This week in BPOS news is a recurring segment on the Microsoft Online Services Team Blog that covers news from all sectors of Cloud Computing and the Microsoft Online Services business suite known as the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). You can read all past This Week in BPOS News segments here.

This week in BPOS news we cover two stories including a cloud overview and the Microsoft Government Cloud Applications Center.

1. Introducing Cloud Computing: A Gentle Overview

Business Productivity Online Suite runs in the cloud. But what exactly is the cloud? We’ll ease into this Week’s BPOS news with “A Gentle Overview” of what the cloud is. Jon Shende from Cloud Computing Journal introduces cloud computing by starting with the history of the term and its services.

The National Institute for Science and Technology (NIST) defines cloud computing as “a pay-per-use model for enabling available, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.”

Cloud Computing has recently been a huge buzz word in the IT community, but cloud services were being used since the 90’s. The article outlines the vast variety of Cloud Computing Models and Delivery Methods which include the following:

• Cloud Computing Models:
  • Infrastructure as a Service (Iaas)
  • Platform as a Service (PaaS)
  • Software as a Service (SaaS)
• Delivery Methods:
  • Private Cloud
  • Public Cloud
  • Hybrid Cloud
  • Managed Cloud

There is a large in the cloud computing sphere which leads to the next section of the article, “Some Deployment Concerns.” This section of Jon’s piece details in the length several security concerns that users have expressed with cloud computing. The next segment describes Service Level Agreements, SLAs. SLAs are an essential term that coincides with cloud computing and Jon does a great job outlining the main points.

This is a great article for any user interested in the cloud, from beginner to pro.

2. Government Cloud Applications Center Brings Together Technology, Partners

In some news that flew under the radar for many, Microsoft launched the Microsoft Government Cloud Applications Center. Earlier this year Microsoft Government wrote about how Texas cities are turning to Microsoft’s BPOS and as each month passes more and more local states and governments are turning to the cloud. Due to the increased demand of the cloud in the government sector, Microsoft released the Government Cloud Applications Center.

The Government Cloud Applications Center is tool is designed for both customers and partners to utilize. “Customers to quickly find partner cloud applications that fit their business needs, determine compatibility with existing IT infrastructure, contact information, and links to relevant product websites.” Customers can also find and review partners and solutions.

Partners can use this tool to showcase their solutions and cloud based services. The article also states that “Partners will also benefit from further exposure of their services by linking existing profiles to this central site.

The government is “All in” with the help of the new Government Cloud Applications Center.

You can view the snapshot of the Microsoft Cloud for State & Local Government here.

Did you see a story you want to share with us? Let us know what other topics you’d like to see. You can comment on this blog post or send an email to our community mailbox. Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page.

I previously wrote a blog post that featured three Directory Synchronization Support Videos. I am blogging about two more support videos today that demonstrate and teach new methods to troubleshoot issues that users might be having sending or receiving email.

Problems Sending and Receiving E-mail Client

In this first video you will learn new methods to troubleshoot issues that users might be having sending or receiving email from the client computer. This video elaborates on how to verify the internet connection and how to isolate what is troubling a connection. If the issues still persists outside of connectivity, this video demonstrates how to check other applications for errors.

Problems Sending and Receiving E-mail Diagnostics and Resolution

In the second video, we take a look at problems sending and receiving e-mail diagnostics and resolution. The video walks us through different troubleshooting scenarios including checking NDR and NK2, using the GAL and checking the user’s configuration.

Hopefully these two videos will help you better understand how to troubleshoot Microsoft Online Services. Next week I’ll bring you part two of troubleshooting sending and receiving E-mail and showcase two more support videos.

What support videos would you like to see? We want to hear from you in the comments section below or send an email to our community mailbox. Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page.

In this webcast, Brett Hill of Advaiya, Inc., talks about using the Admin account in the Microsoft Online Services Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). The admin account in BPOS takes on special characteristics and sometimes may not behave exactly as you expect. This webcast looks at some of these unexpected scenarios.

You can learn more about the Business Productivity Online Suite with detailed walkthroughs in our How To section.

Was this video helpful? What other BPOS tutorials would you like to see featured? You can comment on this blog post or send an email to our community mailbox. Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page.

This week in BPOS news is a recurring segment on the Microsoft Online Services Team Blog that covers news from all sectors of Cloud Computing and the Microsoft Online Services business suite known as the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). You can read all past This Week in BPOS News segments here.

This week we cover three stories that look at Microsoft’s complete cloud story, a company migrating to BPOS and a new tool to help users setup Microsoft Online Services.

