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Benefit Analysis
Easier Access to Open Corp Directory using MS Outlook
Current method of accessing the directory|Accessing the LDAP server
What is required: an Address Book that is easily accessible|Solution
Current method of accessing the directory 
Mithi Connect Server stores the corporate user directory on the server and makes it available via the LDAP interface. You can access this directory by

Using the address book interface of the Mithi web client
Or
By configuring the LDAP directory in the desktop email client (Outlook, Outlook express)
Accessing the LDAP server directly from the desktop clients 
Accessing the LDAP server directly from the desktop clients has the following limitations:
  • The address list is not accessible, if the connectivity to the server is not available.
  • The bandwidth required for the LDAP protocol is high i.e. every lookup or search will require the desktop client to connect to the server.
  • Configuration of the LDAP directory in Outlook is not easy and is prone to errors.
  • The usability of this solution is poor when compared with the proprietary integration of Outlook with an Exchange backend e.g. Outlook does not display the list contacts stored in the LDAP directory making the selection of contacts a little cumbersome.

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What is required: an Address Book that is easily accessible from anywhere 
All end users on a mailing & collaboration system need to be able to easily access the contact information of their colleagues and other associates in the company.
Solution: Mithi's Desktop Address Book (providing easy and offline access to the corporate directory) 
The Desktop Address Book (DAB) add on module for Mithi Connect Server addresses the above challenges.

Click on the image to Enlarge
The Desktop Address Book (DAB) is a Windows application installed on every user's desktop, and has the following key features:
Off line access:
  • Periodically or on demand the DAB synchronizes with list of contacts on the server and stores it on the users desktop.
  • This list of contacts stored on the users desktop is then accessible via the address book interfaces of Outlook & Outlook express without having to connect to the server.

Easy and automatic Address book definition:
As a major improvement over the older method of defining site & group specific address books in a system like MS Exchange, the Mithi DAB automatically generates views based on selected fields in the directory. E.g. if we configure DAB to show views based on Company & Office, then it will generate address books based on unique values of company and within that office. A sample view is shown below: All contacts
Company 1
Office 1
Office 2
Company 2
Office A
Selecting Company 1 will show all users from Company 1. Selecting Office 1 will show all users from this office of Company 1.
  • This method completely eliminates the need, by the administrator, to define separate address books for each site/group, saving an enormous amount of time and effort.
  • The views have a standard look and feel. Selecting a view (company or office) from the interface shows the address book, pertaining to the company or office.
  • Users can select different views as default from the Outlook options
  • The fields and hierarchy for the views can be defined by the administrator for a domain.
Smooth Interface:
  • The fields for each contact are shown in a pane with separate columns.
  • Selecting a contact from the address book view, opens up detailed properties of that user. If this contact is a group, the details also contain the list of group members.
  • Users can Search for contacts, by display name, in the address book window.
Platform Supported:
The DAB is supported for all current versions of the Windows desktop except for Windows Vista. Support for Windows Vista is expected to be released shortly. Views as described above are available for Outlook users. Support for views in Outlook Express would be released shortly.