The following error is ever so common for users of both Exchange and Outlook 2016:

A lot of users are getting this error, and the general conclusion is that Microsoft is to blame.

Microsoft is constantly updating and upgrading its services, and oftentimes doesn’t update the configurations for its users. _[1] This issue usually affects Outlook 2016 but can happen with other versions as well. The message will lead you to believe that you need to update information in your profile, which is impossible to do since Outlook refuses to open and you can’t do anything with it. This occurs because the root domain server is responding to the autodiscover request and as a result, you will not be able to open Outlook, or use your account with it.

What is happening is that Outlook 2016 is hanging when performing the HTTPsAutoDiscoverDomain method. Outlook uses the root domain of your SMTP address to attempt to locate the AutoDiscover service. It tries to connect to the following URL based on your SMTP address in the following xml file: https://<smtp-address-domain>/autodiscover/autodiscover.xml. _[2]

If Outlook is slow finding the autodiscover records, you can tell Outlook to exclude the root domain and other records (SCP lookup, AD domain query, HTTP redirect, and SRV record query) with the following registry entries:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\AutoDiscover\
 DWORD: ExcludeHttpsRootDomain
 Value: 1

“ExcludeScpLookup”=dword:00000001

“ExcludeHttpsAutoDiscoverDomain”=dword:00000001

“ExcludeHttpRedirect”=dword:00000001

“ExcludeSrvRecord”=dword:00000001

The reason for individually disabling each of these records is because Outlook’s default settings uses one or more of these methods to reach the AutoDiscover service. If Outlook fails to connect to the predefined URL based on your SMTP address, Outlook tries the HTTP redirect method. If that does not work, Outlook tries to use the SRV record lookup method. If all lookup methods fail, Outlook cannot obtain “Outlook Anywhere” configuration and URL settings. _[3]

This simple solution will help you work around the nasty issue.

References:

Arrows, Kevin. “Fix: Outlook cannot log on. Verify you are connected to the network and are using the proper server and mailbox name.” Appuals.com. N.p., 29 Jan. 2017. Web. 29 May 2017. <https://appuals.com/solved-outlook-cannot-log-verify-connected-network-using-proper-server-mailbox-name/>. [1]

Bayley, James. “Registry hack to enable Outlook 2016 to connect to Office 365.” Blog.jamesbayley.com. N.p., 01 Dec. 2015. Web. 29 May 2017. <https://blog.jamesbayley.com/2015/12/01/registry-hack-to-enable-outlook-2016-to-connect-to-office-365/>. [2]

“Posts about ExcludeScpLookup on John Yassa’s Blog.” John Yassa’s Blog – Microsoft till the end. N.p., Web. 29 May 2017. <https://johnyassa.com/tag/excludescplookup/>. [3]

These days, IT-based automation has become a staple in businesses that are looking to move forward and grow.

In one of our previous posts, we discussed how Commit100 helped Nuform Building Technologies Inc., a leader in wall forming systems, digitalize data collection for a particular production process. Our work with Nuform did not stop there – impressed with the result, Nuform decided to explore other opportunities of making IT-based improvements to business processes.

KEEPING A TIGHT SCHEDULE

The Business Need

The use of any resource in a production process must be managed. As production specialists know, that applies first and foremost to the bottleneck – the “weakest link” in a production system, which requires the longest time in operations of the supply chain.

The Nuform production process starts with extrusion of PVC panels through devices called “extrusion lines”. Each extrusion line requires significant time for power-up, shutdown, and setup operations between different types of extrusion jobs. Each extrusion job requires significant time (~24 hours) to produce and is scheduled for production up to 3 weeks or more in the future.

The old process of scheduling jobs on extrusion lines was:

• entirely manual – entered by hand in a spreadsheet;
• not easily accessible – the spreadsheet was stored in a remote file share;
• required complex knowledge of over 100 (!) different extrusion dies that are used for production to calculate production time;
• took the time of a single full time employee to enter, update and manage the schedule.