1. Microsoft cloud computing & cloud services – So much more than just BPOS

When you hear about Microsoft and the cloud what are the first thoughts in your mind? If you’re anything like me your head turns to the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). Eric Ligman, Global Partner Experience Lead at Microsoft, discusses what he thinks about when he hears the phrase “Microsoft’s Cloud.” Eric points out that although the cloud is a relatively new space with ample buzz, Microsoft has been a pioneer in this space for 15 years. He then dives into several different product offerings from Microsoft’s cloud. Eric lists each Microsoft Cloud solution with information about the product and how to get started using it.

This is a great piece about how you can expand your cloud perspective outside of just BPOS. Do you have any thoughts about this post? Contact Eric on twitter or leave a comment below.

2. Coca-Cola Amatil’s journey: Lotus Notes to BPOS

Coca-Cola Enterprises has a great relationship with Microsoft BPOS. I wrote a blog post earlier this year about how Coca-Cola Enterprises is using SharePoint and Microsoft Online Services to propel collaboration. Coca-Cola Amatil (the Australian company that bottles and distributes Coca-Cola beverages) is joining Coca-Cola Enterprises’ upgrade in collaboration software and is in the process of migrating over 8,000 employees off Lotus Notes and onto Microsoft BPOS.

“The project kicked off in March and is halfway through, according to technology services manager Steven Meek.”

The featured article from Delimiter documents the process of Coca-Cola Amatil migrating to BPOS. Delimiter takes an in depth look at how Coca-Cola Amatil is implementing the productivity suite including SharePoint and the upcoming “rollout” of Microsoft’s Office Communication Server.

What do you think of this migration? Take a “refreshing” look at how Coca-Cola Amatil is moving to BPOS and be sure to leave a comment below.

3. Microsoft Online Services Setup Accelerator

The Microsoft Online Services Team has released a new tool called the Setup Accelerator. This new setup tool breaks down the barriers of cloud entry with 8 simple questions that lead to a personalized list of instructions to help you configure Microsoft Online Services.

 Question 1

This intuitive tool easily guides you trough exploring, piloting and setting up Microsoft’s cloud services. Are there critical questions missing in this tool? Did the tool help you out? Give the Setup Accelerator a try and let us know what you think.

Did you see a story you want to share with us? Let us know what other topics you’d like to see. You can comment on this blog post or send an email to our community mailbox. Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page.

We have shown you how to have have fun with SharePoint Online with 5 minutes to SharePoint Online Productivity and Creating and using a Slide Library. You can learn more about the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) with detailed walkthroughs in our How To section.

Today’s video comes from Brett Hill of Advaiya, Inc. He guides us through using Excel and Access with SharePoint Online.

Was this video helpful? What other BPOS tutorials would you like to see featured? You can comment on this blog post or send an email to our community mailbox. Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page.

Last week I showed you how to maximize your Microsoft BPOS potential with three great support videos for the Microsoft Online Services Directory Synchronization. After installing and configuring the Directory Synchronization tool you will be ready to activate and migrate users to Microsoft Online Services. The support video below provides us with an easy to digest walk through of the activation and migration configuration of Microsoft Online Services.

Check out our other support and how to blog posts here. What support videos would you like to see? You can comment on this blog post or send email to our community mailbox. Follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook page and watch more Microsoft Online Services video on YouTube.

This week in BPOS news is a recurring segment on the Microsoft Online Services Blog that covers news from all sectors of Cloud Computing and the Microsoft Online Services business suite known as the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). You can read all past This Week in BPOS News segments here.

This week we cover three stories that touch on the Where, How and What of Microsoft BPOS.

1. Microsoft's Chicago datacenter shows huge investment in cloud computing

Chicago is home to one of Microsoft’s few global hubs of cloud computing servers. Greg Burns, from the Chicago Tribune, focuses on Microsoft’s commitment to the cloud and takes a closer look at the new $500 million building that houses Microsoft’s cloud. Greg looks at the physical structure and more importantly the software structure of Microsoft’s commitment to the cloud.

This article walks us through how and why the facility was built in Chicago. This is a really interesting look at the thought process of housing servers and moving into the cloud.

“Microsoft runs its operation with just 45 workers, including security guards and janitors. Only three work directly for the company.”

This commitment also comes with lower costs for Microsoft, which leads to lower costs for users.

"When you build data centers this large, you are absolutely the lowest-cost provider of computing power," noted Toan Tran, an equity research analyst at Chicago's Morningstar Inc. "I think the cloud definitely happens. This is a big trend that gets adopted. The cost savings is just tremendous."

Do you think Microsoft is making the right investment in the cloud? Leave a comment below.

*Image taken from Inside Microsoft’s Chicago Data Center from Datacenterknowledge.com

2. A Tale of Two Cities – “Gone Google” and Microsoft Office 2010 twelve months later…

Andrew Kisslo from the Why Microsoft blog strikes the heart of Google again with a piece that compares Microsoft and Google and their progress in the productivity software field over the past year. This article walks us through the birth and twelve month growth of both company’s software. There is a plethora of factual information that compares the successes and failures of both companies in this space. I highly recommend this article for anyone interested in the current state of collaboration and productivity tools from Microsoft and Google.

