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What's New for Microsoft Solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration 4.5

What's New for Microsoft Solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration 4.5
Microsoft Solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration version 4.5 improves on previous versions of the solution by introducing a number of new features and technologies. These new features lower the cost of operations for service providers and provide enhanced functionality for their customers (end users). Following are descriptions of the key enhancements in this version of the solution.

Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
Hosted Messaging and Collaboration 4.5 gives service providers the ability to offer their customers a hosted version of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. Office Communications Server 2007 manages all real-time (synchronous) communications, including instant messaging (IM) and audio and video conferencing. Office Communications Server 2007 also powers presence, a key benefit of Microsoft unified communications that unites all the contact information stored in the Active Directory service with the ways people communicate. With presence, users can see at a glance if someone is available and contact that person with a click using instant messaging, a voice call, or a video conference. Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 includes:

• Improved IM and presence functionality: Office Communications Server 2007 makes it easier to communicate and collaborate. Users can escalate communications to group IM sessions, take advantage of richer presence options, and group people into contact lists and distribution groups for faster communication.
• PC-based audio and video: Users can easily switch between different modes of communication through multiparty onsite audio and video, including group audio and video conferencing with RoundTable support.
• PC-based Web conferencing: Users can take advantage of such conferencing features as support for Microsoft Office PowerPoint and other Microsoft Office programs; sharing of applications, desktops, imaging, and notes; multimedia viewing; polling, chat, and question-and-answer capabilities; and whiteboard, text, snapshots, handouts, and annotations.

Improved Support for Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 SP1
Hosted Messaging and Collaboration 4.5 uses Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1), which delivers a multitude of enhancements that extend important customer scenarios and improve the quality of the messaging platform, including:

• Support for Web-based OABs: Hosted Messaging and Collaboration supports a tenfold increase over previous versions in the number of possible Exchange Offline Address Books (OABs) per server.
• Improved access, messaging, and collaboration: *Anywhere access provides users with access to all messaging data, regardless of the user’s location. The enhancements to Microsoft Office Outlook Web Access (OWA) and Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync policies augment messaging and collaboration service. [1] Anywhere access requires Internet connectivity.
• Support from resource mailboxes.

Enhanced Support for Windows SharePoint Services
Hosted Messaging and Collaboration 4.5 includes enhanced support for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, including Windows SharePoint Services Service Pack 1, which provides a scalable, manageable platform for collaboration and the development of Web-based business applications. Users of Hosted Messaging and Collaboration 4.5 will enjoy:

• Support for People Picker improvements for a more consistent user experience.
• New application templates that enhance service offerings by adding prefabricated business logic to SharePoint sites.

Provisioning
Hosted Messaging and Collaboration 4.5 features improved provisioning capabilities, including:

• MPS cross data store integration checking procedures: For resource and plans management purposes, the Microsoft Provisioning System (MPS) stores data across three primary data stores: Active Directory, the MPS Resource Manager database, and the PlanManager database. Hosted Messaging and Collaboration 4.5 relies heavily on the consistency of the data stored across these data stores for proper provisioning and reporting functionality. Cross data store integration checking and maintenance ensures that there is underlying support in the existing namespaces to identify and resolve specific data store inconsistencies, and to provide a tool set to identify some of the more common, broader-reaching inconsistencies and resolve them with such actions as a bulk move of mailboxes from a failed store.
• Individual Information Worker (IIW) tenant model: Hosted Messaging and Collaboration 4.5 introduces a new user model—called the Individual Information Worker (IIW) tenant model — that replaces the previous consumer model. The Individual Information Worker has requirements similar to a typical business user, including mobility, full Outlook messaging application programming interface (MAPI) access, and access to SharePoint sites for collaboration with other information workers.

Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007
Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007 for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration 4.5 helps service providers increase efficiency while assuming better control of the IT environment. System Center Operations Manager 2007 provides an easy-to-use monitoring environment that monitors thousands of servers, applications, and clients and delivers a comprehensive view of the health of an organization’s IT environment. With System Center Operations Manager 2007, service providers can confidently offer their customers higher-level service level agreements (SLAs). New functionality includes:

• Service-oriented monitoring: Rather than focusing on individual server health, System Center Operations Manager 2007 takes into account the distributed nature of many of today’s enterprise applications and services and provides a more holistic view of health.
• End-user perspective monitoring: To gain an accurate view of a service’s operation, service providers need to understand what an end user would experience when using the service. System Center Operations Manager 2007 helps service providers create synthetic transactions that perform end-user tasks and report back the success or failure and performance statistics of those tasks. The synthetic transaction results can be used for reporting or as an alert to possible service problems.

Windows Server 2008 Compatibility
Hosted Messaging and Collaboration 4.5 supports the functionality in the Windows Server 2003 operating system and also can take advantage of the Windows Server 2008 operating system, which makes it possible to increase the reliability and flexibility of a server infrastructure. Windows Server 2008 includes improvements or enhancements for:

• Web: Windows Server 2008 provides the ability to deliver rich Web-based experiences efficiently and effectively, with improved administration and diagnostics, development and application tools, and lower infrastructure costs.
• Security: Windows Server 2008 is the most secure version of Windows Server to date. Its hardened operating system and security innovations provide unprecedented levels of network and data protection.
• Management: Windows Server 2008 provides the most versatile and reliable Windows platform for all workload and application requirements. With tools such as Windows Server Manager, Windows Deployment Services, and the Windows PowerShell scripting engine, service providers have better control of their servers and can streamline Web, configuration, and management tasks.

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