Nuform identified the following business need for improving the scheduling process:

• Automation: the new scheduling system should automate data entry as much as possible by integrating with existing databases and simplifying the entry and calculation process.
• Transparency: the system should provide cross-platform visibility of extrusion operations and schedule with minimal lag.
• Flexibility: the system should allow to easily manage situations where changes in the schedule are required to satisfy customer need.

Commit100 delivered a solution through the following steps:

1. A Commit100 IT business analyst spent time learning the current scheduling process, from A to Z, including shadow sessions with the Nuform associates who are involved in the process. This allowed to get a clear picture of what happens “in the field” – a clear understanding of the actual, existing business process.
2. Based on analysis, Commit100 defined an optimised business process and approved it with Nuform production managers.
3. The new business process was used by Commit100 to design the user interface and prepare specifications of the new application.
4. The application was developed by a software development team managed by Commit100.
5. After rigorous user acceptance testing, Commit100 integrated the scheduling application into the existing IT infrastructure and business processes at Nuform.

THE RESULT

The result was a web-based application called Extrusion Production Scheduling. The customer needed app accessibility from a wide range of platforms and locations, so a web-based solution was the clear choice. The application was deployed on a Windows server and integrated with the existing database.

User login screen for the Scheduling app:

The Scheduler Dashboard – the main interface used by the operator to monitor the current status of the schedule. Current Schedule and main menu.

The app is integrated with the Nuform ERP system. Every time a job is released for production, the scheduling operator receives an alert with buttons to quickly schedule the job or dismiss the alert.

When the operator goes to create a new job, they would see the Job Queue, which lists all jobs that have been released for production.

The app significantly simplified the data entry process and automated time and production buffer calculation, which the operator had to manually do before. The application formalised several different order types to quickly schedule orders based on priority.

The system allows to keep notes for every job:

Profile and admin consoles for application maintenance and adjusting view settings.

The web-based solution allows Nuform production staff to quickly and easily access the Scheduling system and monitor current events from any device and any location that has an internet connection.

Sharing files has become a staple in contemporary business IT needs. More often than not, these files are proprietary and confidential business information, and therefore security becomes a major consideration.

There are several ways of sharing files securely. In this post, we will outline three methods of secure file sharing, as well as the pros and cons of each method.

OPTION 1 – E-Mail

METHOD

To share files over email, you can simply send files as an email attachment.

PROS

• Easy to send.
• Easy to track when it was sent and to whom.

CONS

• Most email services limit attachment size to 25-30 MB, however some private email services (e.g. Microsoft Exchange) can be configured for up to 150 MB.
• Delivery is not guaranteed.
• The sent file is stored on both ends, increasing space requirements.
• Files are scattered through different emails and may be difficult to locate.

OPTION 2 – FTP

METHOD

FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. It allows for continuous file exchange with clients or customers. Files are stored on online FTP servers and accessible to anyone that has access to the server. Anonymous access may be allowed as well.

PROS

• Unlimited file size.
• Easy to create a folder structure on the FTP server when there are many files.
• Convenient for continuous file exchange with clients or customers.

CONS

• The user needs to wait until the file is uploaded to / downloaded from the FTP server (time depends on the file size).
• For secure file exchange, sender and received must have an account on the FTP server.
• An anonymous account allows anyone to access a public folder on an FTP server. IMPORTANT: Never allow access to confidential files by anonymous accounts.

OPTION 3 – Cloud File Sharing

METHOD

Cloud file sharing platforms like Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, allow to share files with authorised individuals.

PROS

• Almost unlimited file size. Typical limits for free accounts are in the 5-20 GB range, paid subscriptions allow for storage in the Terabyte range and beyond.
• Multiple files can be arranged into a folder structure for organisation purposes.
• Permissions can be assigned to control who can see and change documents.
• Easy to find files using search options and general structure navigation.
• Files are synchronised in real time. For example, a OneDrive or Dropbox client on your computed begins to sync files with the cloud immediately after you save it to a certain folder on your computer.

CONS

• User needs to wait until a file is uploaded to / downloaded from the cloud server (time depends on file size).
• Security can be an issue, since the files are not directly in your hands. Security breaches of cloud platforms may cause cyber liability issues.

