When choosing a remote email solution there are a number of approaches that you can take: you may have decided on a client device type and wish to know what solutions are compatible; you may have a specific feature set you need to be available to your users; or similarly a set of features you don't want to be available. You may have specific security concerns or may have a policy regarding which manufacturers you are able to consider.
There is a lot of information to convey, much of it interconnected. In this article I shall run through the products available by manufacturer, but it is important to consider that when discussing products such a Nokia's Mail For Exchange application, this obviously requires that Microsoft Exchange be installed, so if considering Nokia, bear in mind that everything I have said about Microsoft Exchange should also factor into your choice. It's also important to bear in mind when considering BlackBerry as a remote email solution that the BlackBerry Enterprise Server itself is not an email solution in its own right: it requires an email platform be deployed already (be it Microsoft Exchange or Lotus Domino).
It's complicated, but I like to think I have included all relevant information. As always, if you want further information on anything you read here, then contact Brightpoint on 0870 849 0225: we are uniquely placed to be able to advise on any aspect of your plans for deploying an email solution...from any perspective.

Features

The features that a remote email solution should offer as standard remain unchanged. When evaluating products, should any of the below not be met, unless you are confident that they are superfluous to requirements, then that solution should be excluded from your pilot.

• All communication between the client and the server should be secure
• The solution should not tie you into a particular client platform or device, nor a particular mobile network operator - the solution should be "agnostic" of the client device type as well as the means of connecting to the Internet
• Users should have the ability to read, forward and edit email attachments
• Users should have the ability to access the Global Address List (GAL) or company contact list
• Users should have the ability to choose whether or not to download full email messages and attachments
• The solution should ideally use the native PIM application on the client device to minimise the need for additional staff training, unless the alternative offers superior features
• The solution should offer "push" functionality so that devices are updated in real time as opposed to schedule-based synchronisation or SMS-based "wake-up" messages
• The solution should offer the ability to remotely "wipe" client devices and enforce password usage on those devices
• The solution should not rely on "Desktop Redirectors" - applications which sit on a PC on the local network, monitoring the mail server for changes in the user's mailbox and redirecting them when they are detected. These solutions require that a PC remain switched on in the office at all times, defeating the object of having a "remote" email solution.
• The solution should be available abroad

The Players

The key players in the remote email space are currently (in this author's opinion):

• Microsoft
• Research In Motion (RIM)
• IBM
• Google
• Nokia
• HTC
• Motorola
• Apple

Microsoft

At the time of writing, Microsoft Exchange currently accounts for approximately 65% of the corporate email market and is the de facto standard for "behind the firewall" email deployments. That product alone nets Microsoft over $2 Billion annually. If Microsoft Exchange alone was a separate company, it would still be the 9th largest software company in the world!

Ever since the release of the Microsoft Mobile Information Server (MMIS) product back in 2000 it has been possible to synchronise email, contact and calendar mailbox data with an Exchange server from a Windows Mobile device. MMIS was a separate middleware product which provided the synchronisation functionality and was effectively incorporated into Exchange Server 2003 when it was first released. Synchronisation was only schedule-based and was only possible from Windows Mobile devices running Pocket PC 2003 or later.
Microsoft added push functionality to Exchange with the release of Service Pack 2 for Exchange Server 2003, a free update available via Microsoft Update. To enjoy push functionality you had to be using a PDA running Windows Mobile 5 (version AKU-2) or later.
The protocol that provides this push synchronisation capability is known as Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) and Microsoft has subsequently licensed it to third party manufacturers including Dataviz, HTC, Nokia, Apple, Google, Dell, Motorola, Samsung and others.
Today it is therefore possible to receive push-based synchronisation of mailbox data on a wide range of client devices, not only Windows Mobile PDAs...provided that you are running Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 SP2 or later in your corporate environment, which in turn requires a Microsoft Server operating system to run on, so it's a win-win situation for Microsoft.
Exchange ActiveSync also enables users to search for contacts in the Global Address List (GAL) from their device and also enables the administrator to require that devices have a password configured on them. Devices can also be remotely 'killed' from the Exchange server by the administrator.

The release of Exchange 2007, and later Service Pack 1 for Exchange 2007, added further functionality to the Server ActiveSync protocol, including the ability to set an out of office status and message, as well as allowing the administrator to remotely disable hardware elements on client devices such as the camera, WiFi, Bluetooth etc.
Although the EAS protocol supports this functionality when used with an Exchange 2007 server, the degree to which this functionality has been implemented by the different manufacturers varies, meaning that different devices have different capabilities when used with the same Exchange server. The features available on the different client platforms are summarised at the end of this article.

