Exchange ActiveSync for Dummies II

‘But I don’t want to go among mad people,’ Alice remarked.
‘Oh, you can’t help that,’ said the Cat. ‘We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.’
‘How do you know I’m mad?’ said Alice.
‘You must be,” said the Cat. ‘or you wouldn’t have come here.’

I’d earlier commented briefly on the framework of Microsoft’s Exchange ActiveSync DirectPush technology. I’d hoped to create something of a digest that would – to as many people possible – shed light on the subject and illustrate what an amazing shift in mobile collaboration and messaging this architecture represented. I think I got tired after twelve paragraphs and wrapped it up without meeting my goal.

To recap, Exchange Server 2003 SP1 introduced a couple new whiz-bang features; when it was released, I was most excited to try out Exchange ActiveSync, which was going to introduce a new technology MS was pushing: DirectPush.

To a systems architect, this is the equivalent of a centerfold pullout:

This was what we had been waiting for. I’d been using Windows Mobile since it was called PocketPC 2002. While it was a robust client for interacting with the messaging and collaboration features of the Exchange server, you were still tethered to the desktop cradle to sync your device with the outside world. PDA as an intermittent data island = silly.

I’d had some small experience with messaging and collaboration over cellular networks. A good example was the RIM handheld, but I wasn’t willing to spring for the BES (Blackberry Enterprise Server) license. Furthermore, I didn’t really want to install any (as yet unproven) third-party middleware on our sole production Exchange server.

So I called up my Nextel Rep and ordered the Motorola’s first Windows Mobile and my last iDEN phone: the Nextel i930. It was a bittersweet end to my love / hate affair with Nextel Communications. It was my first Windows Mobile 5.0 device. I’d had opportunities through work to employ PDAs, but I’d never seen the point of having one that had to be cradled. The money architecture was going to be when the device had an always-on data plan that synched over the air. Since we had no plan with Verizon, Sprint (they hadn’t bought Nextel yet), or AT&T (it was still Cingular back then), I had to wait until Nextel came out with a SmartPhone. That was the i930.

It was a good example of how something could suck and be awesome at the same time. I could still operate on our company network using the Push To Talk functionality that Nextel had pioneered. Carrier characteristics aside, the device itself worked really well. Its design limitations were simply being limited to a twelve digit key pad. Had I no need to compose messages, it would not have been a problem.

It was a treat to not be tethered to my desktop for e-mail. As for the contacts on my cell phone, well, having to update that in addition to the contacts in my Outlook addressbook had always been quite a chore. Keeping them synched at best required a good twenty minutes or so. At best it was an annoyance. Someone less well-equipped, doing it without the data cable for instance, would have to do it with their thumbs. Not fun.

ActiveSync fixed all of that. When it came to my contacts, I had one master repository of data and that sat on the server. If I got a call on my cell phone from a new number and I wanted to save that I just do it on the phone and ActiveSync took care of the rest. When I go to look for the number in Outlook, there it is. No cradling, data cable, manual push, et cetera. It’s all taken care of for me, hassle free.

I hope to someday be an important executive; important enough to have someone manage my schedule for me. If that ever happens, they will be delighted to know that they will rarely, if ever, have to hand me a printed schedule, or call me to remind me of an appointment. That’s because with ActiveSync my assistant can make changes to my Calendar in Outlook and the revised schedules are automatically pushed to the device, reminders included.

I keep thinking about how great this technology is for business, and I really want to proselytize on behalf of Microsoft for this phenomenal extension of the Exchange server architecture. The fact of the matter is, you have to use it to really appreciate how great it is.

Hopefully, now that Apple has licensed the technology for use in their iPhone device, more people will get to know their Exchange server in a whole new way.

Better recognize.