REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 25, 2002 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of its newest version of the Microsoft®
Solution for Intranets (MSI), an update to the November 2001 release that provides the pattern and practices documentation organizations need to build a comprehensive collaborative solution. With the Microsoft Solution for Intranets 1.5, Microsoft is extending collaboration opportunities through companies such as Groove Networks Inc., which will release within the next 30 days a partner solution offering that integrates with the MSI technology. The Groove Networks software solution integrates Groove Workspace with SharePoint (TM) Team Services from Microsoft, giving customers a team Web site solution that supports online and offline use, works across company firewalls, and synchronizes information automatically.
The MSI 1.5 improves on the 1.0 platform with several upgrades that further promote collaboration and ease of use for customers. Chief among these is the addition of Microsoft Producer, which allows a content author to create rich-media presentations (audio or video synchronized with PowerPoint® slides and other HTML elements) for on-demand viewing. Other additions include streamlined integration between the MSI 1.5 and Microsoft Content Management Server and the installation of the Microsoft .NET Framework on all servers in the solution, enabling the development of collaborative Web services. The MSI 1.5 also includes the patterns and practices documentation organizations need to build a comprehensive collaborative solution using SharePoint Portal Server, SharePoint Team Services, Office XP, Microsoft SQL Server (TM) , the Windows® 2000 operating system and Windows Media®
technologies, as well as implementation and customization services and ongoing product support.
“With the MSI 1.0, Microsoft provided a portal-based solution that increased worker productivity through easy access to business-critical information and enhanced collaboration,”
said Kurt Delbene, vice president of the Authoring and Collaboration Services Group at Microsoft.
“The upgrades to the MSI 1.5 coupled with the addition of the Groove Networks partner solution offering further address the multimedia and mobile communication needs of today’s information workers.”
Built to integrate with SharePoint Team Services, the Groove Networks solution allows users to easily take SharePoint Team Services Web sites offline and across company firewalls. Groove Workspace for the MSI 1.5 is client software that runs on users’ Windows-based desktop, laptop or Tablet PC. When users disconnect from a network, they can continue to work with SharePoint Team Services Web sites, updating documents, adding calendar items or contributing to discussions. When users reconnect to the network, any updates to documents, discussions or calendar items will automatically synchronize with the SharePoint Team Services site. Groove Workspace also provides users with cross-enterprise collaboration by allowing information workers to connect directly with other users quickly, easily and without IT intervention. This allows organizations to extend the value of their SharePoint Team Services Web sites by providing customers, partners, suppliers or other external parties with access to portal information that previously had been locked behind company firewalls. Groove Workspace for the MSI 1.5 will be jointly marketed by Microsoft and Groove Networks and will be available within 30 days from Groove Networks’ direct sales team.
“The ability to work with a SharePoint Team Services site offline and across firewalls is attracting interest from several of our clients,”
said Taragay Walsh, a consultant in Collaborative Services at EDS.
“This combination of collaboration technologies effectively addresses the needs of our clients’ business teams, which often are geographically dispersed, work remotely and require input from participants beyond the company’s firewall.”
“An increasing number of mobile information workers need continuous access to information for timely decision-making and collaboration. By working closely with Microsoft, we now can deliver a preintegrated and tested enterprise collaboration solution that meets this need,”
said Dave Fowler, vice president of marketing at Groove Networks.
“We’re excited about working with Microsoft’s field sales teams to evangelize the benefits of this unique solution that addresses the way information workers get work done today, particularly across organizational and company boundaries.”
About Microsoft Solution Offerings
The Microsoft Solution for Intranets is one of a series of Microsoft solutions designed to provide customers with focused, business- and industry-specific solutions. The Microsoft Solution for Intranets combines the power of Microsoft’s enterprise software (Windows, Windows-based servers, Microsoft .NET Enterprise Servers and Office) with prescriptive tools, support and services from Microsoft and industry partners to solve common business collaboration problems facing companies today. Microsoft integrates and tests all components of the solutions and offers documentation, service and support for enterprise-class reliability.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
Microsoft, SharePoint, PowerPoint, Windows and Windows Media are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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