Where do you go for hosted Microsoft Exchange Server 2007? What if you also want Microsoft Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0? Do you want to add hosted Microsoft Office Outlook 2007? Hey, they're all Microsoft products, so why not try Microsoft Online Services? Now, you just need to figure out what the various costs of all these services will be and what sort of contract you'll have to sign with Microsoft.
Or you could try instead Intermedia's just-released Business Productivity Suite (BPS), where you can find all of these services bundled in an efficient, flexible, and proven solution for your company's messaging and collaboration needs. Intermedia has been providing enterprise-level hosted services to small-to-midsized businesses (SMBs) since 1995. BPS is based on Intermedia's proprietary HostPilot platform, which gives admins complete control over the hosted environment and data through an intuitive web-based control panel.
In addition to Exchange 2007, SharePoint, and OCS 2007, BPS includes Outlook 2007 and Microsoft Entourage 2008, with the full array of capabilities with each of these services: public folder and Global Address List access; integrated presence information and chat archives; SharePoint document storage and project management; and many other features.
And there are many optional services to choose from, such as BlackBerry and iPhone synchronization and Good Mobile Messaging for additional mobile device support. You can have Secure Mail to send encrypted messages, and there are options for archiving, disclaimer management, and message mirroring to monitor employee communications.
BPS is available on a month-to-month contract, which might make it easy try out a hosted service without getting locked into a long-term deal. Having all these capabilities bundled for easier implementation and use might be an even stronger selling point. To find out more about Intermedia and its offerings, visit the company's website.
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