Technology News and Progent Solutions

Microsoft made available the newest version of Office Communications Server 2007, Microsoft's platform for unifying presence awareness, instant messaging, video conferencing, and IP-based calling. The latest edition of Office Communications Server 2007 includes enhancements that give IT organizations additional versatility for supporting their communications system efficiently while providing an expandable platform for collaborative work processes.

To reduce costs, increase efficiency, and enhance collaboration, the latest Release 2 of Microsoft Communications Server permits phone audioconferencing to replace expensive outside services with an on-premises audioconferencing bridge that can be controlled as part of a company's overall communications infrastructure. Office Communications Server 2007 Release 2 also now features desktop sharing, which enables users to share their desktop transparently and launch audio communications and cooperate with others outside the organization on PC, Apple Mac, or Linux platforms through a Web-based interface. The new version of Office Communications Server 2007 also enables geographically dispersed groups to collaborate by taking part in theme-based discussions that extend indefinitely. This application supplies users with an index of all active chat rooms and themes, automatically archives chats in a file format that addresses auditing regulations, provides tools to search the complete history of discussion on a given theme, and offers triggers and alarms to notify people of new updates.

the latest version of Microsoft Communications Server 2007 also incorporates enhanced support for voice and mobility. The new attendant console allows receptionists or group administrators to manage phone calls and conferences for associates, establish processes to route phone calls, and manage larger volumes of incoming communications through an intuitive software interface. The Session Initiation Protocol trunking capability enables businesses to reduce expenses by setting up a direct VoIP connection between an Internet telephony service supplier and Microsoft Communications Server 2007 without needing in-house VoIP gateways. Also, Office Communicator Mobile support has been extended to new platforms including the Motorola RAZR, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile.

How Progent's Microsoft Gold certified Consultants Can Help You to Integrate Microsoft Office Communications Server
A Standard Edition Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 manages all required services on a single Front End Server. The small investment in computer hardware and ease of administration make this configuration is ideal for small and medium-sized organization and for branch offices. Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 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 collaboration features and presence awareness to ubiquitous Microsoft Office programs such as Outlook, Excel, and Microsoft Word. Presence information generated by the server can also be integrated into line-of-business applications. Microsoft Communications Server 2007 also acts as the presence engine for collaborative web sites and web portals, providing presence awareness and IM support from within SharePoint Services sites.

Progent's Microsoft-Gold certified professionals can provide expert technical support for all these technologies and can assist your company in planning and executing a rollout of Microsoft Communications Server so as to maximize the productivity value of this IM, presence, and VoIP platform. Progent can in addition help your company to migrate from Live Communications Server to the Release 2 edition of Microsoft Communications Server 2007.

Progent's IT professionals can assist you to install Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and integrate a range of Microsoft platforms to benefit from the presence awareness, Instant Messaging, and Voice over IP features enabled by Microsoft Office Communications Server:

Windows Server 2008 Expertise
Progent offers a range of Windows Server 2008 planning and integration support that can help small businesses to benefit from Windows Server 2008. Progent's Microsoft Gold certified engineers can help your company to evaluate the areas where Microsoft Windows Server 2008 could improve the productivity of your IT system so that you can rationalize a migration. Progent can show you how to test Microsoft Windows Server 2008 in order to assess its stability, performance, and compatibility handling your applications. Progent can provide consulting for developing a deployment strategy, assess and enhance existing network environment, document archiving and recovery processes, evaluate security mechanisms and policies, assist in setting up physical and virtual machines, develop fault-tolerant solutions including server and storage clustering with Hyper-V, train your in-house IT administration staff, and set up automated 24x7 monitoring processes to ensure your information system's protection and performance.

