An Overview of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007

April 2006 marked the 10th year that Microsoft® Exchange has been providing messaging services to organizations large and small. The release of Exchange 4.0 in April 1996 was Microsoft’s first major step out of the workgroup and into the datacenter. It was Microsoft’s flagship client/server application highlighting how Microsoft can provide back-office products that complement Microsoft desktop products – allowing productivity increases only possible with tightly integrated desktop and server products.
Back then, Microsoft Exchange Server was an X.400–based messaging system with an X.500–like directory. Industry messaging was simple (e-mail), and features such as shared calendaring and public folders wowed us like those fancy dance moves in the 1996 pop hit “Macarena.”
But Exchange Server continued to evolve and set pace in the messaging industry. Exchange Server 5.5 reflected Microsoft’s Internet initiatives with multiple Web-based clients – offering a simple-to-use and reliable messaging system that many organizations used until recently, roughly nine years since Exchange Server 5.5 first hit the streets.
As most IT departments and datacenters continued to grow and mature, the need emerged for a more comprehensive and common platform to support a wider range of applications. This resulted in a major architectural shift in Exchange 2000 Server. The Exchange directory became the basis for the Microsoft Active Directory® directory system. Other Exchange services such as SMTP, POP3, IMAP4, and NNTP became part of the operating system. Microsoft Windows® 2000 provided a common platform for enterprise applications, with Active Directory as its backbone. Exchange 2000 Server set the stage again as the application that first fully integrated with Active Directory, storing Exchange configuration, schema, and recipient information in the directory and allowing users and administrators to realize Active Directory’s potential.
Today, e-mail is a tool we use and rely on as much as the telephone – more so in some cases. Microsoft Windows Server™ 2003 and Exchange Server 2003 delivered a rich mobile user experience (device or browser) to meet the demands of a remote and mobile workforce, but are probably best known for the release that delivered significant server consolidation opportunities.
This long and dynamic history of Exchange shows how the product has evolved and set the standard for enterprise messaging along the way. Today’s business requirements – such as security, disaster recovery, and mobility – are more extensive than ever before. To meet these requirements, Exchange has extended its reach beyond simple e-mail to increase user productivity and keep information close at hand, while being flexible enough to meet your organization’s administrative model. This white paper delivers an overview of Exchange Server 2007 and describes how this next generation of Exchange helps increase user productivity and administrator efficiency while fulfilling your evolving business requirements.