Exchange Hosting News: 123Together Hosted Exchange

Burlington, MA, May 22, 2007 – 123Together.com, the leading provider of hosted enterprise-class messaging and collaboration solutions such as Hosted Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and Hosted Windows SharePoint Services v3.0, has recently rolled out additional automation tools which address the needs of mid-market companies, enabling them to easily utilize the latest e-mail and collaboration technology in a hosted manner.

Medium-sized businesses are struggling to fulfill the growing storage and technology needs of their users. In-house IT management has become extremely difficult because of the high penetration of ever-changing two-way smart phones, user demands for larger mailboxes and new products like Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 - which requires new 64-bit hardware and features a completely redesigned management interface.

The tools and processes that 123Together.com has developed provide a turnkey alternative.  “Our exclusive suite of tools makes the lives of all IT professionals easier when managing and provisioning Exchange Server in a hosted environment,” said Ravi Agarwal, chief executive officer of 123Together.com.  “Typically, mid-sized companies have limited resources making growing, maintaining and monitoring systems, software, networking and storage gear a significant challenge and an impediment to future growth. Our hosted platform allows companies to easily scale as their messaging requirements increase - without having to make investments in IT, personnel or other resources. Additionally, our 100% uptime SLA allows them to hold us accountable.”

Easy Migration Processes
123Together.com allows organizations to migrate their mailboxes and data as quickly or gradually as needed and provides customizable processes for both scenarios. Being able to transition employees’ e-mail at a rate that the organization can easily absorb is key to making the transition as simple and painless as possible.

Bulk Export and Import
123Together.com is the only Hosted Microsoft Exchange provider to offer bulk export and import tools. In-house solutions and other Exchange hosting providers typically require customers to create one mailbox at a time.  123Together.com’s industry exclusive Active Directory Export and Bulk Spreadsheet Import tool allows for quick creation of all of an organization’s mailboxes, contacts, and distribution lists. 

Policy-Based Controls
Exchange Server is typically managed one user at a time. For its larger customers, 123Together.com offers Policy-Based Controls where settings on groups of users can be changed collectively with one action.  These settings include limits on access mechanisms, advanced settings, as well as mailbox quotas. Customers can have mailboxes as large as 15GB.

Password Policies
123Together.com allows customers to control the password policies for their users. Administrators are able to control the type of characters which must be included, password expiration as well as other settings which ensure that their users’ passwords are in compliance with their corporate policies.

Backups and Archiving
An organization’s IT staff can also control the frequency and storage of their backups. 123Together.com ensures that backups function correctly and tests them regularly to ensure that data can be restored if necessary. For organizations which comply with Sarbanes-Oxley data retention laws and have special archiving needs for compliance, litigation and quick retrieval, being able to control data backup and retention is a key benefit in choosing a Hosted Microsoft Exchange solution from 123Together.com.

Employee E-mail Setup
123Together.com has developed its own Outlook Auto Setup Tool, which allows IT professionals to set up new employees with the most appropriate Microsoft Office Outlook and Exchange Server configuration, for that desktop, in just a few clicks.

About 123Together.com
Headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, 123Together.com, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, is a leading provider of hosted enterprise-class messaging and collaboration solutions including Microsoft Exchange Server.  Among its offerings are shared and dedicated Microsoft Exchange Server hosting, shared and dedicated Windows SharePoint Services v3.0, full mobile availability for BlackBerry, Treo, PocketPC, SmartPhone and Windows Mobile handhelds; and the ability to resell the service completely white labeled.  123Together.com offers Exchange customers free Outlook 2007, 24×7 U.S.-based technical support, advanced spam and virus filtering, and a 100 percent uptime guarantee for dedicated servers.  A 30-day no obligation trial is available.  Additional information can be found at www.123Together.com.* - The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Contact:
Al Maguire
123Together.com
781-273-6245 x641
am@123together.com  

Check the status of our services

In our continuing effort to help you support our customers, we have launched the new Status Page for 123Together (http://status.123together.com). Now, if a problem is known to us, you can easily refer to this page for any information that we hay have about it.