Here is a video excerpt from the blog.

What do you think has changed in the last twelve months of Microsoft and Google productivity software? Who has the edge? Where will we be in another 12 months? We want to hear your comments below.

3. Meet Some of the People of BPOS – From our Summer Intern

This summer the community team has been lucky enough to have our own intern. Kaitlin is a video specialist who helped us capture stories about Microsoft Online Services throughout her time here at Microsoft. I want to share with you a special blog post from our summer intern that includes one of the best Microsoft BPOS videos I’ve seen to date. Watch the video below and let us know what you think.

Can you tell us what BPOS means to you? Have an idea for a BPOS video? Post your thoughts below.

Did you see a story you want to share with us? Let us know what other topics you’d like to see. You can comment on this blog post or send an email to our community mailbox. Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page.

We got our hands on three great support videos for BPOS Directory Synchronization. These videos will help you maximize your potential while using Microsoft BPOS.

In our first video we take a look at Installing and Configuring Directory Synchronization. This video walks us through an introduction to Directory Synchronization, or DirSync. This video also describes the purpose of DirSync and prerequisites to utilizing DirSync. It then helps us set up DirSync with a full walkthrough of installing and configuring the DirSync tool.

In our second vide we learn about Using Directory Synchronization. The video walks us through two scenarios that demonstrate prime examples for utilizing DirSync. Make sure you watch this support video and learn more about the opportunities that wait with Directory Synchronization and Microsoft Online Services.

In our third video we learn how to Troubleshoot Common Directory Synchronization Issues. This video gives us a brief introduction into DirSync and prerequisites for troubleshooting. If your computer meets all the proper prerequisites mentioned in this video, then continue watching to learn how to troubleshoot DirSync. This video provides great advice for anyone that wants to learn more about the backend DirSync.

What support videos would you like to see? You can comment on this blog post or send email to our community mailbox. Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page.

Today’s very special blog post comes from our summer intern, Kaitlin McKinnon.

Hi, I’m Kaitlin. I just graduated from high school and I’m an intern here at Microsoft on the Business Online Services Group (BOSG). I’m stoked to be interning here and I work with the Community team, including two of the bloggers here: Jim Glynn and Josh Topal (JT_MSFT).

As an intern here, one of my jobs is to create and edit videos for the Microsoft Online Services YouTube channel. I love making YouTube videos with my friends for fun, so the fact that I get to do what I love here at Microsoft is unbelievable!

This video I created, with the help of my mentor, Josh, tells viewers what BPOS is and what its services have to offer. I had the privilege of interviewing some Microsoft employees who work on BPOS to hear what they had to say (who knows BPOS better than the people who created it?). They were passionate and equally as excited about the product they work on, something I’ve found to be very common here at Microsoft.

Personally, it was such a terrific opportunity to sit down with Microsoft employees one-on-one and talk about what they do here at Microsoft. I shot roughly two hours’ worth of interviews and unfortunately, I had to cut this video down to less than five minutes to maintain its fluidity. Something that isn’t included in the video is the great conversations I had with each person. I got to learn about their lives working at Microsoft, their backgrounds and hobbies, as well as some of their unique talents (one employee can stick his entire fist in his mouth, no joke).

Needless to say, the numerous employees who work on BPOS are an awesome group of people. If you use BPOS, rest assured you have an incredible team here at Microsoft; they’ve got you covered.

In his second video, Brett Hill of Advaiya, Inc. walks us through SharePoint Online: Creating and using a Slide Library. You can check out more BPOS walkthroughs here. 

Was this video helpful? What other BPOS tutorials would you like to see featured? Leave a comment below.

Today is Friday the 13^th, so the theme for This Week in BPOS News is when the cloud becomes spooky.

Our first article takes a look at what happens when a user finds that Going Google was a haunting experience and the second story unveils a nifty new tool on one of the world’s most popular websites.

The Trouble with Going Google: Four Reasons Why I Got Out

Today’s first acronym intensive story comes from CIO regarding why users are making the switch from GAPE to BPOS. Google Apps Premier Edition, or GAPE, is Google’s competitive card to Microsoft Online Services BPOS. Leaving acronyms aside, this story focuses on four key pain points, or “horror points” (because it’s Friday the 13^th) as to why users are leaving Google behind for Microsoft:

1. E-mail Interface Quirks
2. User Revolt
3. Downtime Hits
4. Customer Support Letdowns

The article outlines each “horror point” scenario with examples from real companies including Aisle7 and Serena Software. Ron Brister from Serena Software says “he was nearly driven crazy by what he calls Google's ‘arrogant and complacent’ view of customer service.” CIO sums up the article with a quote from Brister, “At the very least, we are going back into familiar waters instead of being in deep water without a boat."

