IT Technology News and Progent IT Solutions

Microsoft announced the most recent release of Windows Small Business Server (SBS 2008) and Essential Business Server (EBS 2008). These software platforms offer the power of Windows high-end server platforms to smaller organizations in a cost-effective package. Targeted for organizations with as many as 75 desktops, Microsoft Windows SBS 2008 is a cohesive server solution engineered to enable businesses make their information safer and make their network more efficient.

Microsoft SBS 2008 is offered in standard and premier versions. The basic edition includes MS Windows 2008 Server, Exchange 2007 Server, Microsoft SharePoint Services, and Windows Server Update Services. The premier edition adds MS SQL Server 2008.

Microsoft Windows EBS 2008 is targeted for organizations with up to 75 desktops and gives network administrators greater manageability of their environment by reducing complications and automating common tasks. With support for Windows Mobile phones, SBS 2008 and EBS 2008 can significantly help boost productivity by allowing connectivity to corporate messaging, calendars, addresses and files to workers when they are away from their desks. To see Microsoft's news release, visit Microsoft Announces Availability of Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Windows Essential Business Server 2008.

How Progent's Microsoft-certified Professionals Can Assist You to Take Advantage of Microsoft SBS
The most productive configuration of Windows SBS requires a network consulting firm with real-world experience and an extensive background in designing and building data-driven end-to-end business IT applications. The experience of Progent's Microsoft-authorized consulting group, with more than a decade of working in Microsoft technology, ensures you results in planning, deploying and administering Small Business Server solutions that are well integrated with the Microsoft product family of servers.

Progent's IT professionals can assist your company to deploy the main components of the MS Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Microsoft Essential Business Server packages and can also offer a variety of other affordable services to enhance the productivity, dependability, security, performance, and maintainability of IT networks built around Small Business Server 2008 or Windows EBS 2008:

Windows Server 2008 Expertise
Progent offers a variety of Microsoft Windows Server 2008 consulting and integration services that can assist small companies to benefit from Microsoft 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 business value of your IT system so that you can cost-justify a migration. Progent can help you test Windows Server 2008 so that you can determine its reliability, performance, and operability handling your applications. Progent can provide consulting for creating a deployment plan, assess and enhance your current network environment, develop archiving and recovery processes, evaluate security architecture and policies, assist in integrating actual and virtualized machines, develop high-availability strategies such as failover server clustering with Hyper-V, train your in-house network management team, and set up proactive round-the-clock monitoring operations to track system protection and performance.

Exchange Server Planning, Installation, and Maintenance Support
Progent's Microsoft certified support team can help you define and implement a smooth Exchange Server 2007 migration strategy that avoids network downtime, reduces ongoing support demands, and makes your Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 easy to administer. Progent's Exchange 2007 help, troubleshooting, and consulting offerings include assistance with the configuration of outside vendor enhancements of Exchange Server 2007 and the creation of unified messaging implementations based on Microsoft Exchange 2007 Server. Services include integration with your network, access to mobile communication devices, automated monitoring of performance and network security, spam and virus filtering, security update and service pack management, Contact Center services, per-day backup, and full messaging management services.

SharePoint Server Consulting and Support
Progent can provide assistance for designing, deploying, and maintaining productive Microsoft SharePoint Server solutions that will dramatically improve key aspects of your organization's IT system such as collaboration, intranet portal, corporate-wide search, forms-driven business processes, access to business information, and document control. Progent's Microsoft Gold certified engineers can assist your company to assess the business case for implementing Office SharePoint, provide configuration and installation support, help you to set up SQL Server as a back-office database engine, optimize your network architecture, set up your off-the-shelf and specialized application programs to work with Office SharePoint Server, create a company-wide protection strategy that incorporates portal solutions, and deliver remote and on-site troubleshooting and Help Desk Call Center support.

SQL Server Design and Support
Progent's SQL Server experts can make sure your company installs SQL Server 2008 properly, and that your SQL-based RDBM system is incorporated effectively with your applications. Progent can provide continuous server monitoring to make sure your business network is working efficiently, and Progent's remote Technical Response Center is ready to offer rapid resolutions for SQL-related issues. Progent's certified computer security experts can evaluate your company-wide security policies and mechanisms and recommend improvements for better protection. Progent's application developers can assist you to develop or personalize business programs or web sites utilize databases controlled by SQL Server.

PC Desktop Support Services
Progent's Microsoft Gold certified desktop support consultants can deliver a wide range of cost-effective consulting and support services to help you company to install, integrate, repair, and manage workstations and laptops based on Windows. Progent can provide on-premises or remote assistance for individual computers or laptops or work with you to plan and carry out a network-wide rollout of the latest release of Microsoft Windows. Progent can also configure Microsoft Office or Microsoft Dynamics applications on your workstations so they communicate productively with all Microsoft programs, software from popular vendors, business servers, and line-of-business solutions network-wide. Progent can also supply consultants and technicians to help you to prepare for and implement an office move or consolidation designed to produce minimal interruption to your productivity.

Network Security Inventory Packages
Progent has put together two low-cost service bundles intended to allow small companies to receive a professional security evaluation from a CISA, CISM and CISSP-premier security engineer. With Progent's External Network Security Inventory Scan, a security expert administers a comprehensive examination of your network from beyond your firewall to uncover possible risks in the security posture you expose to the public. With Progent's Internal Security Inventory Scan, a certified security professional runs a system scan from an authorized computer within your firewall to determine vulnerabilities to inside assaults. Both security inventory packages are set up and run from a protected remote site. The process is managed by a consultant with high-level security credentials who produces a report that details and interprets the data captured by the scan and proposes practical improvements where appropriate.

Virtual Instruction for Desktop Programs
Progent offers online virtual instruction for an array of desktop programs and environments including Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Project, Adobe Acrobat Writer, Adobe Photoshop CS, Crystal Reports, and Windows Vista and Windows 7. Virtual learning offers all the advantages of traditional classroom sessions, including instant communication between clients and trainers, but eliminates the expenses of travel and the hassle of trying to accommodate the availability of multiple students. Available to single students or groups of any size, virtual learning allows the trainer to run the class from a remote office and the students can be spread across a campus or all over the country. Live online training utilizes proven learning mechanisms like virtual white boards, real-time questions, and shared applications. Classes can be brief and personalized for specific subjects or extended in time and wider in coverage. Teachers and clients can work through examples individually or as a group.

Emergency Online Technical Support
Progent’s Technical Response Center provides nationwide remote assistance for Windows and Cisco-based small business IT networks. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-Premier support professionals provide telephone help and online secure computer connection to isolate and repair technical problems rapidly and economically. The breadth of technical experience available from Progent's team of country-wide service engineers makes it possible to escalate even the most difficult problems to competent specialists as required.

To find out more details concerning Progent's consulting expertise for MS Windows SBS 2008, phone 1-800-993-9400 or go to Contact Progent.