BPOS Rocks

Migrating to SharePoint Online

Today Dalton Kroderer of Metalogix and Myself did a presentation on migrating to SharePoint 2010 from a MOSS 2007 or SPS 2003 environment. In the presentation we also discussed migrating to SharePoint Online with the Metalogix SharePoint Site Migration Manager.

Currently the SharePoint Site Migration Manager is fully supported by SharePoint Online Dedicated. It is also supported by SharePoint Online standard however doesn't cover all features.

Check out the presentation below:

If you want to play around with the products you can download them from the following site:

• SharePoint Site Migration Manager 15 day free trial
• Website Migration Manager 15 day free trial
• FileShare Migration Manager 15 day free trial
• Selective Restore Manager 15 day free trial

Wanna play around with the beta? Send me an email.

Migrate Gmail to Exchange Online

One of our SMB clients has been using Gmail as their mail system. While their company grew from 3 people to 12 over the last year they decided to get an enterprise ready messaging system in place. After examining several options they choose Exchange Online. Basically it provided them with all the enterprise ready features Gmail (at least currently) lacks against a great price.

Although the migration in the end was very simple it did take me a little while to figure out in which way we had to do the migration. Below are my findings and steps to do such a migration.

Some considerations:

1. Only the inbox is migrated. In case of gmail this will normally have all mails
2. Contacts and Calendar items will not be migrated
3. You need all users passwords to perform a migration

Here are the migration steps:

1. First of all make sure you have a BPOS account (need a BPOS trial account?).
2. Create all users you need (either by hand, batch import of AD connection).
3. Configure your exchange environment so all meeting rooms etc. are set up.
4. Download and install the Microsoft Online Migration Tools

Installing the Microsoft Online Migration Tools not only give you the MMC snapin but also PowerShell access to Exchange Online. PowerShell access to Exchange Online is pretty powerful. It allows you to create scripts with which you can create / delete users. You can download the migration tools from the http://admin.microsoftonline.com console.

1. Make sure you have all the info you need

Basically you need to know:

• Gmail user accounts
• Gmail login names (basically the same as the user accounts)
• Gmail passwords (all users would have to provide their individual passwords)
• Source Server: pop.gmail.com
• Each users target identity

Especially getting all users password can be quite a task.

1. Do a test run with PowerShell

Although you could skip this test I always like to do a test run. I do this test run with the Migration Command Shell, which by the way gives you a lot of other commands as well.

The command for a migration is:

PS C:\Windows\system32> Move-XsPOPMailboxToExchangeOnline -sourceidentity "danny.burlage@gmail.com" -sourceserver "pop.gmail.com" -SourceLoginID "danny.burlage@gmail.com" -sourcepassword "PASSWORD" -targetidentity "danny@dunamareog.emea.microsoftonline.com" -targetcredential (get-credential)

You would have to replace all the bold parts.

Below you'll find a screenshot of a test migration run. The first run has an error: "Failed to connect to server mail.gmail.com".

1. Create a csv file for the import

After you have tested the migration of one mailbox you can now create your csv file to migrate users in bulk. The setup of the csv file is as following:

SourceIdentity,SourceServer,SourceLoginID,SourcePassword,TargetIdentity

Each user would then have to be put on a new line.

1. Import all users

Now that your csv file is ready you can now use the Migration Console or Microsoft Online Services Migration Tools to perform the migration.    Start the Migration Console, select POP/IMAP and choose Add mailboxes on the right hand side. Select the csv file which was created. The Migration Console will show all mailboxes which need to be imported and their migration status.

Not select all mailboxes you wish to migrate and click Migrate selected mailboxes on the right pane.

After a migration has taken place you can perform the migration again for the already migrated mailboxes. Only the new items in the inbox will be migrated.

 

You're done! All specified mailboxes have been migrated.

Wortell and Metalogix sign partnership

Wortell and Metalogix signed a partnership agreement. This partnership agreement allows Wortell to resell and implement the Metalogix products. The reason we signed the partner agreement is that we were impressed by the functionality the Metalogix software provides for migrating SharePoint 2007 environments to SharePoint 2010 environments.