To make things even easier for our resellers, we have created a page that has no branding which you can incorporate into your website if you would like : http://status.123together.com/Server_Status.php. You can point your users to the unbranded page, or enclose it in an iframe as part of your own site

Evur misspell a werd?  Even with the spelling and grammar notifications in Outlook, we find that people still send out emails with spelling errors.  Follow the link to learn how to have every outgoing email checked by the spell-checker

Begin by going to Tools -> Options

Click the Spelling tab

Check the 2nd checkbox, Always check spelling before sending

Click OK 

Now, every time you send an email out, you will be warned by Outlook if there are any spelling errors in the message you are trying to send.

Did you know you could use colorful stationary for all outgoing emails instead of just the usual white page?

To begin click Tools -> Options -> Mail Format (tab at the top)

Under Message format and beside Compose in this message format: notice what your current format is 

Click the drop-down list, and see your other choices 

Choose HTML (it should be the only choice) 

Under Stationery and Fonts choose Stationery Picker… 

You can choose the type of stationary you like now  

Click OK and OK

Now, when you send an email it will have the pattern on it that you have chosen. 

First, go to Tools… -> Options… -> Calendar Options…

Click on Time Zone…

at the bottom of the pop-up window, you will see the show additional timezone section.  Choose the alternate timezone.

Now that you have set the additional timezone, you can go to this section and just click on Swap Timezone… to switch Outlook to the new one.

Add a second time zone and switch between time zones for all Windows-based programs. Click Swap Time Zones in the Time Zone dialog box (Tools menu, Options dialog box, Calendar Options dialog box).

Burlington, MA, April 10, 2007 -123Together.com, a leading provider of Hosted Microsoft Exchange and Windows SharePoint Services, announced today it is now offering Hosted Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, a significant upgrade of the industry leading platform for e-mail, mobility and collaboration.  Designed to meet all of an organization’s unique messaging needs, Exchange Server 2007 is immediately available and accessible to small and medium businesses through a hosted environment thanks to 123Together.com and its Fortune 500 infrastructure.

123Together.com is the first provider to bring Hosted Exchange 2007 to market using the Microsoft® Solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration (HMC) Version 4.0 - the only platform that Microsoft has designed, tested and validated for Exchange Server hosting.  123Together.com is the first and only Exchange Hosting provider to have implemented Microsoft’s extensive design for Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 hosting so that SMBs can start using it today.

Benefits of 123Together.com’s Exchange Hosting

123Together.com empowers SMBs to have the same resource as most Fortune 500 companies for three main benefits:
1) anywhere, anytime access to their full Microsoft Outlook data from any computer or mobile device
2) increase productivity via calendar sharing and collaboration
3) peace of mind knowing that experts are maintaining, updating, and securing the system continuously.

“We are able to provide the power of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 to SMBs. Companies that normally could not even consider implementing Exchange Server 2007 in-house can now sign up and start using it immediately - no need to purchase new 64bit servers, retrain administrators or hire consultants. We are also seeing mid-market companies show more interest in outsourcing their messaging and collaboration and having it managed by Exchange experts,” said Ravi Agarwal, chief executive officer of 123Together.com.  Additionally, Microsoft has designed Exchange Server 2007 for larger mailbox sizes. Recognizing that many customers use their Microsoft Outlook as a virtual filing cabinet and are too busy to clean their mailbox on a regular basis, 123Together.com has increased the maximum mailbox size by 50% to an industry leading 15GB for Exchange Server 2007 hosting.

Why Hosted Exchange instead of in-house?

Implementing Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 in-house for most SMBs does not make sense from both an ROI and an availability perspective. For organizations currently running a previous version of Exchange Server, upgrading to the latest version will typically be very expensive as they must purchase new 64bit hardware and existing Exchange administrators must be retrained due to significant changes in the way Exchange Server is installed and administered.

However, it is after the initial installation that the majority of expenses are incurred in maintaining a mission critical application such as Microsoft Exchange Server. The in-house installation requires spare storage and servers as well as 24×7 proactive monitoring to ensure uptime.

