Round Tale

(The Hosting News) – Open-Xchange, a provider of business-class open source collaboration software, announced the availability of data migration tools for users of Microsoft Outlook to easily move e-mails, contacts, appointments and tasks to Open-Xchange Server.

Whether users have used Outlook as a stand-alone e-mail client or in combination with Exchange Server, the “Open-Xchange Microsoft Outlook Uploader” enables all users to easily move their data — stored as PST files (Personal Storage Table) to Open-Xchange Server. A PST file contains copies of e-mail messages, calendar events, and other items on the local computer. Due to PST file size limitations, PST files can be distributed amongst several workstations without a proper back-up strategy. Having all data centralized on the Open-Xchange Server enables administrators to integrate that data into their server-side backup environment and security policies.

“We are significantly minimizing the hassle and cost for migrations to our open source collaboration software,” said Rafael Laguna, CEO of Open-Xchange. “We made the tool as intuitive and easy as possible to ensure that every user can install and use the tool without support.“

The “Uploader” supports the following two customer scenarios:

- The tool enables users to move from Microsoft Outlook to the Open-Xchange web client to help organizations significantly reduce costs for Outlook licenses. The migration process is completely transparent — the “Uploader” keeps familiar folder and data structures in place to make it easy for the user to instantly access all e-mails, contacts, calendars and tasks using Open-Xchange.

- For organizations moving from Microsoft Exchange Server to Open-Xchange, while keeping Microsoft Outlook for some or all users, the tool supports an easy-to-use user-centric migration process. Users who would like to clean-up their Outlook data will benefit from the “Uploader´s” manageability and flexibility.

The cost savings can be substantial by migrating to Open-Xchange. As one example, for a 50-person company the difference between Microsoft Exchange and Open-Xchange is estimated to be $1,200 lower per year. More examples for various size enterprises are shown here, www.open-xchange.com/en/node/952.

The software is licensed under GNU General Public License v2 and is available for free download at http://oxpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=OX_Outlook_Uploader. Development of Open-Xchange Microsoft Outlook Uploader was supported by Shinsei Bank, Japan.

About Open-Xchange
Open-Xchange is the innovator of scalable and integrated open source e-mail and collaboration solutions for enterprises, academic institutions, and government authorities. The company provides on-premises versions called Open-Xchange Server Edition and Open-Xchange Appliance Edition, along with Open-Xchange Hosting Edition, which enables web hosting companies to provide an easy-to-use and feature-rich application delivered as Software as a Service (SaaS). The Open-Xchange Hosting Edition is architected to integrate into a hosting provider’s existing infrastructure, such as authentication, provisioning, billing, and e-mail storage and does not require that these systems be replaced.

Open-Xchange AG is a privately-held company headquartered in Nuremberg, Germany with offices in Olpe, Germany and Tarrytown, N.Y. For more information, please visit www.open-xchange.com.

Source: Open-Xchange Releases Free Migration Tool For Microsoft Outlook Users

(The Hosting News) – Open-Xchange, a provider of business-class open source collaboration software, announced the availability of data migration tools for users of Microsoft Outlook to easily move e-mails, contacts, appointments and tasks to Open-Xchange Server.

Whether users have used Outlook as a stand-alone e-mail client or in combination with Exchange Server, the “Open-Xchange Microsoft Outlook Uploader” enables all users to easily move their data — stored as PST files (Personal Storage Table) to Open-Xchange Server. A PST file contains copies of e-mail messages, calendar events, and other items on the local computer. Due to PST file size limitations, PST files can be distributed amongst several workstations without a proper back-up strategy. Having all data centralized on the Open-Xchange Server enables administrators to integrate that data into their server-side backup environment and security policies.

“We are significantly minimizing the hassle and cost for migrations to our open source collaboration software,” said Rafael Laguna, CEO of Open-Xchange. “We made the tool as intuitive and easy as possible to ensure that every user can install and use the tool without support.“

The “Uploader” supports the following two customer scenarios:

- The tool enables users to move from Microsoft Outlook to the Open-Xchange web client to help organizations significantly reduce costs for Outlook licenses. The migration process is completely transparent — the “Uploader” keeps familiar folder and data structures in place to make it easy for the user to instantly access all e-mails, contacts, calendars and tasks using Open-Xchange.

