Microsoft released version 4.0 of its solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration and version 4.5 of its Solution for Windows-Based Hosting has, both taking advantage of new features in the recently launched Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, key Microsoft products that improve communications and information sharing and increase.

Microsoft says the updates will offer service providers an expanded set of tools and guidance to help them deliver a complete suite of hosted services to small and medium-sized businesses.

"As the industry evolves you see consumers moving to social networking sites and you see the entry of giants into the low-end commodity space. And what we're trying to do is build, develop and deploy a platform for service providers to target small to medium-sized businesses and go deeper with their customer relationships with the services that they're able to provide to their end customers," says Michael van Dijken, lead marketing manager for hosted solutions, Microsoft communications sector. "And so the two announcements that we've made will sort of be the next step giving providers the tools they'll need to be able to do that."

The new version of Microsoft Solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration uses Exchange Server 2007, an email, calendaring and unified messaging platform that helps protect a customer with built-in technologies that provide high availability, reduce spam and viruses, enable confidential communications and aid compliance of regulatory or corporate policies. Microsoft says Exchange Server 2007 enables new levels of operational efficiency by optimizing hardware, networking resources and features that help make administrators more productive.

In addition to Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, HMC 4.0 also incorporates Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.

"Another component that's included in Exchange 2007 but we're still working on is Outlook Voice Access," says van Dijken. "It's pretty cool actually. You can call into a voice server and have your email read to you. You can also dictate an email on the road or do things like reschedule an appointment if you're running late. The whole voice access makes the concept of anywhere access to your information even easier."

Microsoft says the Solution for Windows-Based Hosting 4.5, Microsoft says will help service providers reduce operational costs for Web hosting and offer a broader set of Web applications to SMBs.

"We now have support for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, which provides the ability to deliver lightweight Web-based applications to address specific business needs such as time management and project tracking," says van Dijken. "Hosts could deploy SharePoint and then install these application templates and immediately start offering them to customers like project management, HR tools and a whole slew of other applications that could be offered as software-as-a-service applications. They also provide the tools for service providers to develop their own applications, or even customize those 40 that we offer so they can get really focused and targeted on how they go after certain market segments."

Windows-based Hosting 4.5 provides a Microsoft SQL Server Hosting Toolkit, which the company says makes it easy for Web hosts to deploy SQL Server databases in their hosted environments. And with ASP.NET AJAX framework support, Web hosts can also offer developers richer environments on which to build next-generation Web applications. The technical guidance and tools delivered in Windows-based Hosting 4.5 help service providers lower operational costs and build new service offerings for SMBs, says the software giant.

Van Dijken says the new solution for Windows-based hosting is more tied to Microsoft's new Windows operating system, Vista, because of its ASP, but overall, service providers and end-users are safe using XP.

HMC 4.0 will be available worldwide in April 2007 and Microsoft's solution for Windows-based hosting 4.5 is available immediately.