Next to SharePoint 2010 migrations Metalogix can also be used for migrating content to SharePoint Online. The Metalogix SharePoint Site Migration Manager allows you to migrate content from an on premise environment to a cloud environment. Over the next few weeks I'll post something about the steps you can take for this migration.

Connecting BlackBerry to BPOS (2/3) – Setting up the contracts

In previous post I described the resources needed and pricing involved to get your BlackBerry's connected to Microsoft Online Services.

Once you have made your decision to go ahead with BPOS and BlackBerry you would need to order the Hosted BlackBerry Service from Microsoft. After that is all setup you can go ahead and migrate from your existing solution to the Hosted BlackBerry Service from Microsoft. I'll talk about the actual migration process in my next post which I'll write next week. First in this post I'll handle the contracts and service details.

The process in short is as following:

1. Make sure you have all the right info
2. Go to the Microsoft Online Administration Portal and create a Service Request stating you want to purchase the BlackBerry Hosted Service.
3. Review and sign the contract
4. Submit all information needed to a Microsoft support agent.
5. Supply Tier 1 with the needed information

Preparations

In order to get everything up and running you'll need the following:

1. SRP ID
2. SRP Authentication Key
3. CAL ID
4. TX2 Support Contract ID
5. (BlackBerry phones)
6. (BlackBerry Data Plan)

If you don't have all these components, don't even start the process. So where can you find this info?

Retrieving the SRP ID and SRP Authentication Key

There are several ways in which you can find the SRP ID and SRP Authentication Key. First of all the were supplied to you when first purchasing the software. If you don't have that information present anymore you can also find the needed info by using the BlackBerry Manager or the BlackBerry Enterprise Server Management console. As a last resort you could use the Blackberry Configuration Database or Cached Property File.

If you don't have a BlackBerry Enterprise Server license yet you can order it from RIM or your reseller.

Retrieving the CAL ID's

Next to the BlackBerry Server you need CAL (Client Access Licenses) for each devices used to connect to the BES Server. The BES CAL´s have been supplied to you when first purchasing the software. The CAL ID would start with BES35X or BESCAL.

If you don't have the official document anymore you could do one of the following:

1. The BES Admin can use the BlackBerry Resource Kit (BRK) to export the list.

2. The BES Admin can use a much easier SQL tool (if they know SQL) called Query Express. If the BES database is MSDE (usually resident on the BES itself), then Query Express would most likely be installed on the BES (it's a single file application and I have it on 3 of my servers). If the BES database is a remote SQL 2003/2005 database, then Query Express can be installed on a workstation on your network (like on the BES Admin's PC) and they just connect remotely to the database and run a SQL query). select * from licensekeys This will give you a dump of all the license keys through a sql client interface. Look for everything starting with BESCAL and BES35X ...

If you need (more) licenses you can purchase them via RIM or a reseller.

TX2 Support

Lastly you would need the Support Contract ID (named support). In some Microsoft it is stated that TX2 support is needed. However this support option is now longer available. You now need BlackBerry Support Services for Enterprise. A complete description of this service is available from the blackberry website.

Again if you don't already own a support contract you can either purchase it via a reseller or the BlackBerry website.

Submitting a request to Microsoft Online Services

As soon as you have all needed information you would need to send out a request for the contracts needed to Microsoft.

You can either put in the request via phone or via the Support tool within the Administration Center. Once you have done that you will receive a mail (and issue in the system) stating the following:

The Hosted BlackBerry Service requires customers to bring the BES licenses they have already purchased to Microsoft to provide hosting and operational support within the Microsoft Online Services data centers. The service is purchased and billed separately from Exchange Online or the BPOS through a separate agreement in countries that can purchase BPOS online.

If you are interested on contracting this service, please provide the following, which will help us to to request for you a Hosted BlackBerry service agreement:

-The licenses' information

-Name of the contact person to whom the contract has to be sent

-E-mail address of the contact person

After you submit all the requested info (when you state the licenses' information be sure to write it down, don't reply with an attachment) and state the mentioned SRP ID, SRP Authentication Key, CAL ID and TX2 Support Contract ID.

