Technology News and Progent Solutions

Microsoft began shipping the latest version of Microsoft Office Communications Server, Microsoft's platform for managing presence awareness, IM infrastructure, remote conferencing, and Voice over IP. The newest edition of Microsoft Office Communications Server features enhancements that offer IT managers more control for maintaining their communications system efficiently while representing an extensible architecture for communications-enabled business processes.

To lower expenses, increase productivity, and enhance teamwork, the latest Release 2 of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 permits phone audioconferencing to eliminate expensive third-part services with an in-house conferencing software bridge that can be controlled as part of a company's overall communications environment. Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Release 2 also now permits desktop sharing, which enables workers to share their desktop seamlessly and initiate calls and collaborate with colleagues external to the organization on Windows PC, Macintosh, or Linux-powered platforms through a Web-based interface. The latest version of Office Communications Server also enables geographically dispersed teams to work together by taking part in theme-based discussions that persist over time. This application supplies participants with a list of all active chat sessions and topics, automatically archives chats in an XML file format that addresses auditing requirements, provides utilities to look through the entire record of chat on a given topic, and offers filters and alarms to notify people about recent posts.

the new edition of Microsoft Office Communications Server also includes enhanced support for voice communications and mobile workers. The new attendant window permits support personnel or team administrators to control calls and conferences on behalf of other users, establish processes to direct phone calls, and handle larger numbers of incoming calls through a software-based console. A new SIP trunking feature allows companies to reduce expenses by setting up a straight-through Voice over IP connection between an Internet telephony service provider and Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 without needing in-house gateways. In addition, Office Communicator Mobile support now includes new platforms including the Nokia S40, RIM Blackberry, and Windows Mobile.

How Progent's Microsoft Gold certified Consultants Can Assist You to Integrate Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
A Standard Edition Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 manages all required services on a single Front End Server. The small investment in hardware and simplicity of administration make this version is optimal for small and mid-sized companies and for branch offices. Office Communications Server 2007 is based on Microsoft Windows Server and takes advantage of powerful Windows Server platforms such as Active Directory, Microsoft SQL Server, System Center Operations Manager, and Exchange Server. With Microsoft Communications Server, you can add real-time teamwork features and presence awareness to popular MS Office applications like as Microsoft Office Outlook, Excel, and Microsoft Office Word. Presence information generated by your server can also be integrated into productivity software. Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 also serves as the presence engine for team web sites and web portals, providing presence awareness and IM access from within SharePoint sites.

Progent's Microsoft-Gold certified engineers can provide professional consulting services for all these technologies and can assist you in designing and executing a rollout of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 in order to maximize the productivity value of this communications solution. Progent can in addition help you to migrate from Microsoft Live Communications Server to the Release 2 edition of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007.

Progent's IT professionals can assist your company to install Office Communications Server and configure a wide of Microsoft technologies to take advantage of the presence, IM, and VoIP capabilities enabled by Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007:

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Integration
Progent offers a range of Microsoft Windows Server 2008 consulting and maintenance support that can help small businesses to get the most from Windows Server 2008. Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can assist your company to understand the areas where Microsoft Windows Server 2008 could improve the business value of your IT system so that you can cost-justify a migration. Progent can show you how to test Windows Server 2008 in order to assess its stability, performance, and compatibility handling realistic workloads. Progent can help with developing a rollout strategy, evaluate and enhance existing network infrastructure, document archiving and restoration processes, analyze security architecture and policies, help in integrating actual and virtual machines, develop high-availability solutions such as server and storage clustering with Hyper-V, train your internal network administration team, and deploy automated round-the-clock monitoring operations to track your information system's protection and efficiency.

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Planning, Configuration, and Maintenance Support
Progent's expert consultants can show you how to define and implement a smooth Microsoft Exchange 2007 migration plan that minimizes productivity disruption, reduces ongoing support demands, and makes your Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 easy to manage. Progent's Exchange 2007 support, troubleshooting, and consulting services include expertise with the integration of outside vendor add-ons to Microsoft Exchange 2007 Server and the design of unified messaging solutions powered by Exchange 2007 Server. Services feature integration with your business network, connectivity with mobile computing devices, automated tracking of efficiency and network security, spam filtering, patch and revision management, Help Desk support, per-day backup, and full messaging management services.

Office SharePoint Server 2007 Integration Services
Progent can offer assistance for designing, configuring, and managing successful Microsoft SharePoint Server installations that can significantly improve key aspects of your organization's information environment including collaboration, intranet portal, enterprise search, forms-based business processes, delivery of actionable intelligence, and document management. Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can assist you to assess the business benefit for adopting Office SharePoint, provide configuration and integration expertise, help your business to set up SQL Server as a back-office database engine, optimize your network architecture, set up your standard and custom business software to work with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, develop a company-wide protection strategy that incorporates portal technology, and deliver online and on-premises troubleshooting and Call Center support.

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Design and Support
Progent's SQL Server engineers can help your business configures SQL Server 2008 properly, and that your SQL Server database system is incorporated seamlessly with your application software. Progent offers automated network tracking to make sure your corporate network is always available, and Progent's remote Technical Response Center is available to offer quick solutions for SQL-related issues. Progent's certified data protection engineers can evaluate your business-wide security policies and technologies and suggest enhancements for better regulatory compliance. Progent's application developers can help you to develop or customize business applications or web sites utilize databases managed by SQL Server.

Active Directory Consulting and Support Services
Microsoft Windows Active Directory requires extensive practical experience to integrate efficiently across a large corporation. Progent’s Microsoft qualified Active Directory engineers are experienced in designing, integrating, and troubleshooting complex Microsoft Enterprise AD projects. Progent’s fields of proven competence with Windows 2003 and 2008 Active Directory include replication issues, multi-domain partition design, repair of corrupted AD objects, cleaning up residual beta software configuration objects in online Active Directory environments, and fixing unsuccessful installations of AD and Active Directory-associated applications.

Desktop Consulting and Support Services
Progent's certified desktop support consultants offer a broad range of affordable consulting and support services to help you business to install, integrate, repair, and manage workstations and laptops based on Microsoft Windows. Progent can provide on-premises or remote help for single PCs and handheld devices or help you to plan and implement a network-wide rollout of the latest version of Microsoft Windows. Progent can also configure Microsoft Office or Microsoft Dynamics business applications on your workstations so they integrate productively with other Microsoft programs, products from third-party publishers, database servers, and key solutions network-wide. Progent can also provide consultants and technicians to assist you to prepare for and complete an office relocation or merger designed to produce the least possible interruption to your productivity.

Wireless and Mobility Technologies Consulting
Progent’s professionals offer experience in multiple technologies relevant to mobile connectivity including system infrastructure, Activesync, wireless security, mobile e-mail, Windows Mobile, RIM Blackberry, and mobile software programming. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco certified experts can save your organization work and money by applying their wireless experience to help you select and integrate mobile networking solutions that fit the needs of your business. Progent can also optimize your IT infrastructure so that mobile data devices work better.

Urgent Online Technical Support
Progent’s Technical Response Center offers nationwide remote support for Windows and Cisco-based small office computer networks. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-Premier service experts offer phone support and online secure network connection to isolate and repair network problems rapidly and affordably. The scope of IT expertise represented by Progent's staff of nationwide support professionals allows Progent to escalate even the toughest problems to appropriate experts as needed.

To find out additional information concerning Progent's support for Microsoft Office Communications Server, phone 1-800-993-9400 or refer to Contact Progent.