Kerio Connect 8.1 Also Supports Windows 8 Mail

SAN JOSE, Calif., April 30, 2012 - Communication is the lifeblood of productivity. With that in mind, Kerio Technologies has added instant messaging capabilities to Kerio Connect 8.1 so colleagues can send IMs, share files and even conduct audio and video conferences via an IM client. IMs are well suited for internal communication within an organization and tend to be more collaborative than email.

With instant messaging now a Kerio Connect service, IT admins are able to apply Kerio Connect's user access policies to instant messaging. This means they can do things like limit IMs to internal communication only, or restrict some employees from IM access. Being a complete XMPP server means it interoperates with many consumer IM services, like Google Talk, making businesses look more professional by enabling employees to IM with their corporate, rather than consumer email address.

"IMs are fast, short and conversational, so they fit the communication trends of the modern workforce," said Chris Peluso, vice president of platform and business development for Kerio Technologies. "The ability to instant message has been around for sometime. What we are doing by adding this simple feature to Kerio Connect is bringing IMing inside the firewall and into the corporate realm so it can be a valuable and authorized form of communication."

Kerio Connect 8.1 also introduces support for Windows 8. Users of this OS are now able to synchronize emails, calendars and contacts with the Windows 8 Mail application via Exchange ActiveSync. Windows 8 is the first cross-device OS from Microsoft, and its default mail client will be the standard for Windows users who utilize the Microsoft Surface tablet.

With integrated anti-virus, an improved anti-spam engine, and built-in archiving, Kerio Connect 8.1 gives businesses everything they need for secure and robust communication. Available both via the cloud and as on-premise software, Kerio Connect 8.1 brings business-class email, instant messaging, shared calendars, and contact management to most email clients, IM clients, web browsers and mobile devices at low cost and requiring limited IT overhead.

Kerio Connect hosted in the cloud is $10 per user per month (MSRP). The on-premise software version starts at $465 for five users; additional users start at $27.

For more information, please visit: www.kerio.com/connect/