You will then receive an e-mail from someone getting all the contacts in place. He (or she) will send out the BlackBerry Service Supplemental Agreement and BlackBerry Licensing Management spreadsheet. Once you have signed the BlackBerry Service Supplemental Agreement and filled in the BlackBerry Licensing Management spreadsheet you can mail them back.

The contract states several terms, describes the service delivery model and describes the services. The Service Description for Service Delivery states the following:

Features

•  Personal information management

–  Email

–  Calendar

–  Contacts with GAL integration: Contacts supports lookup across multiple domains for users in the same GAL (e.g., single Microsoft Online account)

–  Tasks

•  Device management

–  Device wipe

–  Password reset

Standardized Policy and Version Support

•  All policies and settings are as listed in the Policy Reference Guide at http://na.blackberry.com/eng/deliverables/3801/Policy_Reference_Guide.pdf with the exception of the choice of password and no-password policies as follow:

–  No password required policy – this is the default policy which will be applied unless customer specifically requests the Password protected policy

•  Device-Only Items: Password Required = False

•  Global Items: Allow Browser = False

•  PIM Sync Policy Group: Disable PIN Messages Wireless Sync = True

•  PIM Sync Policy Group: Disable SMS Messages Wireless Sync = True

•  PIM Sync Policy Group: Disable Phone Call Log Wireless Sync = True

•  MDS Integration Service Policy Group: Disable MDS Runtime = True

•  MDS Integration Service Policy Group: Disable Activation With Public BlackBerry MDS Integration Service = True

•  MDS Integration Service Policy Group: Disable User-Initiated Activation with the BlackBerry MDS Integration Service = True

–  Password required policy

•  Device-Only Items: Password Required = True

•  Device-Only Items: User Can Disable Password = False

•  Global Items: Allow Browser = False

•  Password Policy Group: Set Password Timeout = 15

•  Password Policy Group: Set Maximum Password Attempts = 5

•  PIM Sync Policy Group: Disable PIN Messages Wireless Sync = True

•  PIM Sync Policy Group: Disable SMS Messages Wireless Sync = True

•  PIM Sync Policy Group: Disable Phone Call Log Wireless Sync = True

•  MDS Integration Service Policy Group: Disable MDS Runtime = True

•  MDS Integration Service Policy Group: Disable Activation With Public BlackBerry MDS Integration Service = True

•  MDS Integration Service Policy Group: Disable User-Initiated Activation with the BlackBerry MDS Integration Service = True

•  BlackBerry handsets supported

•  Blackberry OS 4.2 +

•  Future Blackberry OS versions to be supported shortly after release by major US carriers

•  Blackberry Enterprise Server supported

•  BES 4.1.6; all BES upgrades done at Microsoft's discretion and standardized across customers

In the Excel sheet you would need to provide the following information (for each user entering into the service):

• Same for all users: Company / Business Contact / Business Contact Email / ITGen or Admin / ITGen Email
• License User (name of the person using the service)
• License User's e-mail address (BPOS mailaddress)
• Activation Requestor (List the person responsible for sponsoring the Blackberry activation)
• SR (Activation): List the service request number that was opened via https://admin.microsoftonline.com to activate your initial Blackberry users per the onboarding document
• IT Policy (either: No Device Password / Device Password Required)
• Activation Password: Specify an activation password for the user in this field. If an activation password is not specified, a random password will be assigned and emailed to the end user.

(This whole process was taken care of within a few hours in our case)

Also the Excel sheet states the rest of the process:

