There is no denying that here at TechSolvers we think Microsoft's Online Services are a fantastic product. So why then would we advise a client to use Google Apps?

Well there is a good reason, as in some cases it just is the right product.

At TechSolvers we are always looking for the best way for our customers to access technology solutions. We look for systems that are cost effective, simple to maintain and secure. When we first started suggesting MS Online Exchange to appropriate clients one of the questions that always came up was, can my Blackberry connect, and how much does that cost?

Originally Hosted BES (the server that allows Blackberries to integrate with an Exchange account) was only available from Microsoft if you were purchasing around 20 accounts. This was not relevant for our clients as they tend to have a lower requirement for the number of BES accounts. So we needed an alternative, something that was cost effective while still remaining as secure as BES. At the time the best option was a 3rd party software application for Blackberry that allowed the devices to connect to Exchange. The integration was not as tight as when using a BES server but it certainly allowed mail, calendar, contacts and tasks to synch automatically.

Technology never stands still though and when Microsoft changed the minimum number of seats for Hosted BES to 1 it was an obvious decision to switch to recommending this service for our Blackberry using clients. Its secure and supportable, but the ordering process was certainly not simple with multiple forms to be faxed and emailed to various people. Apart from the ordering process it was a perfect solution. Plus our clients didn't have the head ache of ordering as we did that for them.

Then just this month Microsoft have improved the process again. The forms (in triplicate) are now gone and we can simply add BES accounts through the Online Services portal. In fact it's as simple as adding a new mailbox.

So that's where we are today. If a Online Exchange customer wants a Blackberry on Hosted BES we can provision the request quickly and simply no matter how many devices the customer has.

Then again an Iphone has a built in Exchange client and works with Online Exchange out of the box. Meaning it's cheaper to connect and arguably just as secure (well as much as it needs to be). So why do I still use my Blackberry? Guess I just like it, and a contract half the size of an iPhone is persuasive too.

We're pleased to announce that we have just migrated another customer to Microsoft Online Exchange.

Primosec are specialist IT Security Consultants with widespread experience in the security of organisational data.

They were loking for a system that meant they could switch off their own mail server (with its support & environmental costs) yet still have a complete Exchange/Mail service. Exchange Online was the perfect solution.

Working with the IT savvy guys at PrimoSec was great. It makes the technical details easy to explain with both sides speak the same language.

www.primosec.com

So what do these type of tools monitor. Just about everything is the answer, the bigger question is what do you want to know?

When we first implemented out monitoring tool we used the pre configured monitoring options. Meaning we were monitoring CPU, Memory, Disk, Anti Virus, Windows Updates etc. The list goes on and on. However it wasn't long before we added additional services to our monitoring list. Confirming scheduled tasks run, that important windows services are up and running etc.

The big question we had was what to do about Windows Error Logs. There are literally thousands and thousands of error that can appear in these logs and a single desktop with no real problems could be producing 5 or more errors a day. Some can be ignored (in some situations) while others can give a heads up to potential or immediate issues. The question was what errors did we want to know about?

The answer as it turns out was all of them. It proved impossible to come up with a list of critical errors, so we decided to be notified on them all. Yes it creates a lot of work (and a lot of email notifications) but seeing every Windows error gives an amazing holistic view of a clients systems. Most of our support is proactive and remote so having this eye on all their systems in such a level of detail really does give us the heads up on what's happening, and more importantly what might be going wrong and if so why.