We were joined by thousands of Exchange and Office 365 customers at Microsoft Ignite in Chicago last week. It was full of announcements, new content, and opportunities for the Exchange community to reconnect. For those who were on site we thank you for your enthusiastic participation and engaging questions. We spent time geeking out on everything from architecture designs to mobile clients, and everything in between. It was enough to drive creativity to new levels – in fact, in one discussion Tim McMichael broke out in singing “Everything is awesome... Everything is cool when you deploy a DAG…” Sounds like a new Exchange hit in the making to me!
If you weren’t able to join us, no worries–every session at Ignite was recorded and published to Channel 9. Here’s a recap of the top Exchange-related news of the week, and links to session recordings where you can get all the details.
Highlights
EXCHANGE SERVER 2016
We introduced Exchange Server 2016, our next on-premises Exchange Server release. Exchange Server 2016 includes exciting new features for on-premises customers, including a new approach to document collaboration, enhanced search, and a modern Outlook Web App experience to name a few. The server also has a robust architecture that is cloud-inspired and proven. We demoed elements of Exchange Server 2016 for the first time ever in the Meet Exchange Server 2016 session. It is on track to be released later this calendar year following a public beta during the summer.
OUTLOOK
The Office 2016 public preview was made available last week, allowing everyone to gain access to the new version of desktop Outlook. Outlook 2016 complements many of the features in Exchange Server 2016, but of course it is also unlocks new capabilities in Office 365. We also provided a close look at the new Outlook Mail and Outlook Calendar apps on Windows 10 mobile devices. Outlook for Mac 2016 was also demoed and discussed in detail at Ignite. Check out these sessions to get caught up on all of the Outlook news.
DEPLOYMENT OPTIONS
We also made two announcements that provide new deployment options for Exchange Server 2013. First we announced support for deploying Exchange Server 2013 on Azure IaaS VMs for production use with Azure Premium storage. We have added this option to provide customers deployment flexibility, but we continue to recommend deploying Exchange server on physical hardware as the best and most cost effective way to run Exchange outside of Office 365. We also announced that Exchange 2013 will support use of Hyper-V dynamic VHDX (not VHD) disks. Previous guidance required use of fixed virtual disks for support. Refer to these sessions for more details on these topics.
Content
Ignite included a dizzying number of sessions which are all published on Channel 9. To help you find the most relevant content for Exchange–both on-premises and online–we have complied this table of quick links. You can view session recordings over the web, download them to your phone or tablet, and access PowerPoint decks used in the sessions. Happy learning.
Exchange Server:
- Meet Exchange Server 2016
- Exchange Server Preferred Architecture
- Deploying Exchange Server 2016
- Exchange Storage for Insiders: It's ESE
- High Availability and Site Resilience: Learning from the Cloud and Field
- Exchange on IaaS: Concerns, Tradeoffs, and Best Practices
- Servicing Microsoft Exchange Server: Update Your Knowledge
- The Latest on Modern Public Folders: Architecture and Migrations
- Exchange Design Concepts and Best Practices
- Meeting Complex Security Requirements for Publishing Exchange
- Shut the Front Door! Securing Your Messaging Environment
- Tools and Techniques for Exchange Performance Troubleshooting
- Automating Exchange Server 2013 Configuration with PowerShell Desired State Configuration
- Making Managed Availability Easier to Monitor and Troubleshoot
- Using Connectors and Mail Routing
- Mail Flow and Transport Deep Dive
- Experts Unplugged: Exchange Server Deployment and Architecture
- Experts Unplugged: Exchange Server High Availability and Site Resilience PLUS Storage
- Experts Unplugged: Exchange Top Issues
- MVPs Unplugged: Real-World Microsoft Exchange Server Designs and Deployments
New Feature Scenarios:
- Re-Thinking Attachments: Collaborating in Outlook with OneDrive
- Tame Your Inbox: Clutter in Office 365
- Microsoft Office 365 Groups Overview and Roadmap
- Microsoft Office 365 Groups Deep Dive
- Evolving Distribution Lists with Office 365 Groups
- Collaborate on Files and Information within Office 365 Groups
- How to Decide When to Use SharePoint and Yammer and Office 365 Groups and Outlook and Skype
Office 365:
- Next generation Office 365 Controls, Extensibility and Team Productivity
- Behind the Curtain: Running Exchange Online
- Exchange Hybrid: Make Office 365 Work for You
- Tools and Tips for Administering Office 365
- Managing Change in an Office 365 Rapid Release World
- Customer Showcase: Microsoft Exchange Online
- Driving User Adoption from a Technical Standpoint for SharePoint, Exchange and Office 365
- Strategically Evolve Your Role as an IT Pro
- What Really Happens When There Is a Service Incident with Office 365, and What's My Role?