SOME IMPORTANT DOs AND DON’Ts:

DON’Ts 

• DO NOT to share a company’s confidential files with other people, unless you and the receiving party are authorised.
• DO NOT use cloud file sharing services, unless authorised.
• DO NOT send large files (over 10MB) by email.
• DO NOT save important business documents on your desktop computer, save them on the network drives instead.
• DO NOT save confidential files on unprotected/un-encrypted USB flash drives (this is easiest way information can be leaked outside the organisation to unauthorised individuals).

DOS

• DO use email for small file exchange only.
• DO use FTP server for continuous exchange of files with clients or suppliers.
• DO use Cloud file sharing for collaborative work on documents.
• DO consult your IT team on the best way to share files.

FedEx has saved hundreds of millions of dollars by eliminating redundant applications and reorienting them in a service-oriented architecture.

FedEx has saved hundreds of millions of dollars by eliminating costly redundant and legacy technologies, using cloud analytics software to compare the cost and value of IT to the business. For CIO Rob Carter, the path to pare technical debt was paved with some painful discoveries.

FedEx CIO Rob Carter.

 

“We’re trying to weave business value into this mess but we simply can’t do it this way,” says Carter, who described the meeting in a keynote speech at the Technology Business Management conference in San Diego earlier this month.

Carter created a tracking chart that shows 2,600 applications and more than 14,000 custom interfaces.

FedEx adoption of IT harkens to co-founder and CEO Fred Smith, who was among the first corporate leaders to realize that technology was essential for running the business. The company created the first automated package shipping system for PCs and in the mid-1990s was one of the first businesses to enable business-to-business transactions on its website. More recently, it created SenseAware, an early commercial internet of things implementation used to track packages.

Technical debt path is paved with business ambition

Carter, who became the company’s CIO in 2000, says FedEx had essentially created so much complexity that it impeded service delivery and increased costs for his business peers. There was no obvious, easy solution.

“We had created a world where we spent too much time looking out the windshield ahead of us and not looking in the rear view mirror and recognizing that we were collecting technical debt as we went along,” Carter says.

A 2010 meeting with Apptio CEO Sunny Gupta helped Carter chart a new course. Apptio pioneered technology business management (TBM) tools designed to help CIOs measure the cost of running IT against the value the solutions generate for he business. Apptio’s software-as-a-service solution crunches its clients’ IT and financial data and spits out granular metrics covering the various costs incurred by running any piece of software and hardware.

Apptio helped FedEx track the cost of each discrete app, including the hours to develop and maintain each tool, the cost of infrastructure to run it, among other data points. For instance, by turning off a single transaction, IT could save 4,000 MIPs, the computing measurement associated with mainframe software. Carter says the information provided clarity, helping IT identify areas where it could winnow its application sprawl and eliminate other inefficiencies.

The path forward goes through SOA

FedEx began reinventing its application portfolio as a service-oriented architecture (SOA), in which loosely coupled services are provided by application components.This initiative, a kind of everything-as-a-service approach, enabled FedEx to funnel data calls from hundreds of apps to manage requests for address and identity management data through a single service. Underlying infrastructure, including network, compute, storage and security was delivered via a private cloud.

Apptio’s software also uncovered a glaring inefficiency in FedEx’ aircraft maintenance operations. For years, engineers inspected aircraft by climbing up and down the planes and then driving a golf cart to a shack, where they would enter data into an inventory management system, which costed $10 million annually. To streamline the process, the IT team created Workbench, which enables engineers to inspect aircraft and input data via tablets and smartphones. The software costs $2 million a year.

“We are several hundred million dollars cheaper because we keep finding unique ways to drive value,” Carter says. FedEx is applying some of the savings to emerging technologies such as TRON, a Bluetooth-enabled sensor that offers a lower cost way of tracking packages.

Perhaps just as importantly, the data Apptio’s software helped Carter present various scenarios and recommendations to the business on both product and process changes – efforts he believes will bear more fruit as the company accelerates its adoption of agile development and DevOps practices. “When the business and IT partner and work together all I have to do is get out of the way and watch good things happen,” Carter says.

