Thoughtsofanidlemind's Blog

  • Exchange 2013 Inside Out: Available at the end of September

    I received the good news today that printed copies of Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Inside Out: Mailbox and High Availability should be available at the end of September. Amazon.com has updated their date to October 1. Paul Robichaux’s companion volume, Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Inside Out: Connectivity, Clients, and UM,…

  • Migration more complex than a simple methodology might indicate

    Thinking about Microsoft’s new FastTrack 3-stage “sales and deployment methodology” for Office 365 projects, which aims to accelerate the rate that customers can move to their new cloud tenant domains (“to advance from pilot to deployment”). The new methodology is intended to allow Microsoft to compete better with Google as…

  • Exchange Unwashed digest for July 2013

    July – hot summer (or so it should be) – and vacations. But the need to publish posts on my Exchange Unwashed blog on WindowsITPro.com continues, so here’s what appeared in July. Interesting approach to public folder support in Outlook Web App 2013 (July 2): The month began with some…

  • Microsoft cloud revenues and investments

    Two recent reports attracted my attention. First, at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference, Steve Ballmer noted that Microsoft runs more than one million servers in its datacenters. Second, Microsoft CFO Amy Hood said that Office 365 revenues are now running at $1.5 billion annually. Both figures are impressive but as always,…

  • Exchange Unwashed Digest June 2013

    June was the month of waiting for Exchange 2013 CU2, but lots of other things deserved discussion and featured in my “Exchange Unwashed” blog on WindowsITPro.com. Here’s what happened during the month: Outlook Web App 2013 and its morphing user interface (June 27): Microsoft gave Outlook Web App yet another…

  • Lions trip comes to an end with a great series win

    Those present at the Australia vs. Lions 3rd test in ANZ Stadium, Sydney on Saturday night were treated to a game full of passion and surprises. Traveling to the stadium, the consensus among the majority of the fans was that the Australians held the upper hand – a feeling confirmed…

  • Tasmanian devils and a close test match

    After the Rebels game in Melbourne we took the chance to escape from the Lions tour and headed down to Hobart for a couple of days before returning for the second test. Staying six nights in Melbourne, especially in a hotel that few in the party liked, seemed too much…

  • Early access versions of Exchange 2013 Inside Out now available

    O’Reilly has made early access versions of Exchange 2013 Inside Out: Mailbox and High Availability and Exchange 2013 Inside Out: Clients, Connectivity and UM available for $39.99 each. The deal lasts until July 3. Early access editions allow you to get electronic access to the raw and unedited (well, edited but not completely…

  • Lions Tour: Melbourne (part 1)

    It was quite a relief to reach Melbourne on the next stage of the Lions Tour. A three and a half hour delay exhausted all the amusement that the small Gold Coast Airport could offer while we waited for fog to clear. Eventually the weather relented and we arrived in…

  • First Test cliffhanger

    We returned from Suncorp Stadium Brisbane late on Saturday night. The one-hour coach ride allowed pulses to settle to normal levels after the last-minute drama surrounding the scrum that led to a penalty that Beale couldn’t convert. The 21-23 win for the Lions was a close call, especially after the…