Kevin, as you know, everyone seems to be moving to ‘the cloud’, but MDaemon is an on-premises email platform. Why would an organization select MDaemon as opposed to a hosted solution, or a cloud-based email option like Gmail?

All those products have different ways of meeting a customer’s need. For example, if a customer needs other Microsoft® application integration (e.g., Microsoft Sharepoint®), then Microsoft Exchange® or Microsoft Small Business Server® along with the BlackBerry® Enterprise Server Express, at no incremental charge, would be a good fit for BlackBerry smartphone users. For smaller, new businesses, sometimes a hosted offering like Gmail looks attractive. But according to a 2010 Osterman Research survey, over 70 % of SMB IT managers prefer deploying new email systems on-premises to better manage and control their IT environments. What they don’t want – and can’t afford – is a solution that is expensive to acquire and maintain; in other words, Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is a key driver. It is that low TCO that has helped MDaemon become a trusted alternative email platform for SMB customers around the globe.

Why would an organization buy MDaemon versus BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express or a hosted solution from an alliance partner?

All choices are good solutions for SMB BlackBerry smartphone customers, and MDaemon introduces another flexible option in the BlackBerry SMB portfolio. BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express is a great product for customers who must have a Microsoft Exchange or IBM® Lotus® mail server environment. Generally, customers consider MDaemon for the following reasons:

• They do not have a “Microsoft only” product requirement and thus look for the most flexible alternatives to meet their needs and budgets;
• They have limited IT support and cannot afford to have their resources consumed with managing the mail server;
• Ease-of-use is a strong decision driver, and they find an all-in-one email and BlackBerry device management design very attractive;
• They want an affordable on-premises solution for better IT control;
• They have older versions of Microsoft Exchange which require upgrades to 64-bit hardware, and would like to leverage existing servers on which they can deploy the MDaemon software to avoid new hardware costs.

While RIM has significant market share amongst SMBs, I’m curious if there’s any benefit to our larger enterprise and government customers.

As I mentioned earlier, MDaemon was designed for small-to-medium businesses. However, there are customers in some regions that have deployed the platform in what I would call small enterprise (1,000-employee) environments or in municipalities that are under severe budgetary pressures. Like many technologies, sometimes customers can surprise you with their innovative and novel uses of your product!

What about the other end of the spectrum – really small organizations? Could MDaemon possibly offer a more robust solution for these entrepreneurial organizations?

It really depends on the user environment. MDaemon’s smallest option is a six-user license size, so it is definitely used in some SOHO environments. It is easily scalable to grow with a business and offers the SOHO customer very solid features and flexibility. So, customers like a small legal or real estate practice that desire the benefits of BlackBerry smartphones would find MDaemon to be a great solution.

Thanks for clarifying the precise position of MDaemon for me, Kevin – I’m sure our readers will appreciate the clarity.

If you’re an SMB, what email solutions are you considering? Do you have a trusted hosting partner? To what extent are you evaluating cloud-based email solutions? We’d love to hear from you.

Research In Motion® (RIM®) subsidiary ALT-N Technologies has announced MDaemon® Messaging Server, BlackBerry® Edition – a new edition of the globally popular low cost Windows®-based MDaemon Messaging Server with wireless BlackBerry® smartphone synchronization, security, IT policy management and control features built right in.

So what exactly is MDaemon?

Probably the best way to put it is that MDaemon is an alternative to Microsoft® Exchange or Windows® Small Business Server. There are a number of email platforms in the “Exchange alternative” category. With that being said, MDaemon is really more than just an email server because it includes other features, such as Instant Messaging. This is why we refer to it as a messaging server.

What has made MDaemon successful with its target – the small-to-medium (SMB) business customer – has been its ability to deliver simplicity and affordability without sacrificing “enterprise class” features. And based on the outstanding work done by both RIM and Alt-N, the new version – MDaemon Messaging Server, BlackBerry Edition – will be the first product of its kind: Email, Collaboration, and BlackBerry® smartphone support built into a single software server. What that means for the customer is one download, one installation wizard, and one user interface to manage email and BlackBerry smartphone mobility needs. In addition, MDaemon supports other mobile devices. This is a very attractive platform for a segment that is driven by IT resource and budget constraints.

Who is this product designed for?

MDaemon has been deployed globally in small-to-medium businesses between 10 and 999 employees; however, the majority of customers number in the 25-250 employee range. It has been enhanced over the past 12 years with input from customers who need simplicity and affordability. MDaemon can be as simple or as customizable as needed by providing basic default settings for de facto IT personnel in smaller organizations, right up to more flexible configurations required by seasoned IT administrators. It’s a perfect complement to businesses that want the strength of BlackBerry smartphones, service, and reliability in an easy-to-manage server environment.

You mentioned that MDaemon now has BlackBerry device support built right in. What exactly does that mean, at a technical level?

BlackBerry smartphone users and administrators will have many of the same management features (wireless sync, device policy management, remote wipe, search, and so on) as they would if they were using Microsoft Exchange with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server Express for their email and mobile environment. For the SMB segment, simplicity is a key technology driver. MDaemon, BlackBerry Edition is designed to meet that need through a unique single download approach that combines email and BlackBerry smartphone management in one product. MDaemon loads the email server and BlackBerry smartphone management features – including automatic server registration – with RIM’s infrastructure from a single installation wizard. Everything is managed from MDaemon’s User Interface.

The BlackBerry platform has a strong commitment to security in the wireless context, as does MDaemon. How important is security to small-to-mid-sized businesses?

Security is one of those terms that can have different meanings depending on context. Alt-N talks about security on the email server side. If you think of security in layers, it’s not enough to fight malware only at the desktop. Malware can hit the server early, and Alt-N has been very active to help ensure SMB customers are as protected as their larger counterparts.

For example, take the importance of a small credit union needing to protect its brand communication to customers. If customers can’t be sure that the communications they receive are not potential phishing scams (the forging of email to trick recipients into providing sensitive information), then that credit union’s brand reputation is at risk. Alt-N was one of the first companies to implement security technology practices for its customers even before other more well-known brands.

With MDaemon Messaging Server, BlackBerry Edition, customers now receive Alt-N’s decade-long email server security expertise along with the reputable BlackBerry wireless security.

Thanks very much for your interview, Kevin! Certainly MDaemon sounds like a great fit for small-to-mid-sized businesses!

Readers: If you’re a small business, what do you use for your email? Are you benefiting from the productivity gains of using smartphones as an integral part of your business communications and processes? Are you considering upgrading your email solution and mobile software to take advantage of more advanced smartphone functions, security and management capabilities? As always, we look forward to your feedback.