- For organizations moving from Microsoft Exchange Server to Open-Xchange, while keeping Microsoft Outlook for some or all users, the tool supports an easy-to-use user-centric migration process. Users who would like to clean-up their Outlook data will benefit from the “Uploader´s” manageability and flexibility.

The cost savings can be substantial by migrating to Open-Xchange. As one example, for a 50-person company the difference between Microsoft Exchange and Open-Xchange is estimated to be $1,200 lower per year. More examples for various size enterprises are shown here, www.open-xchange.com/en/node/952.

The software is licensed under GNU General Public License v2 and is available for free download at http://oxpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=OX_Outlook_Uploader. Development of Open-Xchange Microsoft Outlook Uploader was supported by Shinsei Bank, Japan.

About Open-Xchange
Open-Xchange is the innovator of scalable and integrated open source e-mail and collaboration solutions for enterprises, academic institutions, and government authorities. The company provides on-premises versions called Open-Xchange Server Edition and Open-Xchange Appliance Edition, along with Open-Xchange Hosting Edition, which enables web hosting companies to provide an easy-to-use and feature-rich application delivered as Software as a Service (SaaS). The Open-Xchange Hosting Edition is architected to integrate into a hosting provider’s existing infrastructure, such as authentication, provisioning, billing, and e-mail storage and does not require that these systems be replaced.

Open-Xchange AG is a privately-held company headquartered in Nuremberg, Germany with offices in Olpe, Germany and Tarrytown, N.Y. For more information, please visit www.open-xchange.com.

Open-Xchange Releases Free Migration Tool For Microsoft Outlook Users

Establishing and operating an online business requires knowledge, skill and perseverance. However, even with the right mindset and skill set it is impossible to succeed without tools and resources. In order to ensure the optimal functionality of your website you’ll need access to a powerful web server that can transfer data to hundreds of computers simultaneously without sacrificing performance.

Although most webmasters start with a shared web hosting plan, it is important to note that 90% of successful online business owners will upgrade to a more powerful plan eventually. In order to prevent the unnecessary hassle of site relocation and data migration, it is best to consider the needs of your site and choose a competent plan initially. Dedicated and eCommerce hosting plans are perfect for online businesses, however each one presents unique advantages and disadvantages.

Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated hosting is a service in which you can lease a powerful web server that is dedicated exclusively to your web sites. This kind of private server environment is ideal for larger sites that are in need of extensive server resources. Dedicated web servers are synonymous with the most powerful kind of web hosting plans in the world. With a seemingly unlimited amount of disk space and bandwidth it is possible to host sites that have massive product catalogs and thousands of daily visitors. Although dedicated hosting plans provide powerful servers, it is important to note that they are not made for novice webmasters and many of the tools needed to operate an online store are not included.

eCommerce Hosting

Although eCommerce web servers are not as strong as dedicated servers, eCommerce hosting was designed specifically for online retail shops. Many prefer eCommerce plans because they are an “out-of-the-box” solution for online store owners that need a plethora of eCommerce tools in an inclusive package. Ecommerce hosting plans come with site building tools, shopping carts, product catalog creation and management applications, payment processing integration, SSL certificates and other resources that simplify, expedite and facilitate the establishment and operation of a secure and successful online storefront.

Conclusion

Both eCommerce and dedicated hosting plans come in various sizes and packages, so the capabilities of each plan will depend entirely upon the hosting provider and the chosen service. In general, dedicated servers are for more experienced webmasters that need a powerful solution for many web sites, or one large site. eCommerce hosting plans are perfect for novice webmasters, or online business owners that do not have the time or technical skills to manage and set up all of the necessary eCommerce tools on a dedicated server.

It is important to note that dedicated servers can host all of the aforementioned eCommerce applications such as shopping carts and product catalogs, however in many cases these tools are not automatically integrated. Ultimately the decision will depend upon your skill level, budget, and needs as a webmaster.

Establishing and operating an online business requires knowledge, skill and perseverance. However, even with the right mindset and skill set it is impossible to succeed without tools and resources. In order to ensure the optimal functionality of your website you’ll need access to a powerful web server that can transfer data to hundreds of computers simultaneously without sacrificing performance.

Although most webmasters start with a shared web hosting plan, it is important to note that 90% of successful online business owners will upgrade to a more powerful plan eventually. In order to prevent the unnecessary hassle of site relocation and data migration, it is best to consider the needs of your site and choose a competent plan initially. Dedicated and eCommerce hosting plans are perfect for online businesses, however each one presents unique advantages and disadvantages.

Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated hosting is a service in which you can lease a powerful web server that is dedicated exclusively to your web sites. This kind of private server environment is ideal for larger sites that are in need of extensive server resources. Dedicated web servers are synonymous with the most powerful kind of web hosting plans in the world. With a seemingly unlimited amount of disk space and bandwidth it is possible to host sites that have massive product catalogs and thousands of daily visitors. Although dedicated hosting plans provide powerful servers, it is important to note that they are not made for novice webmasters and many of the tools needed to operate an online store are not included.

eCommerce Hosting

Although eCommerce web servers are not as strong as dedicated servers, eCommerce hosting was designed specifically for online retail shops. Many prefer eCommerce plans because they are an “out-of-the-box” solution for online store owners that need a plethora of eCommerce tools in an inclusive package. Ecommerce hosting plans come with site building tools, shopping carts, product catalog creation and management applications, payment processing integration, SSL certificates and other resources that simplify, expedite and facilitate the establishment and operation of a secure and successful online storefront.

Conclusion

Both eCommerce and dedicated hosting plans come in various sizes and packages, so the capabilities of each plan will depend entirely upon the hosting provider and the chosen service. In general, dedicated servers are for more experienced webmasters that need a powerful solution for many web sites, or one large site. eCommerce hosting plans are perfect for novice webmasters, or online business owners that do not have the time or technical skills to manage and set up all of the necessary eCommerce tools on a dedicated server.

It is important to note that dedicated servers can host all of the aforementioned eCommerce applications such as shopping carts and product catalogs, however in many cases these tools are not automatically integrated. Ultimately the decision will depend upon your skill level, budget, and needs as a webmaster.

Hybrid hosting is a combination of collocation, dedicated and cloud servers through a private dedicated network. This form of hosting allows for standalone components to be run independently or a segment of an overall network. The result of this configuration is greatly increased computing power as well as an improvement in data management due to 100% availability and high-levels of security.

A Comparison with Off the Rack Hosts

Companies across the globe encounter issues that cannot always be solved by traditional hosting methods. For instance, legacy applications that needs their own servers; collecting, storing and managing confidential Government-client data or major spikes in bandwidth, resources, computing and storage. To solve these issues with conventional methods, the network infrastructure would be scattered across many self-managed data centers or a hosting provider for only data or web needs was used.

The biggest problem with this situation is that there’s no connection between these solutions. On the other hand hybrid hosting allows clients to connect a colocated or dedicated server to a public or private cloud computing environment. Clients have the ability to customize and build the specific solution to fit their needs in an economical manner.

The Power of Flexibility

Since business and information technology needs are constantly changing, the infrastructure will also change. Unfortunately large changeovers can lower company growth and lead to lost productivity. Luckily hybrid hosting has an easy, streamlined data migration process that delivers quality in a timely fashion.

Examples of Hybrid Hosting

When a company is working on a new project, they can utilize a cloud VPS on the same platform to test and develop. This can be launched on a private cloud or on a dedicated server. The flexibility eases the testing and development process. Most companies experience seasonal spikes; by utilizing a cloud enterprise system for additional computing resources, the client can scale up or down with the simple click of a button.

Additionally when regulatory concerns arise; a dedicated server, private cloud or colocation environment can be created to store the data and communicate with a cloud enterprise system. Finally, when disaster strikes the system infrastructure can be duplicated to a secondary data center to guarantee the security of critical applications and programs.

Hybrid hosting is the best of all three worlds. It offers excellent flexibility, security, scalability and speed compared to the traditional hosting channels. As this technology improves, hybrid-type hosting will become the norm thus surpassing the older methods.

(The Hosting News) – Data center firm Peak 10 has formally announced a deal between itself and Pure Fishing, Inc. to a multi-year contract to utilize managed services via the company’s private enterprise cloud. The product that is at the center of this deal is the Peak 10 cloud, which spans multiple, geographically diverse data centers, will be used by Pure Fishing to house its critical systems, and will utilize Peak 10 services to manage its complex Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and back-office application infrastructure.

