This week in BPOS news is a recurring segment on the Microsoft Online Services Team Blog that covers news from all sectors of Cloud Computing and the Microsoft Online Services business suite known as the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). You can read all past This Week in BPOS News segments here. For this week in BPOS news we take a look at two stories that illustrate why public sectors are moving to the Cloud with Microsoft. 1. Microsoft Sees Increasingly Rapid Adoption of Its Cloud Computing Services Among U.S. Government, Education Organizations Last week Microsoft U.S. held the Public Sector CIO Summit in which Microsoft announced cloud computing pacts with 16 more government and education organizations. Our first BPOS story takes a closer look at the recent announcement and increasingly popular adoption of Cloud Computing in the public sector. Curt Kolcun, VP of U.S. Public Sector at Microsoft, talked about why Government and Education establishments are looking to the cloud, “Public sector organizations are looking for enterprise-grade cloud solutions, and that means providing high levels of security, functionality and support,” Kolcun said. “We’re seeing government and education organizations of every size and dimension using Microsoft cloud solutions to help reduce costs and increase productivity in support of their missions.” The new Microsoft cloud computing customers are detailed in the article from Microsoft News Center . They include Vanderbilt University, public schools in Portland, and local governments like the city of Chicago. Check out the entire article here to learn why government and education organizations are choosing to go the Cloud with Microsoft. What do you think of the announcements made in this press release from Microsoft? Do you want your local governments to move to the Cloud? Leave your comments below. 2. Microsoft Unveils Public Sector Cloud Deals In our second BPOS article , we unveil more public sector cloud deals for Microsoft. This Information Week article further outlines some of the public sector announcement made by Microsoft. There is in depth coverage and quotes coming from the Public Sector CIO Summit that adds more context to this week’s stories. The article features a quote from Gail Thomas-Flynn, VP of Microsoft state and local government, who talks about competition with Google. “Google is coming at it from a completely online, more consumer orientation,” said Gail Thomas-Flynn, Microsoft’s vice president of state and local government, in an interview Wednesday. “With Google it’s cloud only. … But what if you’re in the cloud and you want to come back on premise? With Microsoft, you have that option.” The interview with Gail Thomas-Flynn provides some more context around why these public sectors are choosing Microsoft. I recommend that you read this article to gain a third party perspective of the Public Sector CIO event. Be sure to leave your thoughts and comments below. What are your thoughts about the stories we shared with you this week? Did you see a story you want to share with us? Let us know what other topics you’d like to see. You can comment on this blog post or send an email to our community mailbox . Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page.

This week in BPOS news is a recurring segment on the Microsoft Online Services Team Blog that covers news from all sectors of Cloud Computing and the Microsoft Online Services business suite known as the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). You can read all past This Week in BPOS News segments here. For this week in BPOS news we take a look at the U.S. government’s commitment to the Cloud, and find out how 90,000 public sector jobs are being crated with Cloud adoption. 1. Obama banks on cloud, consolidation, to hold down IT costs The United States has been going through some budget cuts from a recent economic deficit that impacted the entire country and numerous industries. Many eyes are focused sharply on U.S. President Obama’s upcoming 2012 federal budget that will help determine how the country recovers from this downturn. IT costs, that include cloud computing, are outlined in the president’s budget that sets aside $79.5 billion for IT spending during the fiscal year of 2012. Much like Microsoft, the U.S. government seems to be committed to the Cloud. This is outlined by federal CIO, Vivek Kundra , who “released a report outlining a ‘cloud first’ strategy for federal agencies.” According to Kundra, the Cloud could save the government 30% through the reduction of data center expenditures. There are conflicting views from the VP of consulting firm McLean, Ray Bjorklund, who is unsure about the cloud savings. He believes the savings apply less to government, and more to commercial businesses. You can read more about how the government is planning on spending and saving on Cloud computing in this ComputerWorld article . Do you think it’s the right move for the government to invest in the cloud? Do you think it will save the government money? What are your thoughts? Leave your comments below. 2. Cloud Adoption ‘Will Create 90,000 Public Sector Jobs In our second story , we take a look at how the adoption of Cloud computing is increasing public sector jobs in the UK. The Center for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) has determined that 90,000 jobs in the public sector are going to appear due to the prediction that government IT will be more open to cloud computing technologies which drive efficiencies. It is forecasted that “289,000 jobs are expected to be generated cumulatively over the 2010 to 2015 period in the UK,” meaning that 199,000 jobs will be created outside of the public sector. This article from CIO.com breaks down the CEBR report that outlines where Cloud jobs will be created across the UK are predicted. The CEBR also looks at profitability which will depend mainly on “efficiency, rather than volume growth, due to the pressures of reduced household spending power and rising commodity prices.” What do you think of the surge in Cloud jobs as predicted in this article ? Do you agree? Leave your comments below. What are your thoughts about the stories we shared with you this week? Did you see a story you want to share with us? Let us know what other topics you’d like to see. You can comment on this blog post or send an email to our community mailbox . Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page.

