Here’s two more good Office 365 video testimonials
CIAOPS podcast listeners grow
Here are the stats from my podcast over the past few month. Firstly, I have no idea why April 2012 is showing the same level as March 2012 (April fool’s joke maybe?). But aside from that you can see the recent strong growth in listeners which is very pleasing to see. There was almost 600 episode downloads in March 2012. I would certainly attribute that to firstly the highly quality of people that have graced the microphone, to whom I’d like to say thanks. Secondly, the success of these numbers is obviously around the number of people who have taken the time to listen to the broadcasts. To them as well I also say thanks.
When I started doing the podcasts last year I never figured that one the most difficult challenges I would face would actually getting people to appear. Even to this day I really have to beg people to come on with me. There are so many very clever people out there with a huge amount of knowledge to share and I would have thought this podcast a perfect medium for them to share that. All shows are pre-recorded over Skype and done at a time that suits the guest. I really try and make it as painless as I can for people to come on the show but still I struggle to obtain guests.
As always I’d love to hear feedback from listeners as whom or what they’d like to hear on the show. I’d especially love to hear from people who’d be interested in being a guest but any feedback is also greatly appreciated. Remember, I’m happy to cover any topic that you’d like to discuss so don’t be shy.
I once again thank all those who have been guests and all those who have listened to an episode. I look forward to providing more episodes as soon as I can find more guests! All previous episodes can be found at:
It’s a dev world
In technology we all constantly hear that world is changing. However, what I’d like to focus on here is what I believe to be an even more subtle change in the demand for IT.
A while ago it was all about services. Many resellers went down the managed services route and provided their customers with a fixed fee for service. The customer could more easily budget and the IT provider received a known income every month. This was all great but it hastened the process of consumerization of theses services. It was a bit like an insurance policy in that the IT provider worked to ensure as little disruption to the customer as they could. For most consumers this now meant they saw very few issues and sadly became lulled into this becoming the norm. Any IT provider worth their salt had raised the bar when it came to service.
Problem was that customers now questioned why they were paying ‘so much’ for things to run like this (as they do with insurance policies). All they tended to see now were the dollars going out the door every month and diminished value in return. Thus, they agitated for lower costs and looked to competitors offering the same perceived service but at a cheaper cost. To their minds, there was no difference between company A monitoring a server as there is company B monitoring that same server but at a lower cost.
This consumerization has been accelerated with the growth in online services such as Office 365. Theses products are typically sold around their cost saving benefits and focus the consumers attention at a per month per user cost negating any migration or ongoing support costs. This has been borne out with my own recent experiences with people looking to migrate their email to the cloud. Most are under the mistaken impression that migration costs, planning, support and training are all included in the per month price they pay. Some reseller businesses even pander to this mistaken impression by absorbing such cost upfront in that they can recoup these later down the track. There is no questioning that this is a valid business strategy but it relies on the being able to absorb these upfront costs. This doesn’t make it a suitable model for most smaller resellers who can ill afford such risk.
This is why I contend that the era of services is fast coming to and end for smaller players. You cannot survive in the service business now without volume. The business model that this thriving is development. Look at the exploding world of devices that each have their own application infrastructure around them, the Apple Apps store, Zune Market, Android Marketplace and so on. My understand is that soon even the upcoming releases of Microsoft software, such as Windows 8, will come with an integrated apps store.
Development gives you the advantage of leverage. You can write it once and then sell it many times. The risk is generally all in the upfront with development but it is fast becoming the model that consumers understand and accept. They understand buying a product or a thing but now struggle with buying an intangible like a service.
Let’s look at this in the context of Office 365. What development can you really wrap around email? Probably not a lot and therefore it is doomed to simply become another thing that is consumerized. Where the problem lies for resellers is that if all the customer wants is a hosted email service then the decision is simply going to be about cost, pure and simple. If you can’t do it for the cheapest price then chances are you are going to loose that business to someone else who can absorb more of the upfront costs and offer it cheaper initially to win the business. For the smaller resellers this is very hard to counter.
The opportunity (and there is always one) is to consider products that facilitate development. Products that allow resellers to build in smarts and intelligence that they can then sell multiple times. In the Office 365 space this certainly means SharePoint. Problem is getting people interested enough in SharePoint beyond just the cost savings they make by moving their emails to the cloud. Generating such interest is also no mean feat, and is almost impossible for people not using SharePoint already in the own business.
In summary then, my current thinking tends to lead me to the conclusion that we are fast approaching the end of the service era in IT (at least in the smaller end of the market). I’m not saying that the need for service will disappear, what I am saying is that service opportunities are being commoditized where the only the big players in the market can gain advantage. I’m saying that many resellers will have trouble making money out of products (like email) which don’t offer development opportunity. I’m saying that if you want to flourish and grow then you need to seriously consider applications which support the ability to build and extend, thereby creating a point of differentiation that customers will pay for.
