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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 learn five things that every CIO should know, and we watch some great videos on how people are more productive with the Cloud. 1. Five Things Every CIO Should Know About the Cloud and Office In our first BPOS story we analyze five things that every CIO should know about the Cloud and Office 365. The Microsoft Future of Productivity blog has a special guest blog post from Office 365 Group Manager, Andrew Kisslo. Microsoft Office 365 recently released its public beta, and there is no one better than Andrew Kisslo to walk you through the top five talking points from Microsoft’s Cloud. The five things every CIO should know are listed on the blog in the following order:

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 find out

It’s hard to believe it has been a year already when we announced the Microsoft Project and Microsoft Project Server 2010 release on the official Project blog: Microsoft Project 2010 has Launched! So much has happened during the past year in terms of customer momentum, partner readiness, solutions, content, books etc. that it would be impossible to recap it all. Instead to illustrate the awesome momentum this release has I will just illustrate recent related announcement and releases in the past 24 hours alone (and by no mean exhaustive), simply amazing: Microsoft Project for the masses RTM’d Today: Microsoft Project 2010 Inside Out (O’Reilly) Enterprise Applications: Microsoft Project 2010: Top 10 Features ( eWeek.com ) An guess what we have a lot more imminent announcements and news you will all enjoy so stay tune to the Project channel! I baked a nice virtual muffin for the occasion and I wish you a very very happy Birthday Microsoft Project 2010!

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 learn about a small town that is cashing in and creating jobs with the Cloud, and discover a great resource for anyone moving from BPOS to Office 365. 1.

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 learn about Microsoft’s new specialty servers, and how Microsoft earned FISMA certification in the cloud. Microsoft Reveals its Specialty Servers, Racks Microsoft revealed the details and designs of new specialty servers and racks. Microsoft engineer, Dileep Bhandarkar, knew that a sleeker and more efficient server was needed, “When Microsoft saw its server counts and data center footprint growing, it became clear that we needed to improve efficiency.” Our first BPOS story comes from Data Center Knowledge and outlines the new Microsoft servers being revealed. The new half-width server design allows for Microsoft to optimize server energy usage. Idle server usage is dropping from using “50 percent of the power (used when the server is active)….to about 30 percent,” says Bhandarkar. Microsoft is not the only company to introduce new efficient servers. Google and the Facebook Open Compute project have also been a part of this “broader industry conversion.” “This is not rocket science,” said Bhandarkar. “Smart people facing the same problems will come up with similar solutions. Driving the entire industry forward helps us in the long run.” What do you think of the new designs? What do you think of the industry shifting its focus to more efficient servers? Leave your thoughts below. Microsoft’s BPOS-Federal system receives FISMA certification, lands USDA as customer * image source Microsoft BPOS has recently received the Federal Information Security Management Act, or FISMA, certification. This certification makes it easier for Microsoft to offer the government cloud services. The United States Department of Agriculture is one of those organizations that will be moving 120,000 employees to Microsoft’s cloud. Microsoft is also making a push to for more FISMA certification across other cloud services. A quote from The Next Web states that “We [Microsoft] plan to pursue FISMA certification and accreditation for Office 365, our next generation cloud productivity suite, after it launches.” What do you think of the FISMA certification? What other Microsoft products should receive the FISMA certificate? 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 focus on the next generation of BPOS, Office 365. 1. Office 365 is “Ready for Work” The Public Beta for Office 365 was announced earlier this week. The public beta allows for more people to jump onto Office 365 in 38 countries and supporting 17 languages. We’ve had a ton of interest, which includes over 100,000 organizations signing up during our limited beta. You can reserve your spot for the beta by visiting www.office365.com . But remember, due to high demand, your promo code will be emailed to you when your spot comes up. If you are waiting for your Beta invite, there are plenty of other ways to get involved with the new Office 365 offering. The “Office 365: Ready for Work” contest was announced which allows small business owners to share their story. This is a great way to win fabulous prizes and to share your story with the world. Be sure to visit the Visit the contest page on Facebook for more information. Are you excited for Office 365? What are your thoughts? Have you signed up for the Public Beta? Are you already in the Beta program? Leave your comments below. 2. Microsoft launches Office 365 Marketplace selling Web apps for businesses Along with the announcement of Office 365 , Microsoft has also announced a web-based market that will sell Office 365 applications and services. The Office 365 Marketplace already features more than 150 company offerings that accompany Microsoft’s Office 365 technology. You can view and filter applications by featured professional services, featured applications, by business need, industry focus, department and service type. The marketplace provides a great opportunity for companies to get wide visibility into their fantastic products and offerings. Are you interested in getting listed on the Office 365 Marketplace? Let us know by clicking here . What applications are you excited about? Do you have an application on the market? Let us know in the comments section 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.

