Microsoft Solutions

Delivered by Your Microsoft Gold Partner

For over 25 years, Microsoft has led the world in business software solutions. Nearly 90% of the world’s businesses use Windows. Organizations across all industry verticals use Microsoft Office.

Microsoft’s core business servers include Windows Server as the foundation OS, Active Directory for network directory services, Exchange for email, SQL for databases, SharePoint for secure file sharing, Skype for Business/Teams for communications, and System Center for server management.

All built for enterprise-grade security, functionality, and reliability. Host your Microsoft servers on-premise, on Microsoft's Azure Cloud, or in a PlanetMagpie Private Cloud.

For the past 18 years, PlanetMagpie has focused exclusively on implementing Microsoft technologies. We've implemented all of the Microsoft Solutions you'll find below. With these solutions and PlanetMagpie, your business is primed for success.

Server-to-Desktop Expertise From Microsoft-Certified Engineers

When set up and configured properly, the Microsoft ecosystem sets the standard for business security & productivity. Get the help you need to install and support your IT infrastructure from PlanetMagpie. PlanetMagpie has been a Microsoft Partner since 2005. Only 5% of Partners achieve a single Microsoft solution competency. PlanetMagpie has over 10.

Our IT Consultants support Microsoft solutions on servers, desktops, clouds, unified communications, remote devices—you name it. Calling in PlanetMagpie’s IT Consulting team means you're getting an engineering team with deep experience in supporting Microsoft solutions. Below you’ll find out more about Microsoft’s software solutions, and what you get by bringing in PlanetMagpie to support them.

Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 gives you the tools to work anywhere safely, with the full Office suite on any device, communications, and management tools. You don't need any on-site servers.

Planning a move to Microsoft 365? Work with PlanetMagpie. We're a cloud hosting provider ourselves—we're fully aware of the security requirements you'll need when working in the cloud. We've done M365 migrations for small, mid-market and enterprise businesses.

Working with PlanetMagpie gives you access to additional services: Malware protection, whole-computer backups to our Silicon Valley datacenter, and local support. We'll make sure your M365 accounts are secure & supported.

Request a Microsoft 365 quote from PlanetMagpie using the Contact Us form.

Microsoft 365 includes:

Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and the rest)
Exchange Online
OneDrive for Business (saves your files in the cloud)
SharePoint Online (optional)
Skype for Business Online (optional)
Microsoft Teams (chat-based collaboration)
IT Infrastructure Tools

PLANETMAGPIE'S M365 SETUP AND SUPPORT PAGE

Microsoft Exchange Server

Microsoft is the market leader in Enterprise Messaging and Collaboration. Its cornerstone solution, Exchange Server, is the world’s “Gold Standard” in business email.

When companies outgrow Gmail/Yahoo Mail, they go to Exchange Server. Exchange doesn't just provide email tools—it provides security, reliability, e-discovery, and built-in collaboration. Tools your teams need to communicate from anywhere.

PlanetMagpie staffs an entire team of expert Exchange consultants. We’ll help you implement and configure new Exchange Server installations, and provide ongoing support. For us, security is a priority from Day 1. We've configured advanced Exchange setups for distributed branches, migrated from older Exchange versions, and helped customers recover their Exchange Servers when disaster strikes.

PlanetMagpie even offers a Private Cloud Service for running Exchange in a secure cloud, exclusively for our customers in Silicon Valley and Dallas-Fort Worth.

Using Exchange Server Gives You:

The most reliable email platform in the world.
Mail that lives on the server. Even if your PC melts down, your emails are safe.
Shared calendars keep everyone in sync. Delegates can update your calendar and/or receive certain messages on your behalf.
Integration with Skype for Business and SharePoint for seamless communication with your team.
e-Discovery built into Messaging Policy—a huge help for legal compliance (and for finding that one email Accounting needs right now)
Setup your Exchange on premise, in the cloud, or even a hybrid configuration.

Request an Exchange Server quote using the Contact Us form on the right.

Microsoft Teams

Work Anywhere with the Whole Team, Using Microsoft Teams

With Teams, you have everything you need to communicate in one place. Chat, meetings, calls, collaboration…working together.

All in one place. With existing tools. No expensive telecom contract or dedicated server needed.

At PlanetMagpie, we have a full team of Microsoft-certified Teams & Skype for Business experts. Our team has worked with Microsoft's communications platforms since 2007 - from OCS to Lync Server to Skype for Business.

Our head of IT Consulting, Robert Douglas, even advised Microsoft on the engineer certification exam for Lync Server.

Now with Teams, we're deploying the Teams platform for existing & new customers. We also handle migration from Skype for Business to Teams.

Start Using Teams in Days

Talk with your co-workers and customers however you want: On the phone, through a video conference, in an Online Meeting, in a private chat room. Whatever works best for you.
Save on expensive telecom contracts.
Switch from one medium to the next with a click - add video to a chat, jump on a call, add notes & files to a discussion
Integrate hundreds of third-party software applications with your Teams workflow.

Try Teams out for yourself. Request a demo from PlanetMagpie via the Contact Us form.

*Still on Skype for Business? PlanetMagpie will continue to support Skype for Business Server deployments. Contact us for comprehensive support.

PLANETMAGPIE'S SKYPE FOR BUSINESS PAGE

Microsoft Active Directory

If you want to use Exchange, Skype for Business or SharePoint, you'll need Active Directory. It's the world's #1 network directory service.

