1. Microsoft Customer Solution
Customer Solution Case Study
Licensing Exchange ActiveSync Attracts Mobile
Manufacturers and Customers
“DataViz was able to develop an innovative, enterprise-
grade mobile solution and become a key player in a
market it would not have had access to otherwise. This is
thanks to the IP Licensing group.”
Ilya Eliashevsky, Product Manager, DataViz
Overview
Country or Region: United States
Industry: Professional services—software
engineering
Customer Profile
DataViz is an industry leader in providing
premium solutions that mobilize Microsoft®
Office without compromise and provide
customers with instant access to critical files
and business data.
Business Situation
DataViz wanted to create a product that
brought synchronization of Microsoft
Exchange Server e-mail, calendars, and
contacts to as many of the world’s mobile
devices as possible.
Solution
By licensing the Microsoft Exchange
ActiveSync® protocol from the Microsoft IP
Licensing group, DataViz created
RoadSync, a popular, enterprise-grade
mobile synchronization solution.
Benefits
 Creation of RoadSync
 Fast time-to-market
 Maximum industry credibility
DataViz® is an industry leader in developing Microsoft® Office
compatibility and productivity solutions across many platforms. In
late 2004, the company wanted to bring synchronization of Microsoft
Exchange Server e-mail, calendars, and contacts to as many of the
world’s mobile phones as possible. In early 2005, DataViz became the
first software company to license the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync®
protocol from the Microsoft Intellectual Property (IP) Licensing
group. By licensing this technology, DataViz was able to create
RoadSync®, which provides wireless, Direct Push synchronization of
corporate e-mail, calendar, and contacts for more than 100
smartphones across six mobile platforms. Licensing the Exchange
ActiveSync protocol helped DataViz to bring its product to market
quickly, while conferring RoadSync with maximum industry
credibility.

2. Situation
For more than 24 years, DataViz has been an
industry leader in developing Microsoft®
Office compatibility and productivity solutions
across a variety of platforms including Palm
OS, Symbian OS, BlackBerry, Java, Windows
Mobile®, Windows®, and Macintosh. DataViz
was founded in 1984 and is based in Milford,
Connecticut.
For nearly a decade, DataViz has focused on
extending its Microsoft Office compatibility
expertise to the mobile market. Its award-
winning flagship solution, Documents To Go®,
has remained the highest-selling Microsoft
Office suite for Palm OS handheld computers
and smartphones since its introduction in 1999.
As part of its commitment to being first to
market with outstanding technologies and high-
quality products, DataViz maintains licensing
partnerships with software and hardware
vendors large and small, including Microsoft,
Palm, Sony Ericsson, and Motorola.
In October 2004, the company became
interested in licensing Microsoft Exchange
ActiveSync® technology from the Microsoft
Intellectual Property (IP) Licensing group.
The IP Licensing group consists of: a
Technology Licensing team, which licenses
component technologies, research, protocols,
standards, and file formats; and an IP Ventures
program, which spins out a wide range of
technologies to entrepreneurs and start-ups.
Exchange ActiveSync is a communication
protocol that provides mobile, “over-the-air”
access to e-mail messages, schedules,
contacts, task lists, and other Microsoft
Exchange Server mailbox data. Exchange
ActiveSync features Direct Push Technology
to ensure devices automatically receive new
e-mail from a company's Exchange Server.
“Our interest in licensing the technology was
to bring Exchange ActiveSync to as many of
the world’s mobile phones as possible,” says
Ilya Eliashevsky, Product Manager at
DataViz.
Solution
The IP Licensing group was already licensing
the Exchange ActiveSync protocol to mobile
hardware manufacturers. “At that time,
though, there was still no precedent for
licensing Exchange ActiveSync to a software
company,” says Bonnie Boyle, Product and
Business Manager at DataViz. “We thought
this would be mutually beneficial for both
companies. DataViz would be able to bring a
solution to market faster than hardware
manufacturers, and users would be able to add
functionality to their devices immediately,
without having to purchase new hardware or
wait for new devices.”
Employees at DataViz pitched their business
vision to several Microsoft contacts. “Within a
few months, we found a product manager who
also wanted to extend the reach of Exchange
ActiveSync to more device users,” says
Eliashevsky. In October 2004, DataViz
became the first software company to license
the Exchange ActiveSync protocol, which it
used to create RoadSync, released in July
2005.
RoadSync helps provide wireless, Direct Push
synchronization of corporate e-mail, calendar,
and contacts for more than 100 smartphones
across six mobile platforms, including
Windows Mobile 2003 software for
Smartphones, Symbian UIQ, Symbian S80 and
S60, Palm OS, and Java MIDP 2.0. The
product includes support for Microsoft
Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2 and
Exchange Server 2007, and it offers key
mobility features such as Direct Push, Global
Address List (GAL) lookup, remote device
wipe, and IT policy enforcement.
RoadSync comes preloaded on several popular
handset models from leading manufacturers
including Sony Ericsson, Nokia, and others.
“The IP Licensing group
helped us to bring
RoadSync to market
much faster than if we
had needed to create a
completely new
technology.”
Rob Hoxie, Business Development Manager,
DataViz