Today, if using a Windows Mobile device running version 6.1 of the operating system in conjunction with a server running Exchange 2007 SP1, the following functionality is available to the user:

• Full mailbox synchronisation, including Contacts, Calendar, Tasks and Mail folders (including email subfolders on a per-folder selection basis)

  

• A maximum message size limit and attachment size limit can be specified
• A date range can be specified during which email and calendar items will be synchronised
• A schedule can be defined during which mailbox changes will be "pushed" to the device, outside of which synchronisation can be initiated manually or will run automatically every x number of minutes
• When composing a new email from the device, the user can select contacts from their own Contacts folder, or from the Global Address List on the Exchange server
• Users can also search their entire mailbox for a specific mail based on certain criteria should they have lost track of it
• Users can set and edit their Out Of Office status and message from the client device

It is only possible to configure one Exchange email account on the Windows Mobile platform, multiple concurrent Exchange accounts are not supported.

The following functionality is available to the Administrator:

• Individual ActiveSync policies can be defined on a per-user or per-group basis:

  

• Password usage can be enforced on client devices:

  

• Message size limit and attachment size limits can be defined as well as controlling whether users should have access to email while roaming abroad:

  

• The hardware and software elements on the client device that should be available to the user can be defined:

  

• Specific applications can be blocked by the administrator, and users can be prevented from installing new applications on devices themselves:

  

• In the event that a device is lost or stolen, it can be remotely 'killed' or wiped by either the user or the administrator, either via Outlook Web Access or the Exchange Management console:

  

Exchange 2003 SP2 also offers the ability to remotely wipe client devices, but requires that the Exchange ActiveSync Web Administration Tool be downloaded and installed separately:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e6851d23-d145-4...

and is accessed via https://(exchange_server)/mobileadmin/:

Exchange 2003 SP2 does not offer the ability to define a per-user activesync policy, or the ability to remotely control hardware or software elements on client devices. Besides remote device kill, the only device management feature available is the ability to enforce a password policy on the client Windows Mobile device.

Microsoft's decision to license the EAS protocol to third parties means that a wide range of devices can also synchronise mailbox data with an Exchange server running Exchange 2003 SP2 or later in exactly the same way as a Windows Mobile device, with no additional changes required on the Exchange server. I will look at the features supported by the most common of these in this article. A summary of the capabilities of the different platforms is available at the end, but it is important to be aware that deploying a Microsoft Exchange server does not limit you to using Microsoft's client devices.

Exchange 2010 adds further functionality for the administrator, such as the ability to allow and disallow access to the Exchange server via Exchange ActiveSync based on device type. This provides a level of peace of mind to the IT department, reassuring them that making their Exchange server accessible from the Internet to devices that support the Exchange ActiveSync protocol does not have to mean opening the server to ALL devices; they can define further rules to only allow access to, say, Windows Mobile and Nokia devices and deny access to Android and iPhone devices.
Further rules can be configured to simply quarantine all devices and email the administrator indicating that a device has requested access, which the administrator(s) can choose to unblock or reject on a per-request basis.
Read this article for more information - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/restricting-access-exchange-2010-activesync

It is also perhaps relevant to point out that Microsoft's Small Business Server (SBS) products, which include Exchange, offer the same functionality as Microsoft Exchange standalone installations: SBS 2003 includes Exchange 2003, and SBS 2008 includes Exchange 2007. Microsoft's new Small Business Product, SBS7, now includes Exchange Server 2010.

Installation and Configuration

Provided that you are running Exchange 2003 SP2 or later, then EAS functionality is "built-in" with no need for any additional hardware or software. Having said that, there are a few things you should be aware of when deploying Exchange with a view to providing push email functionality:

• The Exchange server, or at the least the "Client Access Server" in a multi-server deployment, must be Internet-facing with a public IP address. This may sound obvious, but if you use a third-party mail relay service or an anti-virus server to accept incoming SMTP traffic before passing it onto the Exchange server, then the Exchange server itself may not be Internet-facing. EAS operates as a web application on the Exchange server, running within IIS. Therefore, any firewalls between the Exchange server and the Internet will need to be configured to allow TCP port 443 through to Exchange, or TCP port 80 if running the web site in HTTP rather than HTTPS mode (not recommended). If you are already running Outlook Web Access (OWA) on your Exchange server, then you are already good to go although you may have to adjust authentication settings on the specific EAS web site within the IIS manager.
  If exposing the Exchange server to the Internet sounds like a security risk, then it is possible to deploy Exchange server roles across multiple servers: a 'front-end' server living in the DMZ, accepting client requests and relaying them to the mailbox server located on the LAN.
• In order to secure client-server communications via TLS/SSL, the Exchange server will require a valid SSL certificate to be installed on it. Ideally this should be a 'root-trusted' certificate from the likes of VeriSign or Thawte, which will involve additional ongoing costs. It is possible to use a self-issued certificate with no reduction in functionality using Microsoft Certificate Services, but it is important to bear in mind if adopting this approach that the corresponding CA root certificate must be installed on all Windows Mobile and Windows Phone client devices manually before they will be able to connect. This issue does not affect Nokia Symbian devices (from the E75 and onwards), not does it affect Android devices nor the iPhone, which will warn users that the certificate used by the Exchange server is not root-trusted when the email account is first configured, but will allow the user to continue regardless.
  When generating a certificate request, it is vital to use the Internet-facing name of the Exchange server, ie 'mail.domain.com' rather than the server's machine, or NetBIOS, name such as 'MAILSERV1'. This is a relatively common stumbling block.
• For detailed information on how to configure Exchange 2003 SP2 for Exchange ActiveSync using a self-issued SSL certificate, read this article - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/configuring-exchange-2003-activesync-usi...
  