By: Eron Kelly I am pleased to share that BPOS-Federal has received FISMA ( Federal Information Security Management Act ) certification and accreditation. FISMA was passed in 2002 and created a process for federal agencies to certify and accredit the security of information management systems. FISMA certification and accreditation indicates that a federal agency has approved a particular solution for its use in line with the level of security established by that agency. The certification and accreditation has resulted in an official “Authorization to Operate” (ATO) issued on April 19 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for Microsoft’s Business Productivity Online Services-Federal, which includes Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and Office Communications Online. It follows a similar authorization issued by the USDA in November for the Microsoft data centers that will deliver these services to the USDA. We plan to pursue FISMA certification and accreditation for Office 365, our next generation cloud productivity suite, after it launches. As a result of this action, the USDA is migrating 120,000 employees to Microsoft’s BPOS-Federal service. This means that the USDA can use BPOS-Federal to handle a variety of tasks. For example, the USDA’s Food Security programs can use BPOS-Federal to respond to food safety emergencies, the U.S. Forest Service can use BPOS-Federal to coordinate its efforts to fight forest fires, and the Foreign Agriculture Service can use BPOS-Federal to manage the distribution of food aid to millions of people around the world. We take our responsibility to protect customer data very seriously, and our cloud services already meet some of the industry’s most rigorous global security and privacy standards. FISMA for BPOS-Federal is just the latest example. We are very excited by this news and committed to serving the needs of our public sector customers. You can learn more about the specific elements of the latest BPOS-Federal solution here , and about Microsoft Online Services generally at www.microsoft.com/online . If you have questions about Microsoft’s cloud offerings for government, ask your Microsoft rep or your partner, or you can ask in the comments below. Thanks, Eron

The next generation of BPOS is here. Today, we are announcing a public beta of Office 365, expanding it to millions more people, in more regions, and languages – a total of 38 countries and 17 languages in all. You can secure your spot for the beta at www.office365.com .

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 a new Public School system embracing Microsoft’s cloud, and we learn about an essential BPOS tip to increase your productivity. Delhi Schools Embrace Microsoft Cloud-Based Email over Google Our first BPOS story comes from the Why Microsoft blog . Tony Tai takes a look at why schools in Delhi are choosing Microsoft’s cloud over the competition. One of the focuses of the Why Microsoft blog is to bring real customer stories to light. This latest post helps outline the ongoing competition to provide the academic sector with the best possible collaboration and productivity cloud solutions. Tony dives into why Microsoft came out on top for Delhi Public Schools. “ We can offer our students and teachers a technology that is on par with the corporate world without charging any additional fees for it. ” Mr. M.I. Hussain Principal, Delhi Public Schools The Why Microsoft blog does a great job breaking down the challenges, solutions and benefits with choosing the right solution for their cloud. The benefits listed in this article outline three crucial areas that Delhi Public Schools wanted to focus on: Easier, Faster Intra-School Communication and Collaboration Improves Parent – Teacher Communication Easy Access from Any Device We are glad to have Delhi Public Schools in the cloud with Microsoft. Make sure to read the full post here . What other benefits do schools gain from going to the cloud? Leave your comments below. Creating and Troubleshooting Conference Room Mailboxes For our second BPOS story we take a look at the latest BPOS support video and learn how to create and troubleshoot conference room mailboxes. The video below demonstrates how to create conferencing or equipment calendar solutions for your company. What other BPOS tips do you have? Leave your comment 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.