Technology News and Progent Business Solutions

Microsoft introduced the newest edition of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, Microsoft's platform for streamlining presence awareness, IM infrastructure, teleconferencing, and software-based VoIP. The Release 2 version of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 features enhancements that give IT organizations more control for managing their communications infrastructure efficiently while providing an extensible platform for collaborative work processes.

To reduce costs, increase efficiency, and support teamwork, the latest version of Office Communications Server 2007 allows phone audioconferencing to eliminate expensive outside services with an on-premises conferencing software bridge that can be managed along with an organization's existing communications infrastructure. Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Release 2 also now permits desktop sharing, which allows workers to share their PC seamlessly and launch calls and cooperate with colleagues external to the company on Windows PC, Apple Mac, or Linux platforms via a Web-based interface. The new edition of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 also allows geographically dispersed groups to collaborate by participating in topic-based discussions that extend over time. This tool supplies participants with an index of all available chat rooms and themes, automatically backs up discussions in an XML format that addresses compliance requirements, delivers tools to search the entire history of chat on a given theme, and offers filters and alarms to inform someone of recent updates.

the new edition of Microsoft Communications Server 2007 also incorporates improved support for voice communications and mobile workers. The new attendant console allows receptionists or team secretaries to manage calls and conferences on behalf of associates, set up workflows to route calls, and handle higher volumes of incoming calls through a user-friendly console. The SIP trunking capability allows companies to reduce costs by setting up a direct Voice over IP connection between an Internet telephony service provider and Office Communications Server 2007 without needing on-premises VoIP gateways. In addition, Office Communicator Mobile support now includes more device platforms such as the Nokia S40, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile.

How Progent's Microsoft-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 one physical Front End Server. The minimal investment in hardware and ease of management make this configuration is optimal for small and mid-sized companies and for branch offices. Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 is based on Windows Server and taps into core Windows Server technologies like as Active Directory, Microsoft SQL Server, System Center Operations Manager, and Exchange Server. With Microsoft Office Communications Server, you can add instant collaboration capabilities and presence to ubiquitous Office applications like as Outlook, Microsoft Office Excel, and Microsoft Word. Presence awareness from the server can also be integrated into line-of-business software. Microsoft Communications Server 2007 also serves as the presence engine for team web sites and web portals, delivering presence and IM access from within SharePoint sites.

Progent's Microsoft-certified professionals offer expert consulting services for all these areas and can help you in designing and implementing a deployment of Office Communications Server so as to optimize the productivity impact of this IM, presence, and VoIP solution. Progent can in addition help your company to migrate from Live Communications Server 2005 to the current version of Microsoft Communications Server.

Progent's consulting experts can assist you to deploy Microsoft Office Communications Server and configure a range of Microsoft platforms to take advantage of the presence awareness, Instant Messaging, and Voice over IP features available with Microsoft Office Communications Server:

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Planning and Support
Progent provides a variety of Windows Server 2008 consulting and maintenance support that can assist small companies to take advantage of Windows Server 2008. Progent's Microsoft Gold certified engineers can assist your company to evaluate the ways Windows Server 2008 could enhance the productivity of your information network in order to cost-justify a migration. Progent can help you test Windows Server 2008 so that you can assess its stability, performance, and operability handling your workloads. Progent can help with creating a rollout plan, assess and improve your current network environment, develop backup and recovery procedures, evaluate security architecture and policies, help in integrating actual and virtualized servers, develop fault-tolerant solutions such as failover server clustering, educate your internal IT administration team, and deploy automated 24x7 monitoring processes to track system security and efficiency.

Exchange Server Planning, Installation, and Troubleshooting Services
Progent's Microsoft certified support team can help you define and deploy a smooth Microsoft Exchange 2007 upgrade strategy that avoids network disruption, reduces ongoing support demands, and makes your Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 easy to manage. Progent's Microsoft Exchange 2007 support, repair, and consulting offerings include expertise with the configuration of third-party enhancements of Exchange 2007 Server and the creation of unified messaging solutions based on Exchange 2007 Server. Progent's services include integration with your network, access to mobile computing products, continual monitoring of efficiency and security, spam protection, security update and service pack management, Contact Center services, daily data backup, and comprehensive email administration support.

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server Integration Services
Progent can offer expertise for designing, deploying, and maintaining successful Microsoft SharePoint Server installations that will dramatically enhance key areas of your IT network including collaboration, intranet portal, enterprise search, forms-based business operations, access to business information, and document control. Progent's Microsoft-certified engineers can assist your company to evaluate the business case for deploying SharePoint Server, provide setup and installation expertise, help you to configure Microsoft SQL Server as a back-office database engine, enhance your network architecture, integrate your standard and specialized application programs to operate with SharePoint Server, create a comprehensive security plan that incorporates portal technology, and deliver online and on-premises repair and Help Desk Call Center support.

SQL Server Consulting Services
Progent's SQL Server engineers can help your company installs SQL Server 2008 properly, and that your SQL Server DBM solution is integrated thoroughly with your business applications. Progent can provide automated network monitoring to ensure your corporate network is healthy, and Progent's online Technical Response Center is ready to offer rapid solutions for SQL database issues. Progent's certified data protection experts can assess your business-wide security processes and technologies and recommend enhancements for better regulatory compliance. Progent's developers can help you to develop or personalize line-of-business programs or web sites rely on information managed by Microsoft SQL Server.

Active Directory Support Services
Windows Active Directory requires extensive practical experience to configure efficiently across a large corporation. Progent’s Microsoft certified Active Directory engineers are skilled in planning, integrating, and maintaining complex Enterprise Active Directory installations. Progent’s areas of expertise with Microsoft Windows 2003 and 2008 Active Directory include replication issues, multi-domain partition design, repair of corrupted AD objects, cleaning up legacy legacy version configuration objects in online AD environments, and repair of unsuccessful installations of AD and Active Directory-integrated programs.

Desktop Support Services
Progent's certified desktop support experts can deliver a wide array of affordable services to assist your company to deploy, integrate, repair, and administer workstations and laptops powered by Windows. Progent can offer onsite or remote technical support for single PCs and moble devices or work with you to plan and implement a network-wide migration to the latest version of Microsoft Windows. Progent can also install Microsoft Office or Microsoft Dynamics applications on your workstations so they integrate productively with all Microsoft programs, software from third-party vendors, database servers, and key services throughout your network. Progent can also provide engineers and technical workers to assist your company to plan for and implement an office relocation or consolidation organized to cause the least possible disruption of your productivity.

Wireless and Mobility Technologies Expertise
Progent’s professionals offer experience in a variety of disciplines related to mobile networking including system architecture, wireless data synchronization, wireless security, wireless e-mail, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Research in Motion Blackberry, and mobile application programming. Progent's Microsoft certified experts can save your company work and money by applying their wireless background to show you how to choose and configure mobile access technologies that make sense for your company. Progent can also tune your network infrastructure so that wireless data devices work more reliably.

Emergency Online Technical Support
Progent’s National Support Center offers national remote troubleshooting for Windows and Cisco-based small office computer networks. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-Premier service professionals offer phone support and remote direct network access to isolate and repair technical problems quickly and affordably. The scope of IT experience represented by Progent's team of nationwide service professionals allows Progent to escalate even the toughest network issues to competent experts as required.

To find out additional information concerning Progent's support services for Office Communications Server 2007, phone 1-800-993-9400 or go to Contact Progent.