  Exchange 2007 is much easier to configure!
• If you are running Exchange 2003 SP2 in a "front-end / back-end" deployment, a web site for EAS should be created on both front and back end servers and the same authentication settings should be applied to both - by default the back end server will not have 'integrated windows authentication' enabled which will cause connection requests to fail.
• Finally, it is useful to be aware that EAS is not a true push technology - the client device will poll the Exchange server for changes at a regular interval, known as the 'heartbeat interval', that is defined by the cellular network operator. If the client device does not have a cellular connection to the Internet, such as a WiFi connection, then the client will sync on a schedule and mail will not arrive strictly 'in real time'. In practice, however, the user experience will not differ significantly regardless of the means of connecting to the Internet.

Besides the SSL certificate, because Exchange ActiveSync is a standard protocol, regardless of which client device you are using, the same information will be required to set up access on all devices:

• Server address
• Username
• Password
• Domain

The server address will be the same address used by Outlook Web Access (OWA), normally in the form 'mail.domain.com'.
The Domain will be the same value that is configured on your Windows desktop PC in the office, assuming you have one, when you log in - the contents of the "Log Into" field underneath the password field.

For detailed information on troubleshooting all aspects of the Exchange ActiveSync protocol, read this article - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/troubleshooting-exchange-activesync

Additional Features

Besides the ActiveSync functionality we have seen here, when using a Windows Mobile 6.1 device in conjunction with Exchange 2007 SP1, users can also remotely access file servers from their devices without the need for a separate VPN connection. For details on how to configure this functionality, view this article - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/configuring-remote-file-share-access-exc...

Outlook Anywhere

In addition the features available to PDAs, it is perhaps important to mention the features available to the laptop offered by Microsoft Exchange. Outlook Anywhere is the friendly name for the "Remote Procedure Call over HTTPS" protocol that enables Outlook clients to securely access Exchange remotely as if they were connected locally via the LAN, without any change in configuration required on the PC when in or out of the office. This functionality is supported on Exchange 2003 SP2 or later. For more information on how to configure this feature read these articles:

Exchange 2003 - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/enabling-rpc-http-single-exchange-2003-s...
Exchange 2007 - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/enabling-rpc-http-exchange-2007

For more information on the features available with Exchange 2007, read this article - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/exchange-2007-features

Windows Mobile 6.5 and Exchange 2010

Exchange 2010, when used in conjunction with a Windows Mobile device running version 6.1 or later, whilst there are no new features in terms of device management, this release of Exchange includes the ability to synchronise SMS text message folders between the device and Exchange (and therefore with Outlook), the ability to view free/busy information for fellow Exchange users from your device as well as support for message reply status.
For more information on the features available in Exchange 2010, read this article - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/exchange-2010-features

Windows Phone 7

It is perhaps important to point out that Microsoft's new mobile device platform, Windows Phone 7, is a complete departure from Windows Mobile and as such should not be presumed to provide the same level of Exchange ActiveSync support as Windows Mobile: it doesn't.
It is possible to access an Exchange Server via Exchange ActiveSync from a Windows Phone 7 device - you can in fact add multiple Exchange accounts and access them concurrently - but from an administrative point of view the platform does not support the device management functionality that Windows Mobile does: you cannot define ActiveSync mailbox policies restricting access to the device hardware and software as I have described above. It is possible to remotely wipe devices and to enforce a password usage policy, but that is all. For more information read this article - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/windows-phone-7-exchange-activesync-support

Additional Comments

As this article is intended to discuss remote email functionality, I have not looked at the other features available in Exchange from a mobility perspective, such as the other features available in Outlook Web Access and the Unified Messaging features of Exchange 2007 and 2010, but these are worth looking into if you are undecided about upgrading from a previous version of Exchange or looking into alternatives.
It is perhaps important to point out that whilst Microsoft Exchange may offer 'remote email nirvana', you should be prepared to pay a premium for the functionality it offers, especially when deploying the solution across multiple servers, all requiring 64-bit hardware and 64-bit Windows Server operating systems to run on them.
For those on a budget, a hosted Exchange service may be worth considering, such as that offered by Outsourcery, or an open source alternative to Exchange such as Zimbra (http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/zimbra) or Scalix (http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/scalix), both of which enable desktop use of Microsoft Outlook meaning that users do not need to be re-trained or lose out on functionality.

