Identity and Authentication in Office2013 and Office 365 MessageOps

Development of the cloud has allowed Office 2013 and Office 365 to shift from computer centered authentication to now being user centered. This shift allows users to move seamlessly among devices (laptop, cell phone, pc, tablet) from anywhere in the world at any time, no longer requiring them to be stuck behind one computer at the company’s office. For the IT admin, user audit trails  and compliance are also separated by identity. We know what you used to do (since your beeper days) on premises each day, but now what do you do with the advent of the cloud and hybrid?

Let’s take a closer look at the 2 scenarios you are most likely facing today as IT Pro.

Scenario #1 – All in the Microsoft cloud 

IT Pro Provisioning Experience - You are in charge. Smaller businesses use Microsoft’s cloud Identity Services to establish, manage and authenticate users. Everything is managed in the cloud. No servers. Microsoft manages all of that for you. You can still provision or de-provision ID’s and user access through the portal or PowerShell cmdlets.

End User authentication experience - Once you have set up users in the Office 365 Administration Center in the Microsoft cloud, the end user can sign in from up to five devices – from anywhere and at any time

Scenario #2 – Hybrid cloud and on-premises

IT Pro Provisioning Experience - The Microsoft cloud Directory Sync tool keeps your on-premises and in-the-cloud corporate user identities synchronized.

End User authentication experience - For the end user, the authentication experience is the same. Whether they are behind the corporate firewall, or at a coffee shop, home, or a hotel on the other side of the planet. They don’t need to care where their request goes – it all just works -  always, and wherever they are.

We have created an easy diagram for you to get all the details - Identity and Authentication in Office 2013 and Office 365

About 365 Command  Powered by MessageOps, the Microsoft Cloud experts and a Microsoft Partner of Record, 365 Command offers a feature-rich, HTML5, web-based portal to easily administer Office 365. Scalable to support a virtually unlimited number of mailboxes, 365 Command provides anywhere, anytime access to perform the most common admin tasks with a simple point-and-click interface that’s easy enough for even a novice to use. MessageOps is a privately held company headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla. For more information, visit http://365command.com or www.messageops.com.  Follow us on twitter and like us on Facebook.

A select group of Spiceworks members, affectionately called Spiceheads, recently had the opportunity to be part of a Spiceworks Panel for 365 Command by MessageOps.  Panel Members got to use 365 Command and provide their feedback to the creators of this popular easy-to-use, web-based portal that provides enhanced administration, reporting, and monitoring tools to better manage Office 365.

“We got great feedback from these IT Pros managing their networks and users with  Microsoft Office 365.  The number of mailboxes they were responsible for ranged from 75 to 500.  They shared features they loved as well as ideas for additional enhancements,” stated Chris Pyle, CEO of Champion Solutions Group, parent company of MessageOps.

Some of the feedback that was shared by the Spiceworks Panel about 365 Command:

• “It is easy to use as a replacement for PowerShell.”
• “365 Command worked really well.”
• “The all over reporting map was super cool.”
• “It gave us more functionality.”
• “It was incredibly simple and easy to use.”
• “All the information on the dashboard was great.”
• “365 Command is much easier to use than PowerShell which is a huge time saver for us.”
• “It was so easy to assign mailbox rights to other users.”
• “Even though I like PowerShell, I found I loved all the reporting features, ease of use and ability to easily change passwords.”
• “I liked how 365 Command make use of a GUI to help those of us with either limited experience with O365 or simply the lack of time to go in and “find” what it is that we need a way to get things done faster.”
• “365 Command is a tool that increases user ability.”

It was great to get such positive feedback but we also got some amazing suggestions for future improvements:

• “Having  “Send As” privileges would be valuable.”
• “Would like the option to have reports sent to email.”
• “Ability to be able to select multiple people on a list to modify permissions at a time would be a great additional feature.”
• “What would be nice is tight integration with Spiceworks as that is THE tool we use to support all of our companies.”
• “If there was a better way to setup a restricted admin account in O365 so that we could restrict what 365 Command has access to so that we could implement the solution on our end.”

