What are BES and Exchange?

The latest buzzwords in small business communications can be confusing. What are they, and how can they help grow your business?

BES and Exchange are two different technologies that enhance communications between employees, customers and vendors. Both can be implemented by themselves, but using them together provides the ultimate in communication and collaboration tools.

Microsoft Exchange is basically software that runs on a server, and routes email to end users who have Microsoft Outlook installed on their computers. But it does much more than that.

Exchange ties together everyone in your company. Besides email, Outlook provides each user with a calendar, contact list and task list. Exchange allows each Outlook user to schedule meetings with other users by seeing when they have time available. The meeting organizer can change the date, time or location of the meeting, and Exchange updates each user's Outlook calendar autmoatically.

A manager can assign a task, with deadlines, details and attached files, to any Outlook user. Exchange allows the manager to track progress or update the task.

Each Outlook user has their own contact list as well, but Exchange also allows you to create contact lists that are shared among everyone, or just certain people. Exchange automatically synchronizes any changes or additions with Outllook, so everyone has access to the most updated information.

Microsoft Exchange can be implemented in two primary ways. A company can purchase, install and configure an Exchange server- a dedicated computer that serves as the communications hub. Then, a copy of Microsoft Outlook must be purchased for each end user. Finally, a certified Microsoft technician needs to configure Exchange and setup each end user.

A much simpler method is to use hosted Exchange services. In this model, the hosting company provides the Exchange server, copies of Outlook for each end user and configures and maintains the software. The subscribing company connects to the hosting company's server over the internet, and has nothing to purchase, configure or maintain. The hosting company handles everything, and can have everything up and running in a day or two.

BES stands for Blackberry Enterprise Server, and is also software that runs on a server. Basically, BES brings the functionality and features of Exchange to Blackberry devices.

Using a Blackberry phone, an end user can view and send email, change calendar items, contacts and tasks - which are immediately synchronized with everyone in the company, on both their computers (running Outlook) and other Blackberry phones. Conversely, changes made by a user on Outlook in the office are immediately synchronized with users' Blackberry devices.

The same choices for implementing BES exist. A company can purchase, install, configure and maintain their own Blackberry Enterprise Server, or they can work with a BES hosting provider. Similar to an Exchange hosting provider, the BES hosting provider handles all configuration and maintenance.

To summarize, let's walk through a typical solution. Acme Inc. calls The RPA Group and wants to sign up for Exhange and BES hosting. Our technicians create accounts for Acme on our servers, and provide Acme with copies of Outlook for all users. Acme simply installs Outlook on their computers and we configure everything else. We can provide pre-configured Blackberry phones, or walk Acme through a simple 5-minute process to activate their BES account. That's it!

To get started, just contact us and we'll answer any questions you may have, and get you up and running quickly and painlessly. After that, you'll wonder how you ever got along without BES and Exchange.

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