Press Room
BlueTie Ups the Ante in Web-Based Calendaring and Task Management
Company launches industry's first AJAX-based integrated collaboration suite
ROCHESTER, N.Y., June 13, 2006 — BlueTie, Inc., the leading provider of Software as a Service for small and mid-sized businesses, announced today the launch of an all-new calendaring and task management application integrated into its award-winning collaboration suite. The new web-based tools deliver performance that rivals that of desktop applications, makes managing busy schedules easy, and allows users to instantly schedule meetings with colleagues across the office or across the world.
The desktop-like speed of the new calendar and task management applications result from BlueTie's use of Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX) - a technology that enables automatic changes to content without requiring the full Web page to reload. These enhancements make BlueTie the first Software as a Service provider to move beyond beta testing with the production release of an AJAX-based calendar tool that is fully integrated with business-class email - enabling users to automatically send meeting requests and changes to participants.
"While other vendors are just testing the waters with beta versions, we've already delivered these improvements to our customers in a fully supported and integrated release," said Robert Conway, Director of Product Development. "With a pure Software as a Service business model, our customers benefit immediately from BlueTie's steady stream of new features without additional installation or upgrade costs."
With the new release, users can create or reschedule appointments through a drag-and-drop feature that instantly notifies participants of the change. A color-coded overlay of colleagues' calendars identifies common available meeting times making it easy for users to avoid scheduling conflicts. Quick Add, an intuitive appointment scheduling feature, also allows users to enter a brief phrase using common language - such as "Lunch with Jane at 12 on Tuesday" - to automatically add meetings to their calendars.
This latest Calendar release also introduces support of the iCal industry standard, which enables BlueTie's customers to coordinate their schedules with users of other iCal-compliant calendaring software.
"With BlueTie's shared calendars our administrative support staff is able to access and update the calendars of our management team," said Andrea Jones, Support Analyst for F.C. Tucker Company, Inc. "And now with BlueTie's color-coded calendar overlays, scheduling appointments with multiple members of our leadership team will be a snap."
These new service improvements follow closely on the heels of the email upgrades BlueTie released early in 2006. This earlier release provided customers with the first glimpse into the speed and performance increases and user interface improvements that are now becoming the hallmark of BlueTie's offerings.
About BlueTie, Inc.
BlueTie is a leading provider of email and collaboration solutions for small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) and Service Providers worldwide. BlueTie's software enables SMBs to instantly deploy a business-class messaging solution without investments in hardware, software, or IT support. BlueTie also offers its carrier-class application to ISPs, web hosting providers, and domain registrars seeking an enhanced messaging solution for consumers and SMBs. BlueTie's software provides end-users with desktop, web, and mobile access securely, and includes spam and virus protection, along with collaborative features like shared contacts, calendars, files and instant messaging. BlueTie also offers email auditing and secure file transfer tools for additional security and compliance solutions. BlueTie has been named a Forbes Magazine "Best of the Web" company for 2002, 2003 and 2004. Founded in 1999, BlueTie is a global company headquartered in Rochester, New York. For more information, visit www.BlueTie.com or call 1.800.BLUE.TIE
For Further Information Contact:
Rob Chamberlin, BlueTie, 585.586.2000 x1025, rchamberlin@bluetie.com