Nokia, Microsoft and Safaricom have announced their partnership to enable Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync to all Nokia S60 3rd Edition devices. Over 50 Nokia devices feature the Mail for Exchange mobile email application, making Nokia’s device range the largest ever to enable the solution chosen by more businesses than any other messaging solution. Safaricom consumers will enjoy the data bundles available to them on their Nokia E-series and Nokia N-series devices as a result of this partnership with Nokia and Microsoft. It is expected over 120 million Nokia phone users will be able to connect to their email accounts on the Exchange Server.Kenneth Oyolla, Head of Sales, Nokia East and Southern Africa says  the N and E-series  are unbeatable. “No other device manufacturer provides the wide range of devices that we have which immediately mobilize the hundreds of millions of email accounts from Microsoft Exchange,” said Oyolla. “The costs of mobility are contained as companies and especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are able to utilize existing Microsoft Exchange infrastructure, and there is also the strong possibility that a large number of employees already have one or more of the50 Nokia devices that enable Mail for Exchange.”

Louis Otieno, General   Manager,   Microsoft East and Southern Africa said Nokia was a valued partner and they were making it easy for their consumers to realize the benefits of Micro Exchange Server. 

“This collaboration with Nokia and Safaricom further demonstrates the importance consumers and businesses place on accessing Exchange Server data from mobile devices in addition to traditional desktop clients.   This partnership will help Nokia give its users that access and help make them be more productive.” said Otieno.

Nokia owners whose companies use Exchange can set up Mail for Exchange for free on their devices in various ways without paying additional services or subscription fees from the email set-up plug-in on the home screen, by launching the application from the Download folder, or via the Settings Wizard. Once the application is set up, users utilize their current data plan service to get real-time access to their office email, calendar, contacts, tasks and company directory over a secure connection.

“We take corporate and IT security policies seriously, and a comparison study showed that the device management and security policies for devices such as the Nokia E and N-series are robust,” added Oyolla. “This should give business heads and IT managers greater confidence when choosing between device brands to mobilize their workforce.”

By connecting to the Exchange Server 2007, Mail for Exchange enables features such as Auto discover, which drastically simplifies the set-up process by requiring the email account holder to only enter their email address, password, domain and usernames; ‘Out of Office’ messaging, enabling busy professionals to set their out-of-office messages directly from their Nokia device; synchronization when roaming, a must-have feature for travelling businesspeople; and also Flag status for follow-ups.

Microsoft Exchange Server is the industry’s leading server for e-mail, calendaring and unified messaging. Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 is the foundation for a dynamic and holistic unified communications experience, and has been designed to meet the challenges, and address the messaging needs, of today’s businesses. Exchange Server 2007 provides customers with anywhere access to information, advanced built-in protection and greater operational efficiency.