This week in BPOS news is a recurring segment on the Microsoft Online Services Team Blog that covers news from all sectors of Cloud Computing and the Microsoft Online Services business suite known as the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). You can read all past This Week in BPOS News segments here. For this week in BPOS news we take a look at the Cloud competition of Google and Microsoft, and we examine Exchange Coexistence. 1. Google Apps Won’t Beat Microsoft, Says Customer Who’s Tried Both The Why Microsoft Blog features customer stories and experiences that outline why a user should choose Microsoft over the competition. Their latest blog post features a valentine theme that may not be so lovely for Google fans. Tom Rizzo writes on the Why Microsoft blog about why Google Apps may cause you “heartache…after encountering a wide range of problems.” The San Francisco Chronicle picked up on the Why Microsoft blog post and calls the letters “corny, but the sentiment is real.” The San Francisco Chronicle writer, Matt Rosoff, examines in his own opinion how “Google Apps won’t beat Microsoft” through the real experience of an IT recruiting firm, BridgeView IT. Matt lists the following reasons as why BridgeView chose to go with BPOS instead of the competition: “Google Apps had trouble syncing data with employees’ BlackBerry devices. BridgeView makes heavy use of nested email folders in Outlook, which didn’t show up correctly in Gmail . When BridgeView tried to contact Google for support, they couldn’t find a phone number to call. Google does offer a support line for issues like major outages, but for point questions Google pointed BridgeView to online forums.” Do you think that Google Apps won’t beat Microsoft? What is your opinion on Microsoft and the competition in the cloud? Leave your comments below. 2. Keep Exchange In-House and in the Cloud with Coexistence Do you know what “Exchange Coexistence” is? Jabez Gan, writer for Enterprise Networking Planet , describes it as “the option to run Exchange Servers in-house, but host mailboxes at Microsoft’s data center.” Jabez Gan writes about the pros and cons of choosing Exchange Coexistence in our second featured article . The article first touches on the advantages of Exchange Coexistence which dissect both on and off-premises Exchange servers. Jabez also details the differences between On-premise Exchange and Off-premises Exchange. The disadvantages of Exchange Coexistence are listed as well as a section entitled “When does coexistence work?” This final section may be the most useful because it outlines three distinct scenarios that would or would not call for Exchange Coexistence. Jabez concludes that the decision will revolve around the all mighty dollar. He recommends that you follow the scenarios in his post to help weigh the costs and benefits of having Exchange Coexistence. I would recommend this article to anyone interested in Exchange Coexistence and suggest that you reply to the Enterprise Networking Planet blog post with your own scenario. What do you think about Exchange Coexistence? Are you moving to Exchange Coexistence? Leave your comments and scenarios below. What are your thoughts about the stories we shared with you this week? Did you see a story you want to share with us? Let us know what other topics you’d like to see. You can comment on this blog post or send an email to our community mailbox . Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page.

