Jul
6
2009

ActiveSync support makes the Palm Pre attractive to SMBs

Just a few weeks into its release, the Palm Pre has already established itself as a strong alternative to the industry leading Blackberry and iPhone devices. Staking the claim on the middle ground between its competitors, the Palm has taken a best of both worlds approach, with a touch screen interface and a slide out hardware keyboard. Hidden under crowd pleasing features like multitasking, GPS, and video camera is a secret business weapon- built in ActiveSync support.

Apple resisted ActiveSync support until version 2.0 of the iPhone OS, and it cost them in the business place. Palm hasn’t repeated that mistake, and has made sure that the Pre can easily integrate with Exchange for fast adoption in the enterprise. Users don’t just have interactive on the go access to e-mail, contacts, and calendar information; they also have powerful search and organization tools that only a centralized mail solution can deliver.

As useful as ActiveSync with managed Hosted Exchange is for end users, it’s even more popular with IT professionals. Administration is easy and efficient, backups are automatic, and spam protection and security is rock solid with Exchange. Hosted Exchange is a cost effective solution for centralized communications, and the upcoming Exchange 2010 promises to add even more value with features like unified voice and e-mail boxes.
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Jun
24
2009

How Email Synchronization Can Save Time and Money

There are few things as aggravating as having to do the same job twice, and yet when it comes to managing our business lives, many people have to do this constantly. Here’s a common example- a salesperson books an appointment with a client. She adds the appointment to her desktop calendar. Then she also adds the appointment to her cell phone or PDA. Then she adds the appointment to the team calendar, which is printed and posted in the office so co-workers can keep track of each other. Finally, she adds it to the lead tracking sheet, call log, and activity log, and is looking forward to actually selling something instead of documenting it before the fact.

Then the client has to move the appointment out by an hour.

Our poor overworked salesperson has to re-do all those listings, and hopefully doesn’t forget one in the process. Many meetings have been missed because the rescheduling notification flow broke down before reaching all the participants. How much better would it be to make a single calendar entry and have everything else update automatically? Fortunately those capabilities exist today, through hosted Microsoft Exchange.

Using ActiveSync and Direct Push technology, your hosted Exchange Server can synchronize calendar information across a variety of devices- smart phones, handhelds and palmtops, as well as laptop and desktop PCs. Updates are relayed to everyone, whether they are at their desks or out in the field, and the days of missing the meeting because of crossed signals are over.
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Apr
22
2009

Making Small Business Anytime, Anywhere Communications a Reality

After years of devices that didn’t quite live up to expectations, the smartphone revolution is upon us. With the mass consumer penetration of BlackBerries, iPhones, and other next-gen handhelds, smartphones are changing the way we interact with information, and businesses who don’t adapt to this new environment will find themselves falling quickly behind their competition.

Over the last 15 years e-mail and cell phones went from novelties to critical business tools. Those of us who are a little longer in the tooth remember struggling with brick sized cell phones and command line Pine based e-mail accounts provided by the local library, and that so much has changed so quickly belies the relatively short time frame.
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