Kerio Connect 7.1 in Public Beta

I don't usually mention betas unless something important will be added. That's certainly the case with the 7.1 Beta because it adds long awaited support for BlackBerry devices.

Please note: I do NOT recommend installing betas in a production environment. I know many Kerio users are very anxious for BlackBerry support but I strongly recommend waiting for the actual release of 7.1. I do not know when that will be (it obviously depends on how well the beta resting goes) but it is usually only a few weeks. Please be patient!

Text in italics taken from Kerio's pages.

BlackBerry Connector

Probably the most important feature here is the plugins for BlackBerry Enterprise and Express Servers.

Kerio Connector for BlackBerry allows native over-the-air synchronization of mails, contacts, calendars and tasks between BlackBerry devices and Kerio Connect. Kerio Connector for BlackBerry installs on the same server as BlackBerry Enterprise Server. No additional BlackBerry client on device is necessary, it features native UI of BlackBerry devices.

Supported: BlackBerry Enterprise Server version 5, BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express. All BlackBerry devices supported by BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

This requires installation of Kerio's connector into the BlackBerry Server. Full instructions for that are available in the Administrator's Guide.

Note that the BlackBerry Enterprise Express Server is free. This chart compares Enterprise and Express: http://na.blackberry.com/eng/services/business/server/express/ComparisonChart_NA_021610_v3.pdf

Other changes to mobile device synchronization:

Public and shared folders can be synchronized into ActiveSync devices (iPhone, Windows Mobile, etc.). The list of folders which will be synchronized can be managed directly from mobile devices on Integration page or from webmail Settings menu.

Email Retention Policy

Mail retention policy options can be set per user. It is possible to set Sent Items folder. All folders setting now supports days.

This is getting better. This means you can now set automatic deletion on a per user basis for Deleted Items, Junk Email and Sent items. You could also set it for all folders (except contacts and notes) though I don't think many will do that.

Office 2010

KOC Offline will support Office 2010. That's good news for those who have already upgraded to that.

Sophos A/V

Kerio is switching to Sophos for A/V. That's actually happening before this comes out of beta - when you upgrade to the latest sub-version, you will be changed to Sophos if you have McAfee now.

Browser based administration

Those who have not yet switched to browser based admin should note that that tool is still available but is being phased out.

Administration Console is not a part of the installation package any more. It is still available as separate package but will be dropped. Please use web administration instead.

Comments?

More Articles by Anthony Lawrence - Find me on Google+

Jump to Comments

Many of the products and books I review are things I purchased for my own use. Some were given to me specifically for the purpose of reviewing them. I resell or can earn commissions from the sale of some of these items. Links within these pages may be affiliate links that pay me for referring you to them. That's mostly insignificant amounts of money; whenever it is not I have made my relationship plain. I also may own stock in companies mentioned here. If you have any question, please do feel free to contact me.

Specific links that take you to pages that allow you to purchase the item I reviewed are very likely to pay me a commission. Many of the books I review were given to me by the publishers specifically for the purpose of writing a review. These gifts and referral fees do not affect my opinions; I often give bad reviews anyway.

We use Google third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.