FedEx has good company in TBM, with 40 of the Fortune 100 companies using Apptio. Microsoft, Cisco, First American, Freddie Mac, Stanley Black & Decker say they are in various stages of implementing Apptio’s software to create better alignment between their IT costs and business value.

For those that haven’t begun the journey, Carter offered the following advice: “Get started. It takes some time to really get your arms around the complexity of environments. It’s time for our industry to mature in a way that takes a lot of guess work out of what costs what.”

Source: cio.com

Our comment:

Commit100 has experience developing software for helping companies streamline operations and reduce costs. Read our article about the custom software development we did for our customer in the plastics industry. Click to read.

As part of our tips and tricks series, we have already shown some great info on how to be more productive with Microsoft Word – read our previous post Tips and Tricks: Are you being productive in Microsoft Word?.

In today’s post, we will continue our trip though the Microsoft Office suite.

Microsoft Outlook is a widely used email client my small and medium enterprises, and also has some great features to help you make the most of your time. A Commit100 MS Outlook guru shared some of his tips, tricks, and shortcuts to work faster in MS Outlook.

Download the Tips and Tricks in PDF format: Commit100-MSOutlookTipsNTricks

1. A lot of the things that apply for Word (see the previous post) apply for Outlook as well. Namely,

   1. Text selection and navigation
   2. Easy text alignment
   3. Copy and Paste Text
   4. Undoing actions
   5. Finding and replacing text
   6. Spelling check
   7. Text formatting

2. Convenient Keyboard shortcuts:

   1. To create a new email message, Ctrl+N
   2. To reply to a message, Ctrl+R
   3. To Reply to All, Ctrl+Shift+R
   4. To forward a message, Ctrl+F
   5. To send a message, Ctrl+Enter (unless this option is disabled)
   6. Switch between mail, calendar, contacts, and other items in the navigation pane by hitting Ctrl + [the place number of the item],
      1. e.g. Ctrl+1 will open mail, Ctrl+2 will open the calendar, and so forth.
   7. Create a new item from the clipboard. Copy any text to your clipboard, then in Outlook press Ctrl+V. Outlook will create a new message (or note or appointment or whatever item, depending on the folder you’re viewing) with the text already pasted.

3. Inbox organisation. You can create inbox folders and rules to direct messages with certain senders to those folders, so the messages will automatically go to those folders.

   1. To create a folder, right-click on the Inbox, select New Folder, and type the folder name.
   2. To create a rule, select the email from the sender for whom you want to make the rule, right-click and select Create Rule.
   3. Select the “From …” checkbox.
   4. Select the “Move the item to folder:” checkbox and click Select Folder, and then select the folder you created for that person.
   5. You can do similar organisation based on subject, not recipient.
   6. 

4. Managing Multiple signatures (signature for new messages, for reply messages):

   1. Go to File > Options > Mail > Click on Signatures.
   2. Click New, and type a name for the signature.
   3. Enter the text and formatting for the signature, when finished click Save.
   4. In the drop-down menus on the right, select from the dropdown the signature you want to use for
      1. New Messages (full signature)
      2. Replies/Forwards (shortened signature).

5. Using Follow-up flags to track messages / tasks. This is a convenient feature that lets you remember if you need to follow up on an email.

   1. For an email you want to track, click on the flag beside it (on the right).
      1. To select a different priority (time range within which to follow up), right-click on the Flag beside it and select the appropriate time range.
   2. The email will now appear in Tasks.
      1. To stop tracking the email (i.e. to mark the task as complete), in the list of Tasks, click on the flag – it will change to a check mark and disappear from the list.
      2. You can do the same in your inbox by clicking on the flag.

6. Saving important emails as files.

   1. To save an email as a file, open the email, go to File > Save as, and select the location to which you want to save. The email will be saved as an Outlook message that can be opened with Outlook.
   2. To save as a PDF, simply print the email as a PDF (File > Print > Select Microsoft Print to PDF printer)

7. Manual Send/Receive. This allows you to have a second look through all your emails before you send them, but requires you to remember to do that.