Episode 26 – Ishai Sagi
Time for another Need to Know podcast to hit the airwaves and in this episode I’m joined by SharePoint MVP Ishai Sagi to talk about some of my favourite subjects, SharePoint and Office 365.
We discuss the power of SharePoint, especially in the SMB market and ponder why it hasn’t been as readily adopted as it could be. We discuss the huge opportunities around SharePoint and Office 365 for customers and resellers.
Have a listen and let me know what you think. You’ll find this episode at:
http://ciaops.podbean.com/2012/03/27/epsiode-26-ishai-sagi/
and previous episodes at:
I am always on the look out for guests for the podcast. So if you’d like to discuss a topic, it doesn’t have to be about technology, please contact me (director@ciaops.com) and share you knowledge with the audience.
Desktop to Cloud event
I am proud to announce that the CIAOPS Desktop to Cloud event has now opened for registrations. Information and registration can be found at www.desktoptocloud.com.au. You can obtain a 50% early bird discount to the event by using the promotional code EARLYBIRD prior to the 5th of May.
This event will consist of two tracks, one for consumers and one for IT Professionals and will provide the latest information on desktop software like Windows 8, Office 2010 as well as information about cloud technologies such as Office 365 and Windows Intune. It will be provided by a range of speakers and include all meals, parking and WiFi access.
Desktop to Cloud
——————
Date: Saturday 19th of May 2012
Time: 8.30am to 5.30pm
Tracks: A = Consumer, B = IT Professional
URL = www.desktoptocloud.com.au
I am also interested to hear from anyone who may be interested in speaking at the event. Please contact me (director@ciaops.com) for information about submitting a session.
Search Server Express 2010 on SBS 2011
I have blogged here before about the issue around Search Server Express 2008 on SBS 2008. However it is a different story when it comes to search Server Express 2010 on SBS 2011 as I will briefly show here.
Before I launch too deep into this post I will tell you that I have created an e-Book with over 100 pages covering everything I talk out here plus a whole lot more. Here are the chapter headings;
1. Settings the SharePoint Farm Passphrase
2. Installing search Server express 2010 on SBS 2011
3. Configuring the Search Service
4. Adding a Search Site
5. Configuring PDF indexing
6. Removing Search Server Express from SBS 2011
7. Linking to Search Center
8. Using Search Center
This book will cover much more in depth that what the rest of this blog post will so if you are really serious about Search Server Express on SBS 2010 then I’d commend this US$9.99 book to you. You can purchase it at (along with other titles):
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/ciaops
and I appreciate everyone who does purchase a copy to support what I do.
I’ll also tip my hat to Susan Bradley for providing me a test SBS 2011 Standard server to work all this out on.
Warnings
There are a few very, very important warnings that you MUST take note of before proceeding.
A. Installing Search Server Express 2010 on SBS 2011 makes SBS 2011 ‘non-standard’. This doesn’t mean it isn’t supported what it means is that the default SharePoint on SBS gets modified which has ramifications for patching, updating and troubleshooting.
B. You MUST know your SharePoint farm passphrase. On SBS 2011 this passphrase is randomly generated during installation. If you don’t know it you need to set it to something you know while SharePoint is working! See this previous blog post for more information.
C. Search Server express 2010 is going to stress you SBS 2011 box, especially when it indexes content. You can configure this but beware that large amounts of indexing really ‘pegs’ the box.
D. Make sure you can roll back any failed installation. This may mean uninstalling Search Server express 2010, which requires reconfiguring SharePoint as well as knowing the farm passphrase. I won’t be covering that here. That’s why I recommend you buy my e-book to get all the info.
These aside Search Server Express 2010 on SBS 2011 will allow you to provide a single search interface across just about all your network data. Search is really the ‘killer app’ in our information overload society. When people want to find information where do they go? To a search engine! Problem is most search engines only look outside a business but with Search Server Express 2010 you can now index and search your internal information. Who wouldn’t want that? best of all Search Server Express 2010 is free.
The ability to search SharePoint content on SBS 2011 Standard is provided by default, however it is limited to only the content contained within the Companyweb site. With the installation of Windows Search Server Express 2010 it is possible to not only search Companyweb content but also network file shares, web sites and Exchange Public folders.
One down side with installing Search Server Express 2010 over the existing installation of SharePoint on SBS 2011 standard is that it doesn’t directly integrate into the existing search functionality within Companyweb. This means that if you use standard Companyweb search (located in the top right of most pages) you will only be able to search Companyweb content even when Search Server Express 2010 is installed. To search across network file shares, web sites, Exchange Public Folder and Companyweb content you will need to use a special Search Center subsite once Search Server Express 2011 has been installed.
