What I've Been Working On: Microsoft Online Launched
One of the things that is hard to get my head around is what to be secret about and what I am free to talk about. Therefore, I have decided to not talk about what I'm working on very much. Some choose not to talk at all. I considered that, and can see the merit. However, I also like participating in the community quite a bit. This awkward compromise will have to do.
There has been a lot of changes working for Microsoft - but it is also the most challenging and rewarding job I've ever had. Being part of a product that seeks to take an entire company, and it's millions upon millions of customers, in a new direction is a humbling experience and demands you give your best. Twenty four hour email and high stress ship decisions are part of life.
It's with that enthusiasm that I'd like to talk about a huge milestone our team accomplished - shipping Microsoft Online. More specifically, the Business Online Productivity Suite, known by us acronym lovers as "BPOS". It is our first offering that combines Exchange, Sharepoint and Live Meeting together "in the cloud". Your company can either exist completely on the cloud - or you can sync your Active Directory at various times throughout the day from your own corporate datacenter to the cloud so that your infrastructure is always in sync across the enterprise. Already, large customers such as Eddie Bauer, Energizer, and Blockbuster have made the switch. Saying those names in a blog would have had me escorted out of the building a few weeks ago - but now that the launch event has occurred and they talked about their experience using our product, it's out in the open that we are launching with some great companies evaluating and using our products in the cloud.
This is just the beginning - and something I'm very excited to participate in. Microsoft is a great place to work - I can't believe I get to do this stuff every day.
Congratulations to the team and co-workers for a great release - and even better to come.
By the way, if you'd like to see our work on building a great community for MS Online users, check out the TechNet forums for Microsoft Online. Feel free to participate.
