Posted by Steve Schwartz on Fri, Jan 20, 2012
Microsoft recently released formalized guidance documentation and PowerShell scripts for migrating from HMC 4.5 (or non-HMC Exchange 2007 environments) to Exchange 2010 SP2.
implement.com is fully up to speed on the documentation and PowerShell scripts. We have already completed a couple of migrations as well. The migration itself has proven to be relatively straightforward, however, coexisting Exchange 2007 and Exchange 2010 SP2 on a hosting platform is complex and requires careful planning and testing. We have hit a few issues in testing that we have added to our internal "cook book" on how to do these projects as the TechNet based coexistence documentation doesn't fully cover the hosting scenario.
The blog announcing the migration guidance can be found here:
Released: Migrating Exchange from HMC 4.5 to Exchange Server 2010 SP2 whitepaper
Posted by Steve Schwartz on Mon, Jan 09, 2012
Microsoft just released the Multitenant version of Lync Server 2010. implement.com had a significant role in creating the guidance for this code release and we are very pleased with the results and the capabilities of the Lync Multitenanct Pack.
Along with the release of Exchange 2010 SP2 we now have a combined platform from Microsoft that allows service providers to offer Cloud based Unfied Communications with the full capabilities of Exchange and Lync. This means full telephony and the opportunity to displace traditional on-prem PBX gear.
Our hosting division, Chinook Communications, was one of six pilot service providers worldwide that did early testing and put real customer on the platform to pilot. The Pilot has been very successful and confirms our belief that once a typical customer get's familiar with the platform, they are more than willing to move forward with the service.
The initial push for this solution will be for service providers targeting SMBs, while larger mid-market and enterprises will leverage Private Cloud with dedicated Exchange and Lync. Either way, the service will be fully lit up for Enterprise Voice, PSTN termination, Lync based Audio Conferencing, Exchange 2010 Unified Messaging, and all of the other capabilities of Exchange and Lync resulting a truly innovative and capable communications and collaboration platform.
implement.com offers Lync Server 2010 Multitenant Pack Planning and Design Workshops, as well as deployment servcies as detailed below:
- Planning and Design Workshops
- Three Day workshop that takes a service provider through an overview of Lync Server 2010 Multitenant Pack and Hosted Exchange 2010 SP2, including developing a server architecture and design gap analysis
- The workshops include a thorough overview of how to migrate from OCS 2007 R2 to Lync Server 2010 and Exchange 2007 (and HMC if applicable) to Exchange 2010 as well as how to migrate from Exchange 2010 SP1 /Hosting to Exchange 2010 SP2 Enterprise
- The workshops can also include SharePoint 2010 and Dynamics CRM 2011
- Deployment and Migration Services
- Deployment includes building a lab and deploying the production platform. It also includes the option of deploying and ISV Control Panel solution to handle automated provisioning and delegated administration
- Migration Services include migrating from OCS 2007 R2 to Lync Server 2010 and Exchange 2003 or Exchange 2007 including HMC to Exchange 2010 SP2 Enterprise
- Additionally, implement.com offers automated migration services from legacy POP/IMAP platforms to Hosted Exchange. This capability is provided by our own migration platform called the Implement Migration Manager
- Deployments can also include SharePoint 2010 and Dynamics CRM 2011
Here is a link to the guidance for Lync Server 2010 Multitenant Pack:
Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Multitenant Pack for Partner Hosting Deployment Guide
Posted by Steve Schwartz on Wed, Dec 14, 2011
With the release of Exchange 2010 SP2 last week Microsoft has officially provided one version of Exchange that is supported for both single tenant Enterprise deployments as well as multi-tenant Hosted deployments. This is great news for the service provider community as it simplifies the roadmap for hosting going forward. From a Systems Integrator perspective, it reduces the complexity our clients had faced previously regarding which version of Exchange to use. Without debating the merits of /Hosting vs. Enterprise, suffice to say there is no doubt that one version is better than two, especially as we move through the future releases of Exchange.
