Contributed By: Cliff Hobbs [MVP SMS]
Often overlooked, the Microsoft Support Webcasts offer a wealth of information. Below you can find a list sorted by date (most recent first and yes unfortunately 2005 was the last time these were done) of SMS-related Webcasts.

To view some of the older Webcasts you'll need Window Media Player. For some of the Webcasts you'll be able to download copies of the PowerPoint slides either when you load up the Webcast or in the case of the "On Demand" one's you'll receive an email with links to download the session so you can view it offline/ download the slides.

If you don't have PowerPoint, simply use the relevant version of the PowerPoint viewer 2007 or 2003.

Understanding SMS 2003 SP1 Security Enhancements
December 16, 2004: Security has become a main concern for corporations. Systems Management Server 2003 SP1 adds new features to help ensure your SMS infrastructure is secure. Join us for this important webcast as we discuss those changes and offer a thorough discussion of SMS 2003 security features.

TechNet Webcast: Managing a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network - (Part 3 of 4)
December 15, 2004: This webcast is the third in a four-part series that examines key aspects of proactive Windows Server 2003 network management. In the third part we will focus on using SMS to package and deploy software and updates across your network.

TechNet Webcast: Deploying SMS for Server Management
December 14, 2004: Ever wonder what is involved in an effective deployment of an SMS infrastructure? In this webcast, we will explore the specific business and technical requirements needed to analyze and deploy SMS for use in the management of a server environment.

TechNet Webcast: Zero Touch Deployment
December 9, 2004: Learn to fully automate your desktop deployment. Get guidance on using the latest versions of SMS and Microsoft BizTalk to automate deployment and provisioning. This webcast introduces the Microsoft Business Desktop Deployment (BDD) Enterprise Edition solution. which offers complete guidance for Zero Touch Provisioning using Microsoft BizTalk Server 2004.

Changes to Critical Patch Management in SMS 2003 SP1
December 9, 2004: Systems Management Server 2003 SP1 adds new features to assist in the task of identifying and deploying critical security patches to your infrastructure. This webcast will show you how these improvements help to simplify this essential process and make it more efficient for SMS administrators. You won't want to miss this opportunity to learn more about the new enhancements to your patch management solution.

TechNet Webcast: Security Patch Management Tools (Part 3) - SMS with the SUS Feature Pack
November 22, 2004: In this webcast, we will discuss using SMS and the SUS Feature Pack as patch management tools in your environment and how they fit into a comprehensive patch management strategy. SMS and SUS offer different advantages and benefits to an organization. This webcast will review their different capabilities and how they contribute to a secure infrastructure.

Advanced Client Network Traffic Analysis
November 11, 2004: If you are a Systems Management Server administrator, you know that understanding the network traffic patterns of SMS clients is an important consideration. In this webcast, we'll analyze the typical traffic generated by an SMS 2003 Advanced Client during normal processes.

Understanding SMS 2003 Site to Site Communications
November 2, 2004: Awareness of site hierarchy configuration and the data typically transferred between sites is essential for the Systems Management Server administrator. In this webcast, we'll offer a thorough examination of the configuration of parent-child relationships and the data flow between SMS sites in a hierarchy.

Executive Circle Webcast: What's New with Microsoft's Enterprise Product Roadmap
September 29, 2004: This webcast will bring you up to speed on the enterprise software roadmap, highlighting the significant shifts in delivery dates and support policies for Windows Server™ 2003, SQL Server™, Systems Management Server and Security technologies.

TechNet Webcast: Upgrading to SMS 2003 SP1
September 23, 2004: Now that SMS 2003 SP1 has been released, what is the upgrade process? In this webcast, we'll perform an upgrade of an SMS 2003 site to SMS 2003 SP1.

TechNet Webcast: SMS 2003 Lessons Learned
September 9, 2004: SMS 2003 has been in the market since November 2003. What are some of the gotchas others have already encountered? What are things to be aware of? In this webcdast, we'll discuss issues other customers have encountered in their SMS 2003 deployments to help you prepare for your deployment.