Customer Preparations for Service On-boarding

1. You will receive an Excel file which requests the names, email addresses and other information for the employees for which you wish to use the Hosted Blackberry Service beta.
2. Return the Excel file to the email address from which you received it. This may be a partner, Microsoft sales person, or the service contract desk.
3. Make sure that you have the correct number of Hosted Blackberry beta service licenses and Exchange Online licenses for your Blackberry devices.
4. Make sure that the users you wish to activate for service are included in the Excel document you filled in and returned to Microsoft.
5. Make sure all your users are on the BES plan with your wireless carrier, and not the personal BIS plan.
6. Make sure all your Blackberries are activated by the wireless carriers, in working order, and have ample data connectivity.
7. Assign Exchange Online or Business Productivity Online Suite licenses for each of your Blackberry users in the Microsoft Online Administrator Portal. Blackberry users must have an Exchange account before Microsoft Online Services can provision them a Hosted Blackberry Service account.
8. If the devices are currently attached to your local BES, or any other hosted BES service, please disassociate them from that BES prior to requesting the Blackberry activation with Microsoft. Blackberries cannot be attached to multiple BES. Please allow a couple of hours to propagate through the RIM infrastructure. We cannot provision Blackberries if they are already attached to another BES.
9. Have the users sign into their Exchange Online account to verify that they can access their Email through either Outlook 2007 or Outlook Web Access.
10. Use the Microsoft Online DirSync tool, and make sure everyone in the company (BES and non-BES users) has the exact same company name in AD. Those with different company names in AD will be excluded from GAL searches performed by the BES users.

On-boarding Process

1. A support request to Microsoft Online Services Technical Support has been submitted on your behalf and a support representative will be contacting you to retrieve this spreadsheet as well as schedule out a time with you to onboard your Blackberry users onto the Microsoft Online Blackberry Enterprise Server .
2. Coordinate with support on timing via the service request to minimize your Blackberry down time.
3. On the agreed upon date and time, remove the users from your on premise Blackberry Server.
4. Users will be activated by Microsoft Online Services.
5. The support ticket will be returned to you to confirm activation once we have completed all users on the list you provided.
6. Individual users will receive their Enterprise Activation Passwords in their Exchange Online accounts.
7. Users need to enter the activation password into their devices for Enterprise Activation. Users will have 7 days to activate their devices before the activation password expires.
8. If users are unable to activate their device in 7 days, they will have to be re-activated by repeating the steps in this process (that is, opening another service request at https://admin.microsoftonline.com).

Handover to tier one support

After you have signed the contracts your application will be handed over to tier one support. They will ask you (if you haven't supplied it yet) for the following information:

• SRP ID
• SRP Authentication Key
• CAL ID
• RIM Support Contract ID
• CAL ID / CAL Authentication Key

The onboarding process

Now you're all set. Wait for the onboarding process to begin. Of course Microsoft will contact you to plan all necessary steps.

In my next post I'll write about the onboarding experience.

Connecting BlackBerry to BPOS (1/3)

One of our clients used BlackBerry in their old corporate environment. Before migrating to BPOS (with Exchange Online) they used a Groupwise Server. Their BlackBerry Enterprise Server in the old situation was connected to their Groupwise Server. After migrating to Exchange Online they wanted to leverage their investment in BlackBerry phones and decided to use the service offering supplied by Microsoft for Hosted BlackBerry Services.

In a series of three posts I'll tell you all the steps we had to take for getting the contracts in order and onboarding them. In this first phase I will handle the contracts and services. When reading this post please keep the usual disclaimers in mind.

In order to get a BlackBerry up and running with Microsoft Exchange you can choose several options. First of all you can choose to use either BIS or BES. You'll find a great explanation of the differences between BIS and BES on the crackberry.com website, but to be short, BIS is used in consumer situations, BES in enterprises. Next to that there is the option of using NotifySync which also works with Exchange.

Most corporate customers will choose to use the BES Service. However, in the BlackBerry model a BlackBerry cannot be connected to an Exchange Server the way a Windows Mobile, iPhone or Nokia E series and N series does. In order to get your connection up and running you'll need a BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES).

When using Microsoft Online Services (Exchange Online to be specific), Microsoft offers the BlackBerry Hosted Service. This service allows you to connect your BlackBerry to Exchange Online.

In order to get this service up and running Microsoft charges a fee for providing the service and setting it up. These can be divided in a one time fee ($50 per user with a minimum of $1000) and a monthly fee ($5,00 per device). Microsoft charges this fee to buy, install and configure the server running BlackBerry Enterprise Server, install and configure BES on top of this server, make sure it keeps running (in other words managing the device) and providing ongoing services like an internet connection, power etc. (pretty good deal).