And the best one of all:

• “Wish it was implemented by Microsoft and came with Office 365.”

We loved the feedback and are adding the suggestions to our schedule of improvements.   We are continuing to work with the Spiceworks Panel as we implement additional features and continue to listen to their feedback and recommendations!

About 365 Command  Powered by MessageOps, the Microsoft Cloud experts and a Microsoft Partner of Record, 365 Command offers a feature-rich, HTML5, web-based portal to easily administer Office 365. Scalable to support a virtually unlimited number of mailboxes, 365 Command provides anywhere, anytime access to perform the most common admin tasks with a simple point-and-click interface that’s easy enough for even a novice to use. MessageOps is a privately held company headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla  For more information, visit http://365command.com or www.messageops.com.  Follow us on twitter and like us on Facebook.

Here are some highlights:  For original article click here.

• Microsoft released Office 365 for general sale and administration by all qualified partners so solution providers of all stripes can sell, support and bill for Microsoft’s primary cloud service.
• Unfortunately, solution providers say they can’t make money off Microsoft cloud products because the margins are too low.  Microsoft restricts Office 365 margins to 18 percent in the first year and 6 percent for each successive year of the contract.
• While Microsoft has said that partners need to add value with additional professional services, solution providers don’t know how to add value when the product is essentially self-service.

This is where MessageOps comes in.

MessageOps developed 365 Command, the first easy-to-use, web-based portal that makes it simple and efficient for anyone to perform common Office 365 administrative tasks without complicated scripting.

365 Command:

• Resides on the Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure
• Makes easy work of migrating legacy Microsoft Exchange accounts from on-premises infrastructure to cloud services.
• Provides a means for ongoing management of Office 365 e-mail accounts, allowing solution providers to keep a hand in the Microsoft cloud equation.

“Office 365 administration typically requires specialized skills and the use of time-consuming and complicated scripting,” says Chris Pyle with MessageOps. “365 Command offers point-and-click ease that makes Office 365 administration as simple as navigating any common website to perform routine tasks quickly and eliminate programming errors. Help desk staff can say goodbye to PowerShell scripts and now generating graphic-rich reports takes just a few clicks.”

So how does this help solution providers make money with Office 365?

• 365 Command creates a real value-add opportunity for the channel.
• End users are not looking to simply move their e-mail off a server and into the cloud; they want management and support.
• Through 365 Command, solution providers can deliver full e-mail services, from provisioning to fine-tuning account access and enabling security and privacy controls.
• The console even provides reporting capabilities for subscribers to understand their e-mail utilization and user distribution.

“The only way you’re going to make money is if you add value,” Pyle says.

365 Command has been on the market for a few months. Since the beginning of the year,Champion — which uses the tool it created — has expanded its number of mailboxes under management from 250,000 to 535,000 in more than 100 end-user organizations. MessageOps is making 365 Command available to other solution providers, giving them between 20 percent and 30 percent off list price.

Think you can’t make money selling Microsoft Corp.’s Office 365? Think again.

To get started now with faster, easier and more efficient Office 365 administration with 365 Command, visit our website, follow us on twitter, like us on Facebook or attend our nextWEBCAST on 4/9/2013 on How to Build Your Own Value-Added Service Around the Management of Office 365.

About 365 Command
Powered by MessageOps, the Microsoft Cloud experts and a Microsoft Partner of Record, 365 Command offers a feature-rich, HTML5, web-based portal to easily administer Office 365. Scalable to support a virtually unlimited number of mailboxes, 365 Command provides anywhere, anytime access to perform the most common admin tasks with a simple point-and-click interface that’s easy enough for even a novice to use. MessageOps is a privately held company headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla.

Boca Raton, Fla. (February 6, 2013)—Bringing unprecedented simplicity to Office 365 administration, MessageOps, the Microsoft Cloud experts, today launched 365 Command, the first easy-to-use, web-based portal that makes it simple and efficient for anyone to perform common Office 365 administrative tasks without complicated scripting.

