Exchange 2007 will become a disruptive force in enterprise messaging environments. Beta 2 was released in July and a production release will be available in early 2007. IT leaders must prepare now to ensure an optimal transition.
Key Features of Exchange Server 2007
Exchange 2007 requirements will trigger infrastructure changes that affect multi-site and multi-server Exchange installations. With three versions of Exchange currently operating in enterprise environments, consolidation is necessary for Microsoft, third-party providers, and enterprise IT. With its broad integrated feature set, Exchange 2007 will be the trigger for this consolidation.
Notable features of Exchange Server 2007 Beta 2 include:
Feature |
Highlights |
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Unified Messaging |
- Outlook Voice Access.
- Voice Messaging System.
- Fax Messaging System.
- Speech-Enabled Automated Attendant.
- PBX integration.
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Mobile Messaging |
- Direct Push.
- Device Security and Management per user or per group.
- LinkAccess to Windows SharePoint Services for file shares with no requirement for VPN.
- Full calendar access from a mobile device.
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Encryption |
- SSL Certificates automatically installed.
- TLS Encryption.
- Information Rights Management enforceable at the transport layer on subject, content, sender, or recipient.
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Compliance |
- Enforce corporate retention policies for e-mail, voice mail, and fax communications. Automates processes to retain, expire, or journal communications based on compliance requirements.
- Multi-Mailbox Search promises that all content will be fully indexed and discoverable using a variety of criteria.
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Security |
- Includes built-in anti-spam filtering and antivirus extensibility based on content, attachments, and hosts.
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A Unified Disruptive Force
With the role-based architecture of Exchange 2007, IT leaders can expect to deploy client-access servers, mailbox servers, transport servers, and unified messaging. Exchange 2007 is also a 64-bit only platform that runs on top of an Active Directory topology. Yet, despite all this disruptive complexity, Exchange 2007 will improve security, compliance, and management efficiencies if deployed properly.
Features like Self-Service Support, Local or Clustered Continuous Replication, and the Exchange Management Console will dramatically improve IT's ability to meet Service Level Agreements (SLAs). However, it is the enterprise need for unified messaging, a major focus of Exchange 2007, that may be the largest trigger for adoption. Exchange 2007 is only one piece of Microsoft's Unified Communications Product Road Map presented in June 2006.
In order to deliver unified messaging, Exchange 2007 must be integrated with PBX equipment. Microsoft has not made the complete technical details regarding PBX integration publicly available yet, but a detailed list of PBXs supported by Microsoft Exchange 2007 is available.
Challenges to Exchange Server 2007 Adoption
Despite all of its promise, an Exchange 2007 upgrade may ultimately be too big a step for most IT shops. Challenges include:
Challenge |
Impact |
|
Increased Complexity. With "scale out" architecture requirements that will increase the server footprint within mid-sized enterprises, Exchange 2007 appears at odds with current server consolidation trends. |
- The minimal Exchange 2007 configuration delivering basic messaging and Outlook Web Access will require three servers.
- Although two of those server roles could possibly operate within one physical server, Microsoft has yet to release full detailed best-practice guidelines for deployment.
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Telephony Risks and Requirements. Connecting an existing PBX with Microsoft Exchange will not be a trivial task. This aspect of the product's integration will have to become more mature before enterprises will take the risk. |
- Enterprises with PBXes that do not support one of the following standards are not likely to replace existing telephony equipment to achieve unified messaging within Exchange:
- Intel's NetStructure PBX-IP Media Gateway (PIMG).
- NetStructure T1/E1 Media Gateway (TIMG).
- AudioCodes' gateways (Mediant 2000, MediaPak 114 and MediaPak 118).
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Cost Unknowns. Microsoft has not yet made details of the licensing options for Exchange 2007 available. The cost and possible upgrade requirements for third-party 32-bit add-ons in existing environments are yet to be fully described. |
- Licensing uncertainty will delay IT leaders in budgeting an Exchange upgrade for 2007.
- Enterprises with a significant investment in Exchange add-ons will need to examine and prioritize them one by one.
- In some cases, the Microsoft Exchange 2007 features may offer an adequate replacement.
- In other cases, IT leaders will be looking for the third party to provide a cost-effective upgrade path.
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Recommendations
- Shops still on Microsoft Exchange Server 5 should migrate to Exchange 2003 now. Exchange 5.5 is still operating in a surprising number of shops, though support concluded in January 2006. IT leaders still operating 5.5 must make decision to either upgrade or replace their Exchange environments or find their messaging exposed to unpatched security vulnerabilities. For more information, please refer to the Info-Tech Advisor research note, "Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5: Retire it Now."
- IT leaders operating Microsoft Exchange Server 2000 installation should simplify and streamline infrastructure. Exchange shops that experienced storage limitations with the Exchange 5.5 product, frequently deployed Exchange Server 2000 in a distributed manner. IT leaders in this situation should consider software/hardware consolidation before a 2007 migration. Take this as an opportunity to consider virtualization and consolidation strategies using the Info-Tech Advisor In-Depth Report, "The ROI of Server Consolidation." Operating Microsoft Exchange 2003 or Exchange 2007 connected to a consolidated storage platform will simplify backups, recovery, and reduce risk to the MailStore during future upgrades.
- Existing Exchange Server 2003 shops interested in pursuing unified messaging should transition to Exchange Server 2007. Enterprises already leveraging Exchange server functionality and interested in pursuing a unified messaging platform will find Microsoft's supported technology roadmap compelling. However, the move to Exchange Server 2007 is a significant step and IT leaders must note the following before beginning the planning stage.
- 64-bit only. Exchange 2007 supports only 64-bit hardware operating a 64-bit Windows Server operating system such as Windows Server 2003 x64 R2 Standard or Enterprise Editions. Exchange 2007 Beta 2 currently supports Intel and AMD x64 processors. Intel Itanium is currently not supported. The article, "Choosing Exchange Hardware for Reuse" from Microsoft TechNet details the important considerations when selecting servers to run Microsoft Exchange Server.
- Exchange 2007 only supports new installations. It will not be possible to execute an in-place upgrade of a previous version of Microsoft Exchange. Exchange 2007 must be installed on new server hardware and a data migration performed from any older versions. For a more detailed look at the various transition and migration phases read "Upgrading to Exchange 2007," from Microsoft TechNet.
- Any Microsoft Exchange shop with more than 45 BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) users should begin migration planning. Info-Tech finds that Exchange environments, with consolidated storage and 45 or more BlackBerry users experience storage I/O bottlenecks. These enterprises should upgrade to Exchange 2007 and take full advantage of a 64-bit architecture with its larger I/O capacity. Capacity planning exercises should assume that one BlackBerry Exchange user is equivalent to four standard Exchange users targeting I/O to the consolidated storage environment.
Bottom Line
Microsoft Exchange 2007 will have a significant impact on enterprise messaging environments. While an upgrade to 2007 may not be in the near-term plans, IT leaders must use the upcoming release of Exchange 2007 to whip their messaging environment into shape. Near-term projects that consolidate and simplify the messaging environment will provide a stable platform for future upgrade to Exchange 2007 when it matures.
