Technology News and Progent Business Solutions

Microsoft introduced the next edition of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, Microsoft's solution for managing presence, IM infrastructure, video conferencing, and IP-based calling. The next edition of Microsoft Communications Server features enhancements that offer network administrators more control for supporting their communications infrastructure efficiently while representing an expandable platform for communications-enabled work processes.

To lower expenses, improve productivity, and promote collaboration, the new Release 2 of Microsoft Communications Server permits phone conferencing to replace expensive third-part services with an in-house conferencing bridge that is administered along with a company's overall communications environment. Office Communications Server also now features desktop sharing, which allows users to share their desktop transparently and launch calls and team up with others external to the company on Windows PC, Macintosh, or Linux-powered platforms via a web interface. The new version of Microsoft Communications Server 2007 also enables geographically dispersed groups to collaborate by participating in theme-based dialogues that persist indefinitely. This tool provides users with a list of all available chat rooms and topics, periodically archives chats in an XML file format that addresses auditing regulations, provides tools to look through the complete record of discussion on a given topic, and provides filters and alerts to inform people of recent posts.

The new version of Microsoft Office Communications Server also incorporates enhanced support for voice and mobile workers. The new attendant console permits receptionists or group secretaries to control calls and conferences for associates, establish processes to direct phone calls, and handle higher numbers of incoming calls via a software-based console. A new Session Initiation Protocol trunking feature allows businesses to cut expenses by setting up a direct Voice over IP connection between an IP phone service provider and Microsoft Communications Server 2007 without needing in-house VoIP gateways. Also, Office Communicator Mobile functionality has been extended to more device platforms such as the Motorola RAZR, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile.

How Progent's Microsoft-certified Consultants Can Assist You to Benefit from Office Communications Server 2007
A Standard Edition Microsoft Office Communications Server manages all required services on a single Front End Server. The small expense in hardware and simplicity of administration make this configuration is optimal for small and medium-sized organization and for remote offices. Office Communications Server is powered by Windows Server and taps into powerful Windows Server technologies such as Active Directory, Microsoft SQL Server, Operations Manager, and Exchange Server. With Microsoft Communications Server 2007, you can add real-time teamwork capabilities and presence awareness to popular Office programs like as Outlook, Excel, and Microsoft Office Word. Presence awareness from your server can also be incorporated into productivity software. Microsoft Communications Server also acts as the presence engine for collaborative sites and portals, delivering presence awareness and IM support from within Windows SharePoint sites.

Progent's Microsoft-certified engineers offer expert technical support for all these technologies and can assist your company in planning and executing an installation of Microsoft Office Communications Server so as to maximize the productivity value of this IM, presence, and VoIP solution. Progent can also assist your company to upgrade from Microsoft Live Communications Server to the Release 2 edition of Microsoft Communications Server 2007.

Progent's consultants can assist your company to install Microsoft Communications Server 2007 and integrate a range of Microsoft technologies to take advantage of the presence awareness, Instant Messaging, and VoIP capabilities enabled by Microsoft Office Communications Server:

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Integration
Progent provides a range of Windows Server 2008 consulting and integration services that can assist small companies to benefit from Microsoft Windows Server 2008. Progent's Microsoft-certified engineers can assist your company to evaluate the areas where Microsoft Windows Server 2008 could enhance the productivity of your information network so that you can cost-justify a migration. Progent can help you pilot Windows Server 2008 so that you can assess its stability, responsiveness, and operability handling realistic workloads. Progent can assist with developing a deployment plan, evaluate and enhance your current network environment, document archiving and restoration processes, evaluate security mechanisms and policies, assist in setting up physical and virtualized servers, develop fault-tolerant solutions such as server clustering, train your internal IT management staff, and set up proactive 24x7 monitoring processes to ensure your information system's security and performance.