A hosted service, 365 Command replaces the command line interface of Windows® PowerShell with a rich, HTML5 graphical user interface that is easy to navigate and makes quick, point-and-click work of changing mailbox settings, monitoring usage and reporting. 365 Command scales elegantly to support a virtually unlimited number of seats for easy administration of any size Office 365 environment.

“Office 365 administration typically requires specialized skills and the use of time-consuming and complicated scripting,” said Chris Pyle with MessageOps. “365 Command offers point-and-click ease that makes Office 365 administration as simple as navigating any common website to perform routine tasks quickly and eliminate programming errors. Help desk staff can say goodbye to PowerShell scripts and now generating graphic-rich reports takes just a few clicks.”

Available on a per-seat subscription basis, 365 Command automatically populates the admin dashboard interface with Office 365 account data upon setup in minutes, with nothing to install, no special equipment and no user effort required. Once data integration is complete, 365 Command enables complete management of the Office 365 environment, including:

• Graphical overview of user data, device access, total mailbox count and size;
• Maps that show the specific datacenter location of mailboxes in the cloud, the number at each location, their total size, last log in and size over time;
• Mailbox editing to easily set forwarding addresses, create shared mailboxes, change access permissions, create and set passwords, require password changes and set passwords to never expire; and
• Report generation that illustrates hard-to-access data, such as devices by mailbox, in both graphic views and for download as Microsoft Excel or CSV data.

More than 620 clients from around the world have already streamlined administration of more than 367,000 individual mailboxes during the 365 Command Beta.

“365 Command makes Office 365 usable. It makes it better than usable, it makes it enjoyable. I would not provide Office 365 if this tool didn’t exist,” said Phil George, principal at NURV, a cloud computing solutions provider serving Western Australia.

“365 Command adds a whole new layer of management to our Office 365 environment. We don’t have to memorize a bunch of Power Shell commands or write scripts. We can modify user settings quickly and easily, which makes me and our IT staff more productive. This is what Office 365 user management should be,” said Chris Westgor, technical services manager with the Village of Schaumburg, Ill., a Chicago suburb.

To get started now with faster, easier and more efficient Office 365 administration with 365 Command, visit http://365command.com/. Or check out our webinar on February 26 http://365command.com/events/

About 365 Command

Powered by MessageOps, the Microsoft Cloud experts and a Microsoft Partner of Record, 365 Command offers a feature-rich, HTML5, web-based portal to easily administer Office 365. Scalable to support a virtually unlimited number of mailboxes, 365 Command provides anywhere, anytime access to perform the most common admin tasks with a simple point-and-click interface that’s easy enough for even a novice to use. MessageOps is a privately held company headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla. For more information, visit http://365command.com or www.messageops.com.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Kellie Connors

SS|PR

(609) 750-1027

kconnors@sspr.com

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After a successful BETA period for 365 Command, we are happy to announce we are moving forward with the official launch.

All current BETA clients will be transitioned to the new version with a free 30 day trial.  You will have until the end of that trial to switch to a paid account. To pay, log into 365 Command and click the Buy Now link at the top of the screen. And as an added benefit to 365 Command BETA users, your first month is only $1.

We appreciate the feedback we’ve gotten from our BETA community and have added additional features and improvements as a result.  We look forward to your continued support to make 365 Command the de-facto standard Cloud Management platform for Microsoft Office 365 users and solution providers.

To stay up to date on news, product updates and other developments with Microsoft Office 365 and 365 Command, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook and join our 365 Command Group on LinkedIn.

If you have any questions about 365 Command, please contact us.

Here are some helpful resources you may need and info about an upcoming Webinar on 365 Command:

Pricing

• Pricing Calculator
• Payment Options
• Billing Period

FAQs

• Cancellation Policy
• Support

Webinar:

Join us for a live webcast on 2/26/13 at 2:00 PM EST for a demo of 365 Command and How to Better Manage Office 365.
Register Today

JC PENNEY

Ron Johnson, The CEO of jcpenney who made his fame at Apple,  has announced that they will be moving to Office 365.

