A *Microsoft* Office 365 Account is not a "Microsoft Account".... What the...?

[Speculator]

Hi all,

 

I think this is really for the Win 8 area, not the Office 365 area, even though it deals with both it's really more about a stupid failing in Win8.

 

So, it turns out that there's no way to provide your users with a "Microsoft Account" for use in Windows 8 (with the store, syncing of settings etc). Rather bafflingly, an Outlook.com account works, but the institution supplied equivalent, an Office 365 account does not. So users are faced with an irritating situation where they have to maintain a separate set of credentials for these couple of services. If that wasn't confusing enough, the process for signing up for a Microsoft account with an Office 365 is even more baffling.

During the process, the user will be directed to confirm their account by clicking the link in an email they're sent (pretty normal there, if ultimately unnecessary). The user receives the email, clicks the link and is then asked to logon to their Microsoft account. At which point they try to logon with their Office 365 account (because that's what they're used to), but it doesn't work because it's asking them to logon with their newly created Microsoft Account. But they don't understand the difference.

 

I'm seriously considering shelving our move from Google Apps to Office 365 thanks to this confusing situation (they should understand the difference between a Microsoft and a Google account). Our setup with students using Win8 devices just got a whole lot more complicated, when I'd really hoped Microsoft would've integrated these two solutions to make it easier.

 

I don't suppose anyone has a solution to the "Microsoft Account" absurdity?

 

L8r.

[bcsdtech]

This is something that NEEEDS to be addressed for K-12 Education.. We are setting up 300 Lenovo Twists come September. It would be a shame if students could only use LEGACY APPLICATIONS

[Michael]

I agree it is confusing. Outlook.com was/is used for Live@Edu, but is now used for hotmail/msn accounts. Office 365 resolves to login.microsoftonline.com or outlook.com/yourschooldomain.com which makes things even more confusing!

[Speculator]

I'm starting to think someone needs to do some rabble-rousing around this and the Store purchasing problem. Maybe we could put together some sort of open letter to Microsoft, or a petition?

 

L8r.

[EduTech]

I know what you are saying and it makes sense and needs to be addressed. but why don't you just create a new Live Services account but use an existing email ID this being your K-12 account name? :-) that would do the trick... it would mean OUTLOOK.COM would not manage your email, but you don't need it too anyway!

 

James

[Speculator]

We'll have to do that, there's not much of a choice. The point is not hat we can't but that we shouldn't have to. It's also an awful process of filling out forms with hundreds of students and then there's an email verification which is all quite annoying. Essentially this is very similar to what you'd go through with an iPad setup, but I think I speak for every Microsoft customer when I say that it's the manageability they provide that's at the core of why we choose them over iPads or Android.

 

L8r.

[bcsdtech]

Because then we have no control over the accounts and which apps the students download on computers. ?

[bcsdtech]

So I got Windows 8 Store apps to appear in SCCM's Software Catalog (web version)

Clicking install makes it happen, and I'm sure I can set up the students accounts to SYNC apps on laptops.

 

But they will still need to use a Microsoft account that they create, and will still beable to buy other apps off-premise.

My fear is when they come to school every app will download whenever they log into a new computer. I know I can sue applocker to control what they use, but I'm worried about bandwith issues when students log in and start installing apps.

[altonPM]

In the US, it is not legal for students under the age of 13 to create internet accounts without parent permission, unless the accounts are directly managed by a school district. If we are using W8 for younger students, we cannot help them create Microsoft accounts. Office 365 accounts, however, are directly managed by our district.

 

For our staff (who just got Surface RT tablets), it's just confusing - they created their own personal Microsoft accounts, but those are different than their Office 365 accounts. So, two additional accounts in addition to their Active Directory account.

[nadeem]

Could they not have made their Microsoft Account using their Office365 details? [i know it'd still technically be separate, but at least it would vaguely make sense!]

[altonPM]

To me, this makes it even more confusing, because then they will have 2 different SkyDrive accounts: (1) a personal account at SkyDrive.com; and (2) a school SkyDrive Pro account under Office365. Both with the same credentials!

[Speculator]

Yup, we actually kept our students on Google Apps rather than having them sign up with O365, because at least the signup process isn't horribly confusing that way. When they go to verify their account and it asks them to login to your Microsoft Account users have no idea if that's their Microsoft Account or their Office 365 Account... and rightly so. They're both 'Microsoft' accounts.

[Arthur]

They're both 'Microsoft' accounts.

Google has two different types of account too.

 

What's the difference between a Google account and a Google Apps account?

[altonPM]

For us, it's only confusing for teachers (who have Surface RT tablets). Students only have Office 365 accounts.

 

I love the Office 365 product, this is just a major barrier to the use of Surface tablets in schools (especially with students under 13).

 

On a personal note, when you do have both Office 365 and personal accounts, I DO love that my Office 365 account is now so separate from my personal Live account - I can actually be signed into both in the same browser!!

Edited September 3, 2013 by altonPM

[gshaw]

Bit of a thread revival but I had to Google this to check I wasn't the only one who thinks the current credential system is incredibly stupid!

 

I'm working with a Surface RT and Office 365 yet everywhere I go the default cloud location is the personal SkyDrive, with my Office 365 account being treated like a second-class citizen in comparison. In some apps it doesn't even work properly (e.g. OneNote Metro version)

 

Why can't Microsoft couldn't add basic Microsoft account functionality to their Office 365 IDs, just enough to use the Store but with no SkyDrive and so on. I can see many users saving to the wrong place if they use a Windows 8 device...

[zag]

The reason is because people were getting confused with their personal accounts (hotmail ect) and their work accounts. Its great they are separate now but I see no reason why Micorosoft couldn't add the account functions to Office 365.

 

They just need to sort their backend out I guess.

 

Another reason to not go Surface/O365 yet.

 

I'm sure the next generation will sort these problems out. Basically you've jumped to early

[altonPM]

A year later and I believe this is still an issue? Has anyone heard progress on it?

 

Through the course of the year, it was painfully obvious that everyone in Microsoft Education is aware of the problem, especially with the "under 13" accounts in the U.S. They said it was their most requested issue.

[gshaw]

Can only hope it'll be a feature of Windows 9, the Azure AD back end is there and waiting but just needs someone at Microsoft to make it happen.

 

Quite bizarre really given how much of their income is reliant on "Enterprise" products yet the worst user experience on Win8.x seems to be reserved for those who want to use Office 365 accounts exclusively!

[Guest Guest]

The answer I got from Microsoft was to use InTune, it apparently would allow us to deploy apps without having microsoft accounts, so we wouldn't have to worry about using microsoft accounts with the children. But after signing up to the free trial, it clearly didn't offer any sort of store functionality without using microsoft accounts.

 

So we are going to get the children to signup for an account. tedious.

 

I agree that the dirsync to azure ad would obviously allow this sort of thing, I wouldn't mind if microsoft were first to the whole app store thing and thus we were using something untested, but they're 3rd to this idea, jeeze you'd think someone in a meeting would have suggested ad sync.