Sync AD users, contacts and distribution groups with Outlook Live the “easy way”

Måns Barklund — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:06:45 GMT

Setting up an on premise synchronization to Outlook Live using PowerShell is quite easy, but then there's the hassle in getting that CSV file creation automated and parsed. You could go the full Monty and use GALSync 2010 instead. That of course require ILM 2007 and SQL server. ILM will give you an Identity Integration solution that you can grow and include almost anything from PBXs, HR to SIS into.

The sweet spot in the middle between PowerShell scripting and ILM - where schools just want an Automated way to sync with security groups in AD - is what Norwegian Partner, Systemintegrasjon AS has honed in on. The product is called easySync and it synchronizes users and distribution groups from groups like "Live@edu Account orders”. It of course uses PowerShell so you need to put it on a SP1 Vista or 2008 machine, with proper domain rights.

It took me about 4 minutes to set up and start syncing users. Now to be honest of course this only brings you so far. You still have to make sure users end up in those groups. In my demo below i cheat simply add them manually or in ot

There is a demo version of the software available for download, that lets you freely try it out on a domain that have less than 10 users on the Outlook Live side.

Outlook Live PowerShell user Deployment

Måns Barklund — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:54:00 GMT

Hi Long time no post. I just wanted to share how easy Remote PowerShell is to use when you want to deploy users to an Outlook Live domain. In order to use Outlook Live, you must;

Be an educational institution i.e. a school or a university.
Own a domain and have the rights and skill to change an MX or CNAME record

After you have enrolled your domain in Outlook Live and Clicked all the invitaion links and created your domain, You can start bulk provisioning using Remote PowerShell and CSV files. How you do this is described in this little webcast.

Note that, many of the steps in this webcast can be automated in a PowerShell script. This is the most basic and simplest way of doing a deployment and it doesn't represent a sustainable identity integration that a university would need in a real world scenario.

More info on Outlook Live and PowerShell at http://help.outlook.com

Måns Barklund : Deployment

Sync AD users, contacts and distribution groups with Outlook Live the “easy way”

Outlook Live PowerShell user Deployment