“In selecting a cloud solution, we were looking for a partner who would support our goal of becoming America’s favorite store,” said Kristen Blum, chief technology officer, jcpenney. “And when we realized that we could improve customer service even more by providing cloud-based collaboration tools to increase communication between team members, it was easy to choose Microsoft and Office 365.”

Jcpenney has 177,000 employees and more than 1000 stores.   This is a big move for the company and a big win for Microsoft’s Office 365 platform.

THE CITY OF CHICAGO

The City of Chicago recently announced it will be moving 30,000 employees over to Microsoft’s Office 365 cloud service

“The City will consolidate its three disparate e-mail systems into one Microsoft Office 365 environment in an effort to improve collaboration, enhance security, and provide both mobile and desktop access for anytime, anywhere productivity. This new strategy will deliver more than $1.3 million in cost savings over the next four years – a whopping 80 percent decrease in cost per employee – while ensuring City workers have access to Web-based versions of the Microsoft tools they rely upon every day, including Microsoft Outlook, Word, OneNote, Excel, Lync and PowerPoint.”

The City says that the migration to the cloud service will be fully completed by the end of 2013.

Chicago joins a rapidly growing list of state and local government customers that are taking advantage of the cost savings and efficiency benefits of moving to the cloud with Microsoft 365, including the City of San Francisco, the State of California and the State of Minnesota.

TESCO

Office 365 will be deployed to all of Tesco’s stores and employees which includes 6,000 stores worldwide and over 500,000 workers.

“Office 365 will serve as the portal for all Tesco employees, suppliers and colleagues, encouraging a cultural shift to more flexible ways of working. This will allow our colleagues to engage with each other and deliver a great shopping experience on any channel, as well as encouraging colleagues to share, re-use, and reward ideas and expertise,” stated Mike McNamara, the chief information officer for Tesco.

HELLY HANSEN

Helly Hansen, a globally recognized brand that has 39 retail outlets and sells its products on five continents, has chosen Microsoft Office 365 as its communication and social platform.  The company is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and its 350 full-time employees collaborate across offices in Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, China, Canada and the United States.

With Office 365, Helly Hansen expects to cut costs while providing a connected experience that shifts the way employees think about connecting with one another.

THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN AFFAIRS 

The Department of Veterans Affairs is making a large-scale move to the cloud and plans to transition 600,000 users to a cloud-based email system with Microsoft Office 365 for Government.  The move enables VA to fulfill the “cloud first” federal mandate while anticipating improved employee productivity and collaboration and reduced costs.

Read more about other businesses and Office 365 customer success stories.

365 Command, created by MessageOps, brings unprecedented simplicity to Office 365 administration.  At MessageOps we constantly look for ways to enhance our community member’s experience of Microsoft Online Services. We gather feedback from the community and develop software to make it easier to use Microsoft Office 365.  For more information about our software offerings, visit the software page. If you have an idea for a utility that you feel would be useful to a large number of Office 365 customers, let us know and we’ll see if we can develop it!

We believe there is a big opportunity for Microsoft Channel Partners to generate additional income by offering more services around Office 365. We look forward to discussing that more at the February meeting.

For those of you not familiar 365 Command, it is a one-of-a-kind, hosted service for organizations who want to take command of their Microsoft Office 365 subscription. Users can easily manage and gather data from any device, anywhere.

365 Command replaces the command line interface of Windows® Powershell with a rich, HTML 5 web interface. Your Help Desk staff will no longer have to run PowerShell scripts for common tasks, saving time and money.  Contact us if you are interested in learning more or click here to sign up for a free trial.  

Details:
The presentation will be given over Lync allowing anyone to join in from anywhere!

There will be a gathering of IAMCP members and guests and view the presentation via the big screen.

Location:
Microsoft Office
6750 N. Andrews Ave.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309
Thursday August 9th, 2012
4:30PM to 6:30PM

When:
February 14th – Don’t worry you will be able to get home in time to celebrate Valentines Day.
The Lync presentation is scheduled to begin at 5:00pm EST and run until 6:30pm EST.
South Florida IAMCP Members will be gathering, as usual, around 4:30pm

Participation Info:  Join Lync Meeting Conference ID: 24021452

Join by phone   +14257063500 (USA – Redmond Campus)

+18883203585 (USA – Redmond Campus)

Find a local number

So of course one of the things every one is wondering is what to expect on the pricing front.