Microsoft Online Services Community Page

Microsoft Online Services has devoted a lot of time to various social media sites so that we can keep in touch with users no matter where they exist. Arguably, the most popular social media site is Facebook, and they introduced a new social feature called a “Community Page.” A community page is not owned by anyone and hosts information about a certain topic. The Microsoft Online Services community page has recently appeared on Facebook and pulls information from Wikipedia and Facebook posts about Microsoft Online Services. Check out the community page to see information and the latest conversations surrounding Microsoft Online Services.

So what does this story have to do with Friday the 13^th? If you are talking about Microsoft Online Services on Facebook, then someone might be watching you!

This week in BPOS news is a recurring segment on the Microsoft Online Services Blog that covers news from all sectors of Cloud Computing and the Microsoft Online Services business suite known as Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). You can read all past This Week in BPOS News segments here.

Did you see a story you want to share with us? Let us know what other topics you’d like to see. You can comment on this blog post or send an email to our community mailbox. Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page.

I recently had a twitter discussion with Microsoft Partner, Fully Managed, and their Director of Technical Services Martin DesRosiers. Below is the full transcript from our conversation that provides deep insights from the perspective of a  partner on issues of migration, feedback and why users are choosing the cloud.

Josh: Give us a quick introduction to who you are and what you do.

Martin: Fully Managed™ provides IT Support and Management Services, IT Consulting and Project Services and Cloud Hosting Services to businesses and non-profit organizations in Vancouver, British Columbia. We nurture your technology systems 24/7 to enable you to grow and succeed in your businesses without worrying about the nuts and bolts.  My role with Fully Managed is the Director of Technical Services and I’m responsible for the entire technical team.

Josh: What are some companies you have helped migrate?

Martin: We have migrated companies spanning various industries, of all different shapes and sizes.  A notable client is SparkNet Communications who owns the JackFM brand.  They have a distributed workforce across Canada and the USA, and are composed of road warriors.  They are now leveraging the BPOS platform for their day to day needs. 

Josh: What is the migration experience like?

Martin: Overall migrations have been relatively seamless.  Compared to some Google Apps migrations in the past, the migration path from on-premise Exchange to hosted Exchange has been surprisingly smooth with little to no hiccups.  The end-user experience is familiar as people are comfortable using Microsoft products and in some cases, excited about using a new version of Exchange especially from an OWA perspective as we have migrated a lot of Exchange 2003 instances.

Josh: What kind of feedback have you received from users you have moved to the cloud?

Martin: A direct quote from the Director of Operations at SparkNet Communications:

“We move quickly and needed a technology infrastructure which was able to keep up with our business. Thanks to Fully Managed™ and the Microsoft Cloud, we no longer have to physically rely on our office space for reliable collaboration between our distributed team members.  When we recently experienced an internet outage in our corporate headquarters, our entire team was still connected remotely thanks to our entire IT infrastructure being in the cloud”

Josh: In your opinion, why should users move to the cloud?

Martin: The cloud-model fits most businesses, not all, but the majority can benefit from leveraging the cloud.  When it comes to e-mail it’s a no brainer, would you rather have your business critical e-mail tied to one physical server in one physical location with no guaranteed uptime? Or would you prefer to have your e-mail spread across multiple servers in military-grade datacenters with guaranteed uptime?  The challenge with implementing on-premise messaging solutions is that you cannot achieve the level of physical and geographical redundancy that the cloud offers.  It’s also at a fraction of the cost, depending upon how many users are within your organization.  If you were to compare the TCO of deploying an on-premise BPOS suite (Exchange, Communicator, SharePoint, LiveMeeting) you are looking at 6-10 physical or virtual servers versus a small monthly fee per user to leverage these same services hosted in the cloud.  Now you tell me which solution is more scalable? Which solution would have the lower TCO?  It’s not just a smart IT decision, but more importantly, it’s a smart business decision.

Josh: Do you have any tips or tricks for users making the move to the cloud?

Martin: Don’t be afraid, it’s inevitable, accept this logical transition of IT services.  A lot of people are shy in terms of considering or making the move to the cloud, mainly because it is unclear.  Once you remove the smoke and mirrors and evaluate the facts such as performing a TCO comparison of on-premise vs. hosted, it will become very clear which direction you should take.  I recently wrote an article for a leading Vancouver newspaper providing a high-level summary of the advantages of moving to the cloud: http://straight.com/article-335690/vancouver/cloud-computing-offers-advantages-small-businesses

Josh: Is there anything else you would like to tell us?

