Version 16 of Automating Microsoft 365 with PowerShell Available for Download

The Office 365 for IT Pros team is proud to announce the October 2025 update for the Automating Microsoft 365 with PowerShell eBook. The book is available separately and as part of the Office 365 for IT Pros eBook bundle. Current subscribers can download the latest files from their Gumroad.com account. See our FAQ for more information about how to download the updated EPUB and PDF files.

The October 2025 update for Office 365 for IT Pros is under development and should be available for download on October 1, 2025. Subscribers can check their account then or wait until they see the update notification posted here.

Current Files are Version 16.2

At the time of writing, the current files are labelled version 16.3 and dated 22 September 2025. I originally created version 16.0 to use as the basis for the paperback version so that I could get some printed copies to take with me to The Experts Conference (TEC) in Minneapolis (September 30-October 1). TEC features a PowerShell script-off where conference participants sign up to compete against others to solve common Microsoft 365 administrative problems, and I wanted printed copies to give to the script-off competitors.

Alas, the best laid plans sometimes come a cropper, and I found changes that I wanted to get into this month’s update not once but twice, which resulted in the 16.1, 16,2, and 16.3 versions. However, the delay involved in print on demand means that the books that will show up at TEC are version 16.0. When you get used to being able to update and publish a book update electronically, reverting to waiting for printing presses to run seems very antiquated, even in a print on demand scenario. Tant pis, or so the French might say.

Exchange SE for Administrators

In other news, Scott Schnoll, who left Microsoft earlier this year, has published The Admin’s Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server Subscription Edition. The book is available from Amazon.com (paperback and Kindle) for a whopping list price of $119.99 (currently available at a discounted $90.07 for the paperback and $99.99 for Kindle) and promises “never before heard details on the development of Exchange Server Subscription Edition.”

There’s no doubt that some confusion exists around Exchange SE, especially in terms of licensing (this FAQ helps), but that’s probably a symptom of the move to subscriptions. To facilitate the changeover, Microsoft made sure that 99.99% of the technical detail for Exchange SE is the same as for Exchange 2019. This position will change as Microsoft adds new functionality to Exchange SE over time.

Whether a new book about existing technology with a high price point will succeed remains to be seen. Amazon takes a large chunk (up to 70%) of the price paid by buyers and that might have dictated the price for a book that targets a declining (but still important) market.

The nice thing about writing about on-premises server products is that authors don’t have to cope with the rapid pace of change experienced in the cloud. However, the details and features of Exchange SE will diverge from Exchange 2019 from this point, so change will come. That change probably won’t be unduly dramatic and Exchange SE will not become like Exchange Online, so the work to keep the book updated shouldn’t be too onerous.

For any self-published book about technology, I recommend using a site like gumroad.com (which we use for Office 365 for IT Pros) or leanpub.com (home of Paul Thurrott’s Windows 11 Field Guide and other great books). Both sites offer authors more revenue for book sales and better control over changes, which is always nice. On the other hand, Amazon offers a decent on-demand paperback printing service that we use for the paperback version of the Automating Microsoft 365 with PowerShell book. You pay your money and make your choice…

On to Version 17

We continue to develop content for Automating Microsoft 365 with PowerShell based on changes and updates to PowerShell modules. I can’t predict what the next month will bring. I can only say that things will happen that will turn up in version 17.