   1. To set manual Send/Receive, go to File > Options > Advanced > Scroll to Send and Receive.
   2. Uncheck the box “Send immediately when connected” and press OK.
   3. Now, all emails that you send will appear in the Outbox.
   4. To send all emails in the Outbox, in the Home tab press “Send/Receive All Folders”.

Download the Tips and Tricks in PDF format: Commit100-MSOutlookTipsNTricks

Microsoft Word has become an essential tool in any office environment. The product has been around for some time, and many features have been developed over the years. Strangely, the majority of users do not use these convenient and effective features.

Our Commit100 expert has put together a list of some of the most used productivity tips and tricks in Microsoft Word.

Download the Tips and Tricks in PDF format: Commit100-MSWordTipsNTricks

1. Generate random text with =rand(8,10) (and press Enter)
2. Fast text selection and navigation
   1. To select an entire paragraph, make three fast clicks anywhere inside the paragraph.
   2. Ctrl + Click selects the sentence.
   3. To select all the text in a paragraph before or after the cursor, press Ctrl + Shift + ↑ or ↓.
   4. To select text in the paragraph by word, before or after the cursor, press Ctrl + Shift + → or ←.
   5. To select text in the paragraph by symbol before or after the cursor, press Shift + → or ←.
   6. To navigate through text by word, Ctrl + Shift + → or ←.
   7. To navigate through text by paragraph, Ctrl + Shift + ↑ or ↓.
   8. To select all the text in a document, Ctrl+A.
3. Easy text alignment. Tab will move the cursor by equal space intervals to the right.
4. View two copies of the document at the same time:
   1. Go to View tab > Split View
   2. Move the divider between the two views to change the size of each.
   3. 
5. Copy and Paste Text:
   1. To copy text, select the text and Ctrl+C.
   2. To paste text, select where to paste and Ctrl+V.
   3. To cut text, select the text and Ctrl+X.
6. Undoing actions after accidentally doing something, perhaps several steps ago. There is (as far as I know) no limit on how many actions you can undo / redo:
   1. To undo an action (step backward), Ctrl+Z.
   2. To redo an action (step forward), Ctrl+Y.
7. To automatically format text as heading of different levels, use the built-in heading templates in HOME tab, Styles area:
   1. Simply place the cursor on the text you want to format, and select the style you wish to apply.
   2. To preview the style without applying, simply hold the mouse over the style block.
8. Finding and replacing text:
   1. To find text, press Ctrl+F and type the text you need to find, then Enter.
   2. To replace a number of reoccurring words / word combinations, Ctrl+H.
9. Spelling check:
   1. Spelling check is enabled by default, and it uses zig-zag underlines to mark text that has spelling mistakes.
   2. To run through all the spelling mistakes, press F7.
   3. You can choose to ignore or replace a misspelled word.
10. Inserting tables
    1. Go to Insert > Table > Select the number of Rows and Columns you need.
    2. Type “+” then Tab multiple times (depending on the number of rows/columns you need) and press Enter.

+             +             +             +             +

↓

11. Insert Table of Contents:
    1. Go to References > Table of Contents > Select one of the automatic tables.
    2. To update the table after you make changes to the document, click anywhere in the table and press F9.

12. Text Formatting.
    1. To make a word­ subscript, Ctrl and +, To make a word­ superscript, Ctrl and Shift and +
    2. To increase font size, use Ctrl and Shift and >, to decrease font size, use Ctrl and Shift and <
    3. To make a word bold, underlined, italic – Ctrl+B, Ctrl+U, Ctrl+I, respectively.
13. Easy converting /saving to PDF using Word’s built-in features.
    1. File > Save As > From the dropdown, select the PDF file format.
    2. File > Print > Select the printer Microsoft Print to PDF.

Download the Tips and Tricks in PDF format: Commit100-MSWordTipsNTricks

Stay tuned for our next blog, where we will discuss tips and tricks for Microsoft Outlook.

