Expiring Office 365 Passwords – Tony Redmond’s Exchange Unwashed Blog March 1, 2012
Posted by John Ruby in Office 365, Services, Solutions, Troubleshooting & Knowledge Bases.Tags: account, Assistant, basis, Blog, BPOS, computer, Connect, December, deployments, differences, domains, enterprises, environments, Exchange, expiration, Framework, haven, Microsoft, Module, MsOlService, MsOlUser, MSOnline, MSOnlineUserPasswordNeverExpire, Office, Online, Open, password, PasswordNeverExpires, Passwords, Plan, Plans, policies, policy, PowerShell, professionals, recommendation, Redmond, Services, session, settings, Sign, tenant, Tony, True, user, UserID, UserPrincipalName, users, version, Windows
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Expiring Office 365 Passwords – Tony Redmond’s Exchange Unwashed Blog
Tony Redmond’s Exchange Unwashed
by Tony Redmond
When I wrote about the differences between Office 365 Plans P and E and the choice that small businesses make when they decide which plan to use, I omitted to discuss the question of password policies. For users of Plan P (for professionals and small businesses), the policy is simple: your password never expires – at least, I thought that this was the case until Monday, December 12, when my password expired! More on this below.
However, for users of Plan E (for enterprises), passwords have always automatically expired after 90 days. This is the standard policy applied across all Office 365 tenant domains that use Plan E and is in line with the general Microsoft security recommendation for Windows deployments to change user account passwords on a frequent basis
Updating everyone’s password expiration is a simple matter if you are familiar with PowerShell. Essentially, the steps are:
- Log onto a computer (Windows 7 or Windows 2008 R2) that has Version 3.5.1 of the .NET Framework, the latest version of the Microsoft Online Services Sign-In Assistant, and the Microsoft Online Services Module for PowerShell installed.
- Open the Microsoft Online Services Module for PowerShell and run the Connect-MsOlService command to connect to Office 365. It’s also possible to fire up a regular PowerShell session and import the MSOnline module so that you have access to the commands that you need to manipulate Office 365 accounts.
- If you want to update just one user, run the command Set-MsOlUser –UserPrincipalName UserID –PasswordNeverExpires $True
- If you want to change the password expiration for everyone, run Get-MsOlUser to return the complete set of user objects and pipe them to Set-MsOlUser
- Get-MsOlUser | Set-MsOlUser –PasswordNeverExpires $True
BPOS includes a cmdlet called Set-MSOnlineUserPasswordNeverExpire to do the same job. I haven’t seen this in Office 365 yet, but maybe I have been looking in the wrong place! In passing, I note that moving users from BPOS to Office 365 might require a review of account settings such as password expiration to ensure that users have the same experience in both environments.
Windows 8 Consumer Preview February 29, 2012
Posted by John Ruby in Microsoft, Software, Windows 8.Tags: Apps, Behind, Blog, Check, Consumer, depth, development, Download, Experience, Explorer, Guide, info, interface, Internet, Meet, news, photos, Preview, product, Read, settings, Still, Swipe, Take, team, teams, Visit, Wall, Watch, Windows
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It’s Windows reimagined and reinvented from a solid core of Windows 7 speed and reliability. It’s an all-new touch interface. It’s a new Windows for new devices. And it’s your chance to be one of the first to try it out.
See what’s new
Swipe, slide, and zoom
Touch a full-powered PC. It’s fast and it’s fluid. Take natural, direct, hands-on control.
Apps, front and center
Apps in Windows 8 work together to get things done faster. Get them from the Windows Store.
Your Windows, everywhere
Windows 8 can connect you to your files, photos, people, and settings, wherever you sign in.
Wall-to-wall web
Internet Explorer 10 Consumer Preview brings you immersive web browsing on screens big and small.
The familiar, made better
Still devoted to your mouse and keyboard? Windows 8 makes the tried-and-true feel brand new.
The Windows Experience Blog
Read this Windows Experience Blog entry for some tips on getting started with Windows 8 Consumer Preview.
Behind the scenes
Meet the engineering team
Check out a short video for an informal look at Windows 8 from one of the teams that built it.
Building Windows 8
Get the latest news and the inside scoop on the development process from the Windows 8 engineering team blog.
The product guide
Download the Windows 8 Consumer Preview Product Guide for more in-depth, detailed info on this release.
- Download the product guide (.pdf)
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