Press release:

Parallels Partners See Growth of 47% in Sales of Microsoft Hosted Exchange Seats

July 26, 2012

Hosting and cloud services enablement leader previews Parallels Automation 
for Microsoft’s new technologies for high-density websites and virtual machine hosting

RENTON, Wash. – July 26, 2012 – Parallels® (www.parallels.com), a hosting and cloud services enablement leader, today announced its partners have grown their Microsoft Hosted Exchange seats by 47 percent year-over-year, demonstrating that service providers can get to the cloud and grow with Parallels combination of software, ecosystem and expertise. Parallels Automation is now enabling the delivery of Microsoft-hosted applications and other services for hundreds of service providers worldwide, including AppRiver, BlackNight, Charter Communications, Cobweb, Dualtec/Nomer, Insight, KT, KPN, LuxCloud, Outsourcery,Portugal Telecom (PT), SKB Kontur, SoftCom, STAR, TDC, TMNet, UOL Diveo and UPC.

“The ongoing growth in hosted business e-mail services based on Microsoft Exchange Server demonstrates why Parallels and its partners are important as Microsoft continues to build its network of hosting providers and reselling partners,” said Sara Radicati, CEO of The Radicati Group, a technology market research firm. The firm’s report on “Hosted Email Market, 2011-2015” forecasts that worldwide revenues from basic mailboxes in the hosted business e-mail segment is expected to grow to nearly $3.6 billion by year-end 2015, representing an average annual growth rate of 17 percent since 2011.

At Microsoft’s recent Worldwide Partner Conference, Parallels also presented the first public demo of Parallels Automation forWindows Server 2012. This demo integrated the Community Technology Preview (CTP) of Microsoft’s new-high density web site and virtual machine hosting technologies for hosting service providers.  By taking advantage of the Application Packaging Standard, Parallels was able to quickly integrate the recently released CTP.  The demo illustrated how these easy-to-deploy technologies will allow hosting service providers to reduce costs associated with onboarding and servicing customers, while increasing resource utilization and driving up operating margins.

“Choosing the right partners to move to the cloud is a critical decision,” said Microsoft Executive Jon Roskill. “Parallels continues to demonstrate why they are a smart choice for service providers who are seeking to quickly deploy and deliver the entire suite of Microsoft hosted applications.”

“Parallels delivers value to service providers who want to launch Microsoft applications in a syndicated or hosted environment,” said Birger Steen, CEO of Parallels.  “From early support for the latest technologies such as Windows Server 2012, to the success of Parallels Automation for delivering a vast portfolio of Microsoft cloud and hosted applications, Parallels has become the partner of choice for the world’s leading service providers and hosters.”

Parallels service provider software portfolio includes a rich set of capabilities, including the latest version of Parallels Automation 5.4, which was released on June 4.  Parallels Automation 5.4 delivers hundreds of applications, including hosted Microsoft Lync services, that appeal to SMBs seeking to utilize cloud-based messaging, collaboration and unified communications across desktops, laptops and mobile devices. Microsoft Lync also includes built-in web and call conferencing support and is a natural upsell to those SMBs already utilizing Microsoft Exchange.  Parallels Automation 5.4 provides billing automation and provisioning of Microsoft Lync and other Microsoft services, while enabling integration of third-party hosted applications from leading ISVs.

Parallels is a Microsoft Global ISV and Gold Certified Partner, with a focus on making it easy for service providers to meet the needs of small and medium businesses by delivering a wide selection of Microsoft hosted applications. Building on its long-term relationship with Microsoft, Parallels entire service provider software portfolio provides a wide range of resale possibilities and accelerated time to market for Microsoft products. 

Parallels software provides delivery capabilities using the Application Packaging Standard (APS), a "pluggable" approach to enabling hosted and cloud applications and services. APS benefits ISVs by providing a sales channel through the more than 9,000 Parallels service providers and resellers who serve more than 10 million small and medium businesses (SMBs). In turn, hosters and other cloud service providers have access to the growing variety of APS-certified applications and services that are easy to deploy and maintain.  The full suite of Microsoft’s APS-enabled hosted applications include Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Hosted Exchange, Microsoft SharePoint, Windows Server and Windows Server Hyper-V, Microsoft Lync and Microsoft CRM. For the smaller and growing hoster or web designer, the new version of Parallels Plesk Panel 11, the preferred choice for hosting service providers, web designers, and website owners, also provides support for Microsoft WebMatrix, Windows Shared Hosting and more.

About Parallels

Parallels is a worldwide leader in hosting and cloud service enablement and desktop virtualization. Founded in 1999, Parallels is a fast-growing company with more than 900 employees in North America, Europe, and Asia.