Get Started with Microsoft’s Online Services

As with any deployment, you’ll need to assess the minimum hardware and software requirements, impact on user experience, support, update, and installation requirements. The Sign-in application requires Windows XP Professional SP2, or Windows Vista Premium, Ultimate, or Enterprise. Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 must be installed as the tool uses Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) to communicate to the service for authentication. Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 is supported as the email client. Finally, you’ll need to be an administrator to install the tool. Download the tool from the Administration Center or https://home.microsoftonline.com.

Profile management. The Sign-in application will create a new Outlook user profile that connects Outlook to the suite. Autodiscover works automatically in most cases (some tweaking may be needed in coexistence scenarios; check the online documentation for details) so that configuration is a seamless experience. You might need to perform certain administrative tasks associated with recovering autocomplete entries or adding a locally stored Inbox into the new profile. Both of these are straightforward tasks that you could automate if needed. Check out my blog entry for more information about performing these tasks, at http://blogs.technet.com/bpositive.

Email migration. The email migration tool moves email and related content to the suite from Exchange. It also supports POP3 migration to a limited extent. Like the other tools, you can download this from MOAC and install it on a system that’s joined to the AD forest. After you enter the online services you’re subscribed to and your Exchange admin credentials, the tool will query the Exchange server and find matching online accounts. You can then choose which users and content you want to migrate. For example, you could choose to migrate email in certain date ranges as well as journals, tasks, and other content associated with user’s email accounts.

Once email is migrated to the online service, the user’s AD account is set up with an alternate delivery address so that email directed to the local Exchange server is now routed to the service. The new online-services user will see a complete GAL (as a result of using the Directory Synchronization tool), will receive all mail from all sources, and can email any user without an interruption in service. Be aware that the migration tool doesn’t migrate SharePoint content.

SharePoint Online
Service administrators can create SharePoint sites in MOAC. Doing so automatically makes the service admin who created the site an administrator on the SharePoint site. The first order of business, then, is to enter the SharePoint site and add SharePoint users.

Using SharePoint Online is much like using SharePoint on premises, except that the online version has some limitations due to the services’ multi-tenant architecture. To quote David Gorbet, product manager for SharePoint Online: “In general, you can

• Use SharePoint Designer to create and deploy no-code workflows; customize content types, taxonomy, and branding via master pages and layouts; and create and deploy site templates.
• Use the Data Form Web Part to create applications that mash up, filter, roll up, and render SharePoint data or data consumed from a Web Service (e.g., RSS feeds) in new ways.
• Use InfoPath to design forms for workflows, provided these forms are user-deployable (i.e., contain no custom code).
• Use the SharePoint Web Services to access and manipulate SharePoint data remotely.

“Currently you cannot

• Use inline code, build coded workflows, or develop InfoPath forms with coded business logic.
• Deploy features, solutions, pluggable auth[entication] providers, Web Parts, site definitions, or other features that require deployment and configuration on the server.
• Modify any SharePoint files, web configuration settings, security policy, database schema, or any other serverwide or server-based resource.”

SharePoint Online is built on Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, so that a small business can benefit from publishing and collaboration and Microsoft Office integration. Some SharePoint web services are exposed, which makes possible client-side custom applications and line-of-business integrations, such as those highlighted at the Partner Solutions Showcase. For more information about SharePoint Online extensibility, see the Microsoft SharePoint Online Standard Developer Guide.

Planning to Deploy Online Services
Using the Business Productivity Online Suite is the easy part. Once you’ve deployed the software, trained your users, and have your support systems in place, day-to-day operations using the online services should be easier for you than doing the same operations with on-premises servers. Getting there, however, requires some careful planning. Some of the items you need to consider are the impact of the online services on network bandwidth, reliability of your ISP, alternate Internet access plans, email migration planning, software upgrades, mobile-device configuration for email access (the Online Suite supports Windows Mobile 6 or later), DNS configuration, identification of service administrators, updating support systems and network devices as required (e.g., content filtering, routers, proxies).

On the business side, you’ll want to ensure that users are trained on how to use the Sign-in application to launch Outlook and other services. For example, if you launch Outlook from the desktop icon instead of the Sign-in application dashboard, you’ll be prompted to select the Outlook profile you want to use. In addition, if the Sign-in application isn’t running, you’ll be prompted to authenticate and provide a client certificate. So make plans to inform users about these changes before deploying the Sign-in application.

To help with the planning process, the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit has been updated to evaluate the on-premises systems for deploying the suite. This set of questions and network query tool will provide useful information regarding impacts on bandwidth and currently installed versions of OSs and Office and includes checklists you can use to assess your preparation. In addition, you’ll want to review the materials at the Microsoft Online Services site.

Now Try It Out!
IT pro expertise is essential to the successful deployment, support, and administration of the Online Suite. Once you’ve deployed the online services, routine server administration tasks are managed by Microsoft—so you’ll probably find yourself dusting off those network rearchitecture or server upgrade plans (you know, those projects that would really increase efficiencies but you haven’t been able to get to?). You can get a free trial account for Microsoft Online Services at mocp.microsoftonline.com. Take some time to review the online documentation, download the MAP toolkit, and get a feel for how the suite works. I think you’ll be impressed with how much capability is provided as well as the ease of administration.