Deployment of SMS for Patch Management
August 27, 2004: This webcast covers an implementation of SMS in an organization to operate as a patch management solution. This will include preparing the environment for SMS, installing SMS server components, and deploying SMS clients.

Troubleshooting SMS 2003 Management Points
August 19, 2004: This webcast looks at the requirements for management points, and how to troubleshoot common installation failures.

Evaluating your Network for SMS Deployment
August 19, 2004: This webcast is an end-to-end overview of evaluating your business environment for a SMS deployment. It covers the analysis of your goals and business needs; and steps through the analysis of your environment to determine the right tools to use. In this session we will walk through the process of analyzing a computer environment to determine the optimal placement and sizing of SMS systems.

Monitoring SMS 2003 Using MOM 2005
August 5, 2004: Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) has great capabilities for monitoring Windows systems. The next version of MOM, called MOM 2005, includes components that monitor SMS 2003 environments. This webcast discusses how to monitor SMS 2003 SP1 using MOM 2005.

Using SMS 2003 SP1 to Monitor Client Health
July 29, 2004: This webcast discusses the SMS Client Health Tool and how to implement it in your sites to monitor the health of your SMS clients.

TechNet Webcast: SMS 2003 Hierarchy Planning and Design with the SMS2003 Hierarchy Capacity Planning and Hardware Sizing Tool
Friday, July 16, 2004 9:30 AM - Friday, July 16, 2004 11:00 AM (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Level: 300
If you are planning of an SMS2003 deployment you need to collect data about your IT infrastructure first. This webcast shows how to get that information and put it to best use. Guided by the “Scenarios and Procedures for Systems Management Server 2003” document (available from the Microsoft® website), this presentation shows how the data gathered helps you develop an Enterprise SMS hierarchy architecture. Then we show how to use the collected data as input for the SMS2003 Hierarchy Capacity Planning and Hardware Sizing Tool. The webcast includes demonstrations of the document worksheets and the capacity planning tool.

Installing SMS 2003 from Start to Completion
July 8, 2004: This webcast, which is heavily demonstration-based, shows you the entire process of preparing Active Directory for SMS, installing a primary site server, installing SMS 2003 site systems, locating potential clients, and installing Advanced Client.

Understanding SMS 2003 Advanced Client Log Files
July 6, 2004: This webcast names and explains the different Advanced Client log files, and how to look for the logs and logging patterns in SMS log files that provide copious, varied, and useful troubleshooting information to help you keep your IT infrastructure running smoothly.

TechNet Webcast: Security Patch Management Tools (Part 3) - SMS with the SUS Feature Pack Level - 200
June 23rd: Do you have an effective, comprehensive patch management strategy? Do you know when to use Systems Management Server (SMS) and when to use Software Update Services (SUS)? In this webcast we will discuss using SMS and the SUS Feature Pack as patch management tools in your environment and how they fit into a comprehensive patch management strategy. SMS and SUS offer different advantages and benefits to an organization. This webcast will review their different capabilities and how they contribute to a secure infrastructure.

Understanding the SMS 2003 Operating System Deployment Feature Pack
June 17, 2004: Many corporations are deploying client computers using operating system images. SMS 2003 can now help you create, manage, and deploy operating system images to your SMS clients, as well as "bare metal" systems. This session will describe this exciting new addition to SMS 2003.

SMS 2003: An Overview of the Device Management Feature Pack
June 15 2004: This session provides a detailed examination of the SMS Device Management Feature Pack, which allows SMS 2003 to manage Windows CE and PocketPC devices. This webcast will discuss the features of the SMS 2003 Device Management Feature Pack and provide some key scenarios, as well as cover deployment and architectural design issues.

What's in SMS 2003 Service Pack 1?
June 10, 2004: SMS 2003 Service Pack 1 is not just limited to hotfixes, as it adds many new features and capabilities to SMS 2003. This session will cover these new features, which you'll want to know about when planning for your SMS 2003 SP1 upgrade.