RIM BlackBerry

The BlackBerry solution is developed by a Canadian company, Research In Motion (RIM), and is largely regarded as the 'safe' choice for remote email solutions, largely thanks to a huge adoption in North America and some impressive PR coups not least of which was the President of the USA's insistence that the NSA allow him to use his beloved BlackBerry PDA.

BlackBerry comes in a number of 'flavours': the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) for corporates, the BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) for prosumers and now BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express for small businesses. There are also solutions such as BlackBerry Unite for the home/family market - read the BlackBerry section of the web site for more information (http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/blackberry)

The BIS service operates by users being assigned their own email address by their network operator, and being able to add third-party POP or IMAP email accounts to their service so that they can enjoy 'push' email from consumer email providers. This is an email-only service and users can sync contact and calendar data with their desktop PC using the BlackBerry Desktop Manager software, although there are clients available for the BlackBerry device platform for services such as Google. In this article I shall limit my examination to the products aimed at the business market: BES and BES Express.
In all cases, the BlackBerry family of products can only be used with BlackBerry client devices, or on a more limited basis with "BlackBerry Connect" devices (which have the BlackBerry messaging client installed), although at the time of writing this author does not know of any manufacturers actively promoting this software.

The BlackBerry Enterprise Server, or BES, is available for Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino and Novell Groupwise. It is important to understand that the BES is not an email platform in its own right: an email solution is still required; the BES enables bi-directional synchronisation between the email server and BlackBerry handhelds. What the BES does offer, is very powerful device management features: thanks to the fact that RIM manufacturer both the server software and the handheld devices the solution is capable of granular device control functionality that is simply unparalleled.

At the time of writing, the BES software is at version 5.0.2.
New to version 5 is a web-based administration console that can be accessed either by Active Directory or BlackBerry's own authentication mechanisms and can have multiple administrative roles created - useful for helpdesk environments.
Also new to version 5 is the ability to deploy the BES solution in a High Availability configuration, clustering individual BlackBerry services and providing for automatic failover of services between servers in the event of any problems.

If using this release of the software for Microsoft Exchange in conjunction with a handheld device running the latest version of the handheld operating system, the following functionality is available:

• Full mailbox synchronisation, including Contacts, Calendar, Tasks and Mail folders (including subfolders on a per-folder selection basis)
• A maximum message size limit and attachment size limit can be defined
• A date range can be specified during which mail and calendar items will be synchronised
• A schedule can be defined during which mailbox changes will be pushed to the device, outside of which synchronisation can be initiated manually
• When composing a new email message from the device, the user can select contacts from their own contacts folder, or from the Global Address List
• Users can also search their entire mailbox for a specific mail based on certain criteria should they have lost track of it
• Users can set and edit their Out Of Office status from the client device
• Users can view and edit email attachments
• Users can access remote file shares from their devices (requires version 5 of the handheld operating system)

As with Exchange and Windows Mobile, the BlackBerry solution enables the administrator to define per-user or per-group policies governing what hardware and software elements should be available to users, including features such as the camera, Bluetooth, WiFi, SMS messaging, web browser, etc:

Options range from the relatively simple:

to comprehensively detailed:

Password usage can be enforced on client devices and devices can be remotely 'killed' by the administrator:

The BlackBerry Mobile Data Service (MDS), part of the BES software, also enables the administrator to remotely push applications down to client devices.
An added benefit of the BES solution is that all client web browsing requests (unless being accessed via a WiFi connection) are routed via the BES. Therefore, if any URL-filtering, access restriction policies or proxies are deployed at the corporate environment, any browsing restrictions that apply to the BES server are automatically applied to client devices by virtue of the fact that they sit 'behind' the BES.

The type of email attachments that users should have access to on their handhelds can also be defined as well as size limits:

BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express

The BES Express software is essentially a scaled-down version of the full BES, designed for small company deployments, free to download and install and not limited to any set number of users. BES Express replaces the older BlackBerry Professional Software (BPS) which is now end of life. Offering full email and PIM synchronisation, but only a limited number of IT policies, BES Express can be installed directly onto an Exchange (or Small Business) Server. A version of BES Express is also available for Lotus Domino 8.0.2 or later.
For more information on the BES Express software as well as detailed setup guides, read the BES Express section of the blog - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/blackberry-enterprise-server-express

Architecture

As you probably already know, the BlackBerry solution requires that a specific tariff be enabled on the user's SIM: a tariff that is billed at a flat monthly rate regardless of how much email that user receives. This is viewed as a double-edged sword by many: on the plus side you know exactly how much you will pay each month and won't get any nasty surprises; however the amount you are paying can actually be more than an 'all you can eat' tariff anyway. All other email solutions simply require that 'data' be enabled on user's SIMs.

