Migration to Mirapoint Message Server™ is Completed over a Single Weekend to 65,000 Student Email Accounts without Disruption

SUNNYVALE, Calif. –June 9, 2008 – Mirapoint Software, the secure messaging experts, today announced that Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has deployed the Mirapoint Message Server™ email solution to support 65,000 student email accounts.  The university selected Mirapoint to replace its existing Novell Internet Messaging System (NIMS™) student email and to seamlessly augment the Microsoft Exchange messaging platform used by faculty and staff.  Through this hybrid messaging deployment, Embry-Riddle gains greater messaging manageability, scalability and flexibility for its dynamic student population while reducing administrative time and costs, all without disrupting email for its faculty and staff.

“We looked at several scenarios and vendors and all things considered Mirapoint was the best fit for our environment,” said Cindy Bixler, chief information officer, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.  “There is constant churn within our student population.  Keeping up with the accounts and managing them effectively was proving a significant resource drain and we were not able address escalating capacity demands.  With Mirapoint in place, we improve utilization of our IT resources and budgets and better serve the needs of our students.”

In a hybrid messaging deployment, organizations scale the messaging infrastructure based upon user practices.  Typically within an organization some users require a rich messaging feature set including collaborative tools, video conferencing, and group calendaring while other users simply need basic email functionality.  Embry-Riddle evaluated the messaging needs of its student population when it became clear the NIMS system was no longer adequate.  Mirapoint’s solution complemented the existing Exchange system and allowed the university to cost-effectively support the scale and capacity requirements of its 65,000 student email accounts.

“Aligning the messaging infrastructure with user practices allows higher education institutions to more accurately meet the needs of their constituents while reducing costs and improving manageability,” said Jeffrey D. Witous, chief executive officer, Mirapoint Software.  “Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has a large global campus with unique needs that can more effectively be met with a hybrid messaging deployment.  We are very pleased the university selected Mirapoint to restructure its email system.”

“Our analysis indicated deploying Microsoft Exchange across the entire university would be unwieldy and cost-prohibitive,” continued Bixler.  “Mirapoint is a complementary solution, providing the features and functionality without the overhead or backend.  In fact, with the inclusion of Mirapoint in our email solution, we have reduced administration overhead by 50 percent.”

With the help of Mirapoint professional services, Embry-Riddle conducted a complete migration of 65,000 student email accounts during a single weekend.  Embry-Riddle averages 30 million emails per month.  The university provides email accounts to all students who attend or apply to its programs.  Those who do not matriculate retain their accounts for 30 days.  Accounts for alumni are also supported by the system.  A solution that would better facilitate manageability for this dynamic user base was a key requirement for the university.  Additionally, Embry-Riddle wanted to provide more capacity to its attending students.  With Mirapoint, Embry-Riddle was able to increase capacity from 100 MG to 200 MG per student.

In addition to cost, manageability and scale, Embry-Riddle needed a solution that would provide business continuity in the event of a failure.  The university operates through residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz. and Daytona Beach, Fla., the Worldwide Campus at more than 130 centers in the United States, Europe, Canada and the Middle East, and online learning.  Mirapoint’s appliance-based solutions provided the reliability and security to support Embry-Riddle’s business continuity objectives.  The performance dashboard has also added value to the university’s email system.  By illustrating key system performance indicators in an intuitive display, network administrators always know the system is healthy.  As part of its solution, Embry-Riddle also implemented a stand-by system to facilitate recovery in the event of or to prevent an outage.  Embry-Riddle’s global presence necessitates 24x7 reliability.

About the Mirapoint Message Server
The Mirapoint Message Server is a solid foundation for a secure messaging infrastructure, providing a standards-based platform that intelligently serves, secures and manages messages with multi-mode client access. Mirapoint appliances offer the industry’s best price-performance and the scalability to handle the most demanding messaging environments. The Message Server appliance includes advanced features such as group scheduling, calendaring and address book. For large, multi-tier deployments, the Message Server easily and seamlessly integrates with the RazorGate® and Directory Server™ appliances.

About Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering. The university educates more than 34,000 students annually in its undergraduate and graduate programs at residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., through the Worldwide Campus at more than 130 centers in the United States, Europe, Canada, and the Middle East, and through online learning. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu.  

About Mirapoint Software
Founded in 1997, Mirapoint Software is the market leader in appliance-based solutions for secure message networks in enterprise, service provider, and education organizations, with more than 115 million mailboxes served and secured worldwide.  Customers use Mirapoint appliances to build the messaging infrastructure that intelligently serves, secures and manages email.  Mirapoint is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia.  For more information on Mirapoint, visit its Web site at www.mirapoint.com.

Press Contact:
Arlene Lim
Loughlin/Michaels Group for Mirapoint
(408) 910-3112
arlene@lmgpr.com