“Exchange Server 2007 requires companies to make a large investment of multiple servers and re-training of personnel.  It is much less costly and time consuming to outsource your Exchange hosting needs to 123Together.com,” added Agarwal.

About 123Together.com
123Together.com, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, helps small and medium-sized businesses leverage the power of Microsoft Exchange Server and Windows SharePoint Services.  With over 9 years of hosting industry experience, 123Together.com is one of the largest providers of Microsoft Exchange Hosting.

With up to a 100% uptime guarantee, 123Together.com is the leader in providing Mission Critical E-mail(â„¢)to companies such as banks, airlines, pharmaceuticals, and public companies around the world all with flexible hosting options. These include shared and dedicated server hosting, mobile accessibility for Blackberry, Treo, and Windows Mobile handhelds as well as the ability to resell the service completely white labeled.

123Together.com offers free Outlook 2007, 24×7 U.S.-based tech support, advanced SPAM filtering, virus scanning, unlimited Public Folders, RPC over HTTP(S), VPN, Outlook Web Access (OWA), Outlook Mobile Access (OMA), web-based administration, daily backups, and continuous monitoring.  123Together.com also offers a 30-day trial.
Al Maguire
123Together
781-273-6245 x641
amaguire@123together.com

What is the best way to find a very specific email you are searching for without having to go through Outlook visually scanning emails?

1. Click on Tools > Find
2. Choose Advanced Find… (ctrl+shift+F)
3. You can now use the pop up box to find specific words in the subject line or body of the email, from/sent-to lines, and other advanced searching features.  You can also use the advanced searching features on meetings, files, contacts, tasks, or notes.

Contact Form in Outlook 2007

 

In Outlook 2003, there was a field in the lower right called Contacts which you could use to link a contact to an item which would then show up on the Activities tab. In Outlook 2007, it is hidden by default.
 

To make it visible, go to Tools > Options > Contacts Options button and add a check to the option under Contact linking to show it on forms.

 

Advanced Searches

 

What is the best way to find a very specific email you are searching for without having to go through Outlook visually scanning emails?

1. Click on Tools > Find
2. Choose Advanced Find… (ctrl+shift+F)
3. You can now use the pop up box to find specific words in the subject line or body of the email, from/sent-to lines, and other advanced searching features.  You can also use the advanced searching features on meetings, files, contacts, tasks, or notes.

 

Appointment Reminder Times

 

Is it possible to change the calendar meeting time reminder so that it isn’t always fifteen minutes?

All appointments made in your calendar have the default reminder warning time of 15 minutes.  This means that 15 minutes before every item on your calendar comes due, a reminder notice will pop up on your screen.

When setting up the meeting you have the option to choose from a predetermined list of reminder times but what if you want to have a distant reminder, say one that reminds you to begin prep for the meeting weeks in advance.

You can easily set any other reminder period you want, not just what is listed in the dropdown. If you want to set the reminder to 11 minutes, type 11m in the reminder field. If you want 2 days, type in 2d in the field. 4 weeks, type in4w.
When changing the time period make sure you type in the right letter value:  m for minutes, d for days, and w for weeks.

Is it possible to change the calendar meeting time reminder so that it isn’t always fifteen minutes?

All appointments made in your calendar have the default reminder warning time of 15 minutes.  This means that 15 minutes before every item on your calendar comes due, a reminder notice will pop up on your screen.

When setting up the meeting you have the option to choose from a predetermined list of reminder times but what if you want to have a distant reminder, say one that reminds you to begin prep for the meeting weeks in advance.

You can easily set any other reminder period you want, not just what is listed in the dropdown. If you want to set the reminder to 11 minutes, type 11m in the reminder field. If you want 2 days, type in 2d in the field. 4 weeks, type in4w.
When changing the time period make sure you type in the right letter value:  m for minutes, d for days, and w for weeks.

In Outlook 2003, there was a field in the lower right called Contacts which you could use to link a contact to an item which would then show up on the Activities tab. In Outlook 2007, it is hidden by default.
 

To make it visible, go to Tools > Options > Contacts Options button and add a check to the option under Contact linking to show it on forms.