Category : Microsoft BPOS

The cloud is easy: no more patches.

Posted by Philippe Creytens at 14:21

Undoubtedly one of the greatest advantages of SaaS-solutions is that patches and updates become available to the end user with any intervention by that user.

Microsoft BPOS updates are tied to their release schedules of Exchange and Sharepoint products and are published on a quarterly basis. So BPOS users can know what will change and when. Because BPOS is closely used with Outlook and/or Office Microsoft users are not entirely freed from local updates.

Most of the times Google does not announce any functionalities prior to their actual release. Keep Reading…

The cloud is not safe

Posted by Philippe Creytens at 14:07

During seminars or webinars small and medium size business owners ask us over and over: “Is the cloud safe?”.

With their reputation on the line Microsoft and Google will do everything necessary to prove that Microsoft Online Services and Google Apps are more secure and more reliable than most companies in-house IT.

From personal experience I can easily give you three examples of small businesses that ran into troubles with backups. Keep Reading…

IT bottleneck for projects with real business value

Posted by Philippe Creytens at 14:02

I don’t think that I need to emphasize the importance of IT in business. However, in a lot of medium to large size companies their IT department has become a bottle neck for projects that marketing and sales people deem really necessary. In many cases they want to have their project sooner than later.

Being responsible for IT these days is not much fun: limited budgets, limited resources, difficulties in finding and hiring the right people, a tsunami of projects and project proposals and at the same time keep everything going. Keep Reading…

Microsoft BPOS and the iPhone: piece of cake!

Posted by Philippe Creytens at 13:45

As Microsoft BPOS partner we often get asked how to configure the iPhone for use with Microsoft BPOS.

A piece of cake? Not convinced? Just watch this movie and you’ll have everything configured to read mail on your iPhone in less than 10 minutes.

Cloud computing outside the US

Posted by Philippe Creytens at 14:00

Last week I talked (with the help of Google Talk) to an extraordinary guy called Mike Riversdale of WaveAdept, a Google Apps Reseller from New Zealand, about one of the initiatives Mike has been a driving force for: Google Barcamp. Prior to that he reached out with an open letter to others involved in cloud computing in NZ to help create awareness about ‘the cloud’. Keep Reading…

Google Docs, the sequel. The battle for the office worker is on.

Posted by Philippe Creytens at 18:41

A couple of days ago Informationweek stated that Microsoft Web Apps will force Google’s hand. That Google has to figure out how to head off Microsoft before Microsoft closes the gap on browser based applications.

It’s one month before Office and SharePoint 2010 are released to businesses in the US and also the time for Microsoft to officially put a browser-based application strategy into play. A strategy that company officials expect to neutralize the threat posed to Office by Google Apps. Keep Reading…

Mac users, how to set up mail and calendar for Microsoft BPOS

Posted by Philippe Creytens at 14:00

If you have opted to use Microsoft Exchange Online as your mail and calendar server you have made a wise choice. You no longer have to worry about server management or spam/antivirus protection.

Entourage with Microsoft BPOS

Cloud technology can keep valuable employees on board

Posted by Philippe Creytens at 14:00

Work/life balance is getting more and more important. Employees are getting tired of being stuck in traffic while traveling to the office.

Cloud solutions such as Google Apps and Microsoft BPOS allow you as an employer to get creative and find ways of keeping valuable people in your company, not necessarily in your office.

Adding graphics to email signatures: Microsoft BPOS 1 – Google Apps 0

Posted by Philippe Creytens at 14:00

Despite the fact that I personally don’t like people sending me emails with graphics in their signatures, most of them are horrible anyway, almost all our clients ask us how to add graphics images –typically company logos– to their email signatures in Google Apps.

Simple answer: you CANNOT! Keep Reading…