IT Technology News and Progent Business Solutions

Microsoft began shipping the R2 version of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, Microsoft's platform for streamlining presence awareness, instant messaging, video conferencing, and Voice over IP. The latest version of Microsoft Communications Server features improvements that give network administrators more control for maintaining their communications system efficiently while representing an expandable platform for communications-enabled work activity.

To lower expenses, improve efficiency, and support collaboration, the new release of Microsoft Office Communications Server allows phone conferencing to eliminate expensive outside services with an on-premises conferencing software bridge that is controlled as part of an organization's current communications infrastructure. Office Communications Server 2007 Release 2 also now permits desktop sharing, which allows workers to share their PC seamlessly and launch audio communications and team up with others external to the organization on Windows PC, Apple Mac, or Linux computers through a Web-based interface. The new release of Office Communications Server 2007 also allows geographically dispersed groups to collaborate by taking part in theme-based dialogues that persist indefinitely. This tool provides participants with an index of all available discussion rooms and themes, automatically backs up chats in a file format that addresses auditing regulations, provides utilities to search the entire record of discussion on a specific theme, and offers filters and alarms to notify people about recent posts.

The new version of Office Communications Server 2007 also incorporates enhanced support for voice and mobile workers. The innovative attendant window allows support personnel or team secretaries to manage phone calls and conferences on behalf of other users, set up processes to direct calls, and handle higher numbers of incoming calls via an intuitive software interface. A new Session Initiation Protocol trunking feature enables companies to reduce costs by establishing up a straight-through VoIP interface between an Internet telephony service supplier and Microsoft Communications Server without requiring on-premises VoIP gateways. In addition, Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile functionality has been extended to more platforms such as the Nokia S40, RIM Blackberry, and Windows Mobile.

How Progent's Microsoft Gold certified Engineers Can Help Your Business to Benefit from Office Communications Server 2007 Release 2
A Standard Edition Microsoft Communications Server manages all necessary services on one physical Front End Server. The small expense in computer hardware and simplicity of administration make this version is optimal for small and mid-sized organization and for branch offices. Microsoft Communications Server relies on Microsoft Windows Server and taps into core Windows Server platforms such as Active Directory, SQL Server, Operations Manager, and Microsoft Exchange Server. With Microsoft Communications Server 2007, you can add instant teamwork capabilities and presence awareness to popular Office programs like as Outlook, Microsoft Office Excel, and Word. Presence awareness from your server can also be added to productivity applications. Microsoft Communications Server also serves as the presence mechanism for collaborative sites and web portals, providing presence and Instant Messaging support from within SharePoint Services sites.

Progent's Microsoft-certified engineers can provide professional consulting services for all these technologies and can help you in designing and executing a deployment of Microsoft Communications Server 2007 so as to maximize the productivity value of this IM, presence, and VoIP platform. Progent can also assist your company to upgrade from Microsoft Live Communications Server to the Release 2 edition of Office Communications Server 2007.

Progent's consultants can assist you to deploy Office Communications Server 2007 and configure a wide of Microsoft platforms to benefit from the presence awareness, Instant Messaging, and Voice over IP features available with Office Communications Server:

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Expertise
Progent offers a variety of Microsoft Windows Server 2008 planning and integration services that can assist small companies to take advantage of Windows Server 2008. Progent's Microsoft Gold certified consultants can help your company to evaluate the areas where Microsoft Windows Server 2008 could improve the business value of your information network so that you can cost-justify an upgrade. Progent can help you pilot Microsoft Windows Server 2008 so that you can determine its reliability, throughput, and compatibility running realistic applications. Progent can help with creating a rollout strategy, evaluate and enhance existing network infrastructure, develop archiving and recovery procedures, analyze security architecture and guidelines, assist in integrating actual and virtualized machines, design high-availability strategies including server clustering, train your internal network administration team, and set up proactive server and network monitoring processes to ensure your information system's security and efficiency.