Martin: From an overall cloud perspective, I am excited about what Microsoft is doing.  With the recent announcement of Intune and our internal beta-testing of this product, it’s exciting times ahead.  We have been very successful selling and deploying the Microsoft Online suite and have converted many Google Apps customers.  Microsoft provides a much ‘richer’ experience and over time as Exchange 2010, SharePoint 2010, and Communicator 2007 R2 make their way into the BPOS suite, the competition will be left in the dust.  The evolution of the various platforms has also become the catalyst of the evolution of the Systems Engineer, this is an aspect often overlooked and I feel it aligns perfectly with our business model and our way of providing strategic IT consulting and management to our clients.  Those that do not embrace the cloud will be struggling to keep up with the competition that have recognized and embraced its true benefits.

Are you a partner with a story? Do you want to share your Microsoft Online Services experiences with us? Send us an email at bposcom@Microsoft.com or share with us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Brett Hill of Advaiya, Inc. walks us through SharePoint Online and reveals some tips and tricks along the way to boost your productivity in just 5 minutes!

This week in BPOS news is a recurring segment on the Microsoft Online Services Blog that covers news from all sectors of Cloud Computing and the Microsoft Online Services business suite known as Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). You can read all past This Week in BPOS News segments here.

1. What Can Cloud Services do For You

Cloud Computing has made a huge impact in the IT tech world and it’s only in its infancy. The cloud is striving to be one of the largest facets of computing, yet many people don’t know what the cloud is. For the first piece of BPOS news I would like to present a well-crafted video that outlines What cloud services can do for you.

You can also see a video on what the cloud is here.

Do you have a question about the cloud? What has the cloud done for you? Leave a comment below.

2. Cloud Computing: Hype Vs. Reality

Forbes writer Margaret Lewis brings a dose of reality into the cloud computing conversation in her article “Cloud Computing: Hype Vs. Reality.” A lot of tech enthusiasts, me included, think that this has been the “Summer of Cloud Computing.” More companies are investing in the cloud and making the switch, while the prospects of what can be done with cloud computing are only touching the tip of the iceberg. Margaret also claims that there are some skeptics out there that believe this may be the “Summer of Cloud Computing Hype.”

Margaret breaks down the Reality vs. Hype in two parts and addresses skepticism directed towards the cloud:

· She first addresses users who claim that “Cloud Computing” is a buzzword to describe a model that has existed in the past, and is not revolutionary.

Margaret argues that the cloud may not be an evolution in computing, but don’t chalk that up to cloud hype, because there is an evolution in data management that deems cloud computing “more relevant than ever.”

· Customers aren’t willing to dive into cloud computing because it just isn’t mature enough yet.

Margaret critiques this statement by stating that “cloud computing is maturing, but I’d agree that it’s not quite mainstream yet.” She believes the solution is for IT ecosystems to adapt.

You can read more from this interesting perspective about the future of cloud computing here.

Is Cloud Computing here to stay or is it just a buzzword and hype? What side are you on? Leave a comment below.

3. Microsoft on cloud nine as it ropes in 3 biggies for its cloud solutions

Microsoft announced last week the three newest members to join the Microsoft Online Services family. Dow Chemical, Hyatt Hotels and the University of Georgia are in the cloud with Microsoft. This article from the International Business Times outlines how many users each company brought to the cloud:

· Hyatt – 17,000 information workers and 40,000 non-desk associates.

· Dow Chemicals – Moved its entire workforce to Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS)

· University of Georgia – 85,000 students, faculty and staff will access Live@Edu with the Microsoft Cloud.

It’s an exciting time to be a part of Microsoft’s cloud solution as more businesses and institutions are “all in.” You can read more from this well-written piece here.

Did you see a story you want to share with us? Let us know what other topics you’d like to see. You can comment on this blog post or send an email to our community mailbox. Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page.

E-mail, Social media and the phone have taken over as the main form of communication between businesses and individuals. We may be stranded without our technology, but meeting in person is still the best way to learn, communicate and network. For this reason we are providing you with a chance to meet with the Microsoft Online Services team in person.

Join us for this month’s BPOS Meetup in Seattle, WA. BPOS MeetUps are a part of an effort to build community where interested parties and partners come together to share their BPOS experience, expertise, and showcase their individual strengths and successes.

You can RSVP and learn more about our upcoming Meetup by clicking here

Below is the description taken from our Meetup site:

Join us again for cocktails, food and BPOS conversations at 6:30 PM, August 19th, at the Parlor in Bellevue’s Lincoln Square. We had a great turnout for the last BPOS Meetup and we are expecting even more BPOS enthusiasts for our next Meetup, so reserve your spot now!

