Windows Mobile FAQs

A. No. Direct Push runs straight off your Microsoft Exchange Server; you will not need to purchase any additional middleware or hardware.

A. No. The only licensing costs you will incur will be the cost of licensing Microsoft Exchange itself. There is no additional per user licence fee you will need to purchase from your software vendor.

A. You must be running Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 with Service Pack 2.

A. Any mobile device running Windows Mobile 5.

A. The Messaging & Security Feature Pack (MSFP) is an additional patch required to run on Windows Mobile 5 devices to make them Exchange Direct Push compatible. Any Windows Mobile 5 device released since summer 2006 should already have the MSFP built in to its operating system.

A. Microsoft claim devices can be deployed wirelessly but this is only partially correct. While you enter a users’ mailbox details on the device to set it live (which involves no local synchronisation with a users desktop), you may need to install a certificate on the device first. To get the certificate on the device you will probably need to plug the device in to a desktop computer to copy the certificate across.

A. Yes. You can send a ‘kill’ command from the server to wipe a Windows Mobile 5 device, however, the remote wipe must be user initiated. What we mean by this is that when you try to deactivate a device, a message will display on the handheld prompting the user to accept new updates. If they chose ‘Yes’ then the device will wipe, if they chose ‘No’ the device will no longer send or receive email, but the individual in possession of the device will have access to all the data on it. If you want total server control over securely deactivating devices, BlackBerry Enterprise Server may be a more suitable solution for your business.

A. At the moment they are very basic. Microsoft are still new to mobile email and therefore the only administration you can perform is to wipe a device if it’s lost or stolen. From the server you have access to no device statistics such as which networks your devices are running on, the last time the devices contacted the server, any applications users may have installed, etc.

A. Unfortunately not yet. If you are concerned about what your users may use their devices for and want to control this, then BlackBerry Enterprise Server is probably a more suitable product for you. BlackBerry provides over 200 separate IT policy features which can be deployed to users’ devices.

A. Contact us. We will discuss your technical requirements with you and analyse your existing systems to see which solution would best fit your business from both a technical and financial perspective. We can help you make the right decision for your business.