Exchange 2010 Beta available NOW!

tara — Fri, 01 May 2009 16:29:21 GMT

You may have seen my exciting Twitter announcements about this a couple of weeks ago - Exchange 2010 beta is available to download now! This is the first of our 2010 Office products to be released as beta, and marks a very exciting time for Microsoft, as we move even further towards a software plus services strategy (on premise and online services working together to provide the best possible experience for the end user).

Exchange 2010 offers a very compelling list of features, designed to help companies reduce cost and protect communications. Some of the key innovations are:

Lower costs with more flexible deployment and management options. Exchange 2010 provides organizations with the same enterprise-grade capabilities whether deployed on-premises or as a service from Microsoft or partners — or as a mix of both. Further, for customers deploying the server, the new release simplifies the way organizations provide always-on communications and disaster recovery, meaning administrators spend less time managing their e-mail system. Exchange 2010 further improves performance running on lower-cost direct-attached storage, enabling organizations to dramatically reduce storage costs by up to 85 percent without sacrificing performance or reliability.

Protect information and meet compliance requirements with the new e-mail archive. As e-mail volume grows, companies must address increasing compliance, legal and e-discovery concerns, but today, according to Osterman Research, only 28 percent of organizations currently archive their e-mail content (Osterman Research, 2008). Exchange 2010 introduces an integrated e-mail archive. The new solution makes it easier to store and query e-mail across the organization using the Exchange software that organizations already know and use.

Improve user productivity with the ultimate inbox experience. Basex Inc. recently estimated that the average number of corporate e-mail messages received per person per day is expected to reach more than 93 by 2010. In addition, businesses lose $650 billion annually in productivity due to unnecessary interruptions including those from e-mail (Basex, 2008). Exchange 2010, together with Microsoft Outlook 2010, will give people more control over their communications with features such as these:

-MailTips. Warn users before they commit an e-mail faux pas such as sending mail to large distribution groups, to recipients who are out of the office or to recipients outside the organization, helping protect against information leaks and reduce unnecessary e-mail messages.

-Voice Mail Preview. See text previews of voice mail directly in Outlook.

-Ignore Conversation. This e-mail “mute button” allows people to remove themselves from an irrelevant e-mail string, reducing unwanted e-mail and runaway reply-all threads.

-Conversation View. Combine related e-mail messages in a single conversation to reduce inbox clutter.

-Call Answering Rules. Create customized “Press 1 for …” call-routing menus with Exchange voice mail.

-Consistent Experience. Use Outlook on the PC, a mobile phone or a browser for the same experience with enhancements in Outlook Mobile and Outlook Web Access.

More information about Exchange 2010 can be found on the PressPass announcement or on the Exchange website.

Information Worker Compete Day - 27th Jan 2009

tara — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:34:53 GMT

Do you wish you had more information about how to convince customers using or considering a competitor's product that your Microsoft offering is the better choice? Check out the following event. There's still time to register to attend - details below:

To register for this event, visit the Microsoft Partner Training Registration site.

If your customers are still running Lotus Notes in their environment or are interested in deploying Google Apps or Open Office, this seminar is for you! When customers use or consider using any of these offerings, your ability to continue selling all areas of the Microsoft offering is at risk. In this event, you will see the sales strategies used by IBM and Google as well as how Microsoft counters from a position of strength.

The following topics will be covered during these events:

· Overview of the new IBM, Google Apps, and Open Office sales strategies and technologies for FY09

· Updated demos of competitors’ technologies and how they compare with the Microsoft platform

· Training on the sales approach to counter IBM, Google Apps, and Open Office in your customer accounts

· Training on the new Notes Transition Framework to provide an end-to-end playbook for helping customers migrate from Lotus Notes to Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and Office SharePoint^® Server 2007

· Training on the Business Value Analyzer Suite to develop a business justification deliverable tailored to your customers

· Insight into Microsoft Office 14 themes

To register for this event, visit the Microsoft Partner Training Registration. For more information, please contact Garry Corcoran via email at garycorc@microsoft.com.

Winning with the Microsoft Information Worker Platform

Date and Location: 27^th January 2009

Microsoft Reading
Microsoft Campus
Thames Valley Park
Reading RG6 1WG
Tel: 0870 60 10 100

You can get directions and more details on how to reach our Thames Valley Park, Reading office here

To register for this event, visit the Microsoft Partner Training Registration site.

The Amazing Adventures of Geek Girl : office 14

Exchange 2010 Beta available NOW!

Information Worker Compete Day - 27th Jan 2009