With Windows Server 2008 nearing a final release in the coming months, Microsoft has whetted our appetites by announcing details and pricing about each specific edition of the upcoming server OS. As would be expected, Windows Server 2008 comes in a number of varieties, most of which are offspring from Windows Server 2003.

Whether you want to implement, upgrade, or combine infrastructures, our network and server solutions deliver centralized control, efficiency, and reliability.  Our network designers can evaluate your current and proposed IT environment, and design a strategy based on functionality, reliability, and scalability. We then provide options for implementation. Once completed, we will employ our Managed IT Services to maintain it for you or transition the infrastructure to your team for maintenance. - Digital Reach, Inc.

When Microsoft releases Windows Server 2008 this coming February, five versions of the product will be available. While that may seem like a decent amount, consider that seven editions of Windows Server 2003 are currently available—not counting variants such as Small Business Server and Windows Storage Server.

It’s also worth noting that, unlike Vista’s editions, a clear line is drawn between the different versions of Windows Server. And unlike many home users, the typical system administrator knows which server edition is best suited for his hardware and infrastructure, leaving little room for confusion.

Without further delay, the following is Microsoft’s starting lineup for Windows Server 2008 along with their respective MSRP:

Windows Server 2008 Standard: $999 with five client access licenses
Windows Server 2008 Enterprise: $3,999 with 25 client access licenses
Windows Server 2008 Datacenter: $2,999 per processor
Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems: $2,999 per processor
Windows Web Server 2008: $469
Windows Server 2008 Standard without Hyper-V: $971 with five client access licenses
Windows Server 2008 Enterprise without Hyper-V: $3,971 with 25 client access licenses
Windows Server 2008 Datacenter without Hyper-V: $2,971 per processor
Every version of the operating system will be available in both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures except for Windows Server for Itanium-based Systems, which will only come in the 64-bit flavor. Microsoft’s virtualization technology, termed Hyper-V, will ship with 64-bit versions of the server. Hyper-V will not be available for Windows Web Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems, as they are targeted at specific workloads. According to the company (and seen in the prices above), the Hyper-V functionality will cost enterprises an extra US$28. Companies such as Dell, IBM, HP, and Unisys have previously committed to creating solutions based on Hyper-V.

Will Windows Server 2008 adoption rates be higher than that of Windows Server 2003 when it was released in April 2003? Based on my experience, most system administrators are excited for new features such as Server Core, Hyper-V, and Internet Information Systems 7 to name a few; however, many admins have a tendency to stay away from the bleeding edge of server technology, and for good reason.

Source: arstechnica.com

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Yes you can. Exchange Server 2007 built-in Windows Mobile support is designed to eliminate the need to purchase additional server-side hardware or software. And technical support is provided through support agreements already in place for many Exchange Server 2007 customers.

Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile is designed to reduce complexity and cost
and improve functionality. By making use of the native functionality of Exchange Server and Live Communications Server 2007, businesses can deploy powerful instant messaging (IM) capabilities for a low acquisition cost. Familiar with Windows, employees may require less training, raising the return on investment.

Many of the components of the Microsoft mobile solution are already in place in the infrastructure of many enterprises. All a business may have to do is make use of the native functionality of Exchange Server and Office Live Communications Server 2007 to enjoy the benefits of Windows Mobile. In addition, many of the Windows Mobile powered components work with existing collaborative applications and line-of-business systems.

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The following Microsoft mobile technologies can be packaged in various configurations to meet your business objectives for mobile enablement:

Windows Mobile 6: Windows Mobile 6 also offers the most advanced mobile suite of Microsoft Office applications to date, helping users manage and review documents on their Windows Mobile 6 powered device. It offers real-time access to the Microsoft Office Outlook ® messaging and collaboration client; provides enhanced control and visibility of calendar information such as calendar bars; and the ability to view e-mails with pictures, tables, lines, and formatting. Windows Mobile 6 also offers the most advanced mobile suite of Microsoft Office applications to date, helping users manage and review
documents on any Windows Mobile 6 powered device. In addition, users get live links to Web and portal sites and Windows Live™ network or Internet services for Windows Mobile.

Windows Vista–based mobile computers: Helps sales representatives use their mobile computers (laptops, Tablet PCs, ultrathin laptops, etc.) as a mobile office, connect more securely to business networks, and obtain and share more information when in the field.

