Exchange

Is it a mystery? To some it still is. Here’s the deal. Exchange is email. If you’ve ever used Outlook, you were probably using Exchange Servers or something like them. Outlook is often the interface to a hosted Exchange Server.

I talk to people all the time about hosting SharePoint and Exchange together for them. Often times I get that blank look… You know the same one I got when I asked the best looking girl in my college marketing class to go out with me. For some reason people think that Exchange is some convoluted program that they don’t need or have the ability to comprehend. It is email, contacts, calendars – personal information management – most often used for businesses.

Fpweb.net offers both ActiveSync and Blackberry service. If it weren’t for a hosted option, I might not recommend using a Blackberry service/server. The value of our hosted service is that the cost and headaches of Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES) are handled for you. If you are purchasing, implementing and maintaining BES in-house, the cost and configuration alone will drive you mad.

Real Example

I recently quoted a current client of ours for an Exchange server bundled with BlackBerry Enterprise Server for 75 BlackBerry users. The cost was around $2,000. He quickly asked what the cost would be if he just used ActiveSync (most commonly used for Apple iPhone mail or Windows Mobile devices), I told him… $1,000. When he asked me what the difference was in security and functionality, I had to be honest – there isn’t any difference.

So… the official name is no longer Exchange 14.  It’s now Exchange 2010, and the Exchange 2010 Beta is released.  It will be the first release for the highly anticipated Office 2010 suite, probably end of 2009. The rest of the Office 14 Microsoft Office 2010 Suite (including SharePoint 2010, Visio 2010, and Project 2010) won’t be released until…(drum roll please) 3rd quarter 2010.

Here’s a video from the Microsoft Exchange blog, posted last night.  The feature previews start at around 1:25.

Rollup 7 for Exchange Server 2007 SP1 has been released. It will be available via Windows Update March 24^th. This Rollup contains 51 customer fixes and 16 additional fixes. Below, I’ve listed a few key developments.

For the full list visit:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=960384.

Some more information regarding these updates:
http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2009/03/18/450863.aspx

For all you Microsoft Exchange 2007 users that are constantly on-the-go, I’m sure you’ve become very familiar with Outlook Web Access (OWA).  Just in case you aren’t familiar, here is a brief run down:  OWA is a the handy web application that allows Exchange users to access their Outlook email and calendar information from a standard web browser, regardless of location.  Very cool for those of you that travel or use a shared workstation, but there is one caveat.

So your company has let go an employee who used their personal cell phone to synchronize with the corporate Exchange 2007 server and you were notified after the employee has already left.  Now you’re stuck with the task of finding out what corporate data they may or may not have on their mobile device.  Fortunately, Exchange 2007 makes it possible for you to wipe the data remotely from the device and remove its partnership with the system.

Here’s how you do it.

August 13, 2008 – Managed hosting provider Fpweb.net (www.fpweb.net), is offering new hosted service plans and pricing. While the technologies they offer have remained the same, plans have been adjusted to include new features that will better meet customer needs.

Over the last several months, the Fpweb.net team has been evaluating what customers are demanding and in what capacity. After quite a bit of thought, research and feedback, Fpweb.net decided it was time to update the structure of their hosting service model. While some hosting solutions were merely modified and given a new name, others were removed entirely and replaced by new and improved plans. The new hosted offerings present comprehensive “Software as a Service” solutions for Windows SharePoint Services v3, Office SharePoint Server (MOSS), Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Dynamics CRM and dedicated Windows servers.

“Most customers come to our site not knowing where they fit in, so we’e made it as easy as possible to drill down to the plan that best meets their needs,” said Rob LaMear IV, Fpweb.net President. They have restructured their plans to fit into three main categories: Small Business, Corporate and Enterprise. These categories help customers decide where to begin based on the size of their company.

Next, within each category, there are up to two plans, labeled as Level I and Level II. “Level I is the base plan for each category and a great place to start,” mentions LaMear; “however, it may not work for everyone. If the customer needs just a few more users or a little extra space, but isn’t ready to jump to the next category, our Level II plan should provide the perfect middle ground.” To increase uniformity across the board, Fpweb.net uses the same Categories and Levels for all technologies they host. “That way, if you are a Corporate Level II hosted SharePoint customer who is looking for Exchange hosting, you can confidently jump straight to our Corporate Level II Exchange hosting plan to assess the features and sign up,” said LaMear.

As an added bonus, Fpweb.net is now including a single domain name in most new hosting plans at no extra charge. Additional domain names and renewals will be registered at $19 per year. Plus, private domain registration is now available for only $14 more per year. If you are looking for a discounted rate, Fwpeb.net also offers 5 year registrations at $90 ($5 savings). By registering domains with Fpweb.net, customers no longer have to hassle with renewals; Fpweb.net takes care of everything. Overall, as a managed hosting provider, they guarantee a higher, more personalized level of service than other domain registrars.

If customers wish to evaluate the new plans side-by-side, Fpweb.net has setup a Compare Plans page for each hosted service they offer. Links to this feature can be found on the left hand navigation of each application page. For additional questions, customers are encourage to call Fpweb.net toll free at 866.780-4678.

Fpweb.net provides managed hosting services for SharePoint, Exchange, CRM, Project, PerformancePoint, Office Communications Server and SQL to customers around the world. Fpweb.net offers shared, semi-dedicated and dedicated server environments to cater to the client’s need for speed, security and control, while cutting IT costs 60%. All hosted services are housed in SAS 70 Type II data centers with PCI, SOX and HIPPA compliance to ensure the highest level of data security. Additionally, each solution is backed 24/7 by expert, U.S.-based service and support. With Fpweb.net’s rapid server deployment, clients can access the infrastructure they need today, without a significant up-front investment. As a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, they serve over 5,000 enterprise customers including Mercedes-Benz, Boeing and the NY Yankees.

July 25, 2007 – Web Hosting and Dedicated Server provider Fpweb.net announced on Tuesday it is offering double the disk space on all Exchange 2007 Hosting packages, as well as FREE add-ons to these and other packages at no additional cost.