Next to this, of course you'll need the phones and a data plan with your carrier.

However… As explained earlier when using the BlackBerry model you also need additional licenses to be bought from RIM. These licenses can be divided into the following:

1. A license for the BlackBerry Enterprise Server
2. A Client Access License for each BlackBerry that will use the BlackBerry Enterprise Server
3. A TX2 support contract to be bought from RIM

All in all these costs will add up. The entire service will cost you the following (we used 50 phones in the example below), based on a one year contract:

Microsoft Online Services one time setup fee for BES:	$ 2.500	50 devices x $ 50.00
Microsoft Online Services monthly fee for BES:	$ 3.000	12 months x 50 devices x $ 5.00
BlackBerry Enterprise Server license:	$ 2.999
Client Access Licenses:	$ 4.000
TX2 support contract*	$ 800
Total	$ 13.299
Per device:	$ 266	Total / 50

The pricing might vary in you specific situation

* Recently RIM pulled the plug out of the TX2 program. Now they offer BlackBerry Technical Support Services for Enterprise.

Since the amount of costs is substantial please keep that in mind when making a decision for using BlackBerry phones. And remember, connecting Windows Mobiles, iPhones or Nokia E series and N series to Exchange Online is free.

In my next posts I'll write about the contracts and process of getting the BlackBerry service available and the onboarding process. (vdqkxh3cjy)

Exchange Online Public Folder Data Migration Whitepaper

The Microsoft Online Services team has published a new white paper that provides guidance for migrating data from Exchange Public Folders to the Business Productivity Online Standard Suite.

Exchange Public Folders are widely used in on-premises Exchange environments. However, Exchange Online does not support Public Folders. As a workaround, SharePoint Online and some capabilities of Exchange Online can accommodate many of the processes and data for which organizations typically use Public Folders in their on-premises Exchange deployments.

This white paper addresses common usage scenarios for Public Folders and provides recommendations for accommodating and migrating the Public Folder processes and data to the Business Productivity Online Suite. Scenarios covered in this white paper include:

·         Basic Sharing of Events, Tasks, and Contacts

·         Archiving E-Mail Messages or Discussion Lists

·         Document Sharing

·         Manual Workflow

·         Automated Workflow

·         Custom Applications

·         Free/Busy Lookups, OAB Distribution, and Outlook Security Settings

·         E-Mail Delegates, Send As, and Shared Mailbox Scenarios

 

The white paper can be downloaded from the Microsoft Download Center.

Source: Microsoft Online Blog

Exchange Online – Migrate Exchange mail from hosted environment

Migrating Exchange mailboxes to Exchange online is a relatively straightforward process. After trying this in the testlab several times everybody should be able to migrate mailboxes.

A whole different issue however arises when migration mailboxes from an (externally) hosted environment to an Exchange online environment. Most hosters will not allow you to install software on their servers which is needed to migrate mailboxes. Next to this the current Active Directory connector synchronizes all users in the Active Directory to the Exchange Online environment in order to use GAL synchronization.

Although hosters hate to see you leave to another hoster (which Microsoft is with the BPOS offering), they are normally helpful with exporting your data. However, since this is not always the case, you should check into this when signing up with a hosting provider for Exchange.

At one of our clients this is currently the case. They currently have 70 mailboxes at a hosting environment which need to be migrated to Exchange Online.

In order to do this we examined the following scenarios:

1. Use AD and Exchange synchronization tools
2. Use hoster exported mailboxes and import them automatically
3. Use hoster exported mailboxes and import them manually
4. User operated import / export

Use AD synchronization tools

Using the actual synchronization tools (which are found under the Migration tab) is by far the best option. This scenario will only take an hour or so (apart from the actual copying process). The biggest pitfall is however that most hosters will not allow you to install software on their hosting environment. Therefore this is not really an option.

Use hoster exported mailboxes and import them automatically

In this scenario we will set up an temporary Exchange 2007 environment and import the exported data into this Exchange 2007 environment. After that we will use the automated import tools to import the mailboxes.

Exporting mailboxes from an Exchange 2007 environment is actually very simple. This article on technet explains which steps need to be taken to export Exchange mailboxes: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb266964.aspx.

