Virtualizing Microsoft Exchange

October 2008
Virtualizing Microsoft
Exchange
Research conducted by:
Sponsored by:Virtualizing Microsoft Exchange
Contents
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Profile of respondents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Executive summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Number of e-mail users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Version of Microsoft Exchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Upgrading to Exchange 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Virtualizing Exchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Role in the Exchange migration and virtualization process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Importance of revisiting server and storage infrastructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Drivers behind virtualizing Exchange. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Challenges to virtualizing Exchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Virtualized server environments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Research conducted by: Sponsored by: October 2008 | Page 2 of 12Virtualizing Microsoft Exchange
Virtualizing Microsoft Exchange
OverviewIn September 2008, Computerworld invited IT and business leaders to participate in a survey on virtualizingMicrosoft Exchange. The survey was fielded via targeted broadcasts to Computerworld customers, as well asthrough an invitation on Computerworld.com. The goal of the survey was to understand initiatives surround-ing virtualizing Microsoft Exchange. The survey was commissioned by NetApp, but the data was gatheredand tabulated independently by Computerworld Research. The following report represents top-line results ofthat survey.
Profile of respondentsTotal respondents: 146All respondents were qualified through a series of screening questions as being involved with theMicrosoft Exchange environment at North American companies with 500 or more employees. The chartbelow provides a breakdown of respondents' locations. This chart is followed by a breakdown of respon-dents by company size, job function, industry and involvement in Microsoft Exchange environments.
In what country or territory do you currently reside?
3%1%5%Mexico Other North American locationCanada
91%United States
Research conducted by: Sponsored by: October 2008 | Page 3 of 12Virtualizing Microsoft Exchange
How many total employees are there in your company?
10,000 or more 39%
5,000 - 9,999 12%
1,000 - 4,999 25%
500 - 999 24%040%
Mean number of employees = 5,700
Which of the following best describes your primary job function at your company?
IT staff 23%Manager/supervisor of IS/IT/technology 17%Director of IS/IT/technology 16%CIO/CTO/CSO 8%Business consultant 8%IT consultant 7%VP/sr. VP/executive VP of IS/IT/technology 6%Developer 3%CEO/president/owner 3%Corporate director 3%Corporate manager/supervisor 3%Corporate staff 2%Corporate VP 1%025%
Research conducted by: Sponsored by: October 2008 | Page 4 of 12Virtualizing Microsoft Exchange
What is your company's primary business or industry?
Non-computer-related (net) 75%Education 18%Government: federal (including military) 12%Health care/pharmaceuticals/medical services 7%Manufacturer 6%Insurance/real estate/legal services 6%Wholesale or retail trade 5%Finance/banking/accounting 4%Government: state or local 3%Transportation/utilities 3%Aerospace/defense contractor 3%Min... [download for more]