The Exchange team blog explains in detail how service providers can deploy Exchange 2010 SP2 in Enterprise mode and be supported. Here is the link:
http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2011/12/06/exchange-2010-service-pack-2-and-hosting.aspx
The specific Microsoft Multi-Tenancy and Hosting Guidance documentation can be downloaded here:
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=28192
Microsoft has also put in the effort to evaluate and document which ISV Control Panel partners are in the process of supporting Exchange 2010 SP2 in compliance with the hosting guidance white paper. Here is a link to the page that documents the supported ISV partners:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/hh563895.aspx
With this release we also get support for hosting on a version of Exchange that includes Unified Messaging. This is absolutely key for any service provider planning to offer Multi-tenant Hosted Lync when that product is released by the end of 2011, as Exchange 2010 SP2 Enterprise provides the voice mail platform for Hosted Lync.
Implement.com is pleased to offer the following services in support of the release of Exchange 2010 SP2:
- Planning and Design Workshops
- Three Day workshop that takes a service provider through an overview of Hosted Exchange 2010 SP2, including developing a server architecture and design gap analysis
- The workshops include a thorough overview of how to migrate from Exchange 2007 (and HMC if applicable) to Exchange 2010 as well as how to migrate from Exchange 2010 SP1 /Hosting to Exchange 2010 SP2 Enterprise
- The workshops can also include SharePoint 2010, Dynamics CRM 2011, and Multi-tenant Hosted Lync 2010
- Deployment and Migration Services
- Deployment includes building a lab and deploying the production platform. It also includes the option of deploying and ISV Control Panel solution to handle automated provisioning and delegated administration
- Migration Services include migrating from Exchange 2003 or Exchange 2007 including HMC to Exchange 2010 SP2 Enterprise
- Additionally, implement.com offers automated migration services from legacy POP/IMAP platforms to Hosted Exchange. This capability is provided by our own migration platform called the Implement Migration Manager
- Deployments can also include SharePoint 2010, Dynamics CRM 2011, and Multi-tenant Hosted Lync 2010
- Manual Provisioning Guide
- This guide details how to manually provision Hosted Exchange 2010 SP2 in compliance with the Microsoft Multi-Tenancy and Hosting Guidance documentation.
- For more information, see this page for details.
- Out of Office Transport Agent
- This agent is currently under development and fills a gap identified in the Microsoft Multi-Tenancy and Hosting Guidance documentation wherein Out of Office messages between tenants on the same Hosted Exchange SP2 platform use the intra company message by default. The agent routes the messages between tenants on the same platform such that the external Out of Office message is used between tenants on the same Hosted Exchange Platform
- Hosted Solutions Support
- We have a solution in place for service providers looking to have their existing HMC Platform supported by our team that is very knowledgeable on HMC and MPS (Microsoft Provisioning System). With Microsoft officially ending support for HMC on Monday the 12th of December, this service offering is particularly useful for service providers that may need some time before migrating to Hosted Exchange 2010 SP2
- The support includes platform not operating on HMC and can also include SharePoint 2010, Dynamics CRM 2011, and Multi-tenant Hosted Lync 2010
This combination of service offerings provides implement.com clients with a comprehensive capability to enable them to migrate from any version of Exchange to Exchange 2010 SP2 Enterprise.
For more information please fill out a contact request form.
Posted by Steve Schwartz on Tue, Nov 01, 2011
Microsoft has recently posted a blog that clarifies the road map for which version of Exchange 2010 SP2 to use (Enterprise or /Hosting) going forward. The Exchange Team EHLO Blog located here clearly states that the next version of Exchange, known as Wave 15, will not have the /Hosting feature. Microsoft will continue to support the SP2 version of /Hosting as per the usual support life cycle for Exchange 2010 SP2.
I won't repeat what is already in the EHLO blog, but at implement.com we generally view this as good news for service providers. It clarifies the roadmap, and solidifies a future with one version of Exchange for on premise and Partner Cloud (whether Private or Public).
Significantly, it also lays the groundwork for how we move forward with Hosted Lync when the Lync Hosting Pack releases later this year. The deployment testing we are doing shows that combing the Lync Hosting Pack with Exchange 2010 SP2 Enterprise in a single Active Directory Forest works very well and provides a great architecture for service providers to move forward with.
implement.com will be ready and able to complete deployments and migrations from Exchange 2007 or Exchange 2010 SP1 /Hosting to SP2. We will also be ready to include Lync 2010, SharePoint 2010, and Dynamics CRM 2011 along with these deployments.
