- Hosted service comes at a fixed price
- Multi-user remote access enables seamless communications
Dubai, UAE March 2013: In a region-wide first, Charterhouse Partnership, the GCC’s leading recruitment consultant, is set to reduce its operating costs simply by adopting Hosted Exchange 2013, Microsoft’s latest business email solution.
According to Altaf Alimohamed, the managing director of Dubai-based IT services firm, Media Solutions, Charterhouse is the first in the region to adopt Microsoft’s new solution and could save up to 50 per cent off its IT operating costs as a result of the recent migration.
“Hosted Exchange 2013 is superb as it provides the same level of collaborative features as an on-premise server except that the hosted version allows organisations to slice IT operating costs in half,” he said.
Alimohamed noted that Charterhouse also opted to include an e-mail archiving solution from Global Relay that stores a copy of every incoming and outgoing mail in a cloud-based retention vault held within an ISO 27001-certified data centre.
“Another plus point of cloud-based services is the enhanced ability to hold all information in a safe and secure manner for access at any time. Without question, this provides higher security and reliability than any on-premise solution that I have come across.”
He added that the vault can be accessed at any time and gives full recovery of all information that has passed through the system.
Jennifer Campori, Managing Director of Charterhouse Partnership, said: “Our business thrives on delivery, integrity and service quality which is under-pinned by the intelligence of our IT system. This means that the security of our database, emails and servers is critical.
“If we can ensure this and save considerable costs at the same time, then Hosted Exchange and Global Relay becomes a must have for my business.”
Alimohamed explained that Hosted Exchange 2013 comes with enhanced productivity features and gives Charterhouse the added value of on-going access to the latest technology and features without worrying about annual software upgrades and budgets.
“The hosted service is fully-managed for a fixed price per user per month, allowing organisations to predict IT costs right down to a dirham, and gives the latest technology at no extra cost.”
He said that it doesn’t stop there and noted that by virtue of using ‘the cloud,’ the service enables large teams and multiple branch offices to enjoy the same level of collaboration and productivity from any location as with an on-premise solution.
“There is a shift in technology and the cloud is here to stay. It is refreshing to see that forward-thinking organisations such as Charterhouse Partnership are starting to embrace the benefits that the cloud offers,” added Alimohamed.
He said that switching to Hosted Exchange makes business sense for clients of all sizes. The service from Media Solutions also comes bundled with round-the-clock support and an expert IT service manager.
Media Solutions has led the regional outsourced services segment since 2007 as the exclusive regional partner for Cobweb Solutions, Europe's leading hosted services provider, which delivers a range of hosted communication tools to more than 5,000 small- and medium-sized business customers.
Media Solutions offers hosted exchange, SME back-up solutions and IT outsourcing to over 200 clients in the UAE alone. Alimohamed confirmed that all existing Media Solutions’ customers will automatically be migrated to Hosted Exchange 2013 over the next six months.
“The planned migration will be led by our expert team with zero downtime and at no extra costs or upgrade requirements to our customers,” he said.
“Indeed, this looks to be a promising year for hosted exchange services in the UAE and we expect to almost double our customer base. Cobweb is a globally respected name in the hosting market, and our partnership allows us to offer quality, expertise and technical support,” he concluded.