Part of the reason for this expense is to cover the cost of maintaining the architecture that enables the BlackBerry solution to work as it does. Unlike Exchange ActiveSync where clients communicate directly with the server, requiring that the Exchange server be Internet-facing, BlackBerry handhelds register against a middleware server maintained by RIM, known as the "RIM Relay". The BES server also registers with this Relay enabling end to end communications between the server and handhelds. One benefit of this approach is that the BES only needs outbound access to the Relay on a single port (TCP 3101) and no inbound access needs to be configured on any firewalls. There is also no need to mess about configuring or renewing SSL certificates, all client-server communications being secured by AES encryption automatically.
This approach does, therefore, mean that you are entirely reliant on third-party hardware and services being available.

Installation and Configuration

The BES software will require a separate server to run on, and therefore a separate Windows Server operating system to run on. BES Express can be installed directly on the Exchange server or Small Business Server, but in this deployment, RIM recommend only running a maximum of 75 users before you consider using dedicated hardware.

The software also uses a Microsoft SQL server database to store configuration information. By default the solution will install a copy of SQL Server Express (or MSDE) locally, which is recommended for deployments up to 500 users, but for larger installations a separate Microsoft SQL server can be specified. This would also obviously need to be licensed.

The BlackBerry solution requires that a user account be created within the Active Directory, and that user account be assigned Exchange Administrator permissions to be able to send and receive messages on behalf of any users added to the BES server. For full details on how to configure the environment for both Exchange 2003 and Exchange 2007, read these articles:

Exchange 2003 - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/bes-41x-50-exchange-2003-pre-requisites
Exchange 2007 - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/bes-41x-50-exchange-2007-pre-requisites
Exchange 2010 - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/bes-501-exchange-2010-pre-requisites

The way that handheld devices are configured is one of the attractive USPs of the BlackBerry solution. Known as the "Enterprise Activation" feature, it operates by assigning a user an activation password on the BES server. To set up their device, all users need to do is enter in their own full email address and the same activation password. This process does not require that the user be in the office and the feature is available on all BlackBerry handheld devices, meaning that users can configure their own devices quickly and easily with minimal interaction with the IT department. For full details on how this process works read this article - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/how-does-bes-wireless-activation-process...

BlackBerry Web Desktop Manager

Available as a separate component for BES 4.0.6 and later and incorporated into BES 5, the Web Desktop Manager enables users to access and edit settings relating to the content that is delivered to their handheld, directly from their web browser. The web application runs on the BES itself and can be enabled or disabled by the administrator as required. Users can also backup and restore device configurations and can activate new handhelds themselves by issuing an activation password. Read this article for more information - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/bes-5-web-desktop-manager

BlackBerry Mobile Voice Service (MVS)

BlackBerry MVS is a relatively new product available from RIM that it is worth mentioning if you are looking to integrate your client devices with a VoIP deployment as well as email. A separate server installation, the MVS allows BlackBerry handhelds to effectively remotely register as extensions of your IP PBX, enabling users to ring office-based staff free of charge and to 'break out' from the corporate PBX for local numbers. For more information read this article - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/blackberry-mobile-voice-system-mvs

Additional Comments

For some, use of a BlackBerry device has nothing to do with the fact that they have a BES deployed within their business - some simply like the phones. It is of course, possible to use the BIS service to access a corporate Exchange server via HTTPS directly but this is beyond the scope of an article dedicated to corporate email use (and only provides access to email, rather than contacts and calendar), for information on this read this article - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/setting-new-blackberry-internet-service-....
However, I shall be looking at ways to use BlackBerry devices without the need for either a BES (and the BES tariff) or an Exchange server...

It is only possible to activate a BlackBerry device with one BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

IBM

IBM Lotus Domino accounts for perhaps 10% of corporate email deployments but is still regarded as a specialist or niche email platform, Domino being a database platform first and an email platform second. Indeed many companies that use Domino for its database functionality will also have an Exchange server for email.

Domino has pretty much always provided webmail access to users, and supports the ubiquitous POP and IMAP email protocols, but for a long time the only means of enjoying push email synchronisation with a client device was either via a BlackBerry deployment or with Nokia's Intellisync Mobile Suite solution, which has now been retired.
BlackBerry still supports Domino, but IBM have relatively recently launched their own push email application for Domino: Lotus Traveler.