This week in BPOS news is a recurring segment on the Microsoft Online Services Team Blog that covers news from all sectors of Cloud Computing and the Microsoft Online Services business suite known as the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). You can read all past This Week in BPOS News segments here. For this week in BPOS news we take a look at the Microsoft Online and Office 365 roadmap, and learn about a holistic approach to being more efficient. 1. Microsoft Online and Office 365: Overview and Roadmap Office 365 is the next generation of BPOS . There are thousands of users that will soon be making the transition in the near future to the new standard of collaboration and productivity. But before making the transition, it might be important to fully understand the Microsoft Online and Office 365 Roadmap. This article from Directions on Microsoft entitled Microsoft Online and Office 365: Overview and Roadmap , will help any user understand what is coming from Microsoft Online Services and Office 365. The piece outlines the many layers of Microsoft Online and Office 365 which include the following: Levels of Service Dedicated Standard Deskless Worker Online Versus On- Premises What’s Ahead I would recommend to anyone who is interested in Microsoft Online and Office 365 to read this article . What are your thoughts of the Microsoft Online and Office 365 Roadmap? 2. Holistic Approach to Energy Efficient Datacenters Microsoft has stated that we are “all in” when it comes to the cloud. The cloud is run by many massive data centers throughout the world that provide the necessary hardware to power Microsoft’s cloud. Microsoft has built numerous data centers and has learned valuable lessons in regards to energy management and power usage effectiveness. Some of these lessons are outlined in a new whitepaper entitled, “A Holistic Approach to Energy Efficiency in Datacenters,” written by Microsoft engineer Dileep Bhandarkar. The whitepaper describes one tip to improving the Data Center Power Usage Effectiveness by 25 percent over two years was “cleaning the roof and painting it white, and repositioning concrete walls around the externally-mounted air conditioning units to improve air flow.” I think datacenter efficiency is essential as Microsoft looks forward to deploying more data centers and continue to be “all in” with the cloud. What do you think of the “Holistic Approach” to datacenter efficiency? What are your thoughts about the stories we shared with you this week? Did you see a story you want to share with us? Let us know what other topics you’d like to see. You can comment on this blog post or send an email to our community mailbox . Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page.

This week in BPOS news is a recurring segment on the Microsoft Online Services Team Blog that covers news from all sectors of Cloud Computing and the Microsoft Online Services business suite known as the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). You can read all past This Week in BPOS News segments here. For this week in BPOS news we take a look at six ways Microsoft Online Services can increase your business’ productivity, and we examine the new support lifecycle policy for Microsoft Online Services. 1. 6 Ways Microsoft Online Services Can Increase your Business’ Productivity This week’s first BPOS story identifies six ways that Microsoft Online Services can increase your business productivity. Michael Bayon breaks down Microsoft Online Services in six categories that he believes sums up increased productivity for businesses and business users. The six ways that Microsoft Online Services can increase your Business Productivity are listed below with a brief summary: You Don’t Need to Subscribe to All Services Subscribe to the services you need and you can upgrade your services as needed in the future. You Won’t Be Strapped for Cash No start-up costs and pay per user. Predictable Costs Fixed pricing makes it easy to anticipate costs. Software Uptime 99.9% SLA commitment with independent third party auditing. Employee Productivity Software that integrates easily with pre-existed tools and new collaboration software. Instant Upgrades Instant deployment of new versions. Additionally, Michael writes that Microsoft Online Services comes with Community Support. Once you join Online Services, you are joining a large existing community. The community is active and encourages participation and support. You can read the entire article with lengthier productivity descriptions here . Are there other ways Microsoft Online Services can increase your business’ productivity? Leave your comments below. 2. Microsoft Announces a New Support Lifecycle Policy for Online Services Microsoft Online Services is excited to welcome the next generation of BPOS , otherwise known as Office 365 . With this new product comes a new transition, and the Microsoft Support Lifecycle team is “focused on bringing the proven principles of predictable and consistent Support Lifecycle policies to Online Services provided via the cloud.” In our second BPOS news piece, we take a look at how the Microsoft Support Lifecycle team is planning on supporting Microsoft Online Services users. Their blog post entitled “Microsoft Announces a New Support Lifecycle Policy for Online Services” outlines how the transition plan will support users while creating a simple and undisruptive change. This is an essential read for anyone concerned about the Online Services Support Lifecycle policy. You can grab more information about transitioning here – https://www.microsoft.com/online/transition-center.aspx . To learn more about support timelines, they are available on the MSL website: https://support.microsoft.com/gp/OSSLpolicy . How do you feel about the next generation of BPOS? Are you ready? Leave your comments below. What are your thoughts about the stories we shared with you this week? Did you see a story you want to share with us? Let us know what other topics you’d like to see. You can comment on this blog post or send an email to our community mailbox . Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page.