Exchange Server 2007 with Office Outlook 2007, Microsoft Office Outlook Web Access, or Office Outlook Mobile: Helps provide security-enhanced mobile access to e-mail, voice mail, calendars, and contacts on a variety of mobile computers and devices.

Office Enterprise 2007, Microsoft Office SharePoint ® Server 2007, and Office Groove 2007: Extends rich communication, collaboration, and coordination capabilities to mobile employees.

CRM Mobile Express: Provides sales teams with access to critical customer information and tools that enhance their ability to sell and manage their time effectively.

Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 with Office Communicator 2007: Offers consistent, familiar instant messaging, and Voice-over-IP (VoIP) capabilities to Windows Mobile powered devices and Windows Vista–enabled mobile computers.

Windows Server ® 2008 operating system: Windows Server 2008 is the next generation of the Windows Server operating system. It helps IT professionals maximize control over their infrastructure while providing unprecedented availability and management capabilities. Windows Server 2008 delivers new value to organizations by helping ensure that all users, regardless of location, are able to get the full complement of services from the network. Windows Server 2008 also provides deep insight into the operating system and diagnostic capabilities, allowing administrators to spend more
time adding business value. It is a significantly more secure, reliable, and robust server environment.

To learn more about how Digital Reach can help you get the most out of your IT environment, view our Solutions and Services.

The number of mobile users is constantly growing.  Are you ready?

Mobile workforce trends:

 There are 50 million mobile users—virtually all of them with cell phones—representing 41 percent of the U.S. workforce (“Enterprises Strive to Better Connect the Mobile Workforce,” December 8, 2006, Yankee Group).

 By 2009, IDC estimates there will be more than 878 million mobile users worldwide (“Worldwide Mobile Population 2005–2009 Forecast and Analysis, #34124,” October 2005, IDC).

Mobile solutions are becoming an IT priority:

Gartner surveyed 1,400 global chief information officers (CIOs) and found that “Mobile workforce enablement ranked third as a technology priority for calendar year 2006” (press release, “Gartner Survey of 1,400 CIOs Shows Transformation of IT Organization Is Accelerating,” January 2006, Gartner).

Companies must transform the way they deliver enterprise applications, services, and productivity tools to the mobile workforce (“The Mobile Workforce: How Enterprises Must Adapt to Survive,” August 4, 2006, Yankee Group).

Mobility is a potential software and services revenue opportunity:

Revenue for packaged mobile workforce management software applications, not including service revenue, was slightly less than US$225 million in 2005 and will rise to more than US$300 million by 2009 (Gartner).

By year-end 2006, the combined software and service market segment for mobile workforce application services reached US$1 billion, rising at a 10 percent average annual growth rate through 2007 (Gartner).

Sales of mobile devices are booming:

More than 57 percent of organizations currently fund mobile devices. This percentage is rapidly growing (“Mobilizing the Enterprise in 2006,” IDC).

Most of the industry’s attention continues to be focused on the highest growth application—wireless e-mail. Wireless e-mail will continue to pave the way for a broader range of mobilized personal productivity tools and e-business applications alike (“Mobile Business Application Access,” 2006, Strategy Analytics).

Sales of mobile computers (laptops, tablets, etc.) are growing:

Mobile computer shipments will approach parity with desktop-based units globally by 2010, and mobile computers will outsell desktop-based computers in many mature market segments, especially mature home market segments (“Mobile PC Scenario, 2007 to 2010: Trends and Drivers,” September 6, 2006, Gartner).

Seventy-five percent of organizations now support wirelessly enabled laptops (“Mobilizing the Enterprise in 2006,” IDC).

Eight months after Windows Vista’s widespread release, questions remain about the extent of adoption. In this Microsoft Watch podcast, David Cottingham, CDW’s director of product and partner management, talks about Vista adoption, deployment pitfalls and what enterprises should do to smooth migrations.

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Daylight savings will start three weeks earlier and will end one week later than what has traditionally occurred.  As part of these changes there are a number of impacted systems and devices that need to be updated.  Most of these items will be done to servers, but some items as described below will require your attention and diligence. Unfortunately there are no guarantees being provided by Manufacturers of the effected systems that the steps below will not create issues or allow for the recoverability of lost data.