There will be a partner “Lightning Round!” Three partners will be chosen to participate in a lightning round that can be used to discuss anything from recent projects and migrations to suggestions and success stories. If you are interested in being a part of the “Lightning Round” send us an e-mail at BPOSCOM@Microsoft.com and include what you will discuss during your time slot.

What else do you want to hear at the Meetup? Leave agenda suggestions on our Meetup page or email us at BPOSCOM@Microsoft.com.

The full agenda will be posted closer to the Meetup date.

Thank you and we are really looking forward to this Meetup!

If you are outside the Seattle area and can’t make it, learn how to Bring a BPOS Meetup to your town. Holding a Meetup of your own is beneficial for creating community and networking. If you need more proof on the value of hosting a Meetup, check out our story here.

We are looking forward to seeing you at our next Meetup!

Written By: Brett Hill – Guest BPOS Blogger

Recently, a company called BPOS Experts announced a product called BPOS Commander.  The product has made quite a splash and it is the most feature rich BPOS management tool I’ve seen to date.   For example, one of the features built into the tool is the ability to estimate how long it will take to migrate mail.  The estimate is based on live conditions from the mail source to the mail target.   Also, administration features like creating users and changing user passwords, and migration of Exchange Public Folders, SharePoint content, and file share content to SharePoint Online are all built in.

Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with John Liccione, President of BPOS Experts and I took the opportunity to ask him about BPOS Commander.

Brett:  John, I know you’ve been in the BPOS business for a while and have worked with a lot of customers and partners over the last couple of years. What was your reason for creating BPOS Experts?

John:  We felt there was a very strong need and market opportunity to create automation around BPOS ordering, setup, management, and content migration.  We’ve had the product in limited use and testing for 6 or 7 months.  At the most recent World Partner Conference [July 2010], we launched BPOS Commander and it is now available to the general public.

Brett:  With BPOS Commander, is this a service or product you download?

John: It’s a software tool you download and run on a Windows workstation or server, and it bridges your on-premises and BPOS environments. 

Brett:  As a partner, why would I be interested in BPOS Commander?

John: We make BPOS Commander available for partners that are in the business of migrating customers to BPOS and managing customer's BPOS environments. In short, it will help BPOS Partners deliver more business with fewer resources in a shorter period of time.

Brett:  So what you saying is, if I’m in the BPOS business, BPOS Commander is going to help me migrate and manage more customers?

John: Yes, as well as help you open up new revenue streams through maintenance. It also helps  creates stickiness as the partner can use BPOS Commander to  offer better support and maintenance for their customers post-migration, so they can keep getting that residual revenue stream.

At the front end, BPOS Commander decreases the “time to cloud” meaning that from the time you start your sales cycle to the time the customer’s content is migrated is greatly reduced.  For example, our Getting started on BPOS wizard walks an end user through the entire process of signing up, , getting BPOS  setup and configured, setting up your first SharePoint Online site collection, and gets you ready to migrate content. This takes what can be a 3 hour process and turns it into 30 minutes.

Also, we have pre-migration analytics for mail and public folder migration. We have speed tests built in that let you estimate migration speed in real time.  This lets the partner provide better estimates about how long a migration will take. This results in better pricing for a project and overall, better customer satisfaction, since there are fewer surprises.

Brett: So what specific problems does BPOS Commander solve?

John:  Let’s talk about the phases of BPOS adoption, specifically pre-migration/assessment and selling. BPOS Commander lets you easily demonstrate a migration to a free trial account. You can quickly show customers what their life will be like after the migration.  We make it easier to migrate -  customers can see migration happening, and we migrate more than just mail, so a Partner can offer a more complete Migration and on-going BPOS management service.

Brett: How so?

John: We provide the ability to migrate 4 types of content.  Of course you can migrate an Exchange mailbox, but we can also migrate Exchange public folders to SharePoint Online, on-site or hosted SharePoint site lists and libraries, and corporate file shares to SharePoint Online. 

Obviously, one of the big gaps we fill is migrating public folders to SharePoint Online.

Brett:  Do you provide any synchronization capabilities?

John: Yes. We have the ability to take an Exchange mailbox or SharePoint content and sync it to a SharePoint Online list or library. This provides a workaround for email enabled lists in SharePoint Online which is not a part of BPOS at the moment.  There are two parts of this, getting the public folder content into SharePoint Online and then keeping it synchronized.  This can be done with multiple mailboxes via multiple sync jobs, and you can control the synch interval with Windows Task Scheduler.

In addition, on demand, you can request BPOS Commander to synch BPOS user account properties with mapped AD user properties. This is not intended to be a replacement for DirSynch, but this providea a good alternative for smaller accounts that don’t want to deploy DirSynch. 

Brett:  Mailbox migration – how do you to that mechanically?

