We host Microsoft Exchange
Microsoft Exchange provides a more sophisticated, integrated and synchronised communication platform for your team. We can host and manage your Exchange database including:
- MX records configuration and maintenance
- Mailboxes and distribution lists
- Outlook Web Access (OWA) from any web browser
- Mobile and tablet sync
What is included in Microsoft Exchange?
Exchange email is an protocol developed by Microsoft as an alternative to POP3 and IMAP. While fundamentally all three protocols are just different ways for a user to read their emails, Exchange email also allows for better integration of additional email features such as shared contacts and calendars. This allows a business to easily sync contacts, diaries, calendars, tasks, etc. with all of their employees. Exchange email can also be delivered to our customers as a part of Microsoft 365, though with less flexibility.
This extra data is stored on an Exchange server, so individuals can send requests to the server to, say, book a meeting and see, right from their email client, which of their colleagues are available to attend at any given time. IMAP and POP3 are just email protocols, so don’t allow for this extra functionality.
Cost-effective
Hosted Exchange lets you rent space in an email service provider’s datacentre, which for SMEs is a much more cost-effective method over having on-premises servers
No knowledge needed
Because you’re renting space in someone else’s data centre, it means that all of the technical aspects of managing an Exchange email server are taken away from you
Custom email address
Instead of having to choose from available @gmail.com or @hotmail.com addresses, you can use your website’s name in your email address, e.g. [email protected]
Email on the move
Unlike POP3 and IMAP, the Exchange protocol allows you to access your tasks, calendars and shared contacts while you’re on the move – from a phone, laptop or tablet
Send larger files
A hosted email solution will typically allow you to send larger email attachments than free webmail – great for sending those high quality photos and videos etc.
More mailbox features
An Exchange email solution includes a more advanced mailbox e.g. antivirus/spam, mailbox rules, forwarders/autoresponders, & backups/archives
Frequently Asked Questions
We can host your email domain and mailboxes as a stand-alone service or as an integral part of your hosted website:
- Multiple email addresses and distribution lists
- POP3, IMAP, SMTP protocols are supported
- Direct access with WebMail and OpenWebMail
- Indirect access with any local email client, e.g. Microsoft Outlook
- Can be provided at a discounted rate, or add some extra features
Ability Office Suite
Ability Office Business offers a number of fully featured applications, specifically designed for the needs of businesses everywhere.
Get straight to work with a completely familiar user interface that requires absolutely no retraining. Load from and save to standard document and image file formats.
Write – MS Word® compatible word processing
Gives you everything you need to create, edit and produce better-looking letters, reports, quotations, memos, mailings and newsletters. Write has all the features that you would expect from any top quality word processor – spell checker and thesaurus, bulleted and numbered lists, frames, tables, autocorrect, autospell, headers and footers, numerous paragraph and font options, interactive rulers, intelligent drag and drop editing, short-cut menus for easy text revision, the capacity to include graphics, spreadsheets and charts, plus a whole host of other essential features. Write also supports a wide range of file formats for export and import.
Spreadsheet – MS Excel® compatible spreadsheet
The perfect tool for managing all your numerical data, whether business information, home finances, complicated calculations or homework problems. To help you make sense of your figures, Ability incorporates all the essential elements users need from a spreadsheet program, as well as a range of advanced features – such as pivot tables and macros – to make working with numerical data as easy and clear as possible.
Database – MS Access® compatible database
A powerful data management system that is perfect for storing and analysing structured data or information, including address books, inventories, customer and product lists, medical records, and any other data that can be usefully tabulated.
Presentation – MS Powerpoint® compatible slideshow presentation
The ideal application for creating professional slideshow presentations, with a wide range of visual and text effects ensuring that your message is delivered with maximum impact. Make your presentations as simple or as sophisticated as you need with the combination of Ability’s familiar design interface and rich creative feature set enabling production of the highest quality presentations.
