You have three popular options to sync Outlook with Windows Phone devices:
- Use a Microsoft Exchange Server or service.
- Use Hotmail Outlook Connector to sync to the Microsoft Cloud (for Outlook 2010 and below)
- Use CompanionLink to sync using a USB cable (works for Outlook 2013, 2010, 2007, 2003, and 2000)
Options 1 and 2 use the Microsoft cloud service; also known as a Microsoft account. Nokia has an FAQ article about how to set this up.
Options 3 gives you the security of a direct secure sync between PC and Lumia. Your contacts and calendar are not stored in anyone’s cloud. This offering rides CompanionLink’s core value that people and businesses should not be forced to store client contacts and notes, calendar meetings, and task and project lists in the cloud.
Yes, people should be able to choose if that’s something they want to do. The cloud is an option for those looking for convenience and integration of data across multiple devices. The cloud eliminates synchronization, which is a major step forward for convenience.
But what about people looking for data security? What about people who do not want their data hostage to some garage hacker across the world, or government agencies that mine data, or Search Engines like Google and Microsoft that scour your personal data and profit on it? These people need a cloud opt-out switch.
CompanionLink offers this opt-out switch for those who want to restore data security.