Beta of Microsoft Office 365 Best Practices Analyzer for Exchange Server 2013 now available

[The_Exchange_Team]

Update: Microsoft Office 365 Best Practice Analyzer is not supported anymore and is receiving no updates.

We wanted to let you know that we have released a Beta version of Microsoft Office 365 Best Practices Analyzer for Exchange Server 2013. You can download the bits and read more about the release here. While this Beta has been available for a little while, we have been updating the build once a month with more improvements. A couple of notes on this release:

• This is a Beta (pre-release) release; we plan to make changes to the tool look and feel, as well as add many additional rules to the tool.
• In order to download the tool, you will need an Office 365 tenant or Azure Active Directory user id. This is because in the future, we plan to include some value-add features that will enable you to store some information in our service (for example, we could enable the running history of BPA reports etc.) Note though that even though login to Azure Active Directory is required to download the tool, you do not need to have an Office 365 tenant to use it. This release can be used by customers who have:
  • Exchange Server 2013 on-premises only
  • Exchange Server 2013 hybrid configuration
  • Office 365 customers who leverage Exchange Online exclusively
• For versions of Exchange earlier than Exchange 2013, please use the already released version of BPA.

We’d like to hear your feedback on this release. You are welcome to post comments here, but if you have specific BPA feedback, we’d like to get an email from you so we can get all the details we might need. Nino Bilic

[#2]

Hi there,

I have read the reasons given to require an O365 or Azure account; but why is that also enforced for Exchange 2013 on-premises only installations?

There should be an option to download and integrate the tool in such cases without the need to previously have an account.

Regards,

[#3]

If this tool needs an Office 365 account, it will be unusable at our company, as such interworking is strictly prohibited. I think this is also a major concern for non anglo-american companies :)

[#4]

Just to be super clear:

The only time you actually need to use the account is to download the tool. Other than that - the tool can be run in a purely on-premise organization with no accounts to O365 or Azure.

[#5]

Why can't Microsoft call this tool "Exchange 2013 On-Premises Best Practices Analyzer"?

Why confuse everyone with the Office 365?

Come on Microsoft, many of your customers will stay Exchange On-Premises no matter what.

[#6]

While I think its great that the tool exists, I don't agree with the requirements for having an online login (Office 365/Azure).  This is a bit of a hurdle for those who aren't going to the cloud or have not made that decision yet.  Hope you reconsider this move.

[#7]

"In order to download the tool, you will need an Office 365 tenant or Azure Active Directory user id."

THAT IS BS, FORGET THIS TOOL.

[#8]

The requirement to have an Azure/365 tenant just to be able to download the tool is absolute BS.  

[#9]

We have to have an Office 365 user account? Come on...why don't you just hit all of your onsite customers in the face too at this point.

Going to O365 to download is total BS. This is a critical tool that we need to support our onsite deployments. In fact, this tool should be included in the base Exchange 2013 install itself...like it was in Exchanger 2010.

[#10]

"login to Azure Active Directory is required to download the tool"

Stopped reading after that. Major fail.

[#11]

Trying to sign up as a Cloud Partner, to activate my Cloud Essentials Services, to get an Office 365 account, just to download Best Practices Analyzer for Exchange.  I gave up at step 1 after seeing an IIS error screen.  Yet another bad decision guys!

[#12]

You had me at Hell..O365! and not in a Jerry McGuire kind of way.

[#13]

Microsoft's strategies bewilder, perplex, and befuddle me.

Ollie: "Stan, we are smart"

Stan: "How so, Ollie?"

Ollie: "First we promoted our desktop product by forcing people to use a tablet interface"

Stan: "Go on"

Ollie: "Then we promote our on site deployments by forcing people to use an Azure account interface"

Stan: "That's brilliant! It can't fail! Let's go!"

(a few hours later)

Stan whacks Ollie on the head and says: "Gee Ollie, that's another fine mess you've gotten us into!"

The yucks just continue with the Exchange product group, I see.

[#14]

Why would you build Exchange 2013 on top of the .NET Framework 4.5 yet, your exBPA requires me to install .NET Framework 3.5?? This yells lazyiness from a development standpoint. Now I would be required to patch 2 versions of .NET during my patch cycle. I want to use the product, I really do, but until these issues get addressed, I will not be touching it.

[#15]

I completely agree with Michael DiVergilio, this is useless!

[#16]

This must be part of what must be a strategy to move everything in-house.  It's obvious that they don't want people like us hanging around anymore.  First they ditch TechNet Subscriptions and now requiring Office 365/Azure accounts for a tool primarily valuable for an On-Premise system.  This company couldn't be further disconnected from its customer/fan base.

[#17]

I think some people are ranting a bit too much about this. If you are using Office 365, then BPA is now integrated into the Tools page. I don't quite understand how requiring a one time sign in for download makes this a total disaster? I think in your daily life, you create accounts for all types of sites without having a problem with it but here is a disaster? It does not compute. Please reread the post. Account is not needed during runs.

I agree with the .net version comment. Why??

[#18]

How about we all take a deep breath. Get a 30-day trial tenant for Office 365. Lie about all you contact and company information. Download the tool.

Move on.

[#19]

I have an Exchange 2013 Hybrid installation running on Server 2012.  Not everythig is workign perfectly, hence my desire to run the BPA.  

The Office 365 Best Practices Analyzer for Exchange Server 2013 crashes as soon as it prompts me for an Office 365 Tenant login (I think, because it is behind the application crash popup.).  I suspect that it has to do with the .NET 3.5.   I, of course, installed it first using Server Manager.

Anyway, it is just a Beta after all.

[#20]

Hi Patrick and others please send feedback to o365bpafeedback@microsoft.com.