In the previous blog post, we discussed the value of IT business analysis, as well as one of  the examples of work done by Commit100 for its clients. In this post, we will discuss another such example in detail.

helping our customer KEEP TRACK OF PRODUCTION, REAL TIME

Nuform Building Technologies Inc. is a leading company in developing and producing wall forming systems, extruded from PVC. As is any manufacturing process, there is a certain scrap percentage in production, which shows the head of manufacturing the overall process efficiency.

When Commit100 came into the picture, the existing process to collect scrap rate data was entirely manual: employees would pencil down production data, manually calculate the scrap rate, and – once again, by hand – enter the data into a spreadsheet viewed by head of production. Moreover, data entry was happening with a 2-week delay, that is, information was reaching the production manager much later than it would be useful.

Commit100 identified this area for improvement, and delivered a solution through the following steps:

1. A Commit100 IT business analyst spent time learning the current production tracking process, from A to Z, including shadow sessions with the Nuform associates that were doing extrusion data collection. This allowed to get a clear picture of what happens “in the field”, i.e. a clear understanding of the actual existing business process.
2. Commit100 created the specifications, including process definition, suggested process improvements, and demo-screens of the new EPT app, and approved them with Nuform Inc.
3. The software was developed by a software development team managed by Commit100.
4. A Commit100 implemented the app, and a Commit100 associate performed and coordinated extensive user acceptance testing to make sure the software works as expected, according to specifications.

THE RESULT

The result was a browser-based application called Extrusion Production Tracking (EPT). The Business Analysis process allowed to conclude that the app need be accessible from a wide range of platforms, from the Android tablet used by production staff to enter data, to personal computers used by production staff to monitor the scrap rates. The application was placed on the Nuform Intranet, an online internal website platform used by Nuform (also developed by Commit100).

User login screen for the Nuform Intranet:

The Nuform Intranet has several applications, one of which is the EPT:

The main menu in EPT shows the data entries for all operating extrusion lines for all dates, including a search function that allows to find a certain entry.

The EPT allows Nuform employees enter data using a Wifi-connected Android Tablet. Data is fed directly into an existing Nuform MS SQL database (the application was designed to integrate with this database, removing the need to create and maintain another database).  

The “Last” button links the current record to the previous one, allowing to calculate the amount of production that took place in between the previous and current entry. The “Now” button is a quick way for employees to enter the current time (the current time is pulled automatically from the server and populated in the field). Other fields are filled as needed, with error trapping to ensure that data is not misentered or entered incompletely. Commit100 also introduced an automatic production calculator, which removed the need to calculate the actual production volume by hand.

The interface used to enter data:

A list of production records for a particular extrusion line, with buttons to delete or edit records.

Nuform Inc. was pleased with the application, as the data is immediately available and accessible for the production manager after it is collected. That is, production feedback occurs much faster, so proper adjustments can be made operatively, if needed, and the business can run smoother and more efficiently.

How valuable are your business processes? They ARE your business.

According to Appian.com, a business process is a collection of linked tasks which find their end in the delivery of a service or product to a client. Generally, business processes are grouped into three categories:

• Management processes;
• Operational processes;
• Supporting processes.

Operational processes are what constitute the key value chain – they are at the heart of what makes your business different (or similar) from any other. For example, in manufacturing, the operational processes are those directly linked to making the product (sourcing raw materials, production, finishing, packaging, shipping, etc.). Supporting processes include finance/accounting and, of course, IT.

The natural human tendency is to minimize waste and optimize. However, left unto itself, the process of finding areas for improvement takes significant time, especially within an organization with processes that may span several months. This is where Business Analysis comes in. Wikipedia.org describes business analysis as

“a research discipline of identifying business needs and determining solutions to business problems. Solutions often include a software-systems development component, but may also consist of process improvement, organizational change or strategic planning and policy development.”

That is, business analysis develops and optimizes solutions to address business needs.

