NewsGator Daily: Introducing NewsGator Enterprise Server 1.4.1

Yesterday afternoon, we released NewsGator Enterprise Server 1.4.1 for general availability. Despite the "two dot" name, (1.4 was actually the version we sent to our partner GMO in Japan, so we gave this the 1.4.1 moniker) there are some significant enhancements here, most notably integration with our popular client software. The highlights of the release include:

Synchronization with NewsGator Client Software- NGES now synchronizes subscriptions and read states with NewsGator Inbox, FeedDemon and NetNewsWire. The benefits are pretty dramatic. On the Microsoft Outlook side, companies can choose to deploy client-less (via Exchange integration) or install the Inbox plug-in. While the latter requires software installation, it has some cool bells and whistles (which I why I use it) and removes the need to talk to Exchange (or the Exchange admin). For the knowledge workers more familiar with RSS, they can now use FeedDemon or NetNewsWire as their main interface, while the more casual RSS user can access feeds from Outlook or a company portal.
Enhanced Directory Server Integration- With the release of NGES 1.3, we added support for LDAP-compliant directory servers. We not only made that integration tighter, but we added tools for the administrator to specify the exact groups and users to import and synchronize (and control allowable user types to import).
Improved Podcast Support- The NGES web interface now automatically detects podcast enclosures and highlights them for users.

With a single click of the “Add to My Podcasts” link, the “My Podcasts” folder is automatically created (if necessary) and the article is stored. With the optional FeedStation client, podcasts can be downloaded automatically and stored on user computers or loaded onto mp3 players.
Category Filtering- The NGES web interface offers a great addition for finding relevant content with the Category Filter.

Selecting a category will filter the display to show only articles that contain that category. If you pick a category that relates to other categories, a magnifying glass icon is displayed.
Additional Reports- Based on requests from several customers, we added some additional reports to the Reporting tab of the Administration section.
Security Modifications- Last, but certainly not least, we made some modifications on the security front. SSL certificates are no longer required for AD-integrated installations as the Exchange username and password have been removed from the administrative screens and are now modified with the configuration wizard. Usernames and passwords for the SQL Server account are now stored in encrypted format for extra security. Finally, potentially harmful enclosure tags are automatically removed from posts and prevented from displaying.