Architecting SMS 2003 for Remote Locations
June 3, 2004: This webcast will discuss how to architect an SMS 2003 environment in various scenarios involving Advanced Clients and Legacy Clients, site and roaming boundaries, primary sites and secondary sites, proxy management points, SQL replicas, and remote locations.

TechNet Webcast: Combining PatchLink with SMS, SUS, and MBSA for Patch and Security Management
May 27, 2004: This webcast demonstrates how PatchLink UPDATE works with Microsoft SMS 2003, SUS, and MBSA to enable patch management from a single console for all Windows operating systems as well as non-Windows OS platforms.

TechNet Webcast: Microsoft System Management Server 2003: A Technical Overview
May 21, 2004: Whether you have used SMS before or are just thinking about SMS for the first time, this webcast will give you the information you need to plan for an upgrade or adoption of SMS 2003. The session starts by showing the new features of SMS 2003 and goes on to show how SMS 2003 integrates with Network and operating system technologies, such as Active Directory and Windows Management Instrumentation.

Troubleshooting SMS 2003 Advanced Clients
May 20, 2004: SMS 2003 adds a new client platform known as the Advanced Client, the installation of which was covered in a previous webcast. This session will cover common issues related to the Advanced Client, and describe methods for troubleshooting those issues,

Understanding SMS 2003 Roaming
May 13, 2004: Understanding how SMS 2003 advanced clients roam throughout a hierarchy is a complex topic. This webcast will cover how roaming works and how to configure roaming boundaries in SMS 2003, as well as various roaming scenarios.

SMS 2003 Client Installation Methods
May 6, 2004: SMS 2003 provides many methods for client deployment, including logon scripts and client pushes. This webcast will discuss the various methods you can use to deploy Legacy or Advanced Clients in SMS 2003, and the similarities and differences in these methods when applied to the two types of clients.

TechNet Webcast: Shop Talk Discussion on Patch Management at Microsoft using SMS 2003
May 5, 2004: This webcast tells you how the Microsoft Information and Technology Group (Microsoft's IT department) patches its desktop and server environment using SMS 2003.

SMS 2003 Software Distribution Updates
April 29, 2004: SMS 2003 adds many new capabilities to the SMS software distribution feature. This webcast will cover new features such as targeting of Active Directory data, delta replication, download and execute, and Windows Installer integration (WMI).

Querying and Reporting in SMS 2003
April 22, 2004: Effectively identifying and reporting on SMS data is a common task of an SMS administrator. SMS 2003 adds some new capabilities to this process for administrators. In this session, we'll discuss the new features of SMS 2003 that enhance the power and ease of the querying and reporting functions.

TechNet Webcast: Getting Started with Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003
March 25, 2004: This webcast shows how features in the new version of SMS 2003 can help you improve the management and security of your IT infrastructure. Agenda items include an overview of the new capabilities in SMS 2003, recommended best practices for deployment, and how to use the new and improved features.

TechNet Webcast: Using SMS 2003 Software Update Management Features
March 3, 2004: This webcast discusses the SMS 2003 software update management process, and demonstrates the entire process from installation of this feature to verification that the distributed patch was deployed successfully.

TechNet Webcast: Upgrading SMS 2.0 to SMS 2003
February 4, 2004: This webcast describes guidelines and procedures you can use when upgrading to SMS 2003. It also discusses the differences in architecture, site systems, client deployment, and capabilities between the two versions of SMS, and includes a walkthrough of an upgrade on an SMS 2.0 site.

TechNet Webcast: Introduction to Automated Deployment Services
February 3, 2004: This webcast offers a comprehensive overview of ADS and provides details on its architectural design, features, and benefits, as well as examples of customer deployments.

Support WebCast: Getting Started with Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003
Thursday, January 08, 2004 - 09:30am to 11:00am (GMT-8) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Level: 200
SMS 2003 provides a comprehensive solution for change and configuration management, enabling you to quickly and cost-effectively provide users with relevant software and updates.

Join this upcoming Webcast to see how features in the new version of SMS 2003 can help you improve the management and security of your IT infrastructure.