Microsoft Search Server 2010 Express is freely available from Microsoft and can be downloaded from:
The general recommendation is to install Search Server Express 2010 and SharePoint Foundation 2010 on a dedicated member server in a network. However, in this example we will be installing it here onto an existing SBS 2011 Standard machine.
It is very important to ensure that the existing SharePoint Foundation configuration on SBS 2011 Standard is fully patched and up to date. It is also important to remember that SharePoint Foundation updates require a manual configuration step as detailed here:
This means that you need to ensure that your SBS 2011 Standard SharePoint installation does not require any more updates. The easiest way is to logon to the SBS 2011 Standard console.
From the Start Menu select All Programs, then Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Products, then SharePoint 2010 Central Administration. Accept any User Account Control (UAC) that you see.
From the menu on the left of SharePoint Central Administration select Systems Settings and then Manage Servers in this farm from under the Servers heading at the top of the right side of the page.
You should now see a screen like that shown previously. If the Status column for your SBS 2011 Standard server DOES NOT show No Action Required, as it does above, then you will typically need to run the PSCONFIG command line option to complete any SharePoint Foundation upgrade. Information on completing this process is contained in the link provided above.
It also vital that you know what the passphrase for the SharePoint farm is. .
It is also vital that prior to commencing any of this work that you ensure you have a recovery process including a verified set of backups.
With all the preliminary work completed and the Search Server Express 2010 software downloaded we are ready to commence the installation.
Log onto the SBS 2011 Standard server as an administrator and right mouse click the downloaded Search Server Express 2010 file to commence the installation and select Run as administrator from the menu that appears.. The required files will firstly be extracted to the server.
Accept the User Account Control window by clicking the Continue button.
The files will then be extracted and the installation commenced.
You should now see a Start screen displayed. In this window select the option Install the prerequisites.
You should now see the welcome screen. Click Next to continue.
The server will be checked to ensure that it meets all the minimum requirements and is configured correctly.
During this process you may find that an additional number of required components are downloaded and installed on the SBS 2011 Standard server. These will be done automatically and generally a reboot will not be required but you should be aware of the possibility.
When the process is complete you may need to take further action as recommended by the tool. Click Finish to complete the process.
You will now be returned to the Start window. From here now select the option Install Search Server Express.
This will commence the installation wizard.
The first screen you will see is the software license agreement. Check the I accept the terms of this agreement box at the bottom and click the Continue button to proceed.
You’ll then be asked for a default installation location for the binary files. Accept the default location and click the Install Now button.
You should now see the Installation Progress screen as shown above and the status bar should move from left to right as the program is installed on the SBS 2011 Standard server.
Once the installation has completed you will then be prompted to run the Configuration Wizard as shown above. Simply leave the checkbox Run the SharePoint Products Configuration Wizard now checked and click the Close button.
The SharePoint Configuration Wizard should now launch as shown above. Click the Next button to continue.
You will then be prompted that the following services will be started or reset during the configuration:
– Internet Information Services
– SharePoint Administration Service
– SharePoint Timer Service
This may affect other users on the network and if so you should prepare them for interruption to their normal programs. Click the Yes button to accept this warning and continue. Then click the Next button to proceed.
Since SharePoint has already been installed on SBS 2011 Standard you will be prompted with the details of the existing configuration database like shown above.
Click Next to continue.
The configuration process will now continue. The only option available is to stop the process via the Cancel button.
You will notice during the installation process (Step 9) that the existing SharePoint farm on SBS 2011 Standard will be upgraded. As mentioned previously, this now makes the original installation of SharePoint on SBS 2011 Standard ‘non-standard’.
When the process completes you should receive a success message like shown above. Click the Close button to continue.
Internet Explorer will now be launched and you’ll be taken to the SharePoint Central Administration web site. You should then see the prompt asking whether you wish to sign up for the customer experience. Make your select and click OK.
You’ll now see the option to run the SharePoint configuration farm wizard. Here it is important to select Cancel to terminate the wizard. If you elect to run the wizard you will damage both the Search Server Express 2010 installation and the default SharePoint on SBS 2011 Standard installation requiring a reinstallation of both components. Although in most cases you use wizards on SBS 2011 Standard, with SharePoint on SBS you should NEVER run the configuration wizard.
After you cancel the SharePoint wizard you will be returned to SharePoint Central Administration as shown above.
Select Application Management from the left and then Manage service applications from under the Service Applications heading in the middle of the page.
You will now manually configure the Search Server Express Service into the existing SharePoint Farm.
