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Business Benefits of Progent's Hosting Services for Microsoft Exchange
By utilizing an outsourced hosting provider for Exchange, small and midsize companies can gain a range of benefits. The most straightforward advantage is saving money. Gartner Group has calculated that outsourced hosting can save from 20-35% of the expense of building and operating an internal facility. Advantages such as decreasing executive hassle and enhancing system reliability and security are harder to quantify, but these are clearly significant advantages. Examples of the specific benefits of utilizing an outsourced hosting service for Microsoft Exchange include:

• Reduced Capital Expenditures
  By using a hosting provider for vital applications like Exchange, small and midsize companies on a restricted budget can eliminate the substantial costs of planning and constructing a computer facility with adequate physical security, environmental control, uninterruptible power, fire detection and suppression, and redundant Internet access. Hosting services also eliminate the expense of software licenses and of non-stop computer equipmen like clusters and non-stop hard disk subsystems. Expanding IT system capacity when your business grows is also more affordable and simple.

• Lower Operational Expenses
  Progent's Hosting Services for Microsoft Exchange cut operational costs by utilizing the expertise of Progent's IT support professionals and Help Desk Call Center team. Small and midsize companies get the advantages of having access to a large network services staff without having to pay for one. Small companies also avoid the cost of the data center's round-the-clock internal security personnel and full-time operations team.

• Better Management Focus
  By using Progent's Hosting Services for Exchange a small organization's management group avoids the distraction and hassle of making sure the mission-critical email environment is continually available, secure,up to date, consistently archived, and effectively administered. Actual or imagined client problems can be handled by Progent's Help Desk, and administrative duties such as additions, deletions, and security modifications can be taken care of by Progent's Exchange experts. These services allow executive to concentrate on core business issues where they can provide the greatest help to the company.

• World-class Protection
  The site security offered by Progent's world-class hosting facility is far beyond the quality that most small to midsize companies could reasonably expect to achieve with an in-house data center. In conjunction with a 24x7 team of security officers, Progent's hosting facility offers advanced intrusion monitoring and prevention systems plus reinforced structures to prevent unapproved entry. Progent also integrates software protection such as a high-level firewall, 24x7 network monitoring, spam and virus blocking, prompt and thorough security update management, and a seasoned on-call group of data recovery professionals.

• Improved Availability and Reliability
  Progent's facility for hosting Microsoft Exchange features UPS electrical power, redundant air conditioning, and non-stop Internet connectivity to achieve a high degree of availability. The data center is also located in a seismically stable region for safety against earthquakes. Progent's virtual server infrastructure for supporting Exchange offers even greater fault-tolerance thanks to mechanisms like server clustering and redundant hard disk subsystems.

• Regulatory Adherence
  In case your business must or desires to adhere to regulatory standards such as SOX, Gramm-Leach-Bliley, or HIPAA, using Progent's Hosting Services for Exchange positions you to meet even the toughest security mandates.

• Business Recovery
  The fault-tolerant and secure infrastructure of Progent's data center reduces the likelihood that an incident could bring down your Exchange system. In case of a catastrophic breakdown, Progent's disciplined data back up routines and virtualized architecture allow fast data recovery to ensure that you can quickly continue business operations.

World-class Data Center
No small company can justify the expense of planning, building, and maintaining a world-class data center. Progent allows small and midsize businesses to get more from their IT investment by offering Exchange Hosting and Management Services based in a data center utilized by some of the world's biggest companies for hosting mission-critical applications. Key features of the data center Progent utilizes for application hosting include:

• 24x7 Onsite Security Plus Sophisticated Security Systems
  Progent's data center provides high-level security for controlling and monitoring physical access to the facility. Internal security personnel are present on a 24x7 basis and a sophisticated security system includes surveillance cameras, motion sensors, pin pads, and biometric access control systems. The perimeter of the data center is surrounded by armored glass and internal areas are secured within steel reinforced protective screens.

• Full-time Network Operations Center
  Progent's data center for Microsoft Exchange features a 24x7 network operations center with qualified engineers and technicians who oversee the infrastructure and security of the data center and resolve problems.

• Fault-tolerant High-speed Internet Connectivity
  Progent's facility for Microsoft Exchange hosting features failsafe BGP4 Internet access through a sophisticated failover architecture that incorporates dual, spatially isolated fiber vaults connected to a variety of network carriers. Each vault is supported by a different TELCO central office. Two self-healing SONET rings provide dual fiber routing to hosting systems. Internet access is served by tier 1 backbone ISPs.

• Extensive Electrical Power Backup Systems
  The data center used by Progent for Exchange hosting has a dedicated municipal utility district substation and transformer on the site. The substation is fed by multiple area substations. The data center has four diesel-powered generators, each configured with redundant parts. The generators have switch units for fast delivery of emergency power and have the fuel to power the whole data center for one week. The facility also has uninterruptible power supply systems, redundant power distribution units, and gel batteries (N+2) capable of handling the entire data center during the interval when the generators are switching.

• Redundant Computer Room Air Conditioning
  Progent's facility for Microsoft Exchange hosting is equipped with backed up server room cooling units set up in a closed loop configuration using water-cooled chiller components that are rotated monthly.

• Smoke Detection and Fire Suppression
  Progent's data center for Microsoft Exchange hosting is equipped with a VESDA detection system monitored by the round-the-clock operations center team as well as by an outside monitoring service. The fire control system features a dual interlock dry pipe system that is divided into 10' x 10' zones to minimize damage to servers near any actual fire.

• Seismically Stable Site
  The facility that supports Progent's Microsoft Exchange hosting servers is situated in a seismically stable region with no discovered faults and no history of earthquakes. The facility is also built with a steel-beam superstructure designed to hold up against a serious earthquake.