Any process is based on the flow of information, and a business is no exception. The main role of IT systems is to streamline, organize, and speed up information flows in business. IT Business Analysis focuses specifically on developing IT solutions to business needs and improving existing business processes. IT solutions can be as simple as the implementation of an instant messaging tool to speed up communication, or as complex as an information system that holds all business information and facilitates the entire workflow from lead to final sale to customer follow-up. A particular example of the effectiveness of IT Business Analysis is the Barcode Scanning System Commit100 developed and implemented for Nuform Building Technologies Inc., which allowed for fast entry and accurate accounting of raw materials and stock. This system decreased the time needed for a full Inventory count by 4-5 times. Commit100 also develops and supports custom in-house information systems.

IT Business Analysis can work with all types of business processes. If focused on operational processes, i.e. those that form the key value chain, it can unlock the hidden potential of your business.

Management often frowns upon investing into IT systems, and this is often a legitimate concern – IT systems should only be based on adequate business analysis, showing what specific improvements to business processes will happen as a result of implementing the IT solution. Depending on the business, the adequate IT solution may be off-the-shelf or fully custom, which is what we will discuss in future blog posts.

How much do you value your current IT infrastructure?

Really, how critical is your IT infrastructure to your business operations? Chances are, it is essential, and few people have a problem acknowledging that. Much more have trouble admitting the value of IT documentation which, in reality, is nearly just as valuable as the infrastructure itself.

Four reasons why IT documentation is important

The all-too-common situation Commit100 sees in small enterprises: one IT consultant, and no documentation exists. True, the infrastructure is simple enough for one person to be able to keep it inside their head. But what happens when that person is suddenly gone? You are left blind in the dark with respect to your IT. You don’t know the infrastructure, systems, and most critically, the special access credentials and passwords. Even if a new IT consultant comes in, getting a clear picture of the IT situation, restoring all passwords and credentials will take time, and in an IT emergency that time is of prime value. Sadly, lack of documentation is what allows many IT consultants to hold their clients “hostage”, because nobody else knows the system. So knowledge transfer, both with respect to static infrastructure and dynamic ongoing projects, is the single most important reason to document your IT.

Medium-sized enterprises with 50 employees and more will likely have more than one IT consultant/employee. This is when documentation begins to serve another role – standardization and coordination, ensuring that the IT infrastructure is operated consistently and coherently, and the actions of one IT tech don’t conflict with others.

The third reason you want to document your IT is time efficiency. Developing an adequate IT approach or procedure takes time. If a step-by step document already exists, it only needs to be followed, with minimum time spent for thinking and figuring out the right approach.

IT documentation also allows IT itself to have a clear picture of what is going on. With tens if not hundreds of different types of programs and systems interacting in the IT environment, keeping a coherent understanding of what is going on is not always possible without supporting documentation; after all, the human attention span is limited.  

What should be documented?

Some important things you should document, and the list is by no means exhaustive:

• Network and system overview. This gives any IT-savvy individual a general overview of your IT infrastructure. This may be one or more documents, depending on the size and complexity of your infrastructure.
• Administrative credentials and passwords. Needless to say, they should be stored in a secure, preferably encrypted, location, but accessible in case of an emergency and by other IT staff.
• IT policies, reflecting the IT approach to various aspects of managing the infrastructure. This includes
  • Network and Security Policy (what networks and systems exist, for what purpose, who has access, etc),
  • Information policy (privacy, appropriate email use),
  • Internet policy (access to third-party resources like cloud platforms, what content is accessible, what content is blocked),
  • Hardware management policy (how often hardware is replaced, how old hardware is used, etc),
  • Backup and Recovery (when and how recovery is done),
  • …and many more.   
• Information system. All the software that supports business processes and how it interacts between each other.
• Hardware inventory. What hardware you have, where it is, who uses it, and if any spare devices are available if needed.
• Software and license inventory. What software you have, who uses it, and if any spare licenses are available if needed. This will prove invaluable in the case of a licensing audit.
• Project-related documentation. This is especially critical for knowledge transfer if multiple individuals successively work on the same project.

How to keep documentation updated?

