I see a lot of chatter out there about whether Google Apps is better than Office 365 and you know what? I think they are overlooking a very fundamental issue. You can debate the various technical merits of each solution, compare the features point by point but I think this missing a far greater business distinction when it comes to these products.
I covered this in a recent podcast I did on Eagle Tech Genius podcast but I’ll reiterate it here because I think it is very important.
As a business, everything I generally do is focused in helping my business succeed. Success is generally measured via profit. Thus, this blog, my publications, YouTube channel, free downloads and so on is aimed at promoting my business with the aim to generate it more profit.
Likewise Google and Microsoft are businesses. They have shareholders and it is their fiduciary responsibility to maximize the profits for these shareholders. However, what most people overlook is that Google generates the vast majority of its profit (over 80% I believe) from advertising.
Now there is nothing wrong with this business model and it is very successful, however you need to appreciate that products like Google Apps are aimed at assisting the maximization of advertising revenue and thus profit for Google. I am not saying they are doing anything nefarious with Google Apps when it comes to advertising. What I am saying is that products is one of a suite that Google has whose aim is to generate additional advertising revenue.
Microsoft on the other hand generates the majority of it revenue through selling software. Thus, it’s business model is about selling more software.
As a business that chooses between Google Apps and Microsoft Office 365 you need to be comfortable what the business does who makes the product you use. Like I said, both products solve problems for customers but as a business are you more comfortable with a product from an adverting company or a software company? At the end of the day, how are they looking to maximize your contribution to their profit?
Eagle Tech Genius Podcast
Thanks to Peter Moriarty from IT Genius, I was a recent participant on the Eagle Tech Genius podcast last Thursday the 15th of August 2013. You can find a recording of the episode at:
http://eaglewavesradio.com.au/2013/08/eagle-tech-genius-15-august-2013/
In the episode I spoke about the challenges of IT security as well a key differentiator between Google Apps and Office 365 (which I’ll do a separate upcoming blog post on).
I feature in the first part of the show but I encourage you to listen to the whole episode for some other great information for businesses.
Once again, many thanks to Peter for inviting me on and I hope to be able to come back and share more information with listeners.
Windows PowerShell module for Lync Online
If you are an IT Professional then you really need to be looking at PowerShell. Even for products like Office 365, PowerShell is the premier method of configuring and automating your work with the product.
Until recently the only PowerShell commands that were available for Office 365 was basically user and Exchange commands. That changed a short while ago with the addition of the PowerShell Module for SharePoint Online and Microsoft has just released the PowerShell module for Lync Online which you can find here:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=39366
I would expect that all PowerShell modules for online components in Office 365 will increase in functionality over time, so make sure you check regularly for updates. Also, make sure that you spend some time at least learning the basics of PowerShell if you plan to manage these systems. I will plug my own book – Getting Started with PowerShell for Office 365 as a great place to start when it comes to PowerShell and Office 365.
Review–Power Jacket for Lumia 920
Full disclosure – the review unit was supplied by Mobilezap. You can find this device and others at the Mobilezap category page at:
http://www.mobilezap.com.au/31817/nokia/lumia-920/cases.htm
When I upgraded to the Nokia Lumia 920 one of the biggest issues I noticed was how quickly the battery drained compared to my previous phone. Admittedly, I have been using it more intensively but it would be hard pressed to get through a full day’s usage from the standard battery.
Now the external battery for the Lumia 920 seems to the job of providing an extended charge for the phone. This is really handy for those who need the extended life and may not always have the ability to recharge throughout the day.
At first I though it was a battery extender but what it really is an external battery, much like those USB charging bricks you carry around.
The unit can be charged stand alone via the same standard micro USB cable you use with the phone.
On the back you’ll find an on/off switch and a number of charging lights letting you know how much charge the external battery has.
The phone slips neatly into the external battery case and has a nice neoprene/non-slip feel to it. It does add some bulk to the phone but that is to be expected given what you are trying to achieve. Even with the external battery connected, I still found the phone fitted snuggly in my hand.
