Hosted communications services are proving a popular choice not only for smaller businesses with limited budgets, but also for organisations looking for easier ways of providing secure collaboration services to their mobile workforce. Pronto!, from CommuniGate Systems, aims to offer a simple solution as it not only delivers email, calendaring and IM facilities, but also an integrated VoIP phone service.
Pronto! was developed to provide secure, reliable access to key communications. Written in Adobe Flash, it runs as a binary in memory only and occupies less than 2MB of space. This immediately overcomes the security concerns surrounding web browser access and cache content, and by using XML requests to the hosting servers, it offers improved performance.
Once your accounts have been created by the ISP hosting the service, users simply point a browser at the supplied URL and login with their new credentials. Following authentication, they are transported to the main user interface which then downloads an ActiveX control. The interface delivers the look and feel of Microsoft Outlook so training requirements are minimal. It's split into four main windows with the left pane providing easy access to the available features.
For email, you have a group of folders to the left including your inbox, sent items and trash, and you can add custom folders to this and decide which of your co-workers can have access. Controls are extensive as you enter a user's email address and pick from a list of nine access levels.
Sending and receiving email is a cakewalk and a menu bar across the top of the interface provides easy access for creating new mail, replying, deleting messages and moving them into other folders. From the Settings menu you can also create auto-reply messages for vacations and redirect all mail, whilst a powerful rule set allows you to decide how incoming messages are to be handled.
The calendar view is just as intuitive and, as with mail folders, you can decide who is allowed to share your calendar and what levels of access each can have. Other users who have shared their calendar with you are shown below your own, and as a new tabbed folder across the top; you can also create single and recurring events and send out invitations. Naturally, you get a full contact list of your own which can be shared as well but Pronto! also maintains a global contact list available to everyone.
VoIP telephony doesn't come any easier, as you select the dialler button at the top right and either manually enter a phone number or SIP URL, or use the speed dial function. VoIP conferencing is supported, and you can view missed calls, pick up voice mail and peruse a complete call history for your account. IM is just as accessible and all users known to you are listed in the right hand pane where you can simply select them and start a conversation.
You can keep on top of world events by subscribing to news feeds, where all the latest stories to hit the headlines are listed alongside, and Pronto! also provides a secure area where you can store files, photos, videos, personal web sites and blogs. Photos stored locally are easily uploaded into the folder of your choice and you can email a friend or colleague with the URL where they can view them.
During testing we were impressed with how easy Pronto! was to deploy and use. It offers a complete range of communication and collaboration facilities at a very competitive price and companies struggling with heavy duty messaging applications such as Exchange will find this a refreshing and far more efficient and appealing alternative. NC

Product: Pronto!
Supplier: CommuniGate Systems
Tel: 020 7917 2909
Web site: www.communigate.com
Price: Starting at £25.00 (excluding VAT) per user for 100 users