Luckily Mary Jo Foley for All About Microsoft wrote a great breakdown on what to expect in the January 16th issue of ZDNet.  For her complete article click here otherwise we summarized it for you below:

Microsoft is pricing its next-generation Office 2013 line-up in a way to convince users to pay an annual subscription fee.  They will be offering multiple-device-installation rights as a carrot — instead of buying the Office 2013 software outright.

Here is a preview of what we might expect for both Office 365 as well as Office 2013 also known as the “New Office”.

Office 365 Cost Per User/ Month*

• Office 365 University $3.30
• Office 365 Home Premium $8.25
• Office 365 Small Business Premium $12.50
• Office 365 Midsize Business $15
• Office 365 Enterprise & Government $20

Office 2013 Cost*

• Office Home & Student 2013 & RT $139
• Office Home & Business $219
• Office Standard 2013 $369
• Office Professional Plus 2013 $499

*These are not official costs and are subject to change.  

Microsoft is making a push for customers – both business and consumers – to choose the subscription/service route, rather than purchasing a single copy of one or more Office products with perpetual-use licenses.

Office is trying to make it more enticing for consumers to pay a “rental” fee for the new Office, allowing them the right to download Office products locally on up to five PCs and Macs and use them  for a year.  This is what’s known as Office 365 Home Premium.

On the business front, Microsoft wants customers to go the service/subscription route and said they would be offering a number of new Office 365 SKUs and pricing plans.  We expect some of the new Office 365 SKUs (and lord knows we could always use more Microsoft SKUs) to include:

• Office 365 Small Business
• Office 365 Small Business Premium
• Office 365 ProPlus
• Office 365 Midsize Business
• Office 365 Enterprise

While most consumers will have to wait until the end of January to snag Microsoft Office 2013, we just learned the enterprise-oriented Professional Plus 2013 suite is now available for download on the company’s Home Use Program (HUP), according to a Neowin report (via ZDNet).

Stay tuned for more news and updates as we get closer to the launch date at the end of January.

365 Command, created by MessageOps, brings unprecedented simplicity to Office 365 administration.  At MessageOps we constantly look for ways to enhance our community member’s experience of Microsoft Online Services. We gather feedback from the community and develop software to make it easier to use Microsoft Office 365.  For more information about our software offerings, visit the software page. If you have an idea for a utility that you feel would be useful to a large number of Office 365 customers, let us know and we’ll see if we can develop it!

Chris Pyle, President and CEO, Champion Solutions Group

Chris Pyle, President and CEO of Champion Solutions Group, demonstrated 365 Command at the Tech Data TDCloud conference.  The attendees -  roughly 100 VARs and MSPs — seemed genuinely impressed with the service.

Here’s why:  Hosted in Microsoft’s Windows Azure cloud, 365 Command offers three core capabilities to channel partners — particularly those that want to wrap managed services around Office 365.  Those capabilities include:

1. Administration: The service helps administers and help desk staff to perform common tasks that would otherwise require Windows PowerShell scripting knowledge.

2. Reporting: Channel partners can generate reports to show such information as mailbox sizes, archive sizes, quotas usage and more.

3. Partner Scalability: Channel partners can administer all of their Office 365 customers from a single login.

In addition, 365 Command empowers VARs and MSPs to deliver the following services:

• Password resets (with options that never expire)

• Set mailbox permissions

• Set mailbox folder permissions

• Forward mail to an alternate mailbox

• Create shared mailboxes

• Report on mailbox sizes, archive sizes, quota usage and mobile devices

365 Command currently has roughly 600 customers and partners managing 365,000 mailboxes from all over the world.  Early feedback indicates there is a better way to manage Office 365.  And it’s called 365 Command. 

To read original article from Talkin’ Cloud by Joe Panettieri click here.