Exchange My Mail Blog

We are just a few days away from the final service pack release fro Windows XP, according to Microsoft. Release date is April 29th, 2008.

With hundreds of hotfixes for the 3 year old software already released, this service pack is just in time. This is a real quick way for users to bring their systems up to date. Microsoft says that you must at least have Service Pack 1 installed before installing SP3. This is basically just a collection of previously -released fixes and product enhancements, with a few new features.

Q - What versions of Windows XP will work with SP3?
A: You can apply Service Pack 3 to Windows XP Home Edition, Professional Edition, Tablet PC Edition (any version), or Media Center Edition (any version).

NOTE: SP3 does not apply to the 64Bit versions of Windows XP

Windows XP Service Pack 3 will not include any major new features, but it will include four minor new features that improve the system’s reliability and security.

These new features include:

Network Access Protection compatibility. Announced years ago, this feature allows Windows XP machines to interact with the NAP feature in Windows Server 2008. This functionality is built into the RTM version of Windows Vista as well.

Product Key-less install option. As with Windows Vista, new XP with SP3 installs can proceed without entering a product key during Setup.

Kernel Mode Cryptographics Module. A new kernel module that “encapsulates several different cryptographic algorithms,” according to Microsoft.

“Black hole” router detection algorithm. XP gains the ability to ignore network routers that incorrectly drop certain kinds of network packets. This, too, is a feature of Windows Vista.

That’s it folks, nothing fancy… Sorry…

Microsoft has launched the TellMe service for BlackBerry devices. Microsoft seems to want a piece of the market now that Yahoo! has recently announced updates to the oneSearch  service.

The TellMe service like oneSearch allows you to speak directly into your BlackBerry device and request such things as a business location, traffic info, movie times, weather, directions and more.

This is extremely useful when driving so users can stay focused on the road. There seems to be more and more of these kinds of services coming online.

The application installs on many BlackBerry devices (The 8100, 8800, 8820, 8830, and 8310) full list  available on their website: http://www.tellme.com/you

Have fun..

Receiving invalid NDR bounces?
You’re not the only one.

April 16, 2008 - Postini publishes a Technical Bulletin on the increase in invalid NDR’s.
April 7, 2008 - Spammers have increased their utilization of “spoofing” or “joe-jobbing” (falsifying the from address of an email) in the last few weeks, resulting in some email addresses receiving an increased amount of bounce messages for mail they did not send. Postini is currently capturing the majority of these messages when the bouncing server preserves the original spam content, but if the bouncing server has significantly changed the message then Postini may have allowed this message through as we do do not stop NDR bounces.

Exchange My Mail, Inc offers all of it’s customers Postini Spam and Anti-Virus protection with every mailbox. They do a fantastic job of capturing spam and viruses while letting all the good mail through. Each user has their own login to adjust the filtering settings, as well as add senders or domains to the white or black list.

Read more here

We are happy to announce that we are once again offering this truly unique service.

SoloSync™, a service of Exchange My Mail, Inc is unique in that the service allows individuals or small companies to connect Blackberry users to our BES ( BlackBerry Enterprise Server ) while maintaining the mailboxes on the in-house Microsoft Exchange server.

With our core service ( Hosted Exchange ) and most all other Microsoft Exchange providers in order for a user to wirelessly sync their BlackBerry they must also host their mailbox on our Exchange servers. So a company that has their own Microsoft Exchange server would either have to move the whole company to our Exchange servers so those with BlackBerry can wirelessly sync, or they would have to separate the BlackBerry users from the corporate mail server.

This causes an issue where the BlackBerry users would no longer have access to public folders, company contacts or the Global Address List (GAL).

While this might be ok for many companies and individual users, many of them have problems with this.

Our SoloSync™ service solves these issues by connecting your in-house Microsoft Exchange Server (2000, 2003 or 2007 versions) to our BlackBerry Enterprise Server infrastructure. This is all done without any changes being made to your existing Exchange server, and in most cases no changes need to be made on the firewall if you are using one.

This now allows the end users mailbox to remain on the corporate email server, while we handle the BlackBerry synchronization. Administrators are happy because everybody can stay in-house, Corporate is happy because there is no need for expensive hardware, software, maintenance, updates, upgrades and so on.. End users are happy because they now get real-time wireless Sync with their Outlook.

Limitations:
- Tasks
- Memos
- Folder redirection
- ISA firewall

There are some limitations to this service, for example it will not sync tasks or memo’s. Email, contacts and calendar will sync perfectly though.
In many cases we have found it is very difficult to work with and get the service working properly if you have a Microsoft ISA firewall. This is not to say it won’t work, but it is sometimes difficult, and may lead to setup delays.

Requirements:
- Microsoft Exchange Server version 2000, 2003, 2007
- OWA (Outlook Web Access) protected by a 3rd party SSL certificate.
- Blackberry device with BES level service.

The SoloSync infrastructure is designed to handle hundreds of thousands to millions of users simultaneously without delay or issue.

Read more about SoloSync

Attention All Existing Exchange 2003 customers,

Now is the time to migrate to our Microsoft Exchange 2007 system.

This new system has all 64bit Dell servers for the best possible performance. We have also installed a new EMC Fiber channel SAN for greater uptime and even more storage capacity. The brand new Cisco switches will ensure top level connectivity.

Beyond all this great new technology you would also enjoy great new plans with extra storage options.

