ThoughtBridge, an innovative business and application consulting firm focused on Microsoft technologies, today announced it offers Microsoft’s new Exchange Online and SharePoint Online Services for businesses of all sizes across the Southeast - and throughout the United States. This subscription service provides businesses with a new way to purchase, deploy and manage the industry-leading e-mail, calendaring, portal and collaboration solutions.

As part of the Microsoft Online Services product family, Exchange Online and SharePoint Online are available separately, or as a suite together with Office Live Meeting (for conferencing), Exchange Hosted Services, and Office Communications Online (for instant messaging and presence).

In addition to ThoughtBridge’s enhanced Exchange and SharePoint services, the company also announced today that it earned the first-ever Partner Solutions Showcase Program Award awarded by Microsoft. ThoughtBridge, a Microsoft Gold Partner and member of the Microsoft National Systems Integrator Program, was recognized for its outstanding application and integration work in building a job-posting and application-processing application for SharePoint Online. The solution uses SharePoint Online to call Web services, rather than having the code directly integrated with SharePoint.

“We are honored to be the first-ever recipient of this award,” said Tim Tisdale, co-founder and chief technology officer at ThoughtBridge. “Our team recognized an immediate opportunity to build unique, vertical capabilities on top of Microsoft SharePoint Online and was able provide considerable value-add solutions to our customers’. By using our new CloudBridge framework, customers can now realize the best of both worlds; a hosted pay per user platform combined with unique customizations that businesses require today to remain competitive. This innovative approach to cloud computing gives us a unique differentiator in our industry.”

An ever-increasing number of companies, from small to large enterprises, are adopting Microsoft Online Services and, to date, the company has sold more than 500,000 seats. Since March, there have been more than 18,000 beta license registrants and the company’s new Online Services customers include, consumer electronics company Philips, Universal Music Group and retailer Eddie Bauer.

To help businesses plan, deploy, and operate the services, ThoughtBridge will offer Microsoft’s new Solution Accelerators for Online Services. The solution packet features new automated tools and guidance, including the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit, Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide, and the Microsoft Operations Framework Companion Guide.

Tisdale added, “We’re already experiencing strong customer demand for migration, customization and integration services, and Microsoft Online Services provides us the agility to address growing demand with fewer resources.”

In addition to Office Communications Online, ThoughtBridge will also offer a new Microsoft Online Services application that will provide security and infrastructure management for businesses. The solution enables IT managers to secure and manage desktops using a Web-based subscription service. These online services will complement Microsoft’s on-premise solutions, as customers begin to adopt cloud-based computing to address specific needs.