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Synchronizing MS Outlook-Folders

Updating Outlook folder information across teams and groups is a powerful, productivity enhancing improvement. A clever new tool makes synchronizing Outlook folders across different users and PCs easy and affordable.

14 December 2005. - Many Outlook users have asked Microsoft for a synchronization feature to update and synchronise Outlook folders across their work team or among colleagues. It is quite obvious that synchronizing for example calendars across co-workers could be immensely useful. Unfortunately Outlook was developed for personal computers and Microsoft has not released a synchronization utility for Outlook, though it is not necessary that each team member registers new contacts in Outlook, as one can enter the details and pass the contact file on to other users.

Synchronizing Outlook in the background
OLFolderSync is the easy to handle tool, joining multiple Outlook-installations. In this process each can define which folder to allow being synchronized. It is also possible to exclude private elements from the synchronization process or to sync only objects of a defined category. OLFolderSync can work with all Outlook folders in principle, excluded by default are only the folders "Draft", "Inbox", "Outbox", "Deleted Items" and "Sent Items".


How does synchronization work?
OLFolderSync exchanges the Outlook-Folder data by email in the background, while the PC can be used for other processes. The machines do not need to be online simultaneously, as OLFolderSync can finish the task automatically the next time Outlook downloads emails from the server, with the application taking care of the Outlook-Folder data being saved to the right folders. Sven Ilius of the developer "Somebytes" states: "The programme does not need any user intervention apart from installing and setting up the application once."

Configuring the tools is straight forward. After installation a new tab is added in the folder properties, to set up the synchronization. To add synchronization partners it suffices to enter their e-mail address. Sven Ilius: The application caters for business users, who can also encrypt their sensitive data. The data can then only be used with the right password."

Areas of application for OLFolderSync
- Synchronizing appointments, contacts, tasks and notes from a home PC with one at the office and vice versa.
- A personal assistant entering appointments synchronizing these across locations, even continents.
- Synchronizing Birthdays with friends and family - the whole group can have the same birthday calendar.
- Working with the same group calendar, tasks or other documents.
- Synchronizing Outlook-Data from a laptop with an office desktop computer.
- Synchronizing appointments with colleagues on the road.
- Synchronizing club appointments across all members.
- Preparing time sheets based on Outlook Calendar details.
- As an alternative for the Outlook network folder.

Availability of demo and full version
OLFolderSync 1.0 works under Windows 2000, 2003 or XP with the Outlook-Versions 2000 to 2003. A trial version can be downloaded off the web (1.10 MB). The full version with two licenses costs US$72.- / EU64.- / GB£46.- at http://www.olfoldersync.com.

Conclusions
An economic and practical solution to synchronize Outlook across several computers. Effective yet easy to use.