One Click PDF Creation
As a major added benefit, universally accepted Adobe® PDF files can be created with one click from within all relevant applications, allowing secure delivery of original documents and making it quick and easy to publish documents online.
Although Diamond Discovery Online is run entirely remotely, there are certain minimum requirements of the software on your PC or laptop to help ensure that all the features of the service are available to you.
Operating System
The operating system on your PC or laptop must be up to date. The operating system on your PC or laptop must be at least one of the following:
- Windows XP Service Pack 3
- Windows Vista Service Pack 1
- Windows 7 Service Pack 1
To check the version of your operating system:
- Click the Start button
- Right-click Computer and select Properties
- The form that appears will state the version and Service Pack of your operating system
Your operating system is kept up to date by Windows Update, which is included in Control Panel. If an update is required :
- Click the Start button
- Click All Programs
- Click Windows Update
TS Client
This software runs your remote desktop when launched from your PC or laptop rather than from our web site. The minimum requirement is TS Client 6.1. To check the version already installed on your PC or laptop:
- Click the Start button
- Click Run
- Type mstsc and click OK
- A form should appear entitled “Remote Desktop Connection”
- If no form appears, the software is not installed – see below
- Right-click in the Title Bar and click About
- If the form states that it supports Remote Desktop Protocol 6.1 or later, your system meets the requirement
If the TS Client 6.1 is not installed on your PC or laptop or if an earlier version is installed, you can download and run the installation program from the following link: Download Microsoft TS Client 6.1 (1.6MB)
.NET Framework
This software supports communiction between the software on your PC or laptop and the software on our web-based servers. The minimum required is .NET Framework 3.0 SP1. The .NET framework can be updated with Windows Update – See instructions in Operating System. Alternatively, you can check the version installed on your PC or laptop as follows:
- Click the Start button
- Click Control Panel
- Windows XP: click “Add or Remove Programs”
- WIndows Vista,7: click “Programs and Features”
- A form should appear listing all the applications that are installed on your PC or laptop
If the .NET Framework is not installed on your PC or laptop or if an earlier version is installed, you can download and run the installation program from the following link: Download Microsoft .NET Framework 4 (869kB)
Net2Printer
Printing from your Diamond Discovery Hosted Desktop is only possible using the Net2Printer application, which must be installed and running on your PC or laptop before you connect to your desktop. Printing is the most technically challenging aspect of a remote desktop environment and is made possible by the use of remote printer driver software. Our chosen software provider is Net2Printer and the software must be installed on your PC or laptop before you can print from our platform. The installation and configuration is simple and the software will sit silently in the background on your PC or laptop.
If Net2Printer is already installed
If Net2Printer is already installed on your PC or laptop and you are installing an update, before you install the update from this web page you must first uninstall the existing installation on your PC or laptop. The full update process would be as follows:
- Uninstall the already-installed version of Net2Printer, for example:
- from the Control Panel on your PC or laptop, select Add or Remove Programs (Windows XP) or Programs and Features (Windows Vista, 7)
- locate “Net2Printer RDP Client n.nn.n” in the list of programs, where n.nn.n is the version of the software that is currently installed, e.g. 1.16.1
- right click on this item and select “Uninstall”
- When the uninstallation is complete, restart your PC or laptop
- Install the latest version of Net2Printer as explained below
- When the installation is complete, restart your PC or laptop
This will help to ensure that the Net2Printer update is installed cleanly and completely.
Installing Net2Printer
To install Net2Printer from this web page, first click the link below. Depending on the internet browser you are using, you will either be able to run the installation program directly from the link or you will have to download it to your PC or laptop, remembering the folder to which you save it, and then run it manually by double-clicking on the file icon in that folder.
Download Net2Printer Installer v1.16.2 (17.5MB)
After you have installed the software you must restart your PC or laptop. After this, your default local printer will automatically be made available to the applications on our platform. With the installed configuration program you may also set up other printers. Installation includes a help file which explains how to use Net2Printer beyond your local default printer. Find this help file from the local Start Menu on your PC or laptop.