Exchange Server 2007 Design, Configuration, Troubleshooting, and Hosting Services
Progent's expert consultants can show you how to define and implement an efficient Microsoft Exchange 2007 upgrade plan that avoids productivity disruption, simplifies ongoing service demands, and makes your Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 easy to administer. Progent's Exchange 2007 support, troubleshooting, and design offerings include assistance with the configuration of outside vendor enhancements of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and the design of unified messaging solutions based on Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. Progent's MS Exchange Server Hosting Support Services provide a world-class data center that features redundant power and cooling systems, round-the-clock site security and IT support center, and fault-tolerant access to Internet backbone service providers. Hosted Exchange servers are configured as virtualized servers for service continuity, easy expandability, and rapid restoration. Progent's services feature complete incorporation with your network, access to mobile communication products, automated monitoring of efficiency and security, spam protection, patch and revision management, Helpdesk services, daily data backup, and comprehensive messaging administration support.

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Integration Services
Progent can provide assistance for planning, deploying, and maintaining successful Microsoft Office SharePoint Server installations that will dramatically enhance key areas of your company's IT system including teamwork, intranet portal, company-wide search, forms-based business processes, delivery of business intelligence, and document control. Progent's Microsoft Gold certified engineers can assist you to evaluate the business benefit for implementing Office SharePoint, provide setup and installation expertise, assist you to set up SQL Server as a back-office database, enhance your network infrastructure, integrate your off-the-shelf and specialized business software to work with SharePoint Server 2007, create a comprehensive security plan that includes web portal technology, and provide remote and on-site repair and Call Center services.

SQL Server 2008 Integration and Maintenance
Progent's SQL Server consultants can help your business configures SQL 2008 properly, and that your SQL-powered DBM system is integrated effectively with your application software. Progent offers continuous server tracking to ensure your business information system is always available, and Progent's online Technical Response Center is ready to provide fast solutions for SQL database problems. Progent's certified computer protection experts can evaluate your company-wide security processes and technologies and recommend enhancements for more complete protection. Progent's application developers can help your company to create or customize business applications or web sites rely on databases controlled by SQL Server.

Windows Active Directory Consulting and Support Services
Microsoft Windows Active Directory demands significant practical experience to integrate optimally across a large corporation. Progent’s Microsoft qualified Active Directory engineers are experts in planning, deploying, and troubleshooting sophisticated Enterprise Active Directory projects. Progent’s areas of expertise with Windows 2003 and 2008 Active Directory include replication issues, multi-domain partition design, correcting corrupted AD objects, cleaning up residual beta version configuration objects in production Active Directory environments, and repair of failed installations of Active Directory and AD-associated applications.

Desktop Consulting and Support Services
Progent's Microsoft Gold certified desktop support consultants can deliver a wide array of affordable consulting and support services to assist your company to deploy, configure, troubleshoot, and administer desktop PCs and laptops powered by Windows. Progent can provide on-premises or online help for single desktop computers and moble devices or work with your business to design and carry out a network-wide rollout of the most current release of Microsoft Windows. Progent can also install Office or Microsoft Dynamics programs on your client PCs so they communicate efficiently with other Microsoft programs, software from third-party publishers, SQL databases, and line-of-business solutions network-wide. Progent can also supply engineers and technical workers to assist your company to plan for and complete a site relocation or merger organized to cause minimal disruption of your business.

Wireless Technologies Integration
Progent’s consultants provide experience in a variety of disciplines related to mobile networking such as network architecture, Activesync, wireless protection, mobile email, Windows Mobile, Research in Motion Blackberry, and wireless application development. 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 access technologies that make sense for your business. Progent can also tune your network architecture so that mobile appliances work more reliably.

Emergency Online Technical Support
Progent’s National Support Center offers nationwide remote troubleshooting for Windows and Cisco-based small office information networks. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-Certified service engineers provide telephone help and remote secure computer access to troubleshoot and resolve technical problems quickly and affordably. The scope of IT experience represented by Progent's staff of nationwide service engineers allows Progent to escalate even the toughest problems to qualified experts as required.

To learn more details about Progent's consulting services for Office Communications Server, call 1-800-993-9400 or refer to Contact Progent.