PMP is the largest heatset web printer in Australia and New Zealand, due in part to its acquisition of other printing companies. PMP is involved in areas of business related to printing, including letterbox distribution, pre-printing processes, targeted marketing and magazine distribution services. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Gordon & Gotch, PMP's clients include Murdoch Magazines, Pacific Publications, Emap Australia, Next Publishing, Yaffa and Hachette. PMP distributes magazines such as Better Homes & Gardens, marie claire, National Geographic, Reader's Digest, Inside Sport and New Idea.
PMP used the services of OBS, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, for its expertise in Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 configuration, security, and remote procedure call (RPC) over HTTP.
As a result of acquisitions. PMP had accumulated an excessive number of Microsoft Exchange and other email servers and were keen to extract the maximum useful life from these assets, whilst capturing but there was an opportunity for consolidation where appropriate. With 600 mobile employees among a 2,000-strong workforce, PMP also recognised a growing need for a secure and reliable email service that could be readily accessed remotely.
Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 will allow PMP to move from 25 mail servers to five.
“We have deployed one server as a proof of concept and it has worked well, so we know the full deployment is going to be successful,” says PMP Chief Information Officer Mark Mitchell.
”Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server 2003 introduces a new method of working, O'Neill says, but people are beginning to use it in place of traditional file systems. In addition, we can use it in conjunction with ISA to provide secure access to collaborative processes for our mobile users or when people are working from home,” O'Neill says. “It's a robust platform that provides a solid base for our future development,” he says. “We're also exploring the use of SharePoint Portal Server 2003 to provide customers with a 'window' into our operational systems. It's a relatively quick deployment process.”