Although the article describes the steps, normally a hoster should supply all Exchange mailboxes so you wouldn't have to worry about these steps.

After all mailboxes are present an Exchange environment should be set up in which all new mailboxes can be imported. In order to do this you would need an Active Directory Server and an Exchange Server. The software is available via the following links:

• Windows Server 2008: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/trial-software.aspx
• Exchange 2007 SP1: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/bb736128.aspx
• However it might be easier to use an already configured Exchange virtual machine: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e99f2a96-ffbc-4323-9676-9657607c4a52&displaylang=en

After the Exchange 2007 environment has been set up an import could be done of the earlier exported mailboxes. The following powershell command should be used in order to do this:

Import-Mailbox –Identity hew –PSTFolderPath: c:\PSTs\hew.pst

Please note that the users have to available on the environment and a mailbox must already be present.

Because this process can also take a long time there is also a way to import mailboxes in bulk. In order to do this you could have a look at the following tutorial: http://www.msexchange.org/articles_tutorials/exchange-server-2007/management-administration/exchange-2007-sp1-mailbox-management-part1.html

After this process has been completed the normal Exchange synchronization tasks can be performed.

The time needed to perform this scenario:

• 4 hours to set up the VHD
• 2 hour to prepare the environment and import mailboxes (because the import task can take a long time the actual time will be a lot longer but you don't have to spend it behind the server)
• 1 hours to synchronize mailboxes with BPOS (again, this process will take a lot longer but you don't have to sit behind the compute to do this)

Note: You can only perform this scenario if the hoster supplies you with the actually exported Exchange mailboxes.

Use hoster exported mailboxes and import them manually

If you don't have the experience or knowledge to set up an Exchange environment, importing all PST files manually is also an option. However in order to do this you would need all usernames and passwords for the users you will be importing. Next to that all users will have to be logged on at least once and their automatically created passwords will have to be changed.

Next to that you will need to sign into the environment and need to perform multiple actions by hand.

In order to import PST files by hand perform the following actions:

1. Sign into the BPOS SSO tool with a specific user name
2. Choose to configure the applications
3. Start Outlook 2007
4. Choose File -> Import and Export
5. Select Import from another program or file
6. Select Personal Folder File (.pst)
7. Select the just created backup file
8. Choose one of the Options
9. Select Finish

These steps must be repeated for all users.

The time needed to perform this scenario:

• Changing passwords for all users; 2 minutes per user
• Approx 30 minutes for import (Actual time is depended on the mailbox size) per user

User operated import / export

In this scenario the user performs the actual task of exporting and importing mailbox data. This scenario will be the quickest scenario for an administrator but will take by far the most time for users. However this scenario could be used not only for scenario's in which e-mail is hosted by a Hoster but also in scenario's where e-mail is stored in Outlook 2007 and another mailserver is used.

Because BPOS will use a different profile for Outlook 2007 it is not possible to just copy all mail from the old Outlook 2007 profile to the BPOS Outlook 2007 profile. Therefore the user will need to export data to a pst file, after which this pst file can be imported into the new BPOS Outlook 2007 profile.

Exporting e-mail to PST

First the user will have to export all mail to a PST file. In Outlook 2007 this task can be performed as following:

1. Choose File -> Import and Export
2. Choose Export to a File
3. Choose Personal Folder File (.pst)
4. Select Mailbox – Name and select Include subfolders
5. Select the location where the PST file should be created.
6. Choose Finish
7. Choose a name for the PST file
8. Start the export process

Importing e-mail to PST

Start up Outlook 2007 with the BPOS profile

1. Choose File -> Import and Export
2. Select Import from another program or file
3. Select Personal Folder File (.pst)
4. Select the just created backup file
5. Choose one of the Options
6. Select Finish

The time needed to perform this scenario:

• Approx 30 minutes for export (Actual time is depended on the mailbox size)
• Approx 30 minutes for import (Actual time is depended on the mailbox size)

Note: Some users will probably need help using this option.

As you see importing mailboxes can give you quite some headaches. I personally think using the temp Exchange environment is by far the best option.