First and foremost, work with your IT department or IT consultant to work out an approach to documentation. Make your position in this matter clear, and work out a policy to make sure important documentation exists and is updated, while avoiding excessive time spent on documentation.

It is best to update documentation real-time, as policies and environment change, but that is not always possible. Some documentation should in fact be updated immediately after changes are implemented, like administrative passwords. Commit100 recommends that IT policies and procedures should be revised and updated on a quarterly or semi-annual basis. This will also ensure that outdated and inaccurate documentation does not clutter up document library.

TIPS FOR DOCUMENTING IT INFRASTRUCTURE

Ever get an email from Microsoft saying they want to check your software licenses?

If you’re a medium-sized business, you might. Commit100 has helped enough clients handle Microsoft audits to know that this is a fact of life.

Individuals and small businesses are not typically audited for using legitimate Microsoft software, but large and medium-sized businesses are checked all the time. After all, that is where most of Microsoft’s revenue comes from.

So what do you need to know about a license audit by Microsoft?

First, Microsoft asks you to fill in a “Deployment Summary” (see an older version of this document here), indicating how many instances of Microsoft products you have installed in your environment. This document covers pretty much all Microsoft products that still remain relevant today – desktop and server operating systems, Office products (all the way down to Office XP), SharePoint, products like SQL server and developer tools like Visual studio, and even Dynamics CRM. They specifically ask for “the quantity of each version of software currently installed/in use within your company”. For server-based products, they also ask about CALs (client access licenses).

Does this include the software that is still installed on old computers (no longer in use), but has been installed on new computers under the same license? That is a gray area, so use your best judgement to decide.

How to be prepared for a Microsoft license audit?

It is obviously in your best interests to be prepared for an audit. The best, and priceless, thing it gives you – peace of mind, and may also save you some money.

The information you need to be prepared for a Microsoft audit is:

• How many of their products you have installed, and where.
• All proof of licenses (COA stickers, paper certificates, BIOS keys, etc.) and anything that can act as proof of purchase, preferably in one place (for example, a master license spreadsheet).

How to gather required information?

To do an audit of your environment, you will definitely need a PC audit software. There are many good programs available, including freeware. A very simple and powerful tool that Commit100 has used for its clients is Belarc Advisor – it gives you data about the software installed on the machine, as well as hardware, which is useful information that can be a great basis for a full IT system audit. It will also give you the product keys for most of the software that is installed, but it doesn’t give you the full product keys for Office 2013 and onwards – only the last 5 characters of the key.

To gather the required information about what software is installed and where, run an audit report on the following:

• all desktops and laptops (mobile devices may or may not be relevant);
• all physical servers;
• all virtual machines/virtual servers (note that some individual users may have local virtual machines);
• Servers should have information about the number of CALs they have installed – this information will likely not be given by audit software, but you can check that in the Server Management console under “Licensing”.
• Also take note of the number of clients accessing SQL databases and other server-based products (this will tell you how many CALs you actually need).

Centralize this information in a master document, summarizing all software and keys (yes, every key should be in that document – for you own sake) for every physical and virtual machine.

The next step is to gather information about all the licenses you actually purchased. This includes COAs (stickers that go on the physical box), invoices, paper certificates, etc. Get a clean picture of all the licenses you have proof of purchase for – this should go into the same master document.

The licenses installed vs. licenses purchased should match, but if they do not, you may get an idea as to how much software Microsoft will ask you to pay for.

What then?

After you have completed the deployment summary, send it off to Microsoft. There is typically a deadline established by Microsoft for this, but it’s not a “do or die” deadline, it’s something that can be discussed with Microsoft.

A small piece of advice from our experts at Commit100 – don’t underestimate the time you will need to fill out the deployment summary – the more time, the better. If you use it, of course.

What’s the worst that could happen?

Microsoft will ask you to pay for the licenses that are installed/in use, but which you did not purchase or have no proof of purchase for. If you are compliant, or compliant for the most part, then you should have no problems.

But this is not the end of a Microsoft audit. In future articles, we will discuss what else is involved in the audit after the deployment summary is sent back.

Useful links:

Microsoft Software Asset Management