I'm Robert Marshall, director and senior consultant at SMSMarshall Ltd who's specialism is in the Microsoft System Center 2012 Configuration Manager product and all of its dependent products covering all aspects from Architecture, Implementation, Migration to Break-Fix.
I've been using computers for over 30 years, beginning as a programmer and now a senior consultant in an enterprise product. I only count my career as starting 17 years ago when I began my first serious role as a deployment engineer. I've seen 8 bit through to 64 bit, the rise and constant refinement of the GUI, the rise of the Internet from land-line based modem access to the powerful broadband connections we have today, mobile phones come into existence, and I've seen Microsoft evolve from a handful of employees to the company it is now while pretty much tinkering with every OS they have released; As well as seeing an industry that has evolved around those humble beginnings to become what we have today. You could call me an IT Dinosaur but I'm still as mentally able as I was back then, perhaps even more adept now since I've had broad exposure to so much and seen trends come and go. I'm a keen technical puzzle solver, which sets me apart as I love to solve gnarly problems around my area of specialism.
I like to share, i do so by blogging here, and helping out when I can as a moderator and answering questions when I have time on the TechNet Social forums for ConfigMgr 2012 and ConfigMgr 2007. I am a guest poster on TechNet UK Flash magazine and an MVP since 2009 (Most Valuable Professional) in the ECM (Enterprise Client Management) exclusively dedicated to ConfigMgr. the MVP status helps me to help others in more depth due to the closeness to the product group and access to other MVP's the program affords me.
The blogs pretty much about ConfigMgr, but on the odd occasion I also use it as a platform to express my random urges to post something I've stumbled across, be it technical or non-technical, and which I imagine would entertain you or what not as equally as it did me.
(2013)
This has to be linked ... I can't wait to play with it.
Microsoft SoftGrid SMS Connector which is a part of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack for Software Assurance
To be honest (attract flamage will I as Yoda would say), most of what MS releases nowdays doesn't get me that excited. Sure what their doing with SMS V4 (SCCM2007) and SCOM is good, and Vista has a lot of features (I like NAP and want to see it in down-level OS's) but there isn't anything revolutionary about all of this. I guess it's a personal thing, perhaps i'm jaded by the constant tirade of releases of "same as before" software ... However, now that MS has acquired SoftGrid and are linking it to SMS i'm bloody excited and can't wait to tinker. I like virtualisation, it in my eyes is clearly the future and right way to go. Detatchment from the Hardware is key, now we're detaching from the OS (applications). Interesting times at last!