1. Operating Systems
- Windows 7 Enterprise
- Windows 7 Home Basic
- Windows 7 Home Premium
- Windows 7 Professional
- Windows 7 Starter
- Windows 7 Ultimate
- Windows Vista Business
- Windows Vista Enterprise
- Windows Vista Home
- Windows Vista Ultimate
- Windows XP Professional (SP2)
- Windows XP Tablet PC Edition (SP2)
- Windows Server 2003 (SP2)
- Macintosh OS X (10.4)
- Macintosh OS X (10.6)
2. System Software
- Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 SP1 or Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5
- Java client 1.4.2 (on Macintosh OS X)
Note: Java is required only for Microsoft Office Live Meeting. In Office Live Meeting, Macintosh OS X clients will not have access to voice, video, or client-side recording.
3. Browser Software
- Windows Internet Explorer 8 (on Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP)
- Windows Internet Explorer 7 (on Windows Vista and Windows XP)
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 (on Windows XP)
Note: Windows Internet Explorer 8 is recommended for the Microsoft Online Services Administration Center.
- Firefox 3
- Safari 3 (on Macintosh OS X 10.5)
Note: The Microsoft Online Services Sign In application does not support Firefox.
4. Email Client Software
- Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 (SP1) (Recommended)
- Microsoft Office Outlook 2003
Note: Office Outlook 2007 without SP1 will not have access to calendar free/busy information. The Microsoft Exchange Online Connector for Office Outlook 2003 SP3 must be installed to use the free/busy information and offline address book (OAB) features. For more information, see About Microsoft Exchange Online Connector for Office Outlook 2003.
- Microsoft Entourage 2004 (on Macintosh OS X 10.4)
- Microsoft Entourage 2008 (on Macintosh OS X 10.5)
- Mail for Exchange (on Nokia)
5. High Speed Bandwidth is a must. Although there is a formula for estimating user bandwidth, I found this on line device a good time savings tool for evaluating your current Internet connection-Performance Test for Internet Connection to Microsoft Online Services
6. Microsoft Online Services Sign In application
The Microsoft Online Services Sign In application is installed on each end user’s computer to provide a single sign-in point for Microsoft Online Services. The Sign In application makes it possible to sign in one time and then access services any number of times during the sign-in session. Without the Sign In application, end users must provide a name and password each time they try to access a service.
In addition to providing a single sign-in point, the Sign In application automatically configures users’ applications so that they can be used with Microsoft Online Services. During its configuration of Microsoft Office Outlook, the Sign In application creates a new Outlook profile to use with Microsoft Online Services. After the initial auto-configuration, each time a user opens Microsoft Office Outlook through the Sign In application, the correct profile is used. The previous profile remains stored in Outlook.
Note: We strongly recommend that you sign in to Microsoft Online Services through the Sign In application. Use of the services without being signed in through the Sign In application is not supported.
The Sign In application should be installed only on computers with Microsoft Online Services accounts. The Sign In application should not be installed on public computers such as those found in airports and libraries.
The Sign In application provides these features:
- Automatic configuration of applications. The Sign In application automatically configures desktop applications on the user’s computer so that they can work properly with Microsoft Online Services. This saves time and trouble for first-time users and reduces support time for service administrators. If necessary, users can also use the Sign In application to reconfigure their desktop applications manually.
- Single access point for services. Instead of signing in to each available service separately, users can use the Sign In application one time, and then start service applications without any additional sign-in requests. The Sign In application lists all the services that the company’s service administrator has made available to the user. These online services depend on the licenses that each company has purchased.
- Password management. Users can change their service password in the Sign In application, and if their password expires, the Sign In application alerts them and offers the ways to update their password.
- Sign In options. Users can configure the Sign In application to start automatically and sign themselves in each time they start Windows and to alert them when a new version of the Sign In application is available.
- Notification of service license expiration. If the user’s service license expires, the Sign In application displays a notification. For more information about service license expiration, see About Expiration of Subscriptions.