Select the arrow at the bottom of the New button in the upper left side of the window and from the menu that appears (as shown above) select Search Service Application.
You will now be prompted to enter the configuration details for the new Search Service.
Leave the Service Application name as default (Search Service Application 1). Leave the Search Service Account as default (\spfarm).
Scroll down the screen for more options.
It is recommended that you create a new application pool.
It is recommended that you use a descriptive name (here SearchServicePool).
Leave the service account as default (here \spfarm).
Scroll down the page for more options.
It is recommended that you also create a new application pool for Search Query (here SearchQueryPool) and use the default service account (\spfarm).
Scroll down the page and select the Save button when complete.
You should now see the Search Service being configured as shown. This may take several minutes depending on the specifications of your hardware.
There are two phases that the configuration needs to complete. The second phase generally takes much longer than the first.
When the process is complete you should receive a success message like that shown above.
When you close that window you will be returned to the SharePoint Service Application page. Here you should see additional services listed as shown above. You will also see that the Search Service Application 1, or the name you called the Search Service name is a hyperlink. If you click this you will then be able to configure the Search Service.
If you now look at the services on the SBS 2011 Standard server you will notice an additional SharePoint Service called SharePoint Server Search 14.
To configure the Search Service simply click on the hyperlink in Central administration shown above and add the additional content sources you desire.
Finally, to actually use the Search Service create a subsite in Companyweb based on the Search template that is now available.
I will again point you to my e-book as the most comprehensive source of getting everything working.
Purchase – SharePoint Foundation Master Class: Search Server Express on SBS 2011 Standard
Office 365 workshop early bird expires soon
My upcoming Building an Office 365 Practice workshop early bird discount expires very soon. So if you are interested in the 25% discount I’d urge you to waste no time. Here are the details:
Date: Wed 18th of April
Location: North Ryde RSL Club, 33 Magdala Rd North Ryde NSW 2113 + Streaming
Cost = $399 in person $199 streaming
Early bird discount (25%) valid with 18 March 2012 = EARLYBIRD
Registration URL = http://ciaops0412.eventbrite.com/
About
If you want to learn about the opportunities around “Cloud” computing, especially with Office 365 then this workshop is for you.
You will learn not only about the Microsoft Office 365 product indepth but also how to re-engineer your business for the “Cloud”. You’ll learn business strategies that will help drive you more business and have opportunities knocking on your door. This workshop will provide a balance between technical and business information. It is aimed at IT resellers those who are either considering offering “Cloud” computing or those who have just commenced the process.
The workshop includes all meals (morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea), parking, Internet access, course notes and more. All attendees will also have access to a recording of the day for later use. The workshop will be given by Microsoft Office 365 MVP Robert Crane who is the Principal of the CIAOPS.
At the end of this workshop you should have the confidence to know the Office 365 product indepth but also a range of business strategies that can be implemented immediately to not only benefit a “Cloud” practice but any business.
Some testimonials from previous events:
“The knowledge I gained at the bootcamp will help me make a more informed decision when I make recommendations to my clients. I recommend this bootcamp to anyone who wants a balanced and fair approach as to the pro’s and con’s of the cloud and the issues it raises for the IT professional.”
“After having spent a day on a Telstra Office365 a couple of months ago I felt it was OK information as it was on this new platform but what Robert has delivered today is REALISTIC and real world experience telling nothing but the truth. There is a big opportunity for all SMB IT providers even with the cloud, Office365 should be seen as an additional service to make money from.”
“This workshop was absolutely brilliant It was real hands on from a reseller perspective rather than a sales perspective I highly recommend Robert Crane for any workshops / bootcamps after having done several other training sessions.”
Book review – SharePoint 2010: How to
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book I think is very handy as a reference book for people who want to ‘know’ all the functions of SharePoint. Typically, these are the people that feel they need to understand the length and breadth of a product before they are willing to experiment for themselves.
With that in mind, it is not recommended that you read this book from cover to cover. Instead it will serve you better to use it as a reference when you start diving into the different areas of SharePoint. It will take you through all the options and explain to you exactly what they all do.
The people that will get the most out of this book are those who are just getting into SharePoint and want to have something they can refer to when they see all the options that can get presented at times in the product. It would prove to be a very handy book to keep on the shelf as a business gets up to speed with SharePoint as it allows them to easily research just the part they are working with at that moment and continue to do that over time as their confidence with the product grows.
In summary, more a reference book than a tutorial. It provides excellent coverage of just about all the options in SharePoint and what they all do. Is easy to read and would be of value to anyone who is getting into SharePoint and wants to know exactly what each option means. If you are just getting started with SharePoint and want to understand all the bits under the hood this book is an excellent starting point.
