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Microsoft’s Exchange “12” Beta 1
John Stith
Staff Writer
2005-12-14
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Redmond-based Microsoft announced the release of their Exchange "12" Beta 1. This is the highly secretive code name for their server for e-mail, calendaring and unified messaging to the first round of testers.
Microsoft said in their statement that the new Exchange will reduce the cost and complexity of the messaging system by providing more control for IT administrators., more value and expanded inbox access for end users, and increased security and compliance for organizations.
"Today, end users are demanding 24x7 global access to their inboxes from a broader range of devices. At the same time, organizations are faced with spam and virus threats, and the demands of maintaining compliance with emerging regulatory requirements," said David Thompson, corporate vice president of Exchange Server at Microsoft. "Exchange '12' is a highly available messaging solution that allows IT administrators to address these challenges."
As a mission-critical application, e-mail often places heavy demands on IT administrators. They need to ensure that their messaging system achieves the highest level of availability and can be easily scaled to add users with limited cost impact. To support this, Exchange "12" will run on 64-bit server systems that can deliver extended functionality, greater scalability and increase the return on existing storage investments. In addition, having the tools to ensure they are being as efficient and productive as possible is critical for IT administrators as their workloads increase.
Information workers want the freedom to access their inbox regardless of where they may be. They also want their various forms of communication to be stored in a single location. Exchange "12" revolutionizes access by offering a speech-enabled unified messaging platform that integrates e-mail, fax and voice mail in the user's inbox with support for a variety of clients, including traditional and mobile phones. In addition, Exchange "12" includes updates to Outlook Web Access, the client that allows users to access their inboxes with a Web browser from virtually anywhere, with no need for a special network connection.
Security remains a top priority for all companies. IT administrators must deal with increasing virus and spam threats. "Spam represents 39 percent of total e-mail sent on an average day in North America in 2005, up from 24 percent three years ago," said Mark Levitt, vice president of Collaborative Computing at IDC. IT administrators need an integrated solution that can automatically inspect and clean both inbound and outbound messages and that stays up to date as threats evolve. Exchange "12" Beta 1 delivers the first wave of functionality to help protect and secure the messaging environment.
"Exchange '12' will offer a number of improvements over Exchange 2003," notes Erica Rugullies, principal analyst at Forrester Research Inc., in her December 2005 report titled "Plan Now for Microsoft Exchange '12.'" "Exchange '12' promises unified messaging, improved security and manageability through a set of server roles, easier integration with applications through Web services, and improved performance and scalability through 64-bit support."
About the Author:
John is a staff writer for SecurityProNews covering cyber security.
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