Traveler enables bi-directional push-based synchronisation of mail, contacts, calendar, journal and to do folders with Windows Mobile and Symbian devices and also the Apple iPhone. The latest version, 8.5.2.1 adds support for Android devices running Android 2.x or later.
The Traveler component needs to be installed on an Internet-facing server, and a single TCP port allowed through to that server from the Internet. The port used for client-server communication can be specified by the administrator, and all communications can be secured using TLS/SSL encryption.

Traveler 8.1 was released alongside Domino 8.0.1 and provided support for Windows Mobile 5 and 6 devices. The release of version 8.5 extended this support to the Symbian Series 60 platform (including the Nokia E and N series range of devices), and version 8.5.1 more recently adds support for the iPhone. 8.5.2.1 is required for Android support.

System Requirements

Traveler 8.5 can only be installed on a server running version 8.5 of the Domino software. User mailboxes can themselves be stored on a Domino server running version 7.0.2 or later. Domino 8.5 is only supported on Windows Server 2003.
From a licensing perspective, all Lotus Notes users are automatically enabled for the Traveler service, they simply need to download the client from the Domino server.

Traveler 8.5 includes limited device management functionality on the Windows Mobile platform, including:

• Require a power-on password
• Require password to be a specific length
• Allow users x number of attempts to enter their password correctly
• Require that devices undergo a hard reset should allowed password attempts be exceeded
• Require that data on external storage cards be encrypted
• Remote device wipe
• Rich text support for emails
• Support for mail encryption and signing

Client Installation

Client devices can be configured simply by downloading and installing a single client application. This client can be downloaded via a web browser either from the Domino server itself (requiring that the server be accessible on TCP port 80) or from a server of the administrator's choosing. The web site could also be customised to include downloads for any other software packages such a VPN clients or certificates if so desired.
The client installer package reads its configuration from an XML-based "bootstrap" file which allows the administrator to pre-populate the client with required settings including the server address and port number among other variables.

For more information on the Traveler installation process and features, read these articles - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/lotus

Google

Google's online search portal is now only a fraction of its service and product portfolio: with the launch of the Android platform it is a mobile phone operating system developer and content-delivery platform, and with the launch of the Google Voice service it is also a telco. The Google Chrome browser and operating system see the company poised to rival Microsoft for the desktop applications market, and the Google Apps service is reducing Microsoft's hegemony with the Office/Exchange combination.

Google Mail, or GMail, is a free-to-use email service that can be accessed from any web browser. Google also have their own client application for a variety of platforms, including Windows Mobile, Symbian and BlackBerry and of course is also integrated into the Android platform. Alongside Mail, Google also offer free contacts and calendar synchronisation services.
Should users prefer to use the native client on their PDA rather than the Google client, Google have also licensed the EAS protocol meaning that Windows Mobile, Symbian, iPhone and Android devices can access Gmail using their native clients. Google have also implemented remote device wipe to their support for EAS meaning that administrators can remotely 'kill' devices that have been reported lost or stolen directly from their web browser or from the Exchange server, as detailed above.

Gmail also supports both POP and IMAP access from clients that only support these protocols (such as Symbian S40 devices) and contacts and calendar directories can also be accessed via the SyncML (OMA-DS) protocol. In short, then, if you have a Google account, you can access your data from pretty much anything.
GMail also has a nice feature whereby you can add third party POP accounts to your Google profile (such as a Sky or TalkTalk account) and have mail sent to those accounts delivered directly to your GMail client.

Besides consumer services, the Google Apps service, which is a chargeable service businesses pay for to host their corporate email in Google's cloud, offers additional features such as the ability to delegate access to your mailbox to others, provides numerous tools to migrate your existing Exchange email infrastructure to Google's servers and also offers a level of device management and security by offering administrators the ability to enforce on-device encryption, password usage and strength as well as the ability to remotely disable device camera usage:

I have posted a number of articles on how to configure access to Google's services:

Symbian S60 - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/setting-google-sync-nokia-e71
http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/google-mail-symbian-s60
Windows Mobile - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/setting-google-sync-windows-mobile

Following the release of the Google BES Connector software, corporates can now leverage the comprehensive device management capabilities of the BES solution with BlackBerry handhelds without the need for a local Domino or Exchange server (http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/google_apps_connector_bes)

For the office environment, it is possible to access Google's mail service from Microsoft Outlook, meaning that users need not necessarily know that a change has occurred in the back office environment and will not need additional training. Of course it should be taken into account that your data will no longer be stored locally, you may need to increase the bandwidth of your Internet feed and will be at the mercy of your ISP's resilience...

