Cloud Business Blueprint goes live Monday!

My business partner, Nigel Moore, and I are gearing up for the launch of Cloud Business Blueprint this Monday the 11th of November. Here’s a quick overview from Nigel about what will be on offer:

After the launch on Monday we’ll then be working flat out putting the finishing touches on our private members section ready for those who are interested in coming on board. We’ve seen the industry crying out for help in how to make money with the cloud and so we’re building a private members only community where you can access training videos, eBooks, business templates, peer discussions and much more to help you grow your cloud business.

Remember, if you want to have the opportunity to come on board at heavily discounted founders rates you need to register your internet at:

www.cloudbusinessblueprint.com

before 11am on Monday the 11th of November 2013.

One of the big differences withe Cloud Business Blueprint is that it is going to provide both technical and business information and support. It is not only going to help you understand what online services do but also how to create successful offerings that customers want. Mots importantly it will show you how to position your business to move beyond the traditional services model and inspire you with stories of those who are already succeeding in this new world of IT.

Our aim is to show you how to progress from the basics of business to effectively utilizing all the tools that the online world has to offer all with the aim of generating you more profit and helping grow your business. If you want to learn how to compete more effectively in the new paradigm of the cloud, if you want to learn the secrets of business success in the online world, if you are looking to benefit from the experience and support of others, if you want to learn from the best in the business and most importantly, if you are looking to be inspired to take your business to new levels then this is the program for you.

Remember to register your interest at www.cloudbusinessblueprint.com before Monday and stay tuned for the launch of our services after that.

CIAOPS November Virtual Meeting–Resources

After a bit of a technical hiccup during the meeting yesterday I decided to re-record the video which you can now on my YouTube channel:

Here are the remaining resources I mentioned during the meeting:

Nexus 5 is now available – http://www.google.com.au/nexus/5/
New eBook form the CIAOPS – www.ciaops.com/publications
Microsoft certifications – https://blog.ciaops.com/2013/10/training-and-certification-opportunity.html
Office 365 service comparison – http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/fp123607
DDOS attack map – http://www.digitalattackmap.com/#anim=1&color=0&country=ALL&time=15999&view=map

Some resources on the Office 365 Public web site:

Create and customize the public facing web site – http://office.microsoft.com/en-au/office365-sharepoint-online-enterprise-help/step-5-create-and-customize-the-public-facing-website-HA102418031.aspx
Getting started with Public Web site – http://office.microsoft.com/en-au/sharepoint-help/get-started-with-the-public-website-HA102801171.aspx
Set up a public web site – http://office.microsoft.com/en-au/office365-sharepoint-online-enterprise-help/set-up-a-public-website-HA102476205.aspx?CTT=3
Video: Getting started with the public web site – http://office.microsoft.com/en-au/office365-sharepoint-online-small-business-help/video-get-started-with-the-public-website-VA102801173.aspx?CTT=3
Get Started with your Public web site – http://officepreview.microsoft.com/en-au/office365-sharepoint-online-small-business-help/video-get-started-with-your-public-website-VA102801173.aspx?redir=0
Get Started with the Public Website in Office 365 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJlwCNXMCBo
Upgrade your public website in Office 365 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3EpIZjh1io

Office 365 Public website examples:

I hope to see you at the next meeting on December 4th featuring Boon Tee talking about on premise server integration with Office 365. Registrations will be available shortly.

The Google Plus land grab has started

Remember the days when you could get any domain name you wanted? Remember the days when you could get any Twitter, Facebook or email address you wanted? Ah, the good ole days. Well I’m here to tell you that there is a new social media name grabbing opportunity that has just become available.
If you own your name or brand on what I believe is probably going to be the most important social media platform going forward then it is time to head over to Google Plus and see whether you can register you desired name. I’ve been lucky enough now to grab:
http://plus.google.com/+robertcrane
and
http://plus.google.com/+ciaops
To understand whether you qualify and what you need to do to register your desired name check out this post:
https://plus.google.com/+googleplus/posts/8C5oKFUKLVs
which will explain everything.
So head on over to your Google Plus account and see whether you can stake your claim in this next Internet naming stampede.

DIRSYNC can now be deployed on a domain controller

The latest release of DIRSYNC (version 6553.0002) can now be installed on a domain controller according to the release notes at:

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/18429.windows-azure-active-directory-sync-tool-version-release-history.aspx

The details on how to go about this are located at:

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/17370.best-practices-for-deploying-and-managing-the-windows-azure-active-directory-sync-tool.aspx#A11

DIRSYNC is a stand alone application that copies information from the local active directory (user names, passwords etc) and copies them to Office 365, saving you from having to create these attributes in Office 365. DIRSYNC continues to copy any changes from the local Active Directory to Office 365 as well.

This is a HUGE improvement for smaller customers who typically only have a single server in their environment which runs as a domain controller (read Small Business Server).

It again points to fact that Microsoft is continuing to make incremental improvements to Office 365 in light of what customers are asking for. They don’t always come as quickly as we would like but they do come as evidenced above.

