Problems that used to take a week or two are often now resolved in days. Business travel to Asia has also dropped, thanks to improved communication, he added. Before using BackOffice Small Business Server, Phonex had just a handful of e-mail accounts. Because e-mail was inconvenient and not that timely, managers tended to rely on fax, often losing days in their communications with Asian factories. Now, Microsoft Exchange Server, which comes as part of Microsoft Small Business Server, acts as the e-mail server.
Employees now have the ability to view coworkers' available time.
Phonex selected Microsoft BackOffice Small Business Server for its price-performance, functionality, ease of use, and ease of administration. Oliver said he evaluated comparative offerings and found them to be as much as five times the price of Small Business Server. Phonex has another large project underway to develop products for other converging technologies. Oliver estimates that these products will get to market at least six months sooner because of QRPD and Microsoft Small Business Server. Phonex has a lot on its plate.