- Beyond Deployment: How IT Can Inspire, Motivate, and Drive Sustainable Adoption
- What's New for Office 365 Partners? Tools and Tips for Administering Your Customers
- ExpressRoute for Office 365 and other Network Connection Options
- Bumps and Blips on the Road to Cloud Nirvana: From On-Premises Exchange to Office 365
- Meet Office 365 Compliance Center: Your One Stop Shop for Everything Compliance
- Office 365 Deployment Engineering Panel: Transforming Carbon Problems to Silicon Solutions
- Office 365 for Small Business: Deployment, Implementation, and Management
- Why Trust Microsoft Enterprise Cloud with Your Data?
- The Microsoft Enterprise Social Journey: How We Did It
- Microsoft Exchange Migration Investments
- Device and Data Protection with Mobile Device Management in Office 365
- Turning the Infrastructure Inside Out & IT Practices Upside Down: Microsoft IT's Cloud Adoption
- Best Practices for Client Access to Office 365
- Advancing into Next generation for Security and Trust in Cloud Services
- Exchange Online Protection, Mailflow, and Encryption: Notes from the Field
- Planning for Internet Performance and Capacity
- Identity Management Is Easy in Office 365
- Deep Dive into Custom App Provisioning and Deployment in Microsoft Office 365
- Office 365 Administration Best Practices
- Email Migration to Office 365: Behind the Scenes with the Migration Velocity Team
- Experts Unplugged: New Exchange Scenarios
- Ten Ways to Secure Your Office 365 Tenants
- Inside the Office 365 Onboarding Center
- The Power of the Shell: Advanced Administration of Office 365 with Windows PowerShell
- Advanced Exchange Hybrid Topologies
- Office 365 Network Performance Troubleshooting
- Troubleshooting Microsoft Office 365 Deployments
- MVPs Unplugged: The Journey to Microsoft Exchange Online
- Experts Unplugged: Office 365 Security
- Experts Unplugged: Exchange Online Migrations
- Microsoft Office 365 MVP Panel
Outlook:
- Desktop Outlook: Evolved and Redefined
- Outlook on Mobile Devices
- Meet the new Outlook for Mac 2016
- Microsoft Office: the Next Chapter on Windows 10
- Modern Authentication for the Office 2013 Clients
- Experts Unplugged: Outlook, OWA, and Mobile
Compliance:
- Enterprise Grade Data Protection and Compliance with Office 365: Today and Beyond
- Evolving Email Protection for Tomorrow’s Needs with Exchange Online Protection
- Compliance with Standards and Regulations Made Easier in the Cloud with Office 365
- End-to-End Data Loss Prevention
- eDiscovery Redefined: Real Time and In-Place
- Auditing for Office 365
- Keeping Your Data in Place with Office 365 Archiving and Retention
- Deep Dive into How Microsoft Handles Spam and Advanced Email Threats
- Your Encryption Controls in Office 365: Across Devices and Platforms
- Office 365 Security and Control
- Boost Productivity for Legal Professionals: How Microsoft Is Using Office 365 and Matter Center
- Exchange Online Archiving: Notes from the Field
- Experts Unplugged: Office 365 Compliance
Office Developer:
- Office Development Matters, and Here's Why...
- Build an Add-in for Outlook.com, Outlook and Office 365 That Reaches Over 400 Million Users!
- Building Tenant-Wide Apps with the New Exchange REST APIs
- Get Your Hands Dirty with the Office 365 RESTful APIs
- Everything You Need to Know about the Office Store
- Light Up Mobile Apps with the Office 365 APIs
See you next year
We had a fantastic time in Chicago, and we’re already thinking of ways to make year’s event even better. Mark your calendars for May 9-13, 2016 and we’ll see you there!
Jon Orton