Posted by Steve Schwartz on Tue, Jul 19, 2011
implement.com attended the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) last week in LA and we had a very busy and successful week. Here are some highlights:
- On Monday Steve Schwartz participated in the cloud hosting partners keynote presentation that was delivered by Austen Mulinder. Steve did a 5 minute Q&A on stage with Austen in front of about 500 attendees. Topics included discussing our transition from a 100% consulting services company to a company that includes a hosting division (Chinook Communications) and mix of consulting and recurring revenue. We also discussed the upcoming launch of Hosted Lync at Chinook and how it is differentiated from Office 365 by offering full Enteprise Voice and Unified Messaging, and a planned launch of hosted Contact Center integrated with Lync Server and delivered from the cloud.
- Jason Holm delivered a session on Hosted CRM 2011 on behalf of the Microsoft Operator Channels group (new group that replaces form Communications Sector division).
- implement.com had a kiosk as part of the Microsoft Hosting Partners pavilion in the Solution Innovation (expo) Center
- implement.com had a kiosk for one day in the Parallels pavilion
We had many successful meetings with existing clients and some new client opportunities. Overall, a good experience for us and were looking forward to WPC 2012 in Toronto.
Posted by Steve Schwartz on Tue, May 17, 2011
There has been some high profile challenges in the cloud computing world recently and most troubling have been security breaches and compromised passwords. This is a trend and risk that will only increase as cloud computing becomes more prevalent and densely populated.
A colleague recently went to work at a company called TeleSign and they offer a service that enables two-factor authentication leveraging your mobile phone. The concept looks simple enough, you enter your phone number, user id, and password on a web site you are accessing for cloud services. If the logon is successful, a text is sent to your mobile phone with a pin, which you then have to enter back into the web site logon form to gain access.
Wow, that pretty much snuffs out low the low hanging fruit of security risks assocated with comprised passwords. While there are numerous risks, this one is troublesome but with a service like what TeleSign has, solvable.
Check out the web site for more info:
http://www.telesign.com
This also got me thinking aobut the future of security, one in which your mobile device (phone, tablet, watch, what have you...) will play an increasing role in security by allowing easy access to a multi-factor security model. Security, Cloud and Mobility are intersecting in interesting applications that we will see more and more of, and that's something I am looking forward to because I don't trust the current model of a single, simple password is the key to everything in the cloud.
Posted by Steve Schwartz on Mon, Apr 11, 2011
Microsoft hired implement.com to develop the guidance for how to deploy Hosted Dynamics CRM 2011 and it has been recently relased for download on TechNet.
We have completed the guidance for the last few releases of CRM and we are very pleased to have been chosen again to complete the effort. Our thought leadership on utilizing Microsoft technology in the cloud is demonstrated once again with this latest effort with CRM.
The documentation provides planning, conceptual architectures, manual provisioning and sample provisioning code.
Here is the link for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Service Provider Planning and Deployment Guide.
Posted by Steve Schwartz on Mon, Mar 28, 2011
Today implement.com is attending the Microsoft Hosted Lync Server 2010 Airlift at Microsoft, and thus begins the journey to a complete Hosted UC solution from Microsoft delivered by service provider partners. Not only is this a great opportunity for service providers, but for their customers as well.
The opportunity awaiting Small and Medium sized businesses (SMBs) to more effectively operate by leveraging cloud based messaging, collaboration, and unified communications, while also lowering IT costs, is available with the Microsoft Hosted UC platform that includes Hosted Exchange 2010, Hosted Lync Server 2010, and Hosted SharePoint 2010. These tools deliver better operations by utilizing more effective communication and collaboration tools for employees and customers. Not sure how these tools can deliver on this? Contact implement.com for a full demo that shows the capability to deliver on this promise.
What about the lowering of IT costs? With Hosted Lync Server 2010, an SMB can move off of expensive on-premise telecom equipment. That part is easy. They can also lower costs by going to commodity broadband instead of expensive T1 Voice/Data style telecom services. With Lync in the cloud, the hosting provider takes care of the telecom interconnects, so all the SMB needs is quality broadband. Further, Lync offers complete conference calling support and web conferencing, so you can also move off the very expensive existing solutions. Once an SMB sees and understands the full value proposition, the decision to move to the cloud for Lync, Exchange and SharePoint becomes easy. It’s hard to not to underestimate the value for an SMB, and note, I said value, not “cost savings”, and while lower costs is certainly part of it, getting much better value for the cost is really the goal with this solution.
