KeyStone OnDemand increases office productivity by providing training videos, articles, and courses for virtually all the Microsoft and IT applications used by your organization, in an ondemand format. Now workers can get the training and answers they need, while the Helpdesk can focus on more important business goals.

According to recent reports, the new Office 2010 beta will be available to the public, possibly in November. This timeline is all speculation, of course, because Microsoft hasn’t released an “official” date. This new information comes just a couple of days after a different Microsoft spokesperson suggested the Office 2010 beta would only be released to a select group of users. But, public betas have been the standard for the last couple of releases of the Office suite. So, it would stand to reason that the 2010 version would follow a similar, tried-and-true approach.

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Microsoft has announced a new Windows 7 feature that will be called “Windows XP Mode“ that “…is specifically designed to help small businesses move to Windows 7. Windows XP Mode provides you with the flexibility to run many older productivity applications on a Windows 7 based PC.”

A beta of Windows 7 with the new Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC for Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate is expected to be released soon.

You can read more about Windows XP Mode at http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/business/archive/2009/04/24/coming-soon-windows-xp-mode-and-windows-virtual-pc.aspx.

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If you’re one of those early adopters or currently planning to test and migrate to Microsoft Windows 7 within your environment, Ed Bott over at ZDNET has posted a great Windows 7 Release Candidate FAQ over at http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=880.

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Yesterday, we announced we were giving away our SharePoint Training Bundle ($149 value) for FREE until tonight at midnight. The response was so great that we’ve decided to extend this FREE offer through the end of April. You can now order the full online SharePoint Services 3.0 course absolutely free.

Simply go to the SharePoint Training Bundle page, click “add to cart” and enter this coupon code – SHRPTFREE.

As an added bonus, if you head over to Twitter and “follow us“ we’ll send you a direct message (DM) giving you access to our 150+ page SharePoint Services 3.0 eBook. This is the companion material to the SharePoint Services online training loaded with step-by-step instructions to help you master SharePoint.

*Offer ends Thursday, April 30, 2009 at midnight EST. Offer good for one 365-day online license. Limited to five users per organization. This product cannot be resold and is subject to standard license, terms, and conditions.

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Microsoft is now offering its Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer 2007 for Windows for free! All that’s required is registration with Microsoft. In addition KeyStone Learning Systems, (creators of KeyStone OnDemand) will give away our “SharePoint Training Bundle“ ($149 value) for FREE until Friday the 24th at midnight! This is the full online course absolutely free. Simply go to the SharePoint Training Bundle page, click “add to cart” and enter this coupon code – SHRPTFREE

Offer ends Friday, April 24, 2009 at midnight EST. Offer good for one 365-day online license. Limited to five users per organization. This product can not be resold and is subject to standard license, terms, and conditions.

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It’s the one feature I use with a great deal of regularity – Paste Special. Interestingly enough, I talk about it in just about every Microsoft Office course. (That’s it for the shameless plugs. Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.)

When I’m copying formatted data from anywhere – the ‘net, Word, email…anywhere, when I paste that data into Word, instead of just hitting the “Paste” command, I use “Paste Special.” This allows me to strip all of the formatting from the copied text before pasting it into the new location. It saves a ton of editing time.

Try it. I think you’ll like it.

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April 28th — that’s the day Microsoft tells us they’ll be releasing SP2 for Microsoft Office 2007. Fingers crossed. Here’s a little more detail.

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For those of you interested in getting a first look at Microsoft Windows 7, it looks like Microsoft is planning to make the Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) available on May 5, 2009. Read more details at http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=2547.

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For many designers, creating a logo is a rare treat. Fortunately, I got such a treat not too long ago. Since the recent launch of KeyStone OnDemand we wanted to create branding to set it apart as its own brand while still staying closely connected with KeyStone Learning Systems (KLS) branding.

KeyStone Learning Systems Logo below.

So why put valuable time in to creating a logo? At the end of the day what does a logo really do? Well, without descending in to a long boring speech about communication and how the effects of branding affect your everyday decisions, etc… It all really boils down to this, logos speak volumes, good or bad, about whatever they represent. A logo needs to not only be easily recognizable and memorable, but it also needs to communicate a clear, concise, and positive message.

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According to CMS Wire, Microsoft has announced the date and some details surrounding the release of SharePoint 2010. In true Microsoft fashion, we haven’t been given a solid date, but rather a promise to seeing it in “the second half of this year.” You can read more about it here.

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It’s the end of an era in Microsoft’s world. It looks as though their free XP and Office 2003 support will not be around after today. Not all support is going away — just the free version. Click the link for the specifics.

According to Mary Jo Foley over at ZDNet, businesses should not wait for Windows 7 SP1 before beginning deployment. It really an issue of logistics and timing. Most deployments don’t happen quickly and waiting for SP1 could result in costly delays. Click here to read more.

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When I saw the price on this course, I did a triple-take — thinking it surely had to be a misprint. But, it looks like KeyStones’ Mac Office 2008 course is, indeed, 50% off! The Mac Office 2008 video training course teaches you how to effectively use Mac Office 2008 through comprehensive lessons and engaging quizzes, allowing the user to choose which lesson to learn. New users will be guided through the fundamentals of the Office 2008 for Mac interface, while experienced users will be brought up to speed on the new navigation and functionality of this 2008 edition. These courses will train you how to best meet your needs through the use of Word, Excel, Entourage, and PowerPoint.

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