Plans start at just $9.99/mo and include 200mb of storage space.
View our plans here: Plans Page

Please read our PDF with migration instructions.
http://www.exchangemymail.com/articles/migration_procedure_v2.pdf

For more information, please call 516-484-0077, or open a support request here:
http://help.exchangemymail.com/index.php?_m=tickets&_a=submit

Update: iPhone 2.0 now supported. Read about it here

Exchange My Mail, a leading hosting provider of Microsoft Exchange Server, has announced that it
will fully support the upcoming iPhone 2.0 wireless synchronization with its Hosted Microsoft
Exchange Service.

Albertson, NY, March 11, 2008 — On March 6th, Apple announced that it will begin to offer enterprise support for the iPhone in the upcoming 2.0 release in June. With Apple’s release of the SDK, developers now have the opportunity to create new programs for the corporate environment. Apple has released a list of 10 companies that supported the 2.0 beta, including Cisco Systems, Nike, Disney, and Microsoft, just to name a few.

“Enterprise support which includes Microsoft ActiveSync would allow iPhone users to wirelessly sync
their device to our Hosted Exchange servers and provide secure, over-the-air push email, contacts and calendars as well as remote wipe. These are features all of our customers want on their iPhones, and ActiveSync provides that,” says Steven Daneshgar, COO- Exchange My Mail, Inc.

“We have had many requests for full wireless data synchronization, between the Apple iPhone and Microsoft Exchange servers ever since the iPhone was launched. Customers just weren’t happy with the basic IMAP features, so this is great news for all of our iPhone customers,” adds David Grantz, CIO.

Exchange My Mail has always fully supported ActiveSync, and is excited to add the Apple iPhone to that list. ActiveSync is included free on all Exchange My Mail plans.

Learn more about how Exchange My Mail will work with the iPhone on their website:http://www.exchangemymail.com
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This Press release can also been seen on PR.com

I fondly remember a few years ago when Application Service Providers (ASP) were all the rage and when on a regular bases I and other media were touting various hosted application solutions.

These ASP’s and their solutions are now quite common place, so not even mentioned as a phenomenon any more.

ASPs such as Netledger, Salesforce.com and many other lesser known companies are still around - providing a range of “out sourced” services to their customers.

Most businesses have some form of email. Be it, a shared AOL account (aghhhhh), some email boxes provided by their internet service provider, or your own full scale email server.

The problem with email is managing it. The more users you have, the more features you want and the more complex your set up, the harder things can be.

Microsoft’s Exchanger server, a very popular email system is used by many businesses. Of course IBM’s Lotus Notes, and Novel’s Group Wise are also widely used, not to mention many lesser used solutions.

Microsoft Exchange offers a wide range of collaboration features, including shared calendaring and integration with the Microsoft Office suite of products. It can be difficult to set up even a simple email server, but managing a Microsoft Exchange solution can be a real pain for those not experienced with a MS Exchange server. Installation is only 1/2 of the battle, the other part is managing the server once installed.

This is where a hosted service solution might come into play. Companies, such as Exchange My Mail, Inc provide managed Exchange servers, accessed via the Internet for your business.

You can have the same advanced MS Exchange functionality as larger businesses with dedicated email administrators, but let an email hosting company such as Exchange My Mail, Inc do all the work.

For one monthly fee per user, you can quickly provide powerful email features to each of your employees.

I know people who have a Hotmail, Yahoo or some other email address to use when they are “away from the office”, as their company has not provided them with a way to access their email remotely.

With a hosted solution, the maintenance headaches become those of the ISP as does the hardware/software investment.

Companies can rely on POP3 mailboxes instead of MS Exchange, however, they lose the rich collaborative tools available in Exchange. (article on the differences between POP and IMAP)

If you do not want the hassle of managing an email server but wantt the professional features of a full fledged email hosting service, considering the services of a hosted email solution might be wise.

There comes a point of course where you have to decide if its economically viable to use a hosting service or manage your own technology infrastructure.

Whichever decision you make, ensure you always consult with a reliable, objective and experienced technology consultant who knows your business.

If you consider using an email (or other) hosting service provider here’s a few things to consider:

- when you call during business hours, do you get a real person?
test each vendor before you buy !

- how long have they been in business

- are they a young start up or established business

-what back up and restoration systems do they have in place

-how good is their security

-if you need to transfer your data to another server how can it be done and how much does it cost

-what level of service quality do they provide

-have you checked out independent customer references

Blog By Exchange My Mail, Inc
http://www.exchangemymail.com

According to the Yankee Group 2004 Small & Medium Business Infrastructure Survey data, 6.4 million US SMB and mid-market enterprise employees engage in frequent business longdistance travel and telecommuting, and 10.5 million employees engage in frequent local travel. These mobile workers are increasingly relying on devices such as mobile phones and PDAs to stay connected and receive data from the office.Mobile voice and data solutions are rapidly becoming mainstays of productivity enhancement and operational efficiency. According to data from the Yankee Group 2005Transatlantic Wireless Business Survey, within the next 3 years SMBs will rely more on a variety of integrated wireless data and voice devices, including BlackBerry, smart phones, PDAs and dual-mode WLAN/cellular phones. A doubling or tripling of current levels of penetration underscores the benefits businesses achieve with converged wireless voice and data solutions. Driven by the core requirements of their mobileworkers, the majority of US businesses cite e-mail as a major driver for a wireless wide-area data solution.

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