Also this week, implement.com is a sponsor at the 2011 Microsoft Hosting Summit, and we will be co-presenting with Microsoft on a presentation about Building Microsoft based Messaging and Collaboration Cloud Services, as well as delivering a demo. This participation further confirms our success in achieving our ongoing goals to be a thought leader in the Microsoft based hosted services industry and to exceed customer expectations. Our consulting clients know they are working with the best when confirmed by Microsoft hiring implement.com to help them deliver this capability at their marquee hosting event.
If you are attending the Hosting Summit, stop by our booth and say hello!
Posted by Steve Schwartz on Thu, Feb 24, 2011
We have been focused on delivering the Microsoft platform for hosting, including Exchange, Office Communications Server (now Lync Server 2010), SharePoint, and Dynamics CRM for as long as these products and markets have existed. Our first efforts started in 1999 when we helped Microsoft put together the first formal guidance for hosting on Exchange 2000. In the nascent world of cloud computing, this makes us pioneers. Our work has been a combination of helping Microsoft as a vendor and member of its solution team that has developed guidance for hosters and also as a consultant to the service providers deploying solutions and technology for hosting Microsoft products. As a vendor and member of the teams that developed solutions including the HMC platforms, we have very deep expertise in this solution.
Our approach has always encompassed deep technical expertise across the disciplines of Systems Engineering and Software Developing; a true Systems Integrator. An additional critical service that complements our Systems Integration expertise is our Content Services practice, which includes Technical Writing, Graphic Design, Instructional Design, Online Training, and Editing.
Since many Systems Integration projects require extensive documentation and training, our approach has always been to have the experts focus on where there expertise lies; Engineers focus on Systems Engineering, Developers focus on Software Development and Design, Technical Writers focus on writing documentation and Graphic Designers focus on diagrams and graphical elements.
The basic premise to produce the highest quality deliverables across our scope of deliverables and it is surprising how effective this approach is but how infrequently many companies embrace it. We see many technical white papers that clearly had the Engineer not only do the Systems Engineering but also the writing and graphics, usually not a great result.
Our documentation is not only high quality technically, but also excels in the disciplines of writing, graphics, and editing. This makes it far easier for the reader to comprehend and digest the content and is why our approach is fundamental to our value proposition of delivering Thought Leadership while Exceeding Customer Expectations.
Because our headquarters is located in Seattle, Washington, we are a very short distance to Microsoft’s Redmond campus. This allows us the ability to be on campus frequently to work on projects with the various Microsoft teams. This proximity fosters ad hoc collaboration and business development simply by walking the halls to and from meetings.
Part of our history from the very beginning is based on expertise around large scale service provider email migrations. implement.com has migrated more than ten million mailboxes onto hosted Exchange since 1999. Through these years of experience, we have developed our own intellectual property in the form of best practices and tools. Most notably, our Content Migration Service (CMS), which automates the migration and provisioning of users onto hosted Exchange. Additionally, our CMS tools and best practices have been updated to include recommendations for two significant endeavors:
- For service providers that want to migrate their consumer POP users onto the Windows Live platform
- For customers or partners that want automated high scale migration support when migrating to the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) platform (soon to be Office 365)
As a vendor, we assisted in the development of BPOS and documentation and guidance for BPOS customers and partners. As a partner, we now assist Microsoft with the development of guidance and tools on how to complete Office 365 Syndication (available 2nd half 2011) projects. This entails a service provider reselling Office 365 under their own brand and involves integration of the service provider’s order handling, billing, and provisioning systems with the Microsoft Online Syndication Interface (MOSI), and additionally, with the migration of any existing users and content from the service providers legacy systems onto Office 365.
When we started our hosting operation in 2006, Chinook Hosting (now Chinook Communications), we intentionally started it to deliver hosted unified communications, including hosted unified messaging. We were a little early from a market adoption standpoint. However, that early entry allowed us to amass critical experience on how to deliver hosted unified communications. It wasn't easy, but working through the technical challenges paid off for us when we launched the very first hosted unified messaging offering based on Microsoft Exchange 2007 unified messaging at the 2008 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference. We have continued to expand our hosting services, which now include SharePoint (both Windows SharePoint Services and dedicated Microsoft Office SharePoint Server) and Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0.