3. RoadSync is also available for purchase and
trial directly from the DataViz Web site and its
network of worldwide resellers.
Benefits
By licensing technology from the IP Licensing
group, DataViz was able to create an
innovative product with a fast time-to-market.
The credibility and business opportunities that
come with licensing technology directly from
Microsoft give DataViz a definite edge in the
marketplace.
Creation of RoadSync
By licensing existing Microsoft technology,
“DataViz was able to develop an innovative,
enterprise-grade mobile solution, and become
a key player in a market it would not have had
access to otherwise. This is thanks to the IP
Licensing group,” says Eliashevsky. “Our
partnership with the IP Licensing group makes
it possible for customers to purchase a phone
that was never intended to be an Exchange
ActiveSync–capable phone, install RoadSync
from our Web site, and start synchronizing e-
mail, contacts, and calendars with Exchange
Server using Direct Push Technology,” says
Rob Hoxie, Business Development Manager at
DataViz.
Fast Time-to-Market
DataViz brought its solution to market swiftly.
“Our working knowledge of the technology
helped us to lay down a lot of groundwork
before receiving the Exchange ActiveSync
protocol—which expedited our time-to-
market,” says Boyle. Hoxie adds, “The IP
Licensing group helped us to bring RoadSync
to market much faster than if we had needed
to create a completely new technology.”
Because Microsoft is coming from the
software development world itself, says
Eliashevsky, “Microsoft knows what
developers need in terms of documentation
and open communication.”
Maximum Industry Credibility
After licensing Exchange ActiveSync,
DataViz worked toward certification as a
Microsoft Gold Certified Partner.
Competencies include Mobility Solutions, ISV
Solutions, and Information Worker Solutions.
These credentials reflect the company’s
expertise and impact in the technology
marketplace. “Licensing Exchange
ActiveSync directly from Microsoft and being
a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner give
DataViz a lot of credibility. It lets people know
that they can trust our company and rely on
our products,” says Eliashevsky.
The IP Licensing group has also provided
DataViz with a lot of exposure that it would
not have received otherwise, including press
opportunities, white papers, trade shows, and
customer referrals and leads from the
Microsoft Web site. Says Eliashevsky, “We’ve
ended up with relationships with three of the
top five handset manufacturers in the world,
which we probably would not have achieved
without licensing from the IP Licensing
group.”
“We’ve ended up with
relationships with three of
the top five handset
manufacturers in the
world, which we probably
would not have achieved
without licensing from the
IP Licensing group.”
Ilya Eliashevsky, Product Manager, DataViz

4. Microsoft Intellectual Property (IP)
Licensing group
The Microsoft Intellectual Property (IP)
Licensing group consists of: a Technology
Licensing team, which licenses component
technologies, research, protocols, standards,
and file formats; and an IP Ventures program,
which spins out a wide range of technologies
to entrepreneurs and start-ups. For more
information, go to:
www.microsoft.com/ip
For More Information
For more information about Microsoft
products and services, call the Microsoft
Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400.
In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada
Information Centre at (877) 568-2495.
Customers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing
can reach Microsoft text telephone
(TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234 in
the United States or (905) 568-9641 in
Canada. Outside the 50 United States and
Canada, please contact your local Microsoft
subsidiary. To access information using the
World Wide Web, go to:
www.microsoft.com
For more information about DataViz
products and services, call (203) 874-0085
or visit the Web site at:
www.dataviz.com
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT
MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN
THIS SUMMARY.
Document published February 2008
Software and Services
 Services
− Microsoft Intellectual Property (IP)
Licensing group
 Technologies
− Direct Push Technology
− Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync