IT Technology News and Progent Business Solutions

Microsoft unveiled the Release 2 edition of Microsoft Communications Server, Microsoft's platform for streamlining presence, IM infrastructure, teleconferencing, and IP-based calling. The R2 edition of Microsoft Communications Server 2007 features enhancements that offer IT organizations more flexibility for managing their communications infrastructure efficiently while representing an extensible platform for communications-enabled work activity.

To lower expenses, improve productivity, and support teamwork, the new version of Microsoft Office Communications Server permits phone audioconferencing to eliminate expensive third-part services with an in-house conferencing software bridge that is administered along with the existing communications infrastructure. Office Communications Server 2007 also now features desktop sharing, which allows workers to share their desktop transparently and initiate audio communications and cooperate with colleagues external to the organization on Windows PC, Mac, or Linux-powered platforms through a Web-based connection. The new edition of Office Communications Server also enables geographically scattered groups to collaborate by participating in theme-based dialogues that persist over time. This tool supplies users with a list of all active discussion rooms and topics, periodically backs up discussions in an XML file format that meets auditing requirements, delivers tools to look through the complete record of chat on a specific theme, and provides filters and alarms to inform people of recent updates.

The new version of Microsoft Communications Server 2007 also includes enhanced support for voice and mobility. The new attendant window permits receptionists or team secretaries to control phone calls and conferences on behalf of other users, set up workflows to route calls, and handle larger numbers of incoming calls via a user-friendly interface. A new Session Initiation Protocol trunking feature enables businesses to reduce expenses by establishing up a straight-through Voice over IP interface between an Internet telephony service provider and Microsoft Office Communications Server without requiring in-house VoIP gateways. In addition, Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile functionality has been extended to more platforms such as the Nokia S40, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile.

How Progent's Microsoft-certified Engineers Can Help Your Company to Integrate Office Communications Server 2007
A Standard Edition Office Communications Server hosts all necessary services on a single Front End Server. The minimal expense in hardware and simplicity of administration make this configuration is optimal for small and mid-sized organization and for remote offices. Microsoft Office Communications Server is based on Microsoft Windows Server and taps into powerful Windows technologies like as Active Directory, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft System Center Operations Manager, and Microsoft Exchange Server. With Microsoft Communications Server 2007, you can incorporate real-time teamwork features and presence to ubiquitous Office applications like as Outlook, Excel, and Microsoft Word. Presence information generated by your server can also be integrated into productivity software. Microsoft Communications Server also acts as the presence mechanism for team sites and web portals, providing presence and IM access from within Windows SharePoint sites.

Progent's Microsoft-Gold certified professionals can provide professional technical support for all these technologies and can assist your company in designing and executing a deployment of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 in order to optimize the productivity impact of this communications platform. Progent can in addition help you to upgrade from Live Communications Server to the current edition of Office Communications Server.

Progent's IT professionals can help you to install Microsoft Communications Server and configure a wide of Microsoft platforms to benefit from the presence, Instant Messaging, and VoIP features enabled by Microsoft Communications Server 2007:

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Support
Progent offers a variety of Windows Server 2008 consulting and integration services that can help small businesses to get the most from Windows Server 2008. Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can help you to evaluate the areas where Windows Server 2008 could enhance the business value of your IT system in order to cost-justify an upgrade. Progent can help you pilot Microsoft Windows Server 2008 in order to assess its reliability, responsiveness, and operability handling realistic applications. Progent can assist with creating a deployment plan, assess and enhance existing network infrastructure, develop backup and restoration procedures, evaluate security architecture and policies, assist in integrating actual and virtual servers, develop fault-tolerant solutions including server and storage clustering, educate your internal IT management team, and deploy automated round-the-clock monitoring processes to track system protection and performance.

