Many of today's small to mid-sized businesses operate in a Microsoft Exchange environment. Most of these businesses have invested in Exchange and Exchange-compatible systems over the years, and now they are both loyal to and dependent upon Exchange for email. Now that Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 has finally been released, you might be wondering if it's worth the time, effort, and cost to migrate to 2007 from your current platform. Find out what's new with Exchange 2007, and what security issues to consider before you migrate.

Long time coming
Prior to 2007, the last release of Exchange was in 2003. Exchange Server 2007 includes many new enhancements and features that improve upon the 2003 platform. Here are some of the improvements that come with Exchange 2007:

• More access — Email inbox, calendar, contact information, and voicemail can be accessed virtually anywhere, anytime using a browser.
• Better availability — New data replication capabilities drive increased availability at a lower cost.
• Richer email experience — Improved user experience and better manageability. Desktop features such as quick flags, sophisticated calendaring, and fast search are now available on mobile devices.
• Unified messaging — Employees can receive their email, -voicemail, and faxes through a single inbox that can be accessed from anywhere. This means lower cost and complexity through consolidation of voicemail infrastructure.
• Promotes compliance — Features are specifically designed to help comply with corporate, regulatory, and legal requirements.
• Improved Web access — Outlook Web Access (OWA) 2007 gives a rich, Outlook 2007-like experience from a browser anywhere. No VPN is required.
• Management help — Updated graphical management console with a more intuitive user interface, and a toolbox work center integrates diagnostics, monitoring, and troubleshooting tools.

One of the most prominent changes is that Exchange 2007 only runs on 64-bit servers. Even though 64-bit servers enable higher performance, it's been one of the biggest obstacles to migrating for small to mid-sized businesses because it means replacing existing 32-bit servers with new ones that cost twice as much

Managing email security
Email is mission-critical to most small to mid-sized businesses, so while Exchange 2007 boasts many new features, migrating to a new email system is not a task to be taken lightly. If you decide to migrate, you also must consider how you will secure, manage, and archive all aspects of the messaging environment while also ensuring compliance with IT policies and government regulations. Symantec has two important solutions that are compatible with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007:

• Continuous backup and recovery: Email applications contain vast amounts of information that must be backed up and stored. Symantec Backup Exec11d for Windows Servers is our leading recovery solution that provides continuous disk-to-disk-to-tape backup and recovery for Microsoft Exchange 2007 servers. It eliminates the need for daily backups and enables quick recovery of individual mailboxes, messages, and folders. Backup Exec also protects stored data with 128-bit and 256-bit encryption to ensure the security of data that is backed up.
• Messaging security: Email not only needs to be backed up — it also needs to be protected. IT administrators must protect email from virus threats, spam, and other security risks, while ensuring that internal policies are being enforced. Symantec Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange 2007 provides advanced antivirus and antispam protection, integrated content filtering with advanced policy rules, and fast scans that reduce the load on the Exchange server. SMS is easy to administer and its user interface provides a consistent, high performance administration experience.

Conclusion
The Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 boasts many new features that make accessing and managing email easier than ever for IT administrators and employees. What it doesn't do is back up or recover email messages, or protect them from outside threats. Your email system is a critical component of your business — you can't afford to risk your messaging data. That's where Symantec's solutions can help.

from Symantec