John: The BPOS Commander client calls the Microsoft migration cmdlets for mailbox migration so it uses the  same PowerShell commands under the covers that Microsoft uses.  The BPOS Commander installer checks for the presence of PowerShell and the Migration Command Shell and will automatically download and install them as part of the BPOS Commander install process, making all that easier on the end user.

Brett:  So BPOS commander is a functional replacement for the Migration Tool?

John: Yes, it does the same things but adds the SharePoint Online migration capabilities for public folders, SharePoint, and fileshare content, adds migration time estimation capabilities, and adds on-going user management features and on-going sync so that one doesn't have to become an expert in PowerShell or rely solely on the Administrative Center web console to manage BPOS.

There are few things we don’t do, such as create Distribution Lists and conference rooms as these capabilities are not yet exposed by BPOS via an API.

Brett: How can partners find out what the costs are? 

John:   BPOS Commander can be purchased outright by partners and resold or used on customer engagements for a per-user per-month fee that currently starts at $1 per user to the partner, suggested retail price is $1.25 per user.  Currently, we require a minimum of 100 users and one year license so the minimum is $1200 to the partner.  This is much less expensive than other tools on the market and it can easily pay for itself with just the resetting passwords feature which you do with a couple of mouse clicks in BPOS Commander.

We also have a revenue share model if the partner wishes to split the BPOS Partner of record revenue with BPOS Experts.

We have an overview of our partner program at www.bpos-experts.com and partners can submit a partner application at [ http://www.bpos-experts.com/bpos-partner-application/

Links:

BPOSExperts Partner Program - http://www.bpos-experts.com/bpos-partner-application/

BPOS Commander video tutorials: http://www.bpos-experts.com/bpos-commander/videos/

Microsoft Online Services is excited to introduce a new centralized portal that provides easy access to all the resources customers need to deploy and use their BPOS services.

The “Deploy and Explore” portal aggregates step-by-step guides, help and how-to articles, white papers, and a variety of other assets to help customers get the most from their BPOS services. It’s a one-stop shop for all your BPOS deployment and usage needs!

In addition to this portal, Microsoft Online Services has also provided its customers with a dashboard of their unique, customized usage data for their BPOS services’ accounts. Note that this data is only available to current customers and will be delivered via email.

To learn how to maximize your investment, check your inbox or venture to the Microsoft Online Services “Deploy and Explore” portal.

How have you maximized your investment of Microsoft BPOS? Do you feel that you could get more ROI out of Microsoft Online Services? We want to hear from you in the comments section below.

Written By: Mike Blake, CIO for Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

Mike will describe why he made the decision to move to the cloud and why he chose BPOS to meet the needs of Hyatt's employees world-wide. Hyatt Hotels Corporation first began in 1957 when Jay Pritzker purchased the Hyatt House motel in Los Angeles. From that single motel, Hyatt Hotels Corporation has grown to worldwide portfolio of 434 properties and includes marquee brands such as Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt and Hyatt Regency. Recently, Hyatt Hotels Corporation made the decision to move to the cloud for their productivity solution and chose Microsoft's Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) for 57,000 employees.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation had been looking at the cloud for quite some time before making the decision to move from our current solution, Lotus Notes. Our internal surveys showed that there was a lot of user dissatisfaction with Notes, and once I became the CIO of Hyatt, I decided that it was time to make the change. We needed a complete, next-generation cloud solution from a provider that could be a strategic partner to us.

Making the leap to the cloud was a big decision for Hyatt. We operate more than 400 properties worldwide, meaning IT must serve users around the world – as well as enable collaboration with a huge network of partners. The cloud seemed like the perfect opportunity for us to reduce the costs of operating such a distributed infrastructure as well as improve our ability to collaborate with partners and suppliers. We had heard a lot about security and privacy concerns as well as data sovereignty and control, but after we really began evaluating cloud solutions, we found that we could actually improve our security and privacy controls by moving to a single cloud-based provider globally and providers such as Microsoft provide rigorous protection protocols that in some areas exceeded our own.

The decision to use Microsoft BPOS was made after careful evaluation of competitive solutions offered by Google and IBM. We ultimately decided to go with Microsoft because of their proven track-record and commitment to the productivity category. We also expect to save upwards of 30% over our previous solution. This reduction in TCO appealed not only to me but to other members of the executive team who were part of the decision process including our CFO, COO and CMO.

BPOS provides a complete communications and collaboration solution to meet the needs of our 17,000 information workers. Given the nature of our business we have many employees who do not have regular access to a PC but still require access to email and other corporate materials. Microsoft offered a compelling way to connect our 'deskless' workers into the same system. With BPOS, 40,000 of these 'deskless' workers, front desk agents, hotel staff, and housekeeping personnel, will now have access to the same email system as the rest of our company.

Looking ahead, we will begin our transition to BPOS in August and be fully deployed by the end of the year. We anticipate many tangible benefits.