Android

Google's own mobile device platform, Android, is taking the handset world by storm and the break-neck pace of development performed on the platform is adding new functionality all the time, although Google are taking pains to slow down this pace to prevent "fragmentation" in the marketplace - having to support multiple versions of its own operating system when releasing new services and applications.
Android 2.1 brought to Android the ability to synchronise with an Exchange email server via EAS.
Now in version 2.3, Android supports multiple concurrent Exchange email accounts, a unified email Inbox, the ability to access all mailbox folders including Contacts and Calendar information as well as the ability to specify how many days' worth of email should be synchronised.
The Global Address List can be accessed in "real time" as you compose email recipients, and Android 2.3.4 adds the ability to set an out of office message and status. Device management features are supported by the EAS implementation including the ability to remote kill the device from the Exchange server as well as the ability to set a password usage policy.
For more information on the Exchange capabilities of the Android platform, read this article - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/quick-look-android-23s-exchange-support
It is important to note that this information applies to the standard Android email client, as used by "pure" Google Android handsets such as the Nexus range. Individual device manufacturers may choose to implement their own email clients offering differing functionality. This is certainly true of HTC and Motorola. I will be looking at these devices in a moment.

Nokia

Nokia have also recently jumped on the cloud bandwagon with the launch of their OVI portfolio of services - so called as 'ovi' is the Finnish for 'doorway', presumably to give the impression of the Ovi platform as a one-stop portal to a wide range of services...if you speak Finnish.
I have blogged several times about the features available in Ovi, such as web-based access to contacts, calendar, Ovi mail and documents, but as this article is intended for the corporate market I shall not be looking at it here. The OVI Maps service should perhaps be investigated by those looking to deploy Nokia handsets for their email capability but looking for that 'something extra'.

Nokia acquired Intellisync for a not inconsiderable sum a few years ago, the Intellisync Mobile Suite being a remote PIM synchronisation and device management solution to rival BlackBerry, available for a wide range of platforms...but unfortunately decided after only a short period to cease all development and retired the product.
Whilst a shock to many (including according to my sources the Intellisync product team themselves), Nokia has very much thrown its lot in with Microsoft and has amalgamated its licensing of the EAS protocol with the capabilities of the Intellisync platform to produce a client application that can rival the capabilities of Windows Mobile 6.1 when used in conjunction with Exchange 2007.

The Mail For Exchange software, Nokia's implementation of the EAS protocol, is only available for the Symbian S60 platform (the E and N series of handsets as well as the Xpress Musics) and is now preloaded on most handsets, providing access to Exchange 2003 SP2 or later. The software is also available for download from the Nokia Business web site: http://europe.nokia.com/get-support-and-software/download-software/mail-...

Although not able to provide the device management capabilities of the Windows Mobile 6.1 platform, the Nokia E75, E72 and more recently the N8 and the C7, when used with Exchange 2007 can synchronise all mailbox folders, including subfolders, can set and edit out of office status message, can access the GAL and perform message searches as well as the ability to enforce password usage and remote device wipe.

For detailed instructions on how to configure the Nokia E71, E72, E75, N97, N8 and C7 as well as information on the Ovi service, view the Nokia section of the blog - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/nokia

The Nokia N8 and C7 handsets can access multiple Exchange email accounts concurrently.

Perhaps also worth mentioning is the Nokia Messaging Service (http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/nokia-email-service) which provides BIS-style email delivery to prosumers, in fact using the architecture of the Intellisync platform behind the scenes. This feature allows users to access a consumer POP or IMAP email account and define more advanced settings than the native POP or IMAP protocols themselves support, such as the ability to define attachment size limits and attachment file types. Read the article above for more information.

Additional Comments

Nokia also have a number of enterprise deployment tools available for the S60 range, including the ability to define Exchange ActiveSync and VPN settings, roll them up into a single configuration file and apply that file to any number of handsets. Read this article for more information - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/nokia-enterprise-configuration-tool

HTC

Although in terms of Exchange ActiveSync functionality, Windows Mobile and Windows Phone devices are largely standard regardless of device manufacturer (the EAS client being part of the Windows Mobile operating system), HTC's Android-based devices do feature a proprietary email client that offers superior features over the standard Android one.
Prior to the release of Android 2.1 (Eclair), Android devices could not natively connect to an Exchange Server using EAS (POP and IMAP was of course supported). HTC's Hero and Tattoo devices were able to provide this functionality using HTC's own licensed EAS client. This proprietary client has been developed further and is incorporated in all HTC Android devices. The latest HTC Android devices offer a very feature-rich experience when used with an Exchange server. Multiple Exchange email accounts are also supported.

