New IT Technology and Progent IT Solutions

Microsoft made available the latest version of Office Communications Server, Microsoft's platform for managing presence, IM infrastructure, remote conferencing, and IP-based calling. The newest edition of Microsoft Office Communications Server includes enhancements that offer network administrators more versatility for maintaining their communications system efficiently while providing an expandable platform for communications-enabled business processes.

To reduce expenses, increase efficiency, and promote teamwork, the new release of Office Communications Server 2007 permits phone audioconferencing to replace expensive outside services with an on-premises conferencing software bridge that is administered as part of an organization's existing communications infrastructure. Office Communications Server also now permits desktop sharing, which allows workers to share their PC transparently and launch calls and cooperate with colleagues external to the organization on Windows PC, Mac, or Linux platforms through a web connection. The new version of Office Communications Server also allows geographically scattered teams to work together by taking part in theme-based discussions that extend indefinitely. This tool supplies participants with a list of all available discussion sessions and topics, automatically archives chats in an XML file format that addresses auditing requirements, provides tools to look through the entire record of discussion on a specific topic, and offers triggers and alarms to inform people about recent posts.

The new version of Microsoft Office Communications Server also includes enhanced support for voice and mobility. The new attendant console allows support personnel or team secretaries to manage calls and conferences on behalf of associates, establish processes to route phone calls, and handle larger volumes of incoming communications via a user-friendly console. A new SIP trunking capability enables companies to cut expenses by setting up a straight-through Voice over IP connection between an IP phone service supplier and Microsoft Communications Server 2007 without needing on-premises gateways. In addition, Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile functionality has been extended to new platforms including the Nokia S40, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile.

How Progent's Microsoft-certified Engineers Can Help You to Benefit from Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
A Standard Edition Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 hosts all required services on a single Front End Server. The small investment in hardware and simplicity of administration make this configuration is ideal for small and medium-sized organization and for remote offices. Microsoft Communications Server relies on Windows Server and takes advantage of core Windows Server platforms such as Active Directory, Microsoft SQL Server, Operations Manager, and Exchange Server. With Microsoft Office Communications Server, you can add real-time teamwork features and presence awareness to ubiquitous MS Office programs such as Microsoft Office Outlook, Excel, and Word. Presence awareness from the server can also be incorporated into line-of-business applications. Microsoft Communications Server also acts as the presence mechanism for team sites and portals, providing presence and IM access from within SharePoint sites.

Progent's Microsoft-Gold certified professionals can provide expert consulting services for all these technologies and can assist your company in planning and executing a rollout of Microsoft Communications Server so as to optimize the productivity value of this communications platform. Progent can also help your company to upgrade from Microsoft Live Communications Server to the latest version of Microsoft Communications Server 2007.

Progent's IT professionals can help your company to install Microsoft Communications Server and integrate a range of Microsoft technologies to benefit from the presence awareness, IM, and VoIP capabilities enabled by Microsoft Communications Server 2007:

Windows Server 2008 Planning and Support
Progent offers a range of Windows Server 2008 planning and integration support that can assist small companies to take advantage of Windows Server 2008. Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can assist you to evaluate the ways Windows Server 2008 could enhance the productivity of your information network in order to cost-justify a migration. Progent can show you how to pilot Microsoft Windows Server 2008 in order to assess its stability, speed, and operability running your workloads. Progent can provide consulting for creating a deployment plan, evaluate and improve existing network infrastructure, develop archiving and recovery procedures, analyze security architecture and policies, help in integrating physical and virtualized servers, develop fault-tolerant solutions such as server clustering, educate your in-house IT administration staff, and set up automated server and network monitoring processes to track your information system's protection and performance.

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Planning, Configuration, and Maintenance Services
Progent's expert consultants can show you how to define and deploy an efficient Microsoft Exchange 2007 migration strategy that avoids network downtime, reduces ongoing support requirements, and makes your Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 easy to administer. Progent's Exchange Server 2007 support, repair, and consulting services include expertise with the configuration of outside vendor add-ons to Exchange Server 2007 and the design of unified messaging solutions based on Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. Progent's services include integration with your network, access to mobile computing devices, continual monitoring of efficiency and network security, spam and virus filtering, patch and revision control, Contact Center services, per-day backup, and full email administration services.

Microsoft SharePoint Server 2007 Integration Services
Progent can offer assistance for designing, deploying, and managing productive Microsoft SharePoint Server solutions that can significantly improve key aspects of your organization's IT network including collaboration, intranet portal, enterprise search, forms-based business processes, access to management intelligence, and content management. Progent's Microsoft-qualified engineers can help you to assess the business case for adopting SharePoint Server, deliver setup and integration expertise, assist your business to configure SQL Server as a back-end database engine, enhance your network architecture, set up your off-the-shelf and specialized application programs to work with Office SharePoint Server 2007, create a comprehensive protection strategy that includes web portal technology, and provide remote and on-premises troubleshooting and Call Center support.

SQL Server Consulting Services
Progent's SQL Server experts can help your small business configures SQL 2008 properly, and that your SQL Server data management solution is incorporated thoroughly with your applications. Progent offers continuous network monitoring to make sure your corporate network is healthy, and Progent's online Help Desk Call Center is available to offer fast remediation for SQL-related problems. Progent's certified data security consultants can evaluate your business-wide security processes and mechanisms and suggest enhancements for better protection. Progent's developers can assist you to create or personalize business programs or eCommerce sites utilize information controlled by SQL Server 2008.

Active Directory Consulting and Support Services
Microsoft Windows Active Directory demands significant field experience to configure efficiently across a large corporation. Progent’s Microsoft certified Active Directory engineers are experienced in planning, deploying, and supporting complex Microsoft Enterprise AD installations. Progent’s areas of proven competence with Microsoft Windows 2003 and 2008 Active Directory include replication issues, multi-domain partition configurations, repair of corrupted Active Directory objects, cleaning up residual beta software configuration objects in online AD systems, and repair of failed installations of Active Directory and AD-associated programs.

Desktop Support Services
Progent's Microsoft-certified desktop support experts offer a wide range of affordable support services to assist your company to install, integrate, repair, and administer workstations and notebooks based on Windows. Progent can provide on-premises or remote assistance for individual desktop computers and handheld devices or work with you to design and implement a large-scale rollout of the most current release of Windows. Progent can also configure Microsoft Office or Microsoft Dynamics programs on your workstations so they integrate efficiently with other Microsoft applications, products from popular vendors, database servers, and line-of-business solutions throughout your network. Progent can also supply engineers and technicians to assist you to plan for and implement a company relocation or merger designed to produce minimal disruption of your productivity.

Wireless Technologies Planning and Support
Progent’s consultants provide experience in multiple technologies related to mobile connectivity including system infrastructure, Activesync, wireless protection, mobile e-mail, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Research in Motion Blackberry, and wireless application development. Progent's certified experts can save your company work and money by applying their wireless expertise to show you how to choose and configure wireless connectivity solutions that fit the needs of your business. Progent can also optimize your IT architecture so that mobile data devices perform more reliably.

Emergency Online Troubleshooting
Progent’s National Support Center provides nationwide remote assistance for Windows and Cisco-based small office IT networks. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-Certified support experts offer phone help and online secure network connection to isolate and repair network problems rapidly and economically. The scope of technical expertise represented by Progent's team of nationwide service engineers allows Progent to escalate even the most difficult network issues to qualified specialists as required.

For more information about Progent's consulting expertise for Microsoft Office Communications Server, call 1-800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.