One-day Win8 MS Jump Start October 18: ReGiStEr NoW!

Excuse the alt-cap/lower-case orthography on “Register Now!” in this post’s title. It’s intended to draw attention to an upcoming online training event from Microsoft that’s sure to fill up today. Also, there’s a new protocol for signing up for such events where you set up a Jump Start account to register for training, and which enables immediate importation of registered activities into Outlook.

Looks like an HTML 5 app for doing Jump Start registration, agendas, and so forth.

I’ve signed up for this course, and you may want to do likewise. Here’s an overview of the overall schedule, pulled straight from my Calendar in Outlook:

Module 1: Windows Tips Tricks for IT Pros
Touch and mouse/keyboard shortcuts
Metro apps
Sharing, searching, and other contacts
Task Manager, Windows Explorer, and File History
Internet Explorer 10 app

Module 2: Windows 8 Deployment
Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit
Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2012
System Center 2012 Configuration Manager
Internet Explorer Assessment Kit

Module 3: Windows 8 and Windows Store Apps
Sideloading (signature, Group Policy)
Step-by-step sideloading an app scenario
Step-by-step sideloading an app by useing MDT 2012
Self-service portal for Metro Apps (System Center)
Management with Windows Intune

MEAL BREAK

Module 4: Enabling Flexible Workstyles with Windows 8
Overview of SkyDrive Pro
Deploying UE V and generating custom templates
Windows to Go
Encrypting a Workspace by using BitLocker Drive Encryption
Enabling office domain join on a workspace

Module 5: Recovery & Security
Resetting and refreshing the PC
Creating a custom refresh image
Creating a DaRT recovery image
Deploying the DaRT recovery image by using Windows DS
Installing the DaRT recovery image locally
BitLocker and MBAM
UEFI
Secure Boot, Measured Boot

Module 6: Windows 8 Virtualization
Client Hyper-V
Session-based virtualization
Pooled virtual machines
Cut the Rope, HD video, 3D, and webcam over session and over pooled VM
User Experience Virtualization
Application Virtualization

Some of the topics are pretty tame (Module 1, example) but it looks like there’s a lot of good stuff on deployment, sideloading, recovery and security, and virtualization. That’s why I signed up for the course myself, and plan to jump in and out during October 18 as my interest waxes and wanes. The instructors have a pretty good rep, though — Stephen Rose is a Senior PM and Community Manager for Windows 8, and Joey Snow is a Senior Technical Evangelist (and a regular speaker on TechNet Edge) — so the material should be sharp, fast-paced, and full of useful info for IT pros. If you’re interested, sign up soon (like TODAY). Seats are bound to evaporate quickly.