Exchange 2007 PowerShell Eases Exchange Administration

Ipswitch sells Internet email products based on Windows servers. The focus is on small and medium-sized businesses. In its field, Ipswitch is one of the established leaders.

The company has recently evolved a way of selling email-as-a-service, via its partner, Rackspace. Rackspace offers managed hosted applications. This usually means Rackspace puts up one or more blades at its data center for you, and runs the applications you want.

Rackspace started in 2004 with 25 Ipswitch mail servers, offering email-as-a-service. It now has some 525 mail servers, supporting about 100,000 seats. Most users access their email via Outlook, followed by Webmail. Nice growth for Rackspace, and a nice new channel for Ipswitch. … David Ferris

Useful OWA Add-ons From Messageware

Microsoft’s Unified Communications (UC) strategy defines the integration of office automation, email, instant messaging, and voice services into a single collaboration and communication suite.

Microsoft recently announced its UC product roadmap. Along with a number of product additions and name changes, the roadmap outlines a major shift toward presence-based communication technology, tightly integrated with standard collaboration and productivity tools.

Highlights from the roadmap include:

• Office Communications Server 2007 (formerly Live Communication Server) and Office Communicator 2007
• Presence-enabled VoIP call management
• On-premise audio, video, and Web conferencing capabilities
• Enterprise VoIP "soft-phone" capabilities
• Exchange 2007 email, voicemail, and fax data in a single unified inbox
• Enhanced audio and video capabilities

Microsoft also plans to release a video conferencing hardware appliance (named RoundTable), and will have an Office Communicator platform that will run on specific VoIP desktop phones. In addition, it is positioning Office Communications Server 2007 as a software-based alternative to standard IP-PBX hardware.

The fact that Microsoft already has point solutions in most of the key technology areas is encouraging. Its expansion into VoIP, while a little late, will be key to enabling the required level of integration for an enterprise. Microsoft’s reputation of delayed releases and security vulnerabilities will likely cause many organizations to approach cautiously, especially for mission-critical voice services.

Microsoft has announced a staged release schedule starting with Exchange 2007 in late 2006/early 2007 and ending with the real-time collaboration and communication technology in the second quarter of 2007. … Colin R. Bush

Scalix plans to open source its Community Edition. This doesn’t affect its Enterprise Edition business, but it should help Scalix be better regarded in the FLOSS community.

Scalix is based on technology licensed from HP — specifically, OpenMail. When this analyst was at HP, we thought it would be impossible to open source OpenMail. We believed it was too polluted with things we didn’t have the rights to publish. For example, dbVista and the Microsoft-proprietary TNEF unpacker.

However, it seems that the opened code won’t include the MAPI Outlook service provider. By specifying the "Community Edition," Scalix is signaling that it won’t publish the source of things like MAPI, TNEF, Active Directory integration, and Ajax group scheduling. … Richi Jennings

Rumor has it that MessageLabs is looking for a buyer, and has engaged UBS as investment banker. We believe the rumor to be correct.

All in all, it’s probably a good time for MessageLabs stockholders to sell:

• Generally, plenty of M&A interest in the malware field — think of the recent acquisition of BlackSpider by SurfControl, and of CipherTrust by Secure Computing; and less recently, of FrontBridge by Microsoft.
• MessageLabs is a leading hosted provider, with good technology and people.
• So valuations should be good.
• MessageLabs management has many strengths, but it’s not been as good at generating profits as shareholders have wished. Merging with another firm facilitates the generation of wealth.

The prospectus asserts:

• 61% CAGR since FY02, resulting in an estimated ₤50 million ($92 million) in FY06, with positive growth outlook.
• EBITDA margin of 15% and net income positive in FY06, projected to increase ahead of growth in sales.

One caution: It is easy to mistake the financials of the parent, MessageLabs Group, with those of the MessageLabs business. That may make MessageLabs’ P&L look rosier. Nothing, however, that due diligence won’t clarify. … David Ferris

Encryption vendor PGP has just announced NetShare, which provides encrypted access to shared file folders.

The approach is interesting because traditional approaches have been problematic. Traditionally, you create a file directory and give access privileges to the people who need access to the directory. However, those users can copy the files elsewhere, such as their desktop. The files are then effectively out of control, and cleartext copies can easily be put into circulation.

With NetShare, when an authorized users wants access, that user is given an encrypted version that he or she opens with a private key. In other words, if a copy is removed from the directory, it remains encrypted. A nice idea. NetShare is available in beta form now from the PGP Web site, with general availability in late 2006. … David Ferris

Exchange 2007 Beta 2 Available

The Internet has revolutionized the way we purchase many products and services, as some airlines and travel agents may have noticed.

A messaging firm, Deluxe Business, with all the latest whizzy Ajax/Web 2.0 bells and whistles, just put itself on sale at eBay. It received 25 bids and sold for $14,300.

There goes the investment banking business. … David Ferris and Jeff Ubois

When a mobile phone is lost or stolen, you need to be able to remotely and easily wipe off sensitive information, and preferably lock the phone.

Synchronica offers mobile device management technology. Its remote wipe-and-lock has a very nice feature we’ve just learned about. The company call it the "scream" feature. If someone steals your device, you call your help desk. They issue a standard remote wipe-and-lock command. Plus it causes the device to emit a loud annoying sound. This isn’t just a gimmick. The thief might still be close to you, say in a restaurant, and you might be able to identify the person.

… David Ferris