Guide to simple value with Office 365 and SharePoint Online. Enabling Office templates automatically without expensive IT project.

Observations and principles identified from successful adoption of Microsoft 365 services and SaaS offerings.

Introduction to problem identification and troubleshooting issues for users with Microsoft 365 and SharePoint online. Part 1 of 2 articles

Fixed! It looks like Microsoft, at some point this year, fixed a bunch of stuff with DocumentIDs. For the first time ever Microsoft provides a consistent cornerstone of Document Mmgt. Summary: Document identifiers now persist with the document across Office 365. Search works, with appropriate guidance on using criteria correctly. Configurable numbering format expanded and automatically generated numbering doesn't (seem) to duplicate anymore. Direct document Identifier links w

Recently seen issues with people trying to manage tenant-wide (global) retention policies on Office 365. While the Security and Compliance Center has been around a while now, and the core labels, policy and audit from Exchange team is robust, there's a lot which is just downright flaky. Topical favourite for me is the do's and dont's with updating Retention policies. Now dont get confused with managing Retention and Disposal - labels, information policies etc - Nope, this is

Adopting Office 365? Which bits can you safely use, and not end up in a dead-end? Read-on...

I really like the Microsoft platform, and genuinely believe it is (by and large) the best productivity toolkit on the planet today, but they are beginning to get me down with how often they do just dumb things with updates. Forgiving that a lot of "new features" being pushed through are not new, they are just being dressed up in a new party-frock and lipstick (modern ui), I am generally pleased that progress being made. Today though I saw another announcement which is anothe

As an ex-MS I get frustrated when they do dumb-things, and with O365 releases this is more frequent than I'd like, but I just read this message centre notification about removing the ability to control versioning on libraries is infuriating and flagrantly idiotic move. What this means to our content control and operational mgmt Lets start in the basement... Resetting version floor, and disabling controls on existing site libraries breaks all the business rules agreed and appl

We've all been to fair-grounds and fun-parks, we know just how fun and scary the big rides can be. Office 365 is like that. Sometimes its just fantastic and stuff works in the way no one ever expected, and other times... well its gut-churningly, diabolical. Ever got off the a Waltzer and wanted to vomit?! Yep, it can be like that. Today I am avoiding (really, really avoiding) a big rant and thought I would bring you some good, and some less good. Document management finally s

Over the past couple of years working on building operationally robust IT teams with customers, to support SharePoint solutions, we often hear how IT want to ensure consistency, robustness and standardisation when rolling-out. The phase that is bandied around to represent this is: "a cookie-cutter approach". Hearing this invokes 2 different thoughts for me: for IT - its the illusion of business enablement and standardised support (read: minimum-investment/minimal service impa