Mobile To Assist Partners In Wireless E-Mail Rollouts

Microsoft's attempt to better package its wireless e-mail capabilities has been embraced by some top systems integrators, but other solution providers believe the company has more work to do.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer last week unveiled at the Microsoft .Net Mobility and Wireless Solutions Conference, held here, a plan to assist top integrators with wireless e-mail rollouts in large enterprise accounts. The Microsoft Mobile Workplace initiative will provide deployment, provisioning, system management and security in a cross-platform environment, where legacy systems are often prevalent, he said.

Ed Suwanjindar, a product manager in Microsoft's mobility group, suggested the program would help position Microsoft's mobile e-mail offering as more of an out-of-box experience.

"We certainly hope this initiative will kick-start a wide-scale adoption for [wireless] e-mail and PIM synchronization," he said.

Although the program is being backed by three strong partners,HP Services, Accenture and Cap Gemini Ernst & Young,other integrators were less enthusiastic about the offering.

Microsoft's idea of mobile messaging still requires too much integration work to be palatable to most companies, said Ron Herardian, technology consultant at consulting firm Global System Services, Mountain View, Calif.

"Microsoft is offering a solution looking for a problem," said Herardian, whose company specializes in messaging and software infrastructure for enterprise and service provider customers.

Herardian said most customers are evaluating wireless e-mail only for a select group of employees,those who need to be in constant communication or who

travel frequently. For this group of employees, enterprises are looking for an easy and secure wireless messaging package, particularly in a tight economy, he said.

Herardian pointed to Research In Motion, which offers an integrated package featuring a behind-the-firewall e-mail solution, as well as security and mobile hardware, as the preferred model for enterprise wireless e-mail.

"The real strength of RIM is it is a one-stop solution," he said.