“As we planned the move of our corporate headquarters from Spirit Lake, Iowa to Columbia, S.C., we needed a partner to assist with an SAP upgrade and data migration plan, execute a technology refresh, and work with us to refine our business continuity and disaster recovery plans,” said Larry Pritchard, the vice president of information technology for Pure Fishing. “Peak 10 listened to our needs and brought to bear a team that offered a range of services, processes and people that complemented our in-house capabilities and gave us confidence for meeting our aggressive re-hosting initiative.”

Pure Fishing is a global family of quality fishing tackle brands, offering a broad range of products that meet or exceed the needs of today’s anglers. Today, Pure Fishing addresses the needs of anglers around the world with a strong portfolio of leading brands, including Berkley®, Abu Garcia®, Shakespeare® and Penn®.

“One of the key differentiators for us was how Peak 10 could integrate our traditional physical server-based SAP environment with their private cloud offering,” added Pritchard. “Being able to integrate from a virtualization, storage, network and security standpoint without having to differentiate between our physical servers and the computer resources we have contracted from Peak 10, took a lot of the complexity out of the solution. Even with aggressive timelines, multiple simultaneous migration threads, and the usual surprises thrown in along the way, Peak 10 was able to get our systems into production on time and on budget.”

“Peak 10 always strives to provide technology solutions to business challenges. For Pure Fishing, a combination of physical device management and utilization of our private cloud services was the right solution,” said Pat O’Brien, the vice president and general manager of Peak 10 Charlotte.

Monty Blight, Peak 10’s vice president of managed services added, “We are also keenly aware of the how quickly things change, including both the requirements of our clients and the technology to support it. Our first generation private cloud is mature. At the same time, we are excited to be working with our technology partners on the next generation of cloud technology and what that means for our client base.”

Peak 10 Cloud Chosen by Pure Fishing is a post from: Hosting News and Reseller Web Hosting information.

(The Hosting News) – Data center firm Peak 10 has formally announced a deal between itself and Pure Fishing, Inc. to a multi-year contract to utilize managed services via the company’s private enterprise cloud. The product that is at the center of this deal is the Peak 10 cloud, which spans multiple, geographically diverse data centers, will be used by Pure Fishing to house its critical systems, and will utilize Peak 10 services to manage its complex Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and back-office application infrastructure.

“As we planned the move of our corporate headquarters from Spirit Lake, Iowa to Columbia, S.C., we needed a partner to assist with an SAP upgrade and data migration plan, execute a technology refresh, and work with us to refine our business continuity and disaster recovery plans,” said Larry Pritchard, the vice president of information technology for Pure Fishing. “Peak 10 listened to our needs and brought to bear a team that offered a range of services, processes and people that complemented our in-house capabilities and gave us confidence for meeting our aggressive re-hosting initiative.”

Pure Fishing is a global family of quality fishing tackle brands, offering a broad range of products that meet or exceed the needs of today’s anglers. Today, Pure Fishing addresses the needs of anglers around the world with a strong portfolio of leading brands, including Berkley®, Abu Garcia®, Shakespeare® and Penn®.

“One of the key differentiators for us was how Peak 10 could integrate our traditional physical server-based SAP environment with their private cloud offering,” added Pritchard. “Being able to integrate from a virtualization, storage, network and security standpoint without having to differentiate between our physical servers and the computer resources we have contracted from Peak 10, took a lot of the complexity out of the solution. Even with aggressive timelines, multiple simultaneous migration threads, and the usual surprises thrown in along the way, Peak 10 was able to get our systems into production on time and on budget.”

“Peak 10 always strives to provide technology solutions to business challenges. For Pure Fishing, a combination of physical device management and utilization of our private cloud services was the right solution,” said Pat O’Brien, the vice president and general manager of Peak 10 Charlotte.

Monty Blight, Peak 10’s vice president of managed services added, “We are also keenly aware of the how quickly things change, including both the requirements of our clients and the technology to support it. Our first generation private cloud is mature. At the same time, we are excited to be working with our technology partners on the next generation of cloud technology and what that means for our client base.”

Peak 10 Cloud Chosen by Pure Fishing is a post from: Hosting News and Reseller Web Hosting information.

Dallas, Texas – (The Hosting News) – August 26, 2009 – Web hosting virtual data center services provider, SoftLayer, has begun offering EVault Bare Metal Restores (BMR), as an advanced disaster recovery capability.

Designed to enable customers to completely restore servers to a bare metal state after an operating system or hardware failure, servers are restored to the latest system image safely stored in a secure SoftLayer repository.

