Today Google launched their new Google Sync Product that allows you to sync your Google Calendar and Gmail Contacts to your Windows Mobile and iPhone devices. To do this they have licensed Microsoft’s Activesync protocol, just as Apple did to allow the iPhone to sync to a Microsoft Exchange server.
This is significant because it immediately opens up the majority of existing smart phone owners to functionality previously only offered to corporate users of Exchange servers, at no cost. Which makes the service ideal for smaller companies and Independent Consultant/Freelancer types. What is even more ideal about the service for these types of people is that it also works with Google Apps for your Domain. Can you say free Exchange Server?

The second reason that this is significant is that it virtually negates the need for Apple’s MobileMe service, as it provides virtually the same functionality at no cost. I am sure Apple is not pleased about this.

As great as this service is, there are some downsides:

-The Activesync protocol only allows you to setup one Activesync account per mobile device. So if you have a Smartphone that is already syncing to your corporate Exchange server, you cannot setup another to sync to Google. This is not Google’s fault, nor is it the device manufacturer’s fault, this is the way Microsoft designed Activesync. In many of the comments on Google’s blog posting about this new service people are laying blame at Google and Apple’s door, when it does not belong there.

-It does not use Activesync to deliver email. At this time Google is still using IMAP or POP to deliver mail to devices. This is a downside because it makes the process of getting all of your data to your device more convoluted, possibly more problem prone and bandwidth intensive.

-By using Activesync there is no way to sync Google Docs. While this may not sound significant it would be helpful to be able to sync documents and files over to your mobile device. This is functionality that Microsoft will be making available shortly through their Live Mesh service that is currently in beta.

-It does not sync Tasks. One of the core functions of any personal information management system is the ability to create and organize tasks. Activesync already has functionality to sync tasks from an Exchange-based account natively, but Google has not implemented functionality to sync your Gmail tasks as of yet.

-It does not work on Google’s own G1 Android phone. While it appears that Google has licensed Activesync for pushing data to mobile devices from its services, it has not implemented Activesync on the Android platform, which means that Android users are out in the cold on this one.

None of the downsides listed are deal breakers in my mind for the average user, and following in the grand Google tradition of release then iterate, I am sure that they will be able to work through many of these issues in short order.

The Presentation can be downloaded here

See my most recent VMWare post on how to use the Disk Mount Utility here.

Recently I deployed my first Exchange 2007 server on Windows 2008 for one of the companies I work with. During the process of deploying the server we found out that the new Windows Server Backup that is included in Windows Server 2008 does not have the capability to backup the Exchange Information Stores in the same fashion that the old NTBackup from Windows 2003 did.

After doing some research I discovered that Microsoft did this by design, and recommends that those who previously using NTBackup to backup Exchange move to their System Center Data Protection Manager product. While this did not make me happy, it clearly did not make the Exchange Admin community jump for joy. There was a big outcry, complaining at Microsoft for taking such core functionality out of Windows. In June of this year, Microsoft relented and promised to deliver an update to Windows Server Backup to add this functionality back in. It is now November, and it has not happened yet.

In the mad scramble to find an alternative way to make a simple backup of the Exchange Info Stores I stumbled upon a post on the Exchange Team Blog, by a poster named “Phil Carter” that details a method of using the old NTBackup from Windows Server 2003 on Server 2008 without a hitch. This sounded too good to be true, it could not possibly work, why would Microsoft not simply distribute the old backup utility to solve this problem. However, after considering the alternatives of buying and expensive 3rd party backup utility, or deploying DPM (and the required, dedicated Windows server to go with it) I decided to give it a go.

Here is what I did:

1) Load up a Windows 2003 x64 system. The x64 part is important, as you should be running Exchange on a x64 platform (unless you are using an Itanium), and you must use matching binaries for this. I used a Virtual Machine for this.

2) Copy the ntbackup.exe, ntmsapi.dll, and vssapi.dll from C:\windows\system32 into a new folder.

3) Burn the new folder you created containing the copied files to a CD, or copy it to USB drive. You can also copy it over the network to your Windows 2008/Exchange 2007 Server to skip the next step.

4) Copy the folder from the CD or USB drive to your Windows 2008/Exchange2007 server.

5) Launch Ntbackup.exe. Select the Information Stores as you would normally under NTBackup and start your backup.

UPDATE: After a recent Windows or Exchange update it seems that you now have to run NTBackup.exe as an Administrator to be able to see the Exchange Information Store. To do this Right-click on NTBackup.exe, choose Properties, Click on the Compatibility tab, and check the box that says “Run this program as an administrator”. Alternatively to run the application as an administrator only once, Right-click on NTBackup.exe and choose “Run As Administrator”, if you have UAC enabled you will be prompted to confirm the action.

After it completes you should have a quick and easy Exchange 2007 Backup on Windows 2008. This method even purges your transaction logs properly. I have even verified this method works properly, by attempting to restore from the backup. It works without a hitch.

This method is great for small shops that happen to be running Exchange 2007 on Windows 2008, and do not have the need or resources for yet another Windows server just to run backups as DPM requires. For larger shops, I actually do recommend DPM over other 3rd party tools, as its method of doing replication works really well.

Their announcement goes far beyond just adding Exchange Support, they are fully giving IT Departments the ability to manage the iPhone, with arguably better functionality and features than what even Windows Mobile Devices have. As far as I am concerned this is what the iPhone should have launched with back in June.

Pair the new enterprise support with the App Store, which some people may not like, and I think that Apple has once again raised the bar in the Mobile Device market. The App store, in theory will allow IT Managers to relax a little bit knowing that all of the applications that they are distributing have been through at least basic certification processes by the device manufacturer. Additionally it will allow “small-time developers” who would normally not be able to have people see their app, let alone pay for it, actually get their wares in front of a captive audience.

My Final thought on this, is that I am ecstatic that Apple has gone the route of distributing a Mobile Device that has a constantly evolving lifespan. By actually distributing a device that gets *real* software updates and truly new features in those updates, whether free or for a small fee they have turned this device into a true technology investment, just like a desktop or notebook. This is why Apple can charge $399 for the iPhone, it will be around and run up to date software in a year or three from the time you purchase it. Can you say that about the other phones and PDAs that are on the market?

Regardless of how sketchy I think the company is or not, I have a bigger fear. LifeLock is claiming they now have over half a million customers all of whom have given over personal information that they should keep confidential if they really want to prevent their identity from being stolen. Information such as their Social Security and Phone Numbers, their address, personal credit histories, etc. What happens if someone hacks LifeLock’s servers and gains access to all of that info?

When TJ Maxx was hacked and it was the largest known theft of credit card information ever at 45.7 million stolen records. However this was just credit card info, LifeLock has access to much more info than just your credit card.

Normally I like to support Arizona based companies as much as possible, but I just cannot bring myself to support this one after learning their history and their line of business. In fact I have even refrained from inserting any links to the company in this story as to not assist in any search engine ratings.