Exchange Server 2007 Planning, Setup, and Maintenance Support
Progent's expert support team can help you define and deploy an efficient Microsoft Exchange 2007 migration plan that avoids network downtime, simplifies ongoing service requirements, and makes your Exchange Server 2007 easy to manage. Progent's Exchange Server 2007 help, troubleshooting, and design offerings include expertise with the integration of outside vendor enhancements of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and the creation of unified messaging implementations based on Microsoft Exchange 2007 Server. Services include integration with your network, connectivity with handheld communication products, continual tracking of performance and security, spam and virus protection, security update and service pack control, Contact Center support, per-day data backup, and comprehensive email management support.

Microsoft SharePoint Server Help
Progent can provide expertise for planning, configuring, and maintaining productive Microsoft Office SharePoint Server installations that will dramatically improve key aspects of your company's information network such as collaboration, intranet portal, corporate-wide search, forms-driven business processes, delivery of actionable intelligence, and document management. Progent's Microsoft Gold certified consultants can assist you to assess the business case for deploying SharePoint Server, deliver setup and installation support, help you to configure Microsoft SQL Server 2008 as a back-office database, optimize your network architecture, set up your off-the-shelf and specialized business programs to operate with SharePoint Server, create a comprehensive security plan that includes web portal technology, and deliver remote and in-person repair and Help Desk Call Center services.

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Programming and Support
Progent's SQL Server engineers can make sure your organization configures SQL 2008 efficiently, and that your SQL-powered data management solution is incorporated effectively with your business applications. Progent can provide continuous server monitoring to make sure your corporate information system is working efficiently, and Progent's remote Technical Response Center is ready to offer fast resolutions for SQL problems. Progent's certified computer protection consultants can evaluate your business-wide security policies and mechanisms and suggest enhancements for more complete regulatory compliance. Progent's developers can assist you to create or personalize business applications or web sites utilize databases controlled by Microsoft SQL Server.

Active Directory Consulting and Support Services
Windows Active Directory demands extensive practical experience to integrate efficiently across a large corporation. Progent’s Microsoft Gold certified Active Directory engineers are skilled in designing, deploying, and troubleshooting sophisticated Microsoft Enterprise AD projects. Progent’s fields of proven competence with Microsoft Windows 2003 and 2008 AD include replication issues, multi-domain partition configurations, correcting corrupted Active Directory objects, dealing with legacy beta software configuration objects in online AD environments, and fixing unsuccessful installations of AD and AD-associated applications.

PC Desktop Support Services
Progent's certified desktop support consultants offer a wide range of affordable consulting and support services to assist your company to install, configure, repair, and administer desktop PCs and notebooks based on Microsoft Windows. Progent can provide onsite or online technical support for individual desktop computers and handheld devices or work with you to plan and carry out a large-scale rollout of the latest version of Windows. Progent can also configure Microsoft Office or Microsoft Dynamics business applications on your workstations so they communicate productively with other Microsoft applications, software from popular publishers, business servers, and key solutions throughout your network. Progent can also provide engineers and technical workers to assist you to plan for and complete an office relocation or merger designed to produce the least possible disruption of your productivity.

Wireless Solutions Consulting
Progent’s consultants offer experience in a variety of technologies relevant to mobile networking such as network infrastructure, wireless data synchronization, wireless security, mobile e-mail, Microsoft Windows Mobile, RIM Blackberry, and wireless software development. Progent's Microsoft certified experts can save your organization time and expense by using their wireless experience to help you select and integrate mobile connectivity technologies that make sense for your business. Progent can also tune your IT infrastructure so that mobile data devices work more reliably.

Urgent Online Troubleshooting
Progent’s National Support Center offers nationwide remote help for Windows and Cisco-based small business IT networks. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-Premier service engineers provide phone help and online direct computer access to isolate and repair network problems rapidly and economically. The breadth of technical experience available from Progent's team of country-wide service professionals allows Progent to escalate even the most difficult problems to qualified experts as needed.

For more details about Progent's support for Microsoft Communications Server, call 1-800-993-9400 or go to Contact Progent.