Exchange Server 2007 Design, Installation, Maintenance, and Hosting Services
Progent's expert support team can help you design and deploy a smooth Microsoft Exchange 2007 upgrade plan that avoids network disruption, simplifies ongoing service demands, and makes your Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 easy to manage. Progent's Exchange 2007 support, troubleshooting, and design services include expertise with the integration of third-party enhancements of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and the design of unified messaging implementations based on Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. Progent's Exchange Server Hosting and Management Services provide a world-class data center that features redundant electrical and cooling systems, round-the-clock staffed security and IT support center, plus fault-tolerant access to Internet backbone service companies. Hosted Exchange servers are configured as virtualized machines for high uptime, smooth scalability, and rapid recovery. Services include integration with your business network, access to handheld communication devices, automated monitoring of efficiency and security, spam protection, patch and revision control, Help Desk Call Center support, per-day backup, and full messaging management services.

Office SharePoint Server 2007 Consulting and Support
Progent can offer expertise for planning, configuring, and managing productive SharePoint Server installations that will dramatically enhance key aspects of your organization's information environment such as teamwork, intranet portal, enterprise search, forms-driven business processes, access to actionable information, and content management. Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can assist you to evaluate the business case for implementing SharePoint Server, deliver configuration and integration support, assist your business to set up Microsoft SQL Server 2008 as a back-office database, optimize your network architecture, integrate your off-the-shelf and specialized application software to work with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, develop a company-wide protection plan that incorporates portal solutions, and deliver online and in-person repair and Help Desk Call Center services.

SQL Server 2008 Consulting Services
Progent's SQL Server consultants can make sure you installs Microsoft SQL Server 2008 properly, and that your SQL-based DBM system is incorporated seamlessly with your applications. Progent can provide continuous network tracking to ensure your corporate information system is working efficiently, and Progent's remote Help Desk is ready to offer fast solutions for SQL problems. Progent's certified network security consultants can evaluate your business-wide security policies and technologies and recommend improvements for better protection. Progent's developers can assist your company to develop or customize line-of-business applications or eCommerce sites utilize databases managed by Microsoft SQL Server 2008.

Windows Active Directory Consulting and Support Services
Windows Active Directory requires significant hands-on experience to integrate efficiently across a large corporation. Progent’s Microsoft certified Active Directory experts are skilled in planning, deploying, and troubleshooting complex Microsoft Enterprise AD installations. Progent’s areas of proven competence with Microsoft Windows 2003 and 2008 Active Directory include replication problems, multi-domain partition configurations, correcting corrupted AD objects, cleaning up residual legacy version configuration objects in production AD systems, and repair of unsuccessful configurations of AD and Active Directory-associated programs.

PC Desktop Support Services
Progent's certified desktop support consultants offer a broad range of affordable consulting and support services to assist you business to install, integrate, repair, and administer desktop PCs and laptops powered by Windows. Progent can provide onsite or online assistance for individual PCs and moble devices or work with you to plan and implement a large-scale rollout of the newest release of Microsoft Windows. Progent can also configure Microsoft Office or Microsoft Dynamics business applications on your client PCs so they communicate efficiently with other Microsoft programs, products from popular publishers, SQL databases, and key services network-wide. Progent can also supply engineers and technical workers to help your company to prepare for and implement an office move or consolidation organized to cause the least possible disruption of your productivity.

Wireless Technologies Integration
Progent’s professionals offer expertise in a variety of technologies related to mobile networking such as network architecture, wireless data synchronization, wireless security, mobile email, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Research in Motion Blackberry, and mobile software programming. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco certified consultants can save your organization work and money by applying their wireless expertise to show you how to select and configure mobile connectivity solutions that make sense for your business. Progent can also tune your IT architecture so that wireless data devices work better.

Emergency Online Troubleshooting
Progent’s Technical Response Center provides nationwide remote assistance for Windows and Cisco-based small business computer networks. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-Certified support experts offer telephone support and online secure network connection to troubleshoot and repair technical problems rapidly and affordably. The breadth of IT expertise available from Progent's staff of nationwide support professionals makes it possible to escalate even the most difficult network issues to competent specialists as required.

For more details about Progent's consulting and support services for Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, phone 1-800-993-9400 or refer to Contact Progent.