Technology News and Progent IT Solutions

Microsoft made available the most recent edition of Microsoft Communications Server, Microsoft's platform for managing presence awareness, instant messaging, remote conferencing, and software-based VoIP. The most recent edition of Office Communications Server features enhancements that give network administrators additional versatility for managing their communications infrastructure effectively while representing an extensible architecture for collaborative work activity.

To lower expenses, improve productivity, and promote collaboration, the latest release of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 allows phone conferencing to replace costly third-part services with an in-house conferencing software bridge that can be maintained along with a company's existing communications environment. Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 also now permits desktop sharing, which allows workers to share their PC transparently and launch audio communications and collaborate with colleagues outside the organization on Windows PC, Mac, or Linux-powered computers through a web connection. The new version of Microsoft Office Communications Server also enables geographically scattered teams to work together by taking part in theme-based dialogues that extend indefinitely. This tool provides users with an index of all active discussion sessions and themes, automatically archives discussions in a file format that addresses auditing requirements, provides utilities to look through the complete record of chat on a specific theme, and provides filters and alerts to notify someone of new posts.

The new version of Microsoft Communications Server also incorporates enhanced support for voice communications and mobility. The new attendant window allows receptionists or group secretaries to manage calls and conferences on behalf of associates, set up workflows to route calls, and handle higher volumes of incoming calls via a software-based interface. The Session Initiation Protocol trunking capability allows businesses to cut costs by setting up a straight-through Voice over IP interface between an Internet phone service supplier and Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 without needing on-premises VoIP gateways. Also, Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile functionality now includes more device platforms such as the Nokia S40, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile.

How Progent's Microsoft-certified Consultants Can Assist Your Business to Deploy Office Communications Server
A Standard Edition Office Communications Server hosts all necessary services on a single Front End Server. The minimal expense in computer hardware and ease of management make this version is ideal for small and mid-sized organization and for remote offices. Microsoft Office Communications Server relies on Windows Server and taps into powerful Windows Server platforms such as Active Directory, SQL Server, Microsoft System Center Operations Manager, and Microsoft Exchange Server. With Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, you can incorporate instant teamwork capabilities and presence awareness to ubiquitous Office applications such as Outlook, Microsoft Office Excel, and Microsoft Office Word. Presence awareness from the server can also be incorporated into line-of-business applications. Office Communications Server also acts as the presence mechanism for team sites and web portals, providing presence and Instant Messaging support from within SharePoint sites.

Progent's Microsoft-Gold certified professionals offer expert technical services for all these areas and can help you in planning and executing an installation of Microsoft Communications Server so as to optimize the productivity value of this communications platform. Progent can also help you to upgrade from Live Communications Server 2005 to the current edition of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007.

Progent's consulting experts can help your company to install Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and integrate a wide of Microsoft technologies to take advantage of the presence, IM, and Voice over IP capabilities enabled by Microsoft Office Communications Server:

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Integration
Progent provides a variety of Windows Server 2008 planning and integration services that can help small organizations to benefit from Windows Server 2008. Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can help your company to understand the ways Windows Server 2008 could enhance the business value of your information network in order to cost-justify a migration. Progent can show you how to pilot Windows Server 2008 in order to assess its reliability, responsiveness, and operability handling your applications. Progent can provide consulting for creating a deployment strategy, assess and enhance your current network infrastructure, develop backup and restoration processes, analyze security mechanisms and guidelines, assist in installing physical and virtual machines, design fault-tolerant strategies such as server clustering, train your in-house IT management staff, and deploy proactive server and network monitoring operations to track system protection and performance.

