Technology News and Progent Business Solutions

Microsoft began shipping the newest version of Office Communications Server, Microsoft's platform for managing presence awareness, IM infrastructure, video conferencing, and IP-based calling. The next version of Office Communications Server features enhancements that offer network administrators additional control for managing their communications system effectively while representing an extensible architecture for collaborative work activity.

To lower expenses, increase productivity, and promote collaboration, the latest edition of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 allows phone conferencing to replace costly outside services with an in-house conferencing software bridge that can be administered as part of a company's existing communications environment. Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 also now permits desktop sharing, which enables users to share their desktop seamlessly and launch audio communications and cooperate with colleagues outside the organization on Windows PC, Macintosh, or Linux computers via a web interface. The new version of Microsoft Communications Server also allows geographically dispersed teams to collaborate by taking part in theme-based discussions that extend indefinitely. This application supplies participants with an index of all active discussion sessions and topics, periodically backs up discussions in an XML file format that meets compliance requirements, provides tools to look through the complete record of chat on a specific topic, and provides triggers and alerts to inform people about new posts.

Release 2 of Office Communications Server also incorporates enhanced support for voice communications and mobile workers. The new attendant console allows support personnel or group secretaries to manage phone calls and conferences on behalf of other users, set up processes to direct phone calls, and manage higher volumes of incoming calls through an intuitive software interface. A new SIP trunking capability enables companies to cut expenses by setting up a straight-through VoIP connection between an IP phone service provider and Microsoft Communications Server without needing in-house gateways. In addition, Office Communicator Mobile support has been extended to new device platforms including the Motorola RAZR, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile.

How Progent's Microsoft-certified Consultants Can Help You to Integrate Office Communications Server 2007
A Standard Edition Office Communications Server manages all necessary services on a single Front End Server. The small expense in computer hardware and ease of administration make this version is ideal for small and mid-sized businesses and for branch offices. Microsoft Communications Server is powered by Microsoft Windows Server and takes advantage of powerful Windows technologies such as Active Directory, SQL Server, Microsoft System Center Operations Manager, and Microsoft Exchange Server. With Microsoft Communications Server, you can incorporate real-time teamwork features and presence awareness to ubiquitous MS Office applications such as Microsoft Office Outlook, Microsoft Office Excel, and Word. Presence information from your server can also be integrated into line-of-business software. Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 also serves as the presence engine for team sites and web portals, providing presence awareness and IM support from within SharePoint Services sites.

Progent's Microsoft-certified professionals offer expert technical support for all these areas and can assist your company in planning and executing an installation of Microsoft Communications Server in order to optimize the productivity value of this communications platform. Progent can in addition assist your company to upgrade from Microsoft Live Communications Server to the latest version of Microsoft Communications Server.

Progent's IT professionals can assist your company to install Office Communications Server and integrate a range of Microsoft technologies to take advantage of the presence awareness, IM, and Voice over IP features available with Office Communications Server:

Windows Server 2008 Support
Progent offers a range of Microsoft Windows Server 2008 consulting and maintenance support that can assist small businesses to get the most from Microsoft Windows Server 2008. Progent's Microsoft-certified engineers can help you to understand the areas where Windows Server 2008 could improve the productivity of your network so that you can rationalize an upgrade. Progent can help you pilot Microsoft Windows Server 2008 in order to assess its stability, speed, and compatibility handling your applications. Progent can help with developing a deployment strategy, evaluate and enhance your current network environment, document backup and recovery processes, evaluate security architecture and guidelines, help in setting up actual and virtual machines, develop fault-tolerant solutions including failover server clustering with Hyper-V, train your in-house IT administration staff, and set up proactive round-the-clock monitoring operations to track system protection and performance.

Exchange Server Planning, Configuration, and Troubleshooting Services
Progent's expert consultants can help you design and deploy a smooth Microsoft Exchange 2007 migration strategy that avoids productivity disruption, simplifies long-term service requirements, and makes your Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 easy to manage. Progent's Exchange 2007 support, troubleshooting, and consulting offerings include assistance with the integration of outside vendor add-ons to Exchange 2007 Server and the creation of unified messaging implementations powered by Exchange Server 2007. Services feature integration with your business network, access to handheld communication devices, automated monitoring of efficiency and network security, spam and virus filtering, patch and revision control, Help Desk Call Center support, daily backup, and comprehensive email administration services.

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server Consulting and Support
Progent can offer assistance for designing, deploying, and maintaining productive SharePoint Server solutions that will significantly enhance important areas of your IT environment such as teamwork, intranet portal, company-wide search, forms-based business processes, delivery of management information, and document control. Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can assist you to assess the business benefit for implementing Office SharePoint, deliver setup and integration expertise, assist you to configure SQL Server as a back-end database, optimize your network infrastructure, integrate your off-the-shelf and specialized business software to operate with SharePoint Server 2007, create a comprehensive protection strategy that incorporates portal technology, and deliver remote and on-site repair and Help Desk support.

SQL Server Design and Support
Progent's SQL Server engineers can make sure your business installs Microsoft SQL Server 2008 efficiently, and that your SQL Server database system is incorporated seamlessly with your applications. Progent can provide continuous network monitoring to make sure your corporate information system is always available, and Progent's online Help Desk is available to provide rapid remediation for SQL database problems. Progent's certified data security engineers can assess your business-wide security processes and mechanisms and suggest improvements for more complete protection. Progent's application developers can assist your company to create or customize line-of-business programs or eCommerce sites utilize information managed by Microsoft SQL Server.

Windows Active Directory Support Services
Windows Active Directory demands significant hands-on experience to integrate optimally across an enterprise. Progent's Microsoft qualified Active Directory engineers are experts in planning, deploying, and supporting sophisticated Microsoft Enterprise AD installations. Progent's fields of proven competence with Microsoft Windows 2003 and 2008 AD include replication problems, multi-domain partition design, repair of corrupted Active Directory objects, dealing with legacy beta software configuration objects in production Active Directory systems, and repair of unsuccessful installations of AD and AD-integrated applications.

PC Desktop Support Services
Progent's Microsoft-certified desktop support consultants offer a wide array of cost-effective services to assist you company to deploy, configure, repair, and administer desktop PCs and notebooks based on Windows. Progent can offer onsite or remote assistance for individual PCs and handheld devices or help you to plan and implement a company-wide rollout of the most current version of Microsoft Windows. Progent can also install Microsoft Office or Microsoft Dynamics applications on your workstations so they communicate productively with all Microsoft programs, products from third-party vendors, SQL databases, and key solutions network-wide. Progent can also supply engineers and technicians to assist you to prepare for and complete a site move or consolidation designed to produce minimal disruption of your business.

Wireless Solutions Integration
Progent's consultants offer expertise in a variety of disciplines related to mobile networking such as network architecture, Activesync, wireless protection, wireless e-mail, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Research in Motion Blackberry, and wireless software programming. Progent's certified professionals can save your organization work and expense by applying their wireless experience to help you select and integrate wireless access solutions that fit the needs of your business. Progent can also optimize your IT infrastructure so that wireless data devices work more reliably.

Emergency Remote Technical Support
Progent's National Support Center offers nationwide remote help for Windows and Cisco-based small business information networks. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-Premier service experts provide phone help and remote direct computer access to isolate and repair network problems quickly and economically. The breadth of technical experience represented by Progent's staff of country-wide support engineers allows Progent to escalate even the toughest problems to competent specialists as needed.

To find out additional details about Progent's consulting services for Office Communications Server 2007, phone 1-800-993-9400 or refer to Contact Progent.