Now’s there’s one less excuse for smaller customers to configure Office 365 and one less excuse for going hybrid.

Best posts from November

Time to jump into the way back machine and see what I wrote that was worthwhile in the past Novembers:

2012

SharePoint Foundation 2013 setups

Adding a SharePoint calendar

2011

Installing SharePoint Services SP3 on SBS 2008

Windows SharePoint tutorials eBook

2010

PDFs on SharePoint 2010 Foundation

Optimizing Windows SharePoint Services Search

2009

Vehicles and drivers

Being busy is just an excuse

2008

The value of clear space

Further evidence of the coming of cloud computing

2007

Blocked file types in SharePoint

SharePoint V3.0 file locations

So here’s to 5 years of Novembers and I thank everyone who takes the time to read what I write.

Additional versions of recent SharePoint Online book

As promised, additional versions (ePub and Kindle) of my latest book “Getting Started With SharePoint Online 2013 for Enterprises” are now available from:

www.ciaops.com/publications

Although this book is aimed at people with Office 365 E and M plans much of it still remains relevant for those on P plans.

I’d also appreciate you letting others know about this work as it takes many, many hours to create and edit these books and at a sale price of less that five dollars I REALLY need to sell a lot to even break even, so any assistance you can provide really does go a long way.

Look out for additional titles soon.

CIAOPS Virtual Technology meeting–reminder

Don’t forget the CIAOPS Virtual Technology meeting this Wednesday the 6th of November from 4pm Sydney time. Registrations are still available via:
https://ciaops1113.eventbrite.com.au/
At this meeting I’ll be doing a presentation and demonstration of the Office 365 public web site basics and capabilities. The details of the session are:
You may not be aware that every Office 365 plan that includes SharePoint Online comes with the ability to create a public website linked to any domain. In this demonstration you’ll learn how to configure this public website and how to customize it for your needs.
There will also be the usual news, product updates, general discussion as well as questions and answers.
So if you want to get the latest make sure you register now.
I look forward to seeing you on the day.

Training and certification opportunity from Microsoft

I am pleased to announce that Microsoft Australia is planning a new training and certification campaign, Ready, Cert, Go which I will be involved with.

To start off with there will be complimentary 60 minute instructor lead tutorial webcasts in November which will cover the topic to be offered in full day exam prep courses in December 2013 at Microsoft in Sydney.

Here are the links to the upcoming webinars:

Server and Tools

Monday – 4 November 2pm, System Center 2012 (Exam 70-247)

Tuesday – 5 November 12pm, SQL Server 2012 (Exam 70-462)

Wednesday – 6 November 12pm, Windows Server 2012 (Exam 70-410)

Thursday – 7 November 12pm, Windows 8 (Exam 70-688)

Friday – 8 November 12pm, Windows Azure (Exam 70-487)

You can register for these webinars at:

https://training.partner.microsoft.com/learning/app/management/registrationex/LMS_Registration.aspx?UserMode=0&Mode=0&ActivityID=852862

Business Productivity

Monday – 4 November 12pm, SharePoint 2013 (Exam 70-331)

Tuesday – 5 November 2pm, Lync (Exam 70-337)

Wednesday – 6 November 2pm, Exchange (Exam 70-341)

Thursday – 7 November 2pm, Office 365 (Exam 74-325) (with me!)

Thursday – 7 November 3pm, Office 365 (Exam 70-321) (with me!)

You can register for these webinars at:

https://training.partner.microsoft.com/learning/app/management/registrationex/LMS_Registration.aspx?UserMode=0&Mode=0&ActivityID=852931

Here are the dates for the Exam Preparation Sessions, designed to get you across the line, first time. It’s $150 per day and includes an Exam Voucher, which is usually $206:

Server and Tools

Monday – 9 December, System Center 2012 (Exam 70-247)

Tuesday – 10 December, SQL Server 2012 (Exam 70-462)

Wednesday – 11 December, Windows Server 2012 (Exam 70-410)

Thursday – 12 December, Windows 8 (Exam 70-688)

Friday – 13 December, Windows Azure (Exam 70-487)

You can register for these certification days at:

https://training.partner.microsoft.com/learning/app/management/registrationex/LMS_Registration.aspx?UserMode=0&Mode=0&ActivityID=852912

Business Productivity

Monday – 9 December, SharePoint 2013 (Exam 70-331)

Tuesday – 10 December, Lync (Exam 70-337)

Wednesday – 11 December, Exchange (Exam 70-341)

Thursday – 12 December, Office 365 (Exam 74-325) (with me!)

Friday – 13 December, Office 365 (Exam 70-321) (with me!)

You can register for these certification days at:

https://training.partner.microsoft.com/learning/app/management/registrationex/LMS_Registration.aspx?UserMode=0&Mode=0&ActivityID=852965

Even though I am giving the Office 365 content I have signed up myself for the SharePoint and Lync sessions as I see this as a great opportunity to not only learn about the product but also hopefully pass the certification. I’d love to do the Windows 8 and Azure sessions as well, alas, not to be this time.

I hope to see you there at the webinar or on the day.