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Design, Configuration, Troubleshooting, and Hosting Support
Progent's Microsoft certified consultants can show you how to define and implement a smooth Microsoft Exchange 2007 migration strategy that minimizes productivity disruption, reduces ongoing service demands, and makes your Exchange 2007 Server easy to manage. Progent's Exchange Server 2007 help, repair, and design offerings include expertise with the configuration of third-party add-ons to Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and the design of unified messaging solutions based on Exchange Server 2007. Progent's Exchange Hosting Services offer a world-class data center that features backed-up electrical and environmental control systems, round-the-clock site security and IT support center, plus failover access to Internet backbone service providers. Hosted Exchange servers are configured as virtualized servers for high availability, smooth expandability, and rapid recovery. Services feature complete incorporation with your business network, access to mobile communication devices, automated tracking of performance and security, spam filtering, security update and service pack management, Help Desk support, per-day backup, and comprehensive messaging management support.

SharePoint Server Integration Services
Progent can provide help for planning, configuring, and managing productive Microsoft Office SharePoint Server solutions that can dramatically enhance key aspects of your company's IT environment including teamwork, intranet portal, company-wide search, forms-based business processes, delivery of business intelligence, and document control. Progent's Microsoft-certified engineers can help your company to assess the business case for implementing SharePoint Server, provide configuration and installation support, help you to configure SQL Server 2008 as a back-end database, enhance your network architecture, integrate your standard and custom business software to operate with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, develop a comprehensive protection strategy that incorporates portal technology, and deliver remote and in-person repair and Help Desk Call Center support.

SQL Server Integration and Maintenance
Progent's SQL Server engineers can help your organization installs SQL 2008 properly, and that your SQL Server data management system is incorporated thoroughly with your business applications. Progent can provide automated network monitoring to ensure your corporate network is healthy, and Progent's remote Help Desk is available to provide fast resolutions for SQL problems. Progent's certified network security engineers can evaluate your company-wide security processes and mechanisms and recommend improvements for better regulatory compliance. Progent's developers can assist you to create or customize business applications or web sites rely on databases controlled by SQL Server.

Windows Active Directory Support Services
Windows Active Directory requires significant hands-on experience to configure optimally across an enterprise. Progent’s Microsoft Gold certified Active Directory consultants are skilled in planning, deploying, and troubleshooting complex Microsoft Enterprise Active Directory projects. Progent’s areas of proven competence with Microsoft Windows 2003 and 2008 Active Directory include replication issues, multi-domain partition design, correcting corrupted Active Directory objects, dealing with legacy legacy software configuration objects in production Active Directory environments, and repair of failed installations of AD and AD-associated programs.

PC Desktop Support Services
Progent's Microsoft-certified desktop support experts can deliver a wide array of affordable consulting and support services to help you business to deploy, configure, repair, and administer workstations and laptops based on Microsoft Windows. Progent can offer on-premises or remote help for single desktop computers and moble devices or work with your business to plan and implement a large-scale migration to the most current version of Windows. Progent can also configure Office or Microsoft Dynamics applications on your client PCs so they integrate efficiently with all Microsoft applications, software from third-party vendors, business servers, and key services throughout your network. Progent can also supply consultants and technical workers to help you to plan for and implement a company relocation or consolidation designed to cause the least possible disruption of your productivity.

Wireless and Mobility Technologies Expertise
Progent’s consultants provide expertise in a variety of technologies related to mobile networking including system topology, wireless data synchronization, wireless protection, wireless e-mail, Windows Mobile, RIM Blackberry, and mobile software development. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco certified experts can save your company time and money by using their wireless background to show you how to choose and integrate mobile networking solutions that make sense for your business. Progent can also tune your IT architecture so that mobile data devices work more reliably.

Emergency Online Troubleshooting
Progent’s National Support Center offers nationwide remote help for Windows and Cisco-based small business computer networks. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-Certified service engineers provide phone help and remote secure computer connection to isolate and repair network problems rapidly and affordably. The breadth of IT experience represented by Progent's staff of nationwide support professionals allows Progent to escalate even the most difficult problems to qualified specialists as needed.

To find out more information about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft Communications Server, call 1-800-993-9400 or see Contact Progent.