Cobweb blown away by Exchange 2003

ASP offers Microsoft services to SMEs

ASP Cobweb is hoping to take advantage of the additional mobile features within Exchange Server 2003 and Windows SharePoint Services by offering both applications to SMEs, with prices beginning at £5 and £1 per user per month respectively.

"Mobile access is now included in Exchange as standard," said Michael Frisby, Cobweb's channel manager. "We have also introduced a tiered model so different types of employee can have different levels of service within a company."

Andrew Glover, a director at Cobweb reseller Bridge Partners, said there were clear benefits for mobile workers using Exchange 2003. "It's very useful from a business point of view," he said.

Frisby gave a trucking company as an example. Drivers might only need basic email, while office workers would use calendaring and collaboration tools, he explained.

"Microsoft benefits from hosted and bought solutions either way," he said. "It is just as happy whether customers rent a managed service or buy the product themselves."

James Governor, principal analyst at RedMonk, said hosted options were worthy of consideration. "RedMonk is an SME, and we use a hosted solution from ASP One ourselves," he said.

"From our perspective, it's been wonderful. But one issue is training. There are far too many large companies out there using groupware products as email because of a lack of training."