This week in BPOS news is a recurring segment on the Microsoft Online Services Team Blog that covers news from all sectors of Cloud Computing and the Microsoft Online Services business suite known as the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). You can read all past This Week in BPOS News segments here. For this week in BPOS news we are going global. We take a look at how cloud computing is “an unrivalled opportunity” for Ireland and how Microsoft is growing its Cloud in Malaysia. 1. Cloud computing, “an unrivalled opportunity” for Ireland *image from lonelyplanet.com We tweeted this story earlier this week from our @MSOnline account. Sociable.co writes that there are “swift efforts by Ireland” to fund cloud computing in belief that it will benefit the competitiveness of the country. Cloud computing is forecasted to bring Ireland an economic return on its investment. Microsoft has helped Ireland realize their cloud computing potential with The Goodbody Economic Consultants report, commissioned by Microsoft . The report suggests that “targeted investment by the government now, while cloud computing is in its infancy, could be economically and socially beneficial to the country.” You can Download the full report here (PDF | 1.7MB) . The article dives deeper into Ireand’s “unrivalled opportunity” and quotes Microsoft Ireland’s Managing Director Paul Rellis, “Cloud Computing will change how the world consumes technology.” The article also identifies the dollar figures behind Cloud computing in Ireland, “In financial terms the cloud could be worth €9.5 billion to the country by 2014 and create over 8,600 jobs. It says that the cloud computing market is estimated to be worth anywhere between €40 and €110 billion by 2014.” Be sure to read the entire article here and find out why the Cloud is exciting for Ireland. 2. Microsoft eyes growing local cloud market In our second BPOS story we take a look at a very promising cloud market in Malaysia. Malaysia is a growing market that is eager to take many of its local businesses to the cloud . The Malaysian Insider takes a look at Microsoft’s local Malaysian opportunity for the cloud in this article . “Microsoft Malaysia’s chief marketing and operations officer Danny Ong said uptake of Microsoft’s cloud services by local companies has been ‘very good’ since its introduction here in May last year.” The article frequently mentions the analyst firm Gartner and their supported reports of Malaysia becoming a booming economy for Cloud Computing. North America is currently leading the way in Cloud Computing adoption, but Malaysia and Ireland are two shining examples of the global need for Cloud Computing. Do you think more countries will be adopting the cloud? Leave your thoughts below. What are your thoughts about the stories we shared with you this week? Did you see a story you want to share with us? Let us know what other topics you’d like to see. You can comment on this blog post or send an email to our community mailbox . Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page.

Do you feel the need to tweet? Are your Facebook and Linkedin profiles up to date? Do you consider yourself a social media expert or do you have no idea what “At Reply” means? No matter your experience level, social media provides an unprecedented way to be heard. Social media serves as a great resource for setting up online profiles for individuals to connect with friends and family and network with new people. Social media can also be used as a great resource to be heard and get problems resolved. Businesses use social media to answer questions from consumers where they pop up online and also provide exclusive access to content and news. Social media is quickly becoming the main line of communication between companies and fans. Twitter provides a great place to talk with companies once thought untouchable through a quick message. YouTube gives users the ability to share exclusive content, while subscribing to a Facebook page gives you up to date news and information. You can find Microsoft Online Services in several social media channels (see list below) so that you get the latest news, exclusive insights and your questions answered. So no matter if you’re an expert or a novice, use social media to interact with us online. We want to hear from you. Post something on our Facebook Wall , send us an “At Reply” or message on Twitter , comment on a new video on our YouTube Page and share some thoughts below this blog post. Don’t just sign up for an account on a social media channel, go and be a part of the conversation. Hope to hear from you soon! Get answers in our forums – https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/category/microsoftonlineservices Read our blog – https://blogs.technet.com/msonline/default.aspx . You can subscribe via RSS too. Follow us on Twitter – @msonline – https://www.twitter.com/msonline Become a fan in Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MicrosoftOnlineServices Subscribe to our YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/user/msonlineservices Join our LinkedIn group – Microsoft Online Services Find a local users group in MeetUp – https://www.meetup.com/Microsoft-Online-Services Remember to follow Office 365 on their channels: Read the Office 365 Blog Check out the Office 365 Community – https://community.office365.com/ Follow @Office365 on Twitter – https://twitter.com/office365 Become a fan in Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/office365 Watch the latest Office 365 Videos Join the Office 365 LinkedIn group

When:
Thursday, February 10, 2011 at 9:30 AM - Friday, February 11, 2011 at 5:00 PM (GMT)

Where:
Technology House
Shottery Brook Office Park
Timothy's Bridge Road
CV37 9NR Stratford Upon Avon
United Kingdom

For more details, course content and to register for this event please go to:
https://taipsadmin2010100211-rss.

