New Features in Exchange Server 2003 With Service Pack 2 Deliver Complete
Mobile Messaging Solution, Draw Industry Support
ORLANDO, Fla., June 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today at Microsoft(R)
TechEd 2005, Microsoft Corp.'s largest annual technology education conference,
Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer of Microsoft, announced the Messaging
and Security Feature Pack for Windows Mobile(TM) 5.0, software based on
wireless features coming in Exchange Server 2003 with Service Pack 2 (SP2) to
address requests by business customers for a faster, more direct messaging
experience, improved security management, and better cost efficiencies and
scalability in their mobile messaging solutions. In addition to providing IT
administrators with the ability to better manage and protect information on a
device, the feature pack includes Direct Push Technology, which keeps the
business user's Outlook(R) Mobile up to date by delivering information quickly
and directly to a Windows Mobile-based device from Exchange Server, without
requiring businesses to pay for additional and costly servers or middleware.
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Enhancements to Outlook Mobile
The Messaging and Security Feature Pack for Windows Mobile 5.0 will offer
businesses the premier mobile messaging solution, going beyond plain text
e-mail to provide a fast and familiar Outlook Mobile experience. End users
will have access to a wide range of business information through the following
new features:
-- Windows Mobile Direct Push Technology. Outlook information, including
e-mail, calendar, contacts and new support for Tasks, is pushed from a direct
connection between Exchange Server and a Windows Mobile-based device,
providing users with immediate access to Outlook information, without the need
for an additional and costly server infrastructure required by other solutions
on the market.
-- Wireless support for contact information. Support for over-the-air
lookup of global address list information stored on Exchange Server, a top
request from partners, enables business users to access full contact details
of co-workers on a Windows Mobile-based device. The feature is broadly
integrated throughout the messaging, phone, calendar and contacts experience,
providing users with a consistent, productive messaging experience.
Direct Push Technology is even more compelling when integrated with the
powerful Office Mobile suite in Windows Mobile 5.0, enabling users to do more
than simple e-mail, such as send Word, Excel(R), PowerPoint(R), music and
video attachments in messages with rich e-mail formatting and no size
restrictions.
"Successfully addressing the mobility demands of today's business market
requires a combination of powerful networks, breadth and choice of
applications, and clear answers to business issues of security, return on
investment and systems integration," said Vish Sowani, vice president,
International Business Marketing at T-Mobile. "The Messaging and Security
Feature Pack for Windows Mobile 5.0 complements T-Mobile's successful 'Office
in your Pocket' suite of Microsoft-based solutions with a compelling messaging
product that addresses these critical business needs while delivering mobile
professionals much more than simple mobile e-mail. In alliance with Microsoft,
we have an opportunity to strengthen our business customer portfolio and
deliver another very powerful mobile business solution."
Better Management and Protection of Device Information
While increasing productivity for end users, the Messaging and Security
Feature Pack will also improve efficiencies for IT organizations by
streamlining management of device security policies through functionality
offered in Exchange Server 2003 SP2. Building on existing capabilities in
Exchange Server 2003, IT professionals can manage Windows Mobile-based devices
the same way they manage PCs and servers through new features that support the
following:
-- Remotely enforced IT policy. Via the Exchange Server 2003 console, IT
administrators can remotely manage and enforce select corporate IT policy over
the air. For example, IT administrators can mandate a personal identification
number password to be set for every device and set recommended and mandatory
policies, as well as set exception lists for users to be exempt from these
policies.
-- Local and remote device wipe. The ability to remove all information,
over the air, and reset a device to its original state enables IT
administrators to better manage sensitive information on a misplaced Windows
Mobile-based device. In addition, the administrator can choose to have the
local memory on a device erased if the correct password is not entered after a
designated number of attempts.
-- Certificate-based authentication. Native support for new
certificate-based authentication, a leading security request from partners,
utilizes industry security standards to enable users to gain access to their
corporate network, without using a separate password, and eliminates the need
to store corporate login credentials on the device.
Exchange Server 2003 customers, such as Lifetime Products, are already
planning to take advantage of the advanced functionality provided by the
combination of Exchange Server 2003 with SP2 and the Windows Mobile platform.
"Providing a mobile computing solution that is cost-effective for our IT
department and helps our employees stay connected with each other and their
customers, across multiple time zones, is a top priority of Lifetime
Products," said John Bowden, CIO of Lifetime Products. "Already we have
experienced an over 40 percent increase in employee productivity due to the
combination of Windows Mobile and Exchange Server 2003 and hope to further
those benefits with the Messaging and Security Feature Pack for Windows Mobile
5.0 and Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2."
Feature Pack Enables Deployment of More Scalable, Cost-Effective Mobile
Messaging Solutions
Beyond device management and security, price and scalability are key
concerns for businesses as they consider mobile device deployments. The
Messaging and Security Feature Pack will provide a scalable and easy-to-manage
mobile messaging solution that gives users a broad choice of device designs
and eliminates the need for business to outsource their mobile messaging to
third parties and purchase additional middleware software or costly servers.
These benefits are realized through the following capabilities:
-- Ability to utilize existing Exchange 2003 investments. Direct
integration between Exchange Server and Windows Mobile provides businesses
with an infrastructure that can easily be expanded to include mobile
capabilities and scale as the organization grows, while eliminating the need
for business customers to add another server or pay additional client access
license fees and an ongoing data service fee to third parties.
-- Outlook Mobile data compression. Outlook data sent between Exchange
Server and a Windows Mobile-based device is significantly compressed, enabling
faster transfer and synchronization of data, while providing operators with
more room on their networks for additional revenue-generating services. In
fact, initial tests conducted by Microsoft have shown network bandwidth
savings ranging between 35 percent and 50 percent.
-- Broad device choice. The consistent Windows Mobile platform enables
businesses to provide their employees with a range of unique devices from over
40 hardware partners, while giving the IT department a single software and
server platform to manage.
"Through the work from our long-standing relationship with Microsoft, we
are setting the bar for what business professionals can do with their mobile
devices -- reflected by our very successful HP iPAQ handhelds based on the
Windows Mobile platform," said Rick Roesler, vice president, handhelds
division at HP. "The Messaging and Security Feature Pack for Windows Mobile
5.0 will be an important extension, enabling business customers to enjoy
secure messaging, greater flexibility, and an even richer mobile experience."
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their
full potential.
NOTE: Microsoft, Windows Mobile, Outlook and PowerPoint are either
registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States
and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners.
For more information about Windows Mobile:
Visit http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/press/default.mspx .
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