With the release of Lync Server 2010 and its promise for replacing traditional on premise PBX systems with hosted Unified Communications, implement.com is once again at the forefront and in a position of thought leadership as we work with Microsoft and its customers on the opportunities for deploying a hosted Lync Server 2010 platform.
The hosting industry as a whole is experiencing a time of transition. Hosting service providers that have traditionally relied on Microsoft to provide comprehensive technical guidance and automation tools in the form of solutions such as the Hosting Messaging and Collaboration (HMC) platform are now reliant on a base level of automation functionality within individual Microsoft products.
But beyond the base level, there exists a gap that needs to be filled – and it is the role of service providers to address it. We think it is most effective to address this gap with the help of a systems integrator such as implement.com and potentially, the use of a third party provisioning and control panel platform.
As a systems integrator with close ties to the major provisioning and automation independent software vendors, implement.com can help service providers fill these gaps. Because of our industry experience, proximity to Microsoft, and most importantly, the leadership, credibility, and trust we foster between our clients, Microsoft, and partners, we are frequently requested to provide guidance. Microsoft has previously turned to implement.com to help guide the industry with technical direction of how to migrate from HMC to Exchange 2010 SP1.
As cloud computing gains ground in 2011, hosted Unified Communications services will be one of the key areas of focus for the successful service provider.
Posted by Steve Schwartz on Tue, Oct 19, 2010
implement.com has recently completed a project for Microsoft to develop guidance on how to migrate from Hosted Exchange 2007 (and HMC) to Hosted Exchange 2010 SP1. The guidance can be downloaded from this blog:
This guidance provides planning content along with detailed step by step instructions and scripts to complete the migration. It is a complex migration, made much more so by the requirement to create a new Active Directory Forest when deploying Hosted Exchange 2010 SP1. I won't go into too many details here, as the guide also includes a gap analysis that highlights the many planning considerations for deploying this latest release.
One major item to keep in mind is that this release of Exchange 2010 SP1 includes native support for multi-tenancy, and there is no longer a separate solution from Microsoft to support hosting. Previously, Microsoft released the Hosted Messaging and Collaboration Solution (HMC) to provide support for hosting on Exchange 2007, including a provisioning automation engine called Microsoft Provisioning System (MPS). With HMC and MPS gone, service providers that relied on these tools and guidance need to look to Exchange 2010 SP1 Hosting native multi-tenancy capabilities and the powershell interface for provisioning.
There are still numerous gaps beyond what is native in the product and what it will take to deploy a hosted service. It is the responsibility of the service provider to fill these gaps. Systems Integrators like implement.com and ISVs that produce the control panel and automation solutions can help the service provider to fill these gaps. For the last couple of years, as Microsoft has been planning for this release, implement.com has also been preparing for this transition. The graphic below highlights this "solution gap" as we call it and we first created this graphic and started sharing with clients in the fall of 2008. "Wave 14" refers to the released or soon to be released suite of products that include Exchange 2010, SharePoint 2010, CRM 2011, and Lync Server 2010.
The gap includes basic provisioning functionality such as plans and resource management across a suite of products, billing, service orchestration (the nuts and bolts of creating the objects related to a plan that might include multiple services).
Another important item is that the new multi-tenant model delivered by Hosted Exchange 2010 SP1 does a nice job of providing isolation of tenants in Active Directory and we have performed the preliminary testing and guidance for SharePoint 2010 and Office Communications Server 2007 R2 to leverage the Exchange 2010 SP1 tenant model. I actually look at this not as the new Exchange 2010 tenant model, but really, the new Microsoft multi-tenant model for service providers that can be leveraged by all products. We are doing our best to get this feedback to Microsoft to make sure products like Lync leverage this model as well.
implement.com Corporation is very prepared to work with service providers and their ISVs to migrate from Hosted Exchange 2007 to Hosted Exchange 2010 and we have packaged up an initial phase of a typical project into a planning workshop.
Service Package for Migrating from Hosted Exchange 2007 to Hosted Exchange 2010