This week in BPOS news is a recurring segment on the Microsoft Online Services Team Blog that covers news from all sectors of Cloud Computing and the Microsoft Online Services business suite known as the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). You can read all past This Week in BPOS News segments here. For this week in BPOS news we take a look at the new Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 announcement, and we get a 99.9 percent guarantee from BPOS. 1. Microsoft’s Dynamics CRM 2011 hits the cloud In our first BPOS News story we announce a new cloud offering from Microsoft, Microsoft’s Dynamics CRM 2011. CNET covers the launch story here . The announcement comes with a price drop of the service from 44 dollars to 33 dollars per user. There is also a “Cloud CRM for Less” program which CNET explains as Microsoft “ offering cash rebates on a per-user basis for companies that switch over from competing Salesforce or Oracle CRM tools.” Dynamics General Manager Brad Wilson told CNET why he was excited about this announcement. “What’s kind of cool about this right now is that this kind of price point and this type of technology lets smaller business take advantage of technology that was before only available to larger organizations,” Wilson said. “So to be able to offer it up as an on-demand service at a very affordable price really expands the access of the technology to smaller companies, and I think that’s very exciting.” What do you think of the new Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 announcement? We want to hear from you! Leave your thoughts below in the comments section. 2. Microsoft: BPOS components average 99.9-plus percent uptime In our final BPOS News story for this week , we look into the average up time for Microsoft BPOS over the past year. Microsoft offers a 99.9 percent uptime guarantee as their service level agreement or SLA. SLA’s are taken very seriously and if the 99.9% SLA cannot be met, Microsoft offers cash reimbursements. In this NetworkWorld article it claims that Microsoft has held a 99.9 uptime SLA over the past year. What do you think of the service level agreement from Microsoft BPOS? Leave your thoughts below. What are your thoughts about the stories we shared with you this week? Did you see a story you want to share with us? Let us know what other topics you’d like to see. You can comment on this blog post or send an email to our community mailbox . Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page.

This week in BPOS news is a recurring segment on the Microsoft Online Services Team Blog that covers news from all sectors of Cloud Computing and the Microsoft Online Services business suite known as the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). You can read all past This Week in BPOS News segments here. For this week in BPOS news we take a look at the new Office 365 for Education announcement, and we get a fresh look at the USDA’s move to Microsoft’s Cloud. Live@Edu grows, evolves into Office 365 for Education, leapfrogs Google Apps for Education In our first story, ZDNET Education writer Christopher Dawson takes a look at the new Office 365 offer for education that will take the cloud to the next level. Currently, Microsoft offers Live@Edu which is a set of collaboration tools aimed towards academia. Earlier this week the Office 365 blog announced that an education offering will be available. Be sure to check out the video below if you are interested in the recent Office 365 education announcement. The ZDNET article turns its focus from the Office 365 announcement to comparing the two main cloud for education solutions with Office 365 and Google Apps. The post makes a lot of interesting points that and outlines how the Office 365 education solution is the next step for Live@Edu and how it takes a competitive leap against Google Apps for education. Do you agree with the author that Office 365 for Education “leapfrogs” Google Apps for Education? Leave your comment below. US Department of Agriculture Deploys Massive Cloud Solution In our second story, we get an update on the US Department of Agriculture’s move to the Cloud. We previously discussed the start of the USDA moving 120,000 users to Microsoft’s cloud on our blog. This most recent article asks an important question, “Is cloud computing truly scalable and can a solution be rolled out quickly?” Author Ian McKenzie suggests that due to the USDA moving to Microsoft’s Cloud, the answer to both questions is yes. The article touches on other large government transformations to the cloud including “the State of California , the State of Minnesota , and New York City embracing cloud computing.” Ian also dives into the complexity of moving a governmental organization as big and dense as the USDA to the Cloud. He points out that Microsoft’s Cloud solution should help the 120,000 federal workers collaborate and engage on a greater level, while the government sector saves money through lowering costs with the Cloud. Do you think that the USDA moving to the cloud proves that cloud computing is a scalable solution that can be rolled out quickly? Leave your comments below. What are your thoughts about the stories we shared with you this week? Did you see a story you want to share with us? Let us know what other topics you’d like to see. You can comment on this blog post or send an email to our community mailbox . Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page.