to run earlier applications and hardware that is not compatible with Windows 7. Windows 7 is designed to be compatible with the most popular hardware and software products you use every day and even though we can no longer purchase Windows XP after October 22, 2010, Microsoft still plans to provide support for Windows XP until April 2014. The Microsoft Support Lifecycle explains it all.

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So many of us have had the wonderful experience of being hacked.  You spend hours and hours of your time, and hundreds (if not thousands) of your dollars to get back to normal.  These simple steps below should help you avoid ever having that experience again!

1. Password Power
   If you are worried about being hacked, your passwords are the obvious first line of defense between you and hackers and how you manage them will make or break your security. For starters, chose a strong password with a mixture of letters and numerals - case sensitive letters and punctuation marks are a great way to beef up security.
   
   Secondly, change your passwords often. Password "phishing" programs feed off of stagnant passwords; therefore, stay ahead of the curve and keep your gatekeeper (aka your passwords) fresh and dynamic.
   
   
   IMG SOURCE: http://www.polyu.edu.hk/ags/Newsletter/news1002/images/password.jpg
   
   
2. Believe in Your Browser
   Although Internet Explorer comes standard on most every machine, it is far from optimal when it comes to your online security. If cost is an issue, there are plenty of free web browsers available such as Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome, etc - all of which provide exponentially more protection than that of Internet Explorer. Once you've selected your browser of choice, make sure your security settings are properly set.
   
   
   IMG SOURCE: http://nangkacomm.net/Kampanye-Damai-Pemilu-Indonesia-2009/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/firefox.jpg
   
   
3. Fun with Firewalls
   It sounds like high-tech jargon from "24" but look into installing a firewall. Simply put, a firewall is a protective barricade that keeps hackers and viruses away from your computer system. Though you'll have to disable the firewall from time-to-time for particular applications, it will be worth its weight in gold when it comes to fighting worms and Trojan viruses in the long run.
   
   
   IMG SOURCE: http://media.photobucket.com/image/firewalls/pajin09/Firewall4dummies.jpg
   
   
4. Monogamous Money
   When making monetary transactions online, try to keep all of your purchases confined to one credit card account. By using just one card for all of your dealings, you'll limit the amount of information that you publish to the Internet and therefore reduce your pool of hack-able content. As an added bonus, if things do go wrong, the damage will be confined to one single location so monitoring and cleanup should be more manageable.
   
   
   IMG SOURCE: http://www.homeaway.com/webdav/site/ha/users/jdoumas/public/credit%20card.jpg
   
   
5. Email Etiquette
   In many ways, your email is as precious as your bank account. Because your email address is attached to many of your online accounts, if someone were to gain access to your email, they then have access to your greater online presence. Not only should you protect your password with your life but you should also evaluate the way in which you interact with your incoming messages. If an email looks remotely suspect, NEVER click on links within the message because they could be links to false "phishing" sites. As a hint, if it looks sketchy, manually type the url of the sender into your address bar and ensure that you're on a legitimate web page.
   
   
   IMG SOURCE: http://www.b2bfishbowl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/spam31.gif
   
   
6. Activate the Alerts
   There are masses of hackers out there trying to use your page as a venue for their SEO practices; embedding links on your page that point to their site and thus damaging your reputation. You can be hacked without even knowing it but by utilizing Google Alerts, you can be notified when your page is mentioned (for better, for worse) and arm yourself against being banned by Google.
   
   VIDEO: Using Google Alerts to Prevent Hacking
7. Protection in the Power
   If your computer isn't powered on, hackers can't attack it. Whether it's turned off or simply disconnected from the Internet, turning your computer off at night is the simplest way to keep hackers out and save on your energy while you're at it.
   
   
   IMG SOURCE: http://keetsa.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/pull-the-plug-cc-california1.jpeg
8. Enlist the Experts
   If you find yourself generally clueless about computers, software, firewalls and any other precaution necessary to ensure your online security, you might want to ask an expert. There are many great IT companies out there that can offer tips and services to get you protected from hackers.
   
   
   IMG SOURCE: http://www.snagablog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/istockcomputerhelp.jpg

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Without question, cloud computing continues to be the hot topic of discussion in information technology circles.  Vendors, customers and industry observers are all weighing in on the opportunities and challenges posed by the cloud. 

Many IT professionals are, quite reasonably, asking question such as: "What does my job look like as the tech industry and my company move toward cloud computing?"

Of course, IT managers know that their roles never stop evolving. New technologies and business demands arise every day.  Business leaders and employees always want more from IT.  And yes, cloud computing will accelerate that evolution.  As Bob Muglia, president of Server and Tools Business says in this video, the cloud is "a world-class, dramatic shift."

The good news, as Muglia points out, is that the shift presents great opportunities for IT to contribute more to their organization's bottom line.  The cloud will help IT more quickly deploy new capabilities - applications, services, access - that will enable business to happen more efficiently and effectively.

You can watch the video here: Normal.dotm 0 0 1 24 137 8828 S 1595 E Sandy UT 84093 United States 1 1 168 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} http://www.microsoft.com:80/presspass/silverlightApps/videoplayer3/standalone.aspx?contentID=cloud_MMS2010_day1KeynoteClip3&src=/presspass/presskits/cloud/channel.xml

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Simply put, the cloud can help IT do more and be more important than ever.  With the cloud, IT managers can help the business bring a new service to market faster than the competition.  Or, it can help IT take advantage of extra computing horsepower to meet seasonal demand without acquiring new hardware and software.  And IT can use the cloud to offload the management and delivery of traditional applications, such as email, in order to devote more time and resources to implementing new, strategic solutions.

For example, Siemens IT Solutions and Services uses the Microsoft Windows Azure platform to distribute software to thousands of Siemens devices around the world - enhancing services and avoiding significant new capital investment. In another example,  Kelley Blue Book runs its high-traffic automotive Web site on the Windows Azure platform, saving $100,000 annually and freeing up IT sources for other projects.

It's an exciting time to be in IT, with cloud computing providing much more efficient hardware, much faster application deployment, and lower operational costs.  And at Microsoft we're focused on helping IT managers "mind the gap," as Muglia says, to use their existing expertise and systems to bridge the current, on-premises world of IT with the cloud.
 
This article was written by Patrick O'Rourke, and first appeared on The Official Microsoft Blog on June 2, 2010.

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