Today - Novell announced the immediate availability of the GroupWise Mobility Service 2.0 release!   Code named 'Eenou' - this product not only has a new major version but a new name as well.   Novell's history with mobile solutions has been a lengthy one, but this latest version marks a significant milestone and transition.

Novell originally shipped the GroupWise mobile synchronization technology in September 2010 and it was named Novell Data Synchronizer.   Since that time, this product has not only provided email, calendar, and contact synchronization solutions from GroupWise to any ActiveSync enabled device, but it has also served as a foundational piece of the GroupWise 3rd-party integration story.

Those strategies and technologies are now diverging a bit.   The mobile aspect of the synchronization product will now be known as the GroupWise Mobility Service.   It is a natural evolution from the Novell Data Synchronizer solution and name.   An upgrade from any previous versions of DataSynchronizer to GroupWise Mobility Service 2.0 is simple and straightforward.

The Novell Data Synchronizer product will continue and simply be focused on providing the basis for the Connector marketplace and continue to provide the synchronization engine that connects 3rd-party solutions with your GroupWise system.

The GroupWise Mobility Service will now take a slightly different trajectory as its focus specializes in mobile devices, desktop applications, scalability, and mobile features.

What's New in 2.0?

There is plenty to be excited about when it comes to GroupWise Mobility Service 2.0 and we recommend upgrading to this version as soon as your organization schedules permit.  Check out this summary:

• • Support for ActiveSync protocol 12.1

• • GroupWise Windermere support (GroupWise 2014)

• • Auto Discover on several platforms

• • PIM message bus - which facilitates support 750 users/1000 devices

• • Improved address book management

• • Monitoriing and diagnostics improvements

• • Task support

• • New device and OS support

There is a Preview feature that is also part of GroupWise Mobility Service 2.0.   This is a collaboration between Novell and one of our partners - GWAVA.  Novell has provided some API hooks that allows our partner community the ability to enable Virus scanning from your mobile device before the message hits the Post Office agent.  GWAVA will be releasing this functionality in one of their updates and then with a future release of the GroupWise Mobility Service - Novell will announce official support for this functionality.

GWAVA has this to add:

GWAVA provides the same protection for the GroupWise Mobility Service as it does for GroupWise. GWAVA scans all messages sent from mobile devices connected to the GroupWise Messaging Service, stopping viruses before they enter the GroupWise system. This allows organizations to ensure that mobile messages are secure and that viruses are not spread to internal GroupWise users

While many of you are anxiously waiting and preparing for GroupWise 2014, GroupWise Mobility Service 2.0 is a critical step.   If you are planning on upgrading to GroupWise 2014, you will need to be running GroupWise Mobility Service 2.0.   This is the only shipping version that will support GroupWise 2014 when it ships.   A new authentication model in the GroupWise Mobility Service facilitates the directory flexibility provided in GroupWise 2014.   This is a pre-requisite and an easy one to check off your GroupWise 2014 preparation list.

Download and deploy today!

Dean