Progent's Configuration and Ongoing Support Services for Exchange Hosting
Progent's hosting services for Exchange feature complete incorporation of Microsoft Exchange with your existing IT network and also feature an array of ongoing support services designed to keep your messaging solution performing at peak efficiency with a high degree of security, fault tolerance, administration control, and client service. All operating system and application products are paid for Progent and are owned by Progent, and all maintenance of systems and other equipment is performed at no charge to clients. Progent's fast and fault-tolerant Internet interfaces offer 3 MBPS performance.

Configuration and support offered as part of Progent's Exchange hosting include:

• Seamless Integration with Your Information System
  Progent's hosting for Exchange is invisible to your workers, customers, and partners. Your existing email domain name is retained in addition to your email addresses, contact information, file organization, and group configurations. Your email will also be accessible anywhere via Outlook Web Access (OWA) or Microsoft Exchange wireless service. Progent will also configure Exchange to support synchronization with Window Mobile-powered handheld devices such as PDAs and Smartphones.

• Spam and Virus Screening
  Progent's hosting for Microsoft Exchange features E-Mail Guard spam and virus blocking. E-Mail Guard is based on Postini’s Perimeter Manager, a pass-through managed service that directs all your email to high-security data centers — the same ones utilized by enterprises like Google, eBay, and Yahoo — where email and attachments are filtered using state-of-the-art heuristic rules technology. E-Mail Guard supports the security of corporate email by performing constantly updated spam and virus screening, content screening, and safety from mail-based DHA and DoS attempts. E-Mail Guard also include monitoring, management reporting, and content management tools plus transmission filtering to assist you to troubleshoot your email system and define and enforce corporate messaging policy.

• 24x7 Network Monitoring
  Progent's hosting for Microsoft Exchange features constant monitoring of the performance and security of Exchange Server using Microsoft Operations Manager, an advanced network management platform that proactively detects network problems and trends. MS Operations Manager works by proactively scanning event history, then screening, organizing, and evaluating these system events based on an extensive internal knowledge base. When MS Operations Manager comes across problems or a potentially dangerous tendency, the software can run customizable remediation processes or transmit warnings to alert Progent's email maintenance experts.

• Update and Patch Support
  Included with the services offered with Progent's Exchange hosting, Progent's Exchange support professionals make sure that software patches, security revisions, and service packs are implemented consistently and non-intrusively. Progent will also ensure that additional software supportive of Microsoft Exchange Server stays up to date. In case the Exchange Server host machine must be momentarily shut down for ordinary software maintenance, Progent uses a support interval from 10:00 pm Friday evening to 6:00 Saturday morning Pacific Time. Progent alerts customers before any planned downtime so as to reduce business disruption.

• Daily Data Backup and Rapid Restoration
  Progent's data backup procedures for hosted Microsoft Exchange systems include one month of daily backups, complete server backups every week, differential backups every day, and complete backups with off-site archiving monthly. Progent's virtualized architecture facilitates fast data recovery in the event of a disaster, and after a severe host collapse Progent will migrate the hosted Microsoft Exchange Server system to another virtual server within half a business day.

• Help Desk Service
  Progent's Help Desk Call Center services are provided to support Progent's hosted Microsoft Exchange systems. Progent's Technical Response Center (TRC) provides all Help Desk services and is accessible via phone, email, or the web. Staffed by Microsoft-qualified professionals who are experienced at delivering email help, Progent's Help Desk Call Center can efficiently handle virtually any issue related to Microsoft Exchange and can also provide high-level help for a broad array of IT areas such as system architecture, business applications, mixed-platform interoperability, and system security. Progent's TRC group can also escalate highly complicated problems to Progent's world-class engineering group which includes Cisco-certified CCIE network experts, CISA and GIAC certified security professionals, Linux experts, and Mac support professionals.

• Email Administration Services
  Progent's Help Desk Call Center handles all email administration needs such as adding or removing mail boxes, changing security levels, or resolving capacity issues. As with any service offered by Progent structured on Progent's Help Desk Call Center model, Progent's Technical Response Center delivers the extensive and deep technical knowledge, consistency of service, and 24x7 accessibility of an enterprise-class IT support organization, as well as the transparent trouble-ticket tracking and follow-up of an efficiently managed Help Desk.

Progent's Virtual Data Center Hosting and Management Services
Progent's Virtual Server Hosting service offers full-service hosting for all of a small company's servers in an environment that achieve the top levels of dependability, data protection, and expandability and is also economical and simple to move to a different host environment. Progent's Server Hosting and Management services are based on proven virtualization technology that allows small and midsize businesses with mixed networks to save significantly on the expense of capital equipment, network support, and IT administration while benefiting from world-class availability and an unparalleled level of host independence.

Unlike conventional Software as a Service (SaaS) hosting packages, Progent's Virtual Data Center Hosting covers all network and application servers in one centrally managed solution and can handle mixed platform and non-standardized networks that are typical of small companies but pose a challenge to most hosting providers. Progent's Virtual Server Hosting and Management services put ownership of the software platforms in the customer's hands so that moving to a new virtual system is fast, safe, and inexpensive. This avoids becoming a prisoner to a specific hosting provider while still offering all the cost savings associated with Application Service Provider and SaaS hosting models.

Learn more about Progent's Virtual Data Center Hosting Services.

Contact Progent for Exchange Server 2007 Solutions
If you need help with Exchange Server 2007 or want to learn more about Progent's hosting services for Microsoft Exchange, call 800-993-9400 or contact exchange-help@progent.com