Andrew Maten, Director of IT Systems at SoftLayer remarked, ”Everything we offer is about giving our customers more flexibility, confidence, and control. EVault BMR is a powerful, no-nonsense tool for getting systems back up quickly without losing data or functionality.”

EVault BMR is available for Microsoft Windows systems with SoftLayer’s standard EVault offering. For only $20/month it provides a wide range of benefits, including the capability to:

• Restore systems to a select point-in-time
• Restore systems from image or file-based backups
• Restore systems from EVault backups
• Launch recovery transactions to restore data without a bootable system

The solution provides a more efficient and more reliable alternative to manual restores, and can be used in conjunction with regular backups as well as for data migration. System administrators can choose to execute full system restores or to restore individual files. As with all SoftLayer services, EVault BMR can be ordered and setup through the SoftLayer Customer Portal.

Headquartered in Plano, Texas, SoftLayer delivers on-demand virtual data center services on a global basis from facilities located in Dallas, TX; Seattle, WA; and Washington, DC. SoftLayer integrates all facets of IT to innovate industry-leading solutions that are fully automated. This empowers customers with complete control, security, scalability, and ease-of-management for their IT environment.

For more information, please visit: www.softlayer.com.

Dallas, Texas – (The Hosting News) – August 26, 2009 – Web hosting virtual data center services provider, SoftLayer, has begun offering EVault Bare Metal Restores (BMR), as an advanced disaster recovery capability.

Designed to enable customers to completely restore servers to a bare metal state after an operating system or hardware failure, servers are restored to the latest system image safely stored in a secure SoftLayer repository.

Andrew Maten, Director of IT Systems at SoftLayer remarked, ”Everything we offer is about giving our customers more flexibility, confidence, and control. EVault BMR is a powerful, no-nonsense tool for getting systems back up quickly without losing data or functionality.”

EVault BMR is available for Microsoft Windows systems with SoftLayer’s standard EVault offering. For only $20/month it provides a wide range of benefits, including the capability to:

• Restore systems to a select point-in-time
• Restore systems from image or file-based backups
• Restore systems from EVault backups
• Launch recovery transactions to restore data without a bootable system

The solution provides a more efficient and more reliable alternative to manual restores, and can be used in conjunction with regular backups as well as for data migration. System administrators can choose to execute full system restores or to restore individual files. As with all SoftLayer services, EVault BMR can be ordered and setup through the SoftLayer Customer Portal.

Headquartered in Plano, Texas, SoftLayer delivers on-demand virtual data center services on a global basis from facilities located in Dallas, TX; Seattle, WA; and Washington, DC. SoftLayer integrates all facets of IT to innovate industry-leading solutions that are fully automated. This empowers customers with complete control, security, scalability, and ease-of-management for their IT environment.

For more information, please visit: www.softlayer.com.

Dallas, Texas – (The Hosting News) – August 26, 2009 – Web hosting virtual data center services provider, SoftLayer, has begun offering EVault Bare Metal Restores (BMR), as an advanced disaster recovery capability.

Designed to enable customers to completely restore servers to a bare metal state after an operating system or hardware failure, servers are restored to the latest system image safely stored in a secure SoftLayer repository.

Andrew Maten, Director of IT Systems at SoftLayer remarked, ”Everything we offer is about giving our customers more flexibility, confidence, and control. EVault BMR is a powerful, no-nonsense tool for getting systems back up quickly without losing data or functionality.”

EVault BMR is available for Microsoft Windows systems with SoftLayer’s standard EVault offering. For only $20/month it provides a wide range of benefits, including the capability to:

• Restore systems to a select point-in-time
• Restore systems from image or file-based backups
• Restore systems from EVault backups
• Launch recovery transactions to restore data without a bootable system

The solution provides a more efficient and more reliable alternative to manual restores, and can be used in conjunction with regular backups as well as for data migration. System administrators can choose to execute full system restores or to restore individual files. As with all SoftLayer services, EVault BMR can be ordered and setup through the SoftLayer Customer Portal.

Headquartered in Plano, Texas, SoftLayer delivers on-demand virtual data center services on a global basis from facilities located in Dallas, TX; Seattle, WA; and Washington, DC. SoftLayer integrates all facets of IT to innovate industry-leading solutions that are fully automated. This empowers customers with complete control, security, scalability, and ease-of-management for their IT environment.

For more information, please visit: www.softlayer.com.