Secure, Compliant Chat Channels Revolutionize Intercompany Discussions
FAIRFAX, Va., Dec. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- mindSHIFT Technologies, a provider
of managed IT and compliance services, today announced that it will host
Microsoft's persistent group chat technology known as MindAlign. This will
be the world's first hosted enterprise-class group chat solution using
Microsoft's MindAlign and Live Communications Server (LCS), enabling
financial services firms, call centers and other organizations that conduct
business- critical communications to have a hosted Microsoft option for
group instant messaging discussions that persist over time.
Called MindAlign(TM) 2007 and hosted by mindSHIFT, the group chat
technology from Microsoft (previously Parlano) lets customers, partners and
suppliers build secure internetworks of business-class chat rooms
(channels). Built for Microsoft(R) Live Communications Server (LCS), hosted
MindAlign enables organizations to have structured communications with
individuals both within and outside of the organization. The group chat
communication is persistent, meaning that discussions are archived and
full-text searchable by the current and future members of a group. Unlike
email or instant messages (IM), persistent group chat discussions are
archived in dialogue formats, not as individual messages in a mailbox.
mindSHIFT hosted MindAlign provides secure intercompany chat
discussions even if organizations don't have MindAlign installed
internally; they simply gain MindAlign access as a hosted service for a
low-cost fixed monthly fee.
"Like IM two years ago, we see persistent group chat poised to take off
and become a must-have communications channel," said Heather Davisson,
General Manager of mindSHIFT's compliance group. "While financial services
firms have taken the lead, we anticipate other industries will realize the
excellent collaboration features of persistent group chat and adopt this
technology in the next year."
"Persistent group chat revolutionalizes the communication and
collaboration between and among companies," said Ms. Davisson. "MindAlign
delivers to customers the most complete presence, instant messaging and
group chat solution on the market."
Implementing hosted group chat has three benefits over on-premises
group chat solutions:
1. Archival for compliance purposes doesn't have to be done for all
companies involved in the discussion by the sponsoring party:
compliance logs are created and either hosted or sent to all required
parties by the hosting provider, in this case mindSHIFT.
2. Service and Support for external chat channels can be provided by
mindSHIFT's 24x7 support desk, not by the sponsoring parties' internal
IT department.
3. Rapid deployment and secure access is enabled because mindSHIFT is a
trusted partner on BT Radianz's secure financial services extranet
which is leveraged by a majority of the major sell-side financial
firms; thus, with approval, companies working with them can have
immediate secure access.
This offering includes complete IM management, with logging and
integrated shipment, archival, surveillance and discovery capabilities. It
also provides compliance with SEC 17-a4 and NASD 3010 regulations.
"Imagine having key channels open with critical employees, customers or
partners on specific subjects," said Ms. Davisson. "You don't have to sort,
save, organize or store the information to reference it later like you have
to do with email, or even more so, IM," she added.
Hosted MindAlign 2007 is available immediately from mindSHIFT.
About mindSHIFT Technologies, Inc.
With operations in Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington D.C.,
mindSHIFT is a leading Managed Services Provider (MSP) offering managed IT
services, software-as-a-service (SaaS), VoIP, compliance, e-business
application development and professional services to small and medium-sized
organizations. The company's portfolio of managed services provides a
comprehensive solution which includes such critical services as email
management and administration, electronic backup for servers and desktops,
virus and spam protection, desktop support, and server management -- either
at the customers' premises or completely off-site. Managed services
customers are supported by both a 24-hour Network Operations Center for
proactive management support and a call center which diagnoses and resolves
all end-user desktop issues. For advanced and larger businesses, the
company provides business application migrations, storage area network
upgrades and complex hosting applications. Additionally, mindSHIFT has
superior expertise and experience in meeting the compliance requirements of
financial services firms, as well as the complex demands of the legal
community for the integration of applications such as document management.
For additional information, visit http://www.mindSHIFT.com.
mindSHIFT Technologies is a registered trademark of mindSHIFT Technologies,
Inc.
All trademarks are the property of their respective companies.
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