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Office 365: Small Business Server 2011 Essentials Integration

Continuing the theme from my previous article in this series, Office 365 also integrates tightly with other Microsoft products, including Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials. In this article, I'll examine this integration, which occurs via the Office 365 Integration Module. more

Better Together: Office 365 + Windows Phone

For years, Microsoft has pushed a narrative where its products were wonderful as standalone solutions but "better together" when used in concert with other Microsoft products. While the merits of such an approach can be judged on a case by case basis, there's little doubt that Windows Phone and Office 365 are excellent on their own. But by integrating them as one, these two solutions are indeed better together, and an excellent argument for those who wish to stay within the Microsoft sphere of platforms. more

Office 365: Custom Domain Configuration for Email

If there's one commonality between my original work with Office 365 last year and my more recent do-over, it's that setting up a custom, or personalized, domain has been the trickiest part of initial configuration. This isn't completely Microsoft's fault, and much of the blame lies with the bizarre and arcane world of Internet domain registration. But it should be easier, and in some cases Microsoft's own documentation is incorrect or at least incomplete. more

Office 365 for Individuals and Small Businesses

I'm starting a new series of articles about Office 365 with a focus on the individuals and small businesses that are most likely to adopt this exciting new productivity service. The series will cover initial setup stages such as configuring a custom domain, look at integration with Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials, examine the optional, subscription version of Office Professional Plus, and more. more

What I Use: Evernote and Microsoft Word for Writing

As part of a wider move to cloud-centric solutions, I've switched my day-to-day writing to Evernote, which provides excellent web, PC, and mobile clients. But I'm still using Microsoft Word for my most critical work, such as my next book, Windows 8 Secrets. more

What I Use: Hotmail and Exchange for Email

I'm changing the way I do things this year, and will be writing about some of the efficiency-related hardware, software, and services changes I'm making. First up: Email. And while this may seem obvious on the surface, switching to Microsoft-oriented email services was never obvious to me. But it happened. more

Microsoft Office 2003 & 2007: A Look Back

Windows Vista wasn't the only major product Microsoft plotted the half-decade period spanning 2002 to 2007: After releasing yet another "lipstick on a pig" upgrade in Office 2003, the Office team got its collective act together and really went for it with Office 2007, a revolutionary Office upgrade that started the transition to a completely new UI. more

Inside SharePoint 2010, Part 3: Social Networking Features

When you think about "sharing" things online today, you probably think of social networking services like Facebook, Google+, or Twitter, which let you broadcast information to some group of users--friends, family members, the whole world, whatever--in ways that have become increasingly familiar. Wouldn't it be cool if SharePoint provided this type of functionality, but tied into the incredible content management backend it already supplies, and aimed at the needs of a knowledge worker looking to collaborate with his coworkers? more

Inside SharePoint 2010, Part 2: Internet Web Sites

SharePoint's capabilities for managing and publishing publically-facing Internet web sites are less well-known than its intranet and extranet facilities. But even those who have explored this area in the past will find that SharePoint 2010 (and SharePoint Online, part of Office 365) has dramatically improved Internet web site capabilities, compared to previous versions. more

Thinking About Email Consolidation Strategies

Like many of you, I have multiple email accounts. Like some of you, I have far too many email accounts. And in keeping with my desire to simplify wherever possible, I've been thinking a lot about the best way to consolidate these accounts into more manageable groups. And there are a couple of general approaches that may make sense. more

Office 365: Small Business Server 2011 Essentials Integration

Better Together: Office 365 + Windows Phone

Office 365: Custom Domain Configuration for Email

Office 365 for Individuals and Small Businesses

What I Use: Evernote and Microsoft Word for Writing


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