Active Directory provides:

Single Sign-On saves time when using everyday applications like Office, Skype for Business, etc.
The Active Directory service assigns and authenticates all users and computers in a Windows-based network.
Lower TCO by simplifying user/client/server management
A security backbone, controlling access to important data among internal and external users
Works with third-party services to maintain good security while granting users access

These are the reasons why it’s critical to configure Active Directory properly. If you don't, you risk poor performance, security holes, and inappropriate “permissions” for internal users. Inappropriate permissions in Active Directory can cause significant deficiencies in Sarbanes-Oxley audits.

A properly-configured Active Directory provides a secure backbone to your network.

At PlanetMagpie, we have expert Active Directory engineers on staff and have worked with Active Directory since its inception. We can set up a brand-new Active Directory, as well as perform regular updates and health checks on existing implementations.

Bring in a PlanetMagpie IT Consultant to setup or clean up your Active Directory.

Use the Contact Us form on the right to start.

Microsoft Windows Server

Windows Server is the foundation of the Microsoft Server family. It powers the world's largest datacenters, where uptime is 24/7/365 and maximum security is not an option. Just like the PlanetMagpie Private Cloud.

Moving to Windows Server means you’re upgrading your business’ IT to enterprise-level performance.

PlanetMagpie's IT Consultants have worked with Windows Server since before it was called Windows Server! Work with our Microsoft consultants to plan for, implement, support, and secure your Windows Server-based networks.

Call PlanetMagpie's IT Consulting team at 510-344-1180 (California) or 817-806-3524 (Texas) to start planning for your next Windows Server.

Advantages of Running Windows Servers in Your Office

Windows Server underpins all other Microsoft server applications, like Skype for Business, Exchange Server, and Dynamics CRM.
Cloud-Friendly. Windows Server works natively with Microsoft’s Azure cloud and Office 365. It also cooperates with third-party clouds.
Windows Server helps you set it up through wizards and auto-discovery, which cuts down on support time & administrative costs.
Virtualize almost anything (even entire networks) with Hyper-V.
Major updates every 4 years (with regular patches in between).

Microsoft SharePoint

Microsoft SharePoint Server provides your company with an enterprise-level collaboration tool that meets all SOX and HIPAA compliance requirements.

SharePoint is infinitely customizable. You can setup team subsites for filesharing, create a business-wide intranet, share calendars, keep everyone updated with a built-in social network, even build public-facing websites.

PlanetMagpie has provided SharePoint development since 2000. Our SharePoint developers and engineers help you with implementing new SharePoint Server systems (hosted on premise or in the cloud), designing and configuring new SharePoint sites, and designing custom SharePoint Applications.

Already have a SharePoint site? Who maintains it? PlanetMagpie's SharePoint experts can take care of SharePoint server and site maintenance for you. Including extending its capabilities to help you make more use of this powerful collaboration tool.

Call us at 510-344-1180 (California) or 817-806-3524 (Texas) today to explore the possibilities for your new SharePoint site!

SharePoint's feature set includes all the tools needed to design and build sites, plus these advantages:

Integration with other Microsoft apps (Exchange, Skype, Office, Active Directory)
Advanced workflows which can be integrated with Active Directory to determine direct reports and permissions
Granular levels of security using groups from Active Directory
Look/feel customization
Mobile-friendly interface, accessible anywhere
Social: networking through Yammer, newsfeeds, quick-setup community sites, etc.
One-click sharing of content, across sites and libraries
On Premise and Cloud Options: Run SharePoint on premise, in a PlanetMagpie Hybrid Cloud, or in Office 365.

Microsoft SQL Server

SQL Server is Microsoft’s enterprise database server. SQL Server's ease of use, price point, high availability and tight Windows integration makes it THE database choice for business.

With SQL Server, you can build the relational databases you need for:

Your website and its web applications
File and application servers (SharePoint, ERP systems, etc.)
Business Intelligence
Reporting Services
Data Warehousing, and more

Every Microsoft solution and many non-Microsoft solutions employ SQL Server. If you use Office 365, all your data is stored in a cloud-based SQL Server.

Choose SQL and you never need to change databases.

SQL Server grows with you. Go from a single server to enterprise-level server farms. SQL databases will support your company throughout its growth cycle.

PlanetMagpie's Microsoft-certified engineers will help you set up and configure your SQL Server databases, hosted on your premises, in a PlanetMagpie Private Cloud, or a third-party cloud. PlanetMagpie’s Private Clouds are hosted locally in Silicon Valley, fully protected, and separate from other customers’ data.

Call PlanetMagpie at 510-344-1180 (California) or 817-806-3524 (Texas) to help you build, host or maintain the SQL databases that support all Microsoft solutions.

Microsoft System Center

System Center gives you enterprise-grade management of your datacenter. Using System Center, you can manage security updates and operating systems for all of your clients with just a few clicks. Its components also help mid-market businesses maintain Regulatory Compliance throughout their network infrastructure (even in the cloud).

PlanetMagpie’s Microsoft-certified IT Consulting team performs all network installation, configuration, and build-out tasks—including System Center setup.

Your infrastructure benefits from over 70 years of direct Microsoft server experience.

Call PlanetMagpie at 510-344-1180 (California) or 817-806-3524 (Texas) and move to Enterprise-Grade Management with System Center today!

Streamline Your IT Management

One simple interface for all management tasks. Even for cloud integrations.
Includes Data Protection Manager (DPM). DPM runs backups continuously in the background, with easy replication to offsite locations, so your users can keep working without interruption—but with peace of mind.
Virtual Machine Manager includes all your virtual servers in everyday monitoring and management.
Endpoint Protection means constant protection against malware, viruses, and break-in attempts.
Server automation saves you administrative time.
Protect your entire network (including routers and switches) with software and security updates.

IT Consulting