Home > Exchange Direct Push > Technical Specification

Devices collecting email using Exchange Direct Push use what’s referred to as a ‘heartbeat’ communication to interrogate your Exchange Server for new information. A device will initiate a HTTPS connection (the heartbeat) to your mail server to request any new emails, contacts, etc for the user. If new information is available the mail server will inform the device, and the device will then initiate another connection to collect that new information.

In terms of network management, once the data leaves your internal network bound for a device, it is passed over the mobile phone operators’ network direct to the handheld. There is no Network Operations Centre involved as you would expect to see in a BlackBerry Enterprise Server environment.

Exchange Direct Push is a benefit if your organisation already runs (or plans to run) Exchange Server 2003 or 2007. With no need for middleware or client access licence requirements this can be cost effective from a server side perspective, but the devices can often be more expensive than the equivalent BlackBerry and you will want to ensure while you’re saving funds in one arena, you are not spending heavily in another.

The devices themselves can be complex and not always user friendly, and there is less unity between Windows Mobile devices than with BlackBerry which could mean more intensive support for your IT department.

The server side reporting tools provide basic information about the handhelds in your mobile fleet, and there are very few IT restrictions you can put in place to lock down the devices in the areas you might want to. However, if you have custom applications in house which you want your mobile users to have access to, then you may find this solution easier from an application development perspective – Microsoft claim that just about any .NET application will work on a Windows Mobile device.

For further information on Exchange Direct Push, take a look at our FAQ page, or contact us directly.