Equant Teams Up With Microsoft

WASHINGTON and PARIS -- Equant and Microsoft today announced the availability of Microsoft® Exchange Server 2003-based solutions to global enterprises through Equant’s portfolio of fully managed messaging services. The two companies will join their expertises to deliver a range of secured messaging solutions to corporate customers seeking to consolidate existing messaging provision and reduce total cost of ownership by up to 20 percent.

Migrating to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 from previous versions of Exchange or other messaging platforms provides customers with the opportunity to consolidate both servers locations and number, owing to smarter caching and communication management.

Combining Microsoft Exchange Server 2003’s key benefits with Equant’s fully managed Messaging Services will offer multinational businesses consolidated ‘best-in-class’ messaging services including the integration of the application, the underlying network and single proactive management and maintenance source, with top services and security levels, on a worldwide basis.

For these reasons, enterprises are increasingly looking at outsourcing to communications services experts as Equant their messaging systems when considering migrating to Exchange 2003. Maxine Holt, senior analyst, Butler Group, confirms this trend towards outsourced managed services commenting: “We predict growth in the hosted solution and messaging market. Microsoft’s ‘pay-as-you grow’ approach to license management will fuel the adoption of outsourced solutions.”

Microsoft facilitates risk and reward sharing with partners resulting in cost savings that can be passed onto customers. Through its Service Provider License Agreement (SPLA) partners deliver outsourced services as the demand occurs. Removing the need to invest up front and provides both small and large outsourced companies the flexibility to pay for licenses in arrears enabling them to scale (both ways) dependent on business rhythm.

Gilles Pradere, vice president of Managed Services, Equant, commented “We’re convinced of the large potential of the emerging market for hosted messaging solutions and have witnessed tremendous interest from customers for our out tasked hosted Exchange and migration solutions. We are able to offer a truly global outsourced messaging solution including the related security and network services that we feel is unrivalled in the industry.”

Equant is already serving over 800,000 corporate users with messaging services on a global basis and across all industries. Equant is also beginning to supply customers solutions that take advantage of the enhanced mobile capabilities available within Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. Supporting Microsoft Exchange Server 2003-based solutions is part of Equant’s evolution towards providing integrated communications services to its customers.

“Equant is uniquely placed to provide a one stop managed service solution on a global scale. Customers are delighted with total cost of ownership reductions of up to 20 percent. It’s rewarding to work with world class partners to deliver these kind of tangible customer benefits,” comments Micheline Germanos, EMEA Web Services and Hosting director, Microsoft Communications Sector EMEA.

Equant

Microsoft Corp.