The effected dates are:

*     March 11, 2007 through April 1, 2007

*     October 28, 2007 through November 4, 2007

PLEASE NOTE SUGGESTED STEPS DURING THESE DATES:

All users of Microsoft/Blackberry/Goodlink products affected by the time change should give extra attention to meetings and appointments scheduled between March 11, 2007 to April 1, 2007 and October 28, 2007 to November 4, 2007, referred to here as the “extended DST period.” Users should view any appointments that fall into these date ranges as suspect until they communicate with all meeting invitees to make sure that the item shows up correctly on everyone’s calendar both internally and externally. To minimize confusion during the affected date ranges:

1.     Include the time of the meeting in the e-mail request so that invitees can double check the correct meeting time (such as, “Project Meeting - 11:00 A.M. CST”).

2.     Exercise caution with the appointments and meetings in the extended DST period. When in doubt, verify the correct time with the organizer.

3.     Consider printing out your weekly calendars during the extended DST period.

Microsoft will be releasing a number of patches that will allow Digital Reach to update Servers and Desktops to address this change, but we have not received 100% assurance that these patches will work for all users and devices.

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This tip brought to you by Digital Reach, Inc.  To unlock the potential of your business, Digital Reach, Inc. offers IT Outsourcing, Fractional Outsourcing, IT Help Desk, IT Consulting, Network and Desktop Security Solutions, Regulatory Compliance, and more. 

Microsoft’s new service, Live Events, offers more than some other existing online invitation services.

Just like evite, users of Live Events will be able to design a Web page and invitation to an event, choosing from over 100 templates. They can customize further by changing the font and background images and dragging and dropping different components of the site.

Users can choose e-mail addresses of people to invite to their event from an address book they may already have in Hotmail or Messenger. They can also type in e-mail addresses.

One feature that may set Live Events apart from other similar services is the ability for event participants to visit the invitation site after the event to upload photos or videos or comments, said Jay Fluegel, product manager for Windows Live Events. Then anyone can order prints of the pictures, view slideshows or download the photos to Windows Live Gallery, a beta service that lets users share photos and other content.

Microsoft also announced updates to a couple of other Live services. Users of the Skydrive beta, which lets anyone store and share files online, will now have 1G byte of storage, up from 500M bytes.

In addition, Live Spaces users will see an updated summary of changes their friends have made to their Spaces pages. When a user logs on to their Spaces page, they’ll see thumbnails of new photos and snippets of text entries that friends have posted on their own pages. Microsoft also updated permissioning on photo albums so Spaces users can restrict access to their photo albums to a specific list of people.

Microsoft has slowly been adding to and updating its Live services, with plans to have a complete suite of integrated services by the end of this year. Users can visit get.live.com to find out about the different services.

Source: Nancy Gohring - Seattle IDG News

Building the right technology foundation is easier with the right IT partner. At Digital Reach Inc., we have worked with businesses like yours for years. Our knowledgeable team specializes in helping you:

• Stay productive wherever you are with security-enhanced access to information and resources from virtually any PC with Internet access.

• Store your key data in a single, secure location, so your people can always find and share the information they need.

• Help safeguard your information—and your business—with automatic data backup and recovery.

• Use your Windows Mobile® devices to access contacts, calendars, and more—from just about anywhere, at any time.

As a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, we are experts at Microsoft® Windows® Small Business Server 2003 R2 deployments. By delivering advanced functionality designed specifically for small businesses, this complete, affordable network solution can help you make the most of your IT investment.

Plus, with a knowledgeable partner to help implement your server solution, you can be confident that your systems will be running smoothly, so you can focus on what really matters: growing your business.

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Protect Your Business Information with SBS 2003 R2

Windows Security System: Based on Microsoft best practices, this protects your data and lets you control who has access to what information in your network.

Built-in Firewall: This gives your system protection from unauthorized access or malicious intruders.

Exchange’s Intelligent Message Filter: This helps protect against spyware and malware entering your network through email.

Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 is a robust, flexible platform that can be customized to meet your needs. Affordable today and scalable for tomorrow, it provides a solid “technology building block” for future technology enhancements to your business.

Security

Protect business information with a more reliable and security-enhanced infrastructure, including built-in firewall protection and security-enhanced remote access to help prevent unauthorized users from getting into your network.

Productivity

SBS 2003 R2 provides a central location to store your company data, files, contacts and calendars, so employees can communicate and collaborate on projects, share record-keeping, and quickly find the most up-to-date information.

Staying Connected

With SBS 2003 R2, you can stay more connected, present a professional appearance, and manage your customer relationships more effectively.

Find out more about Windows Small Business Server 2003.