All email folders can be synchronised, as well as contacts and calendar data and also Tasks beginning with the release of the HTC Rhyme. Synchronisation schedules can be defined for peak and off-peak hours, so your device won't poll for new mail during the night if you don't want it to.
Out of office status and message can be set from the device.
For full details on how to configure the HTC Android client on HTC Android models, read this article - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/setting-exchange-email-htc-desire-hd

Besides the device management features offered by the Exchange email client, HTC Android models can also be managed online using HTC's HTCSense.com service, which allows users to remotely lock and wipe handhelds from any web browser, as well as configure a lock message to be displayed on the device screen. Users can also synchronise contacts, calendar and SMS text messages with their online HTCSense account - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/htc-announce-htcsensecom

For information on the capabilities of HTC devices, visit the HTC section of the blog - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/htc

Motorola

As with HTC, Motorola also develop their own Exchange email client for their Android devices, which offers superior functionality over the stock Android client. Their range of business-focused devices, such as the Pro +, supports a wide range of Exchange ActiveSync management protocols including the ability to not only enforce password usage, but password complexity, history, recovery and login attempts. Hardware control is also implemented, so use of the device camera, WiFi and storage card can be enabled and disabled by EAS policy.

For full details of the Exchange capabilities of the Pro +, read this article - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/introducing-motorola-pro-0

Apple

Apple licensed the EAS protocol, which they released in version 2.0 of the iPhone software, enabling access to any Exchange server running Exchange 2003 SP2 or later. Now in version 4.2 of the iOS software, which now includes the iPad, functionality has not changed hugely with the exception that multiple concurrent Exchange email accounts are supported as well as a unified email inbox.
Synchronisation of Tasks is not supported, but a password policy can be enforced on devices and iPhones can be remotely wiped from the Exchange server. For information on how to configure the iPhone for access to Exchange, read this article - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/setting-server-activesync-apple-iphone

As with Nokia, Apple have also developed an Enterprise deployment tool for the iPhone which enables the bulk deployment of Exchange and VPN settings in a single configuration package. Read this article for more information - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/apple-iphone-configuration-utility-20

It is perhaps also important to note that the release of Snow Leopard, or MacOS 10.6, features built-in access to Microsoft Exchange 2007 via Apple's Mail, iCal and Address Book applications, significant when you consider that Windows does not by itself provide access to Exchange, requiring that Microsoft Outlook be installed (and purchased) separately.
For details on how to configure Snow Leopard for Exchange access read this article - (http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/configuring-macos-snow-leopard-access-ex...)

Dataviz RoadSync

Dataviz (www.dataviz.com) is a software company that has also licensed the EAS protocol from Microsoft. Whilst not a hardware manufacturer as with the other companies looked at in this article, what DataViz have done is to create client software, know as RoadSync, for devices that do not inherently have Exchange ActiveSync capabilities, such as Symbian S40 devices, Symbian S80 devices (the Nokia Communicator 93xx and 95xx devices), Java MIDP 2.0 devices and Windows Mobile 2003 devices.
RoadSync is also available for non-HTC Android devices and also offers functionality for the Symbian S60 platform that is not available to the Nokia Mail For Exchange client for devices prior to the E71 (such as support for subfolder synchronisation).
Visit the Dataviz web site for more information.

Hosted Services

I have touched already on the subject of hosting your corporate data in the cloud, but it is perhaps important to note that an Exchange or BlackBerry server can offer the same features to users regardless of its physical location: EAS and Outlook Anywhere services mean that both field staff and office workers can access Exchange even if that server is not located locally - provided that you have adequate bandwidth.
A hosted solution also removes the headaches of managing backups, security certificates and availability and, depending on the service, anti-spam and anti-virus measures.

If you are interested in considering a hosted solution, consult Outsourcery (http://www.outsourcery.co.uk/)

Old School

For companies that have an existing email infrastructure that cannot be mobilised natively (Exchange 5.5, 2000 / Domino 5,6,7) and do not wish to consider upgrading or having their data hosted, there are low-cost solutions available, such as the solution offered by Openhand. Visto and Seven should also be investigated as options.

Summary

Whilst I have focused on the new features available from the major email providers available today, it is important to note that virtually all email server platforms and device clients support the venerable POP and IMAP protocols. Therefore if you are not bothered with push delivery or device management but simply want rock solid, user-initiated mail retrieval, then none of the above is necessarily relevant to you. Call Brightpoint today for more information.

I have also not mentioned the Palm platform in this article, do not take this to mean that there are not solutions available for this platform, merely that demand has driven me to exclude it at this time.

For a summary of the current features offered by the email platforms discussed in this article, view the chart below. Do not, however, take this chart to mean that these are the only options available to you...

* - When used with Microsoft Exchange 2007

If you require any further information on any of the products or services you have seen outlined above please contact Brightpoint on 0870 849 0225.