The external battery comes with an arm you can extend so you can prop up the phone on a desk for viewing. I found the arm to lack a ‘grippy’ end. This meant that it tended to slide around a little on a smooth desk when you tried to use the phone. Maybe some form of neoprene tip would prevent that? However, in practice the arm worked well and allowed me to watch a video on the phone with relative ease.
The basic process is that you charge up the external battery and connect it to the phone. When the phone runs low you press the on/off switch on the back of the battery and the battery then charges the phone. You can repeat this process until the external battery is exhausted, then you can use the normal battery in the phone.
I found this process to be pretty straight forward and convenient. I think it is also a much better idea than having to cart around a generic USB charger brick.
If you look at the ‘standard’ type cover I had previously you can see that it has a front lip that comes almost up to the glass on the phone. The extended battery doesn’t have this lip, which means the front face and some of the sides are somewhat exposed. If you therefore accidentally drop the phone with the external battery attached and it hits at just the right angle (which it always does when you drop it right?) you may find your phone subject to more damage that with the standard case.
It should also be noted that the instructions for the external battery say that you shouldn’t drop it, which kind of means that it isn’t really meant for that sort of protection even though that is the most likely thing that is going to happen right?
Another thing I noticed is that the ‘standard’ case has recessed areas for the buttons on the side of the phone as shown above. The extended battery doesn’t cover these buttons but with the unit on the phone these buttons can be a little hard to operate.
The final issue I will note is that with the external battery unit on the phone plugging a headset into the phone can be problematic. A ‘non-standard’ headset (i.e. didn’t come with the phone) doesn’t fit flush onto the phone so it may operate correctly. A jack with a finer plug, like the headset that comes with the phone, would be ok but there probably needs to be a greater recess around the headphone jack at the top of the external battery to allow for this if you, like me, have a ‘non-standard’ set of headphones you like to use.
All in all I think this is great unit for the Nokia Lumina 920. It is a much better bet than a USB charging brick. I like the power button and charging lights on the rear and even though it does make the phone more bulky with it added that is small price to pay for the extended charging range it provides. I think it is most handy in the car when you want to use GPS and the like without having to always have it plugged into the charger. I like the fact that I can throw the external battery into my bag and attach it when I need it to extend my trips between power points. Apart from a few minor ergonomic quibbles I think this external battery is a very handy addition for Lumia 920 owners who are heavy phone users and need more battery life than the standard phone battery provides.
Exchange Online protection
One of the big improvements with Exchange Online and the upgrade to Wave 15 is the integration of many of the protection features of email directly into the administration console. Previously, you actually had to ‘shell out’ to the Forefront protection console to work on much of this.
Now you simply login to the Office 365 console as an administrator.
From the Admin menu option in the top right select the Exchange from the pull down menu that appears.
Now select the protection option on the left hand side to display the screen shown above. Now across the top on the right you will see a number options, with malware filter being currently selected.
You can learn more details about Exchange Online anti malware here:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj200669(EXCHG.150).aspx
If you edit the default policy (by selecting the pencil icon) and select settings on the left hand side you will see the above window.
In there you can set a number of different options for how messages containing malware are handled.
If you return to the previous screen you can now examine the anti-spam protection options. More details about these options can be found at:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj200762(EXCHG.150).aspx
If you now examine the connection filtering policy you will see the above options that allow you to white and black list specific IP addresses.
If you return to the previous menu and edit the content filtering policy you will see the above listed.
In the advanced options you will find even more settings for how content in email is handled.
Finally if your return to the previous menu and select quarantine you will see any messages that are currently being held.
For more detailed information about quarantine have a look here:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj200776(EXCHG.150).aspx
The other area when it comes to protection is reports. This has again been significantly improved and integrated directly into the console. This allows you to display real time results as shown above.
So, if you job is to manage and monitor email protection, spend some time looking at the protection area inside Exchange Online administration.
Aston goes Office 365
I’m pretty keen on my cars and it was of interest that I discovered that Aston Martin has now gone Office 365.
