Author: directorcia

Lync in Office 365 can now record

One of the few things that Lync for Office 365 didn’t have when compared to the old Live Meeting available under BPOS was the ability to record. The reason used to be set out in this KB article:

 

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2433212

 

which has changed to an article on troubleshooting Lync recordings, which means by basic power of deduction that Lync now supported meeting recordings! Double YEAH.

 

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When you now connect to a Lync meeting you’ll find the option to Start Recording as well as Manage recordings as shown above.

 

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If you go into the Recording manager you’ll see any previous Lync meetings as well as any that have been converted to .WMV. This is much easier that with Live meeting which required an add on program.

 

This makes it really easy to do a product demonstration across the web live and then record it and throw it up to YouTube for later broadcast. Do once, run many, very enticing I reckon for small to medium businesses (SMBs).

 

Lync is one of the gems of Office 365 for most SMBs because most have never had such technology available to them so cheaply. Apart from web casting think of all the email you can save by using Lync?

 

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If you login to the admin console in Office 365 for Lync you’ll see a whole swag of new options allowing administrators to control exactly what each user can and can’t do in Lync.

 

This again demonstrates to me the power and flexibility Office 365 provides. It demonstrates how quickly the product is being updated and improved and with a minimum of fuss. And guess what? When it is updated it works! This is not always the case when an on premises upgrade is done.

 

My advice? If you haven’t gotten into Lync then your should. if you haven’t looked at the power Office 365 can bring to your business for a few dollars a month then I’ll bet your competition is.

CIAOPS Podcast – Episode 23

In this episode I’m joined by Arlin Sorenson from HTG to talk about the benefits of peer groups and how they can take your business to another level. Arlin and I discuss topics such as business strategy, leadership, life planning and legacy. If you are looking to improve your business then look no further than this episode.

 

HTG Peer groups – http://www.htgpeergroups.com/

 

You can find the episode at – http://ciaops.podbean.com/2012/02/14/episode-23-arlin-sorenson/

 

Don’t forget I’m always looking for guest to come on the podcast. If you are interested please contact me (director@ciaops.com).

Configuring Outlook options in Office 365

You can get you emails through many mechanisms in Office 365, from Outlook on the desktop all the way through an IPad. Generally the Exchange autodiscover record you configure in your DNS makes all this happen seamlessly. However what happens for those times when you REALLY need to know a physical server address or setting? There is an easy way to find out, here’s how.

 

1. Login to http://mail.office365.com with your user details.

 

2. In the top right pull down the Help option to display the following menu:

 

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3. Select About from the list.

 

4. You’ll be greeted with a screen of helpful information including stuff like:

 

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5. Configure application, device etc as required.

Before you contact Office 365 support

Wanted to do some admin on Office 365 and tried to go into the Lync administration and was confronted with the following screen:

 

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Oh no. ‘Warning Will Robinson, Warning’. I then started to rush to log a support call. Hang on, let me check something.

 

I then went to the Service Health screen and saw:

 

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specifically

 

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if I click on the red X I see the following message:

 

Microsoft is investigating possible issues with Administrative functions. A few tenant admins are experiencing issues with degraded functionality or inability to manage Lync.

 

Hey that’s my issue. So they do know about the issue.

 

Moral of this story? Check the Service Health console BEFORE you go running off to log a Support Issue as they may already working on the problem.

Office 365 Lync troubleshooting

One of the real gems that I have found with Office 365 is Lync. I use it everyday and communicate with a range of people using it. I find it much better than Live Meeting and the only real downside I have found is that it currently doesn’t support the ability to record (see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2433212/). My understanding is that it is only a matter of time before it does.

 

One of best things about Lync is that is now available on a variety of platforms, including those running iOS. However, not all the features of Lync are currently available on all platforms. The best way to find out what does and doesn’t work is to have a look at the Mobile Client Comparison Tables at:

 

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh691004.aspx

 

So if you do have problems getting Lync to work have a look at the following articles:

 

Automatic sign-in, domain federation, and other features do not work as expected in Lync Online when you use a custom domain in Office 365 – http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2566790

 

and

 

How to use and troubleshoot issues with Lync Mobile on Apple iPhone and iPad mobile – http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2636320

 

Which are both great starting points.

 

If you want to federate with my Lync feel free to do so at admin@ciaops365.com but maybe send me an email (director@ciaops.com) so I know who you are first.

Recipient Rate for Office 365 P plans goes up

Microsoft has announced that it is increasing the recipient rate limit with the Office 365 P1 plan to allow users to send email to up to 1,500 recipients per day. This is an increase from the previous limit of 500. Here’s the announcement:

 

http://community.office365.com/en-us/b/office_365_technical_blog/archive/2012/01/31/recipient-rate-limit-for-office-365-p1.aspx

 

You’ll also find information about Bulk Email and Daily recipient limits here:

 

http://help.outlook.com/en-us/140/Ff381292.aspx

 

Not unexpected and shows that Microsoft is listening to its customers and adjust things as required and with Office 365 they can do this very quickly.

SharePoint beyond the Basics course

So not long now until my next workshop. This one will focus on utilizing the advanced features of SharePoint. Here are the details:

 

To really make the most of SharePoint you need to take it beyond the basics. This means connecting data, creating and utilizing metadata, customizing the look and feel of sites, add web parts and implement workflows. This course will show you how to do all that plus work effectively with products like SharePoint Workspace and designer to take any SharePoint installation from default to a true productivity and communications hub.

The aim of this hands on course is to provide you with the technical ability to work with SharePoint at an intermediate to advanced level as well as understand the tools that are required to craft advanced SharePoint solutions.

 

Venue: North Ryde RSL Club, 33 Magdala Rd, North Ryde, NSW 2113

 

Date: Wednesday 22nd of February 2012, from 8.30am – 5.30pm

 

More details and registration at – http://ciaopsfeb12.eventbrite.com/