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Planning, Configuration, Troubleshooting, and Hosting Services
Progent's expert support team can help you design and deploy a smooth Microsoft Exchange 2007 upgrade strategy that minimizes productivity downtime, reduces long-term service requirements, and makes your Microsoft Exchange 2007 Server easy to manage. Progent's Exchange 2007 help, repair, and design offerings include assistance with the configuration of third-party add-ons to Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and the creation of unified messaging solutions based on Exchange Server 2007. Progent's MS Exchange Server Hosting Services provide an enterprise-class data center with redundant power and cooling systems, round-the-clock site security and operations center, and failover access to Internet backbone service providers. Hosted Microsoft Exchange servers are configured as virtualized machines for service continuity, smooth expandability, and rapid restoration. Progent's services feature complete incorporation with your business network, access to mobile communication products, continual monitoring of performance and security, spam and virus filtering, security update and service pack management, Contact Center services, daily data backup, and comprehensive email management services.

Office SharePoint Server 2007 Integration Services
Progent can offer help for planning, deploying, and managing successful SharePoint Server solutions that can significantly improve key aspects of your information network such as teamwork, intranet portal, enterprise search, forms-based business processes, delivery of actionable intelligence, and document management. Progent's Microsoft Gold certified consultants can help your company to assess the business case for deploying Office SharePoint, provide configuration and installation expertise, assist you to set up SQL Server 2008 as a back-office database engine, enhance your network infrastructure, integrate your off-the-shelf and custom business software to operate with Microsoft SharePoint Server 2007, create a comprehensive protection plan that includes portal technology, and deliver online and on-site troubleshooting and Help Desk support.

Microsoft SQL Server Programming and Support
Progent's SQL Server experts can help you configures Microsoft SQL 2008 properly, and that your SQL-based data management system is incorporated seamlessly with your business applications. Progent offers continuous server tracking to make sure your business information system is always available, and Progent's remote Help Desk Call Center is ready to provide fast solutions for SQL problems. Progent's certified computer security experts can evaluate your business-wide security processes and technologies and recommend enhancements for better regulatory compliance. Progent's programmers can help your company to create or customize line-of-business applications or web sites utilize databases controlled by Microsoft SQL Server 2008.

Active Directory Consulting and Support Services
Microsoft Windows Active Directory requires extensive hands-on experience to configure efficiently across a large corporation. Progent’s Microsoft Gold certified Active Directory consultants are skilled in planning, deploying, and troubleshooting complex Enterprise AD installations. Progent’s fields of expertise with Microsoft Windows 2003 and 2008 AD include replication issues, multi-domain partition design, correcting corrupted AD objects, dealing with residual beta software configuration objects in production Active Directory environments, and fixing failed configurations of AD and Active Directory-associated programs.

Desktop Consulting and Support Services
Progent's Microsoft Gold certified desktop support experts can deliver a broad array of affordable consulting and support services to assist your business to install, integrate, repair, and manage desktop PCs and laptops powered by Microsoft Windows. Progent can offer onsite or remote help for individual PCs and handheld devices or work with your business to design and implement a network-wide rollout of the newest release of Windows. Progent can also install Office or Microsoft Dynamics business applications on your client PCs so they integrate efficiently with all Microsoft applications, software from popular vendors, SQL databases, and line-of-business solutions network-wide. Progent can also supply engineers and technical workers to assist your company to prepare for and implement a site relocation or merger organized to cause the least possible interruption to your productivity.

Wireless and Mobility Technologies Support
Progent’s professionals offer expertise in multiple disciplines relevant to mobile connectivity such as network infrastructure, wireless data synchronization, wireless protection, wireless e-mail, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Research in Motion Blackberry, and mobile software programming. Progent's Microsoft certified experts can save your business time and expense by using their wireless experience to show you how to select and configure mobile networking technologies that make sense for your company. Progent can also tune your IT architecture so that mobile data devices perform better.

Emergency Online Technical Support
Progent’s National Support Center provides national remote assistance for Windows and Cisco-based small office information networks. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-Certified service engineers provide telephone help and online direct network connection to isolate and resolve network problems quickly and affordably. The breadth of IT expertise represented by Progent's staff of country-wide support professionals allows Progent to escalate even the most difficult problems to qualified specialists as needed.

To learn additional information about Progent's consulting and support services for Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, call 1-800-993-9400 or see Contact Progent.