BPOS Rocks

Gartner about BPOS / SharePoint Online 2010 #SP2010NL

Gartner has just released a paper on SharePoint 2010 with the title "SharePoint 2010 Steps Up to the ECM Plate". In this article Gartner also mentions BPOS:

Microsoft is also updating its SharePoint Online and Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) offerings. This update is expected later in 2010. Gartner believes that Microsoft is making substantial improvements in this area — the existing multitenant version has functionality more similar to Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 rather than MOSS, and many clients are hoping for improvements here. Gartner is collecting details and beta user feedback on this updated version and will address this in future 2010 research.

Having seen some early versions of SharePoint Online I can really say Gartners statement that "Microsoft is making substantial improvements in this area" is correct. You can read the full report here: http://www.gartner.com/technology/media-products/reprints/microsoft/vol10/article10/article10.html

Microsoft Online Services SLA

One of our clients asked us about the Service Level Agreement Microsoft offers on its Microsoft Online BPOS environment. To be honest they were the first to ask. A common question is the uptime guaranteed by Microsoft but nobody asks for the actual SLA.

Because of their question I decided to look up the SLA's. They are available through the links below:

• Microsoft Exchange Online SLA
• SharePoint Online SLA
• Office Communications Online SLA

BPOS or GAPE (Google)

In the last few months people ask me what product they should choose. BPOS or Google's GAPE. I am focused on BPOS. Therefor I know the benefits of BPOS best and thus normally can tell people a lot more about the different benefits of BPOS. Last week I ran in to this video presentation. It describes the differences between both systems.

Click here to view a recording of this webinar.

Webinar: BPOS 101

From the Microsoft Online Services Team Blog:

On January 21st, Jim Glynn will demonstrate how to explore Microsoft Online Services and demo the basic BPOS feature set. During this webinar, Jim will:

• Install the sign in application
• Send and receive e-mail via Outlook and Outlook Web Access
• Create and receive a meeting invitation
• Create a SharePoint site collection and a SharePoint workspace
• Schedule a Live Meeting
• Start a Meet Now meeting and invite an attendee
• Install and start Communicator

Date: January 21, 2010     
Event Start Time: 11:00 AM Pacific Standard Time (UTC - 8 hours)
Duration: 1 hour

Click here to register for this webinar.

Presenter:
Jim Glynn
Senior Content Project Manager, Microsoft

Jim Glynn joined Microsoft in 1998 and currently works on the Microsoft Online Services community. During Jim's career with Microsoft, he has worked as a technical writer and program manager on projects like Windows Server, Active Directory, Small Business Server, Live Meeting, and now Microsoft Online Services.

For 14 years before joining Microsoft, Jim held several different positions, including Production Manager, Director of Technical Support, Technical Writing Manager, and Technical Sales Support in a 50 person Redmond, WA hardware and software company that developed products for the statistical process control (SPC) industry. He travelled extensively, participated in trade shows, and trained customers, support and field personnel. Jim also managed the company's network, phone system, BBS, and web site. During this time, Jim also earned his MCSE and MCT certifications, worked as a technical trainer, and consultant.

When he's not working, Jim can usually be found hiking and scrambling with friends and family in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest.

Microsoft versus SalesForce.com

Microsoft and SalesForce.com are going head to head in an online debate hosted by the Economist.com. Microsoft is represented by Stephen Elop, President of Microsoft's Business Division. SalesForce.com is represented by Marc Benioff, CEO of SalesForce.com.

Microsoft believes in a mixed cloud / on premise strategy:

"The cloud cannot be all things to all businesses. A mixed approach to the cloud, with the choices afforded by software plus services, is a much more flexible and realistic scenario for most organizations. While I advocate the cloud, there is a desire among many customers to avoid a technology ultimatum. So it is smart to focus on what customers want, and their readiness to embrace the cloud for various applications in the context of their circumstances, instead of forcing a decision to move everything to the cloud." Stephen Elop states.

SalesForce.com believes in a cloud only strategy:

"That is why companies trust the cloud today: It delivers more innovation at far lower cost and complexity. And although there are still customers who prefer to trust the devil they know, more and more each day are rejecting the cost, complexity and meager returns of client/server technologies and are choosing cloud computing." Mark Benioff states.

Me personally: I believe in a mixed strategy. Users will always want rich applications which are always on. Which work regardless of your location and if you have a connection or not.

Do you agree with me and Stephen Elop? Vote yes!

Follow the debate (and cast your votes) at: http://www.economist.com/debate/overview/157/Cloud%20Computing

SkyTeam Alliance migrates to Microsoft Online

This morning a press release has been issued by Microsoft Holland about the migration of SkyTeam Alliance to Microsoft Online/BPOS.

 

Below you'll find the exerpt:

SkyTeam, a global alliance of airline carriers with nine members - KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Air France, Alitalia Aeroflot, Delta Air Lines, China Southern Airlines, Czech Airlines, Aeromexico and Korean Air and two associate carriers Air Europe and Kenya Airways – have deployed the full Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite for nearly 450 employees, who are often working mobile. BPOS enables these employees to access their company data anyplace, anytime. BPOS is implemented at SkyTeam by Wortell, the first Microsoft partner in the Netherlands implementing BPOS with customers.

 

Bruno Faccini, IT responsible for the SkyTeam Alliance: “SkyTeam has chosen BPOS because we want to minimize IT management. Now we don’t have to invest in a server infrastructure, software licenses and IT personnel. This way we think we can reduce out IT costs with 30 percent, compared to a traditional environment. The familiarity of the tools means no time is lost with training, and the seamless integration with our existing IT environment were important reasons to choose Microsoft’s online applications. We are already using Exchange Online, Office Communications Online and Live Meeting. Next week SharePoint Online will go live globally, starting with a training at KLM.”

Windows Live Mesh add

Last year an add ran about Windows Live Mesh. It's a great video about how information can be synchronized amoung all your devices.

Software plus Services explained

In this video Software plus Services is explained. It gives a good overview about the main advantages and disadvantages of software on the cloud. It talks about the Microsoft strategy and how Software plus Services is the best solution for most companies:

GlaxoSmithKline Microsoft Online Services video

Earlier I posted an item about GlaxoSmithKline moving to the cloud. Someone just pointed me to a YouTube video in which the GlaxoSmithKline CIO talks about the reasons for their move to the cloud and decision to use BPOS:

SharePoint in plain English

Often people ask me to explain SharePoint in a few words. The capabilities of SharePoint however don't get explained easily in a few minutes. The following video however does succeeded very good. So if you want to know what SharePoint is any only have a few minutes to do so, be sure to watch it!