• We expect to see better collaboration across Hyatt properties globally. For example, our group sales teams will be able to use SharePoint Online to collaborate on large deals. We think this will allow them to deliver a great, consistent experience to our customers. In addition to SharePoint Online, Exchange Online will be part of this mix. Our large customers do not use Google or IBM for email; they use Exchange too. This will make communications with them more efficient, ensuring that things like calendar requests and formatting just work. Lastly, our 17,000 information workers and 40,000 of our 'deskless' workers will now all be using the same email solution – Exchange Online – ensuring better collaboration and communication across properties and from corporate. Ultimately, we expect this to translate into a better sales experience and new revenue opportunities overall.
• We expect to reduce total cost of ownership by 30% compared to our existing Lotus Notes system.
• We expect to see improved employee satisfaction and adoption. Our people were not happy with Lotus Notes, and merely knowing that we are moving away from Lotus Notes to Exchange and Outlook has already created a good deal of excitement among our employees, who are anticipating a more positive and productive experience.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation is excited about this new partnership with Microsoft. At Hyatt we pride ourselves in being a top provider of vacation properties and a leader in the hospitality industry. To be a leader in our industry you need to carefully choose all providers – this includes our technology partners. Microsoft will help us bring Hyatt to the next level of service to our clients. We are excited to bring BPOS to our teams!

This week in BPOS news is a recurring segment on the Microsoft Online Services Blog that covers news from all sectors of Cloud Computing and the Microsoft Online Services business suite known as Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). You can read all past This Week in BPOS News segments here.

This week we take a look at two cloud computing stories including a Federal Government sector and more businesses turning to the cloud.

1. Microsoft, Google Vie to Sell U.S. Cloud Mail

“A new front has opened in the battle between Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp.: selling Web-based email and other software to the federal government.”

It is no secret that Microsoft and Google have been competitors across several spaces including search, operating systems and browsers, but the competition that may be heating up the most is the battle for the Cloud. Google and Microsoft are both intense competitors that want a stake at being the Cloud service provider for the U.S. federal government wing called the General Services Administration or the GSA. There are around 15,000 employee email accounts up for grabs, which is a considerable purse for the victor.

Both Microsoft and Google have to prove that they are worthy of housing and hosting the GSA’s important documents and emails in the cloud. There are strict certifications that need to be passed by both companies. This article from the Wall Street Journal outlines the problems that both companies need to resolve in order to become the front runner for this contract.

The GSA’s cloud opportunity has many news sources and interested cloud computing parties following closely. This is a big event that may help shape the future of cloud service providers and certification. Which company is right for this contract? Who should host the GSA’s cloud? Leave your comments below.

2. More Businesses Turn to Cloud

This article walks the reader through a Mimecast survey that has recently found that more businesses are tuning to the cloud. More businesses are now using “some element of cloud computing.” More than half of enterprises from the survey have already started using to some form of the cloud, while 2/3rds of businesses are thinking of adopting cloud computing. There is one flag of caution that comes from this survey, cloud security concerns still remain.

Almost 2/3rds of survey takers think that cloud computing possess a potential security risk. About 3 out of 4 people said there is a “trade-off between cost and IT security.” While there is concern about cloud security, over half of the survey participants say that moving to the cloud has “actually improved security.”

You can read more about this Mimecast study here. What numbers stood out to you? Were you surprised by any part of the survey results? Are you moving to the cloud? Do you have security concerns? Leave a comment below.

Did you see a story you want to share with us? Let us know what other topics you’d like to see. You can comment on this blog post or send an email to our community mailbox. Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page.

IT Administrators are familiar with the complaints. “Outlook seems sluggish.” “Why does it take so long to sort items in my inbox?”

If these complaints from your users sound familiar, the culprit may be too many items in a folder.

For users running Microsoft Office Outlook in cached mode, the problem generally manifests itself in sluggishness of the client, as Outlook sifts through large amounts of data, resulting in a dissatisfactory e-mail experience for users.

So how many items are too many items in a folder?  Really, from an Exchange best practice point of view, you don’t want to see more than 20,000 messages in a single folder. And that is particularly true for a critical path folder, including the Inbox, Contacts, Deleted Items, Calendar, or Sent Items folders.

The immediate question, what steps can a user with a large number of items in their mailbox take to reduce his item count?  The easiest is solution is to enable Auto Archive in Outlook. 

As an IT Administrator, you can encourage your users to enable Auto Archiving. The Microsoft Support Knowledgebase provides an article with instructions for setting up Auto Archiving in Outlook 2010, 2007, and 2003.

You also might want to implement a mail retention policy for your organization, which will auto delete items that are older than the limit in the policy. You can open a support request with Microsoft Online Services Technical Support to set up a retention policy for your organization.