With the features and facilities to integrate messaging and telephony environments, Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 will provide enterprises with a practical way to deploy unified messaging (UM) alongside existing legacy telecom equipment. Enterprises that have ambitious UM objectives, but have been unprepared to replace a legacy telephony infrastructure, should explore the UM capabilities of the new platform.

A Closer Look at Unified Messaging in Exchange Server 2007

Available as of January 30, 2007, Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 brings a number of changes, the most fundamental of which is a new role-based architecture. Whereas Exchange previously only offered a deployment choice between front-end and back-end servers, the new version includes five distinct server roles to help enterprises better secure and customize their messaging environments. The most revolutionary of these new roles is the Unified Messaging Server, which allows Exchange 2007 to interface with enterprise PBX equipment and bring voice mail services into the messaging infrastructure. With this configuration, Exchange 2007 offers a number of compelling...