You’ll find the complete case study at:
http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?casestudyid=710000002484
which does make for interesting reading. Turns out Aston is also a big SharePoint user! Hopefully, their Australia branch needs some help.
SharePoint Online file size increases
In the SharePoint Online Storage FAQ post I wrote recently I noted with interest that the maximum file size had increased from 250MB to 2GB.
Now when I actually tested that in a browser I received the above error indicating that the file could not be uploaded.
Unfazed, I broke out the SkyDrive pro client app and used that to sync the same file from my desktop and as you can see from the above screen shot SUCCEESS! Yeah! In the above screen shot you see a file of size 414,262 KB. Thus, you CAN upload a file of greater than 250MB to SharePoint Online. Just seems you have to use SkyDrive pro client app from the desktop.
If you look at the SkyDrive Pro location on your desktop you will also see it there.
I get the feeling that the browser is probably not the best vehicle for transferring large files (as time outs are involved). I did do my initial tests with Chrome and Internet Explorer and expect the same issues with all browsers.
However, ring the bells, SharePoint Online now supports file sizes greater than 250MB. Another great leap forward fro Office 365!
I’ll be at TechEd Australia will you?
During the first week in September I’ll be up on the Gold Coast participating in Microsoft Tech Ed Australia. While I’m there I’ll be giving the following sessions:
Managing Microsoft Office 365
Date:Wednesday, September 4
Time:9:45 AM – 11:00 AM
Room:Theatre 2
Session Type:Instructor-Led Lab (ILL)
Technical Level:300
During this lab, tour the Microsoft Office 365 admin and user portal. Throughout the lab, review areas of the user interface and perform tasks highlighting administration features of Office 365 Technical Preview. You are encouraged to explore all areas of the portal covered and not covered in the lab in order to become familiar with Office 365.
http://techedsessions.cloudapp.net/SessionDetail.aspx?id=6977
Administering Office 365 for Small Business – 74-324
Date:Wednesday, September 4
Time:3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Room:Exam Cram
Technical Level:100
The Administering Office 365 for Small Business Exam Cram session will prepare you to take the 74-324 Certification exam through a mixture of course work and real world exam questions. These skills are key to administering Office 365 for Small Business clients and are especially designed for Microsoft partners looking to achieve a Small Business Competency. This session will also provide you with a greater insight on the capabilities and opportunities around the Office 365 product for SMB customers.
http://techedsessions.cloudapp.net/SessionDetail.aspx?id=6986
Deploying Microsoft Office as a Service
Date:Friday, September 6
Time:9:45 AM – 11:00 AM
Room:Theatre 3
Session Type:Instructor-Led Lab (ILL)
Technical Level:300
During this lab, you prepare for, deploy, and manage a Microsoft Office 365 Professional Plus deployment.
http://techedsessions.cloudapp.net/SessionDetail.aspx?id=7010
So if you are also attending TechEd please let me know (director@ciaops.com) and we can catch up. Even if you are not going but will be in the area I’d love to hear from you. So again get in touch.
I get a lot of questions from SMB resellers about whether TechEd is worth attending. So my initial response to that is to go and have a look at the session content. From there you’ll probably see that much of it is enterprise focused. That doesn’t mean it isn’t relevant for SMB but you should be aware that it is more ‘M’ than ‘S’ here.
There are still heaps of sessions that are totally relevant and anyone who works in IT field will learn something. However, from a business side you need to factor in the cost of attendance, travel, accommodation, meals and finally time away from your business. That can be tough for a smaller reseller to justify.
Finally, I would also tell you that many of the sessions (especially from other TechEd’s around the world) are recorded and made available online for free after the fact. So if you like the content just keep an eye for when the presentations are posted online.
However, the major benefit in my experience is business networking, the people you meet and the relationships you build during the event have the greatest value. If you are keen to build and you’ll be in the vicinity during the first week in September, let me know, I am always keen to catch up with people. If you are attending TechEd I hope I’ll see you in one of my sessions.
CIAOPS 