Exchange 2010 Thoughts and Considerations

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It is hard to believe that Exchange 2007 shipped almost three years ago. With the next version of Exchange already in public beta, and due around the end of the year, let’s take a look at considerations in moving from various versions and platforms.

One of the most interesting capabilities is in the area of availability where Database Availability Groups (DAGs) take the place of Cluster Continuous Replication (CCR) and Standby Continuous Replication (SCR). Expanding on the replication technology from Exchange 2007, the new version makes it easier, more robust, and lets Exchange work the underlying technology to make this happen. Traditional clustering required administrators to be trained in its intricacies. Exchange 2010’s DAG and site resiliency features install and manage the parts of clustering that are needed. Its part of Exchange with no other management tools required.

Exchange 2010 is the first version to be designed and built with both the installed and hosted versions in mind. One can look at the beta of the installed version and anticipate the seamlessness of moving users from one environment to another. SMB customers will grow to appreciate high-end features in a hosted version. Link Exchange Online with SharePoint Online, Live Meeting Online, and plans for Office Communications Server (OCS) Online as Microsoft has done with Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) and that’s quite a package. Larger customers may adopt a split environment where primary datacenters run Exchange On-premises for personnel on campus, but move high turnover such as sales, distributed operations such as support, and the smaller field locations to the Exchange Online model. The key is that IT manages it as a single infrastructure as they are used to.

A personal favorite of the new version of Exchange is an enhancement to Voice Mail integration. Voice Mail Preview is your digital assistant who transcribes your voice messages into text. You can read your voice messages in your inbox, and words become actionable—names, contacts, and phone numbers becoming clickable—all the while enforcing protection policies voice. (EDITOR’S NOTE: For more on Exchange 2010’s Voice Mail Preview go to: http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2009/06/29/451695.aspx)

Protection of sensitive information continues to be of foremost concern to most customers and the extension of rights management throughout Exchange and its clients is a relief. Now when something is marked company confidential, Exchange, Outlook, Outlook Web Access (OWA), Outlook mobile and voice messages along with Rights Management Services act together to keep the message within your organization.

Where Are You?

Exchange 2007—The heaviest implementations of this release are happening right now, top of the bell curve in statistical terms. Customers that have recently completed their moves, and those that are in the middle of their transition now, are unlikely to move immediately. Customers that are about to start their implementations on Exchange 2007 will also stay the course. For those who were early adopters, the advances in availability will likely be of high interest.

Exchange 2003/2000—Customers who have not yet made the move to Exchange 2007 will be able to move to Exchange 2010 using the Transition/Move Mailbox process. These customers are running on older hardware and while the prospect of 64bit servers required for Exchange 2007 may once have been daunting, today it’s a non-issue. The improvements in scalability, mailbox sizing, messaging security and information protection are well worth it. Microsoft’s RTM releases are stronger than they once were and waiting for the first service pack is no longer valid. These versions, 2003 and 2000, are no longer covered under mainstream support, and coupled with the high costs of supporting older hardware, it is likely these customers will move to Exchange 2010 early in its release cycle. Some customers particularly in the SMB space may move to Exchange 2010 Online as described earlier.

Other—For the few remaining customers on Exchange 5.5, or for those that are ready to move from other platforms such as Lotus Domino/Notes or Novell GroupWise, migration and coexistence tools are available to assist with the move.

About Lee Benjamin, ExchangeGuy Consulting

With over 20 years experience in the messaging industry, Lee Benjamin is an expert on Microsoft Exchange and related technologies. Since retiring from Microsoft in 1997, he has been a consultant for enterprise and medium-sized organizations and software firms. Lee is chairman of the largest Exchange user group in the world, ExchangeServerBoston, and actively engaged with other groups and organizations. For his expertise and community work, Microsoft has recognized Lee as an Exchange Most Valuable Professional (MVP).