'Interoperability Lies At The Core Of Microsoft Product Groups'

 Just as the year 2010 is round the corner, software giant Microsoft is also set to deliver Exchange 2010. Amit Mehta, Director, Unified Communications, Microsoft India, puts some more light on how the new product takes a major leap in the way IT staff and users can manage and customise the Exchange server and Inbox.

Please talk about the features that were missing in Exchange 2007 and those that have been added to Exchange 2010.

Microsoft Exchange 2010 has been designed keeping in mind the current business scenario. Customers want to control costs and boost productivity. Exchange 2010 helps lower cost and increase productivity in a number of ways as compared to Exchange 2007. It offers reduced disk I/O – 90 percent reduction from Exchange 2003 and 70 percent from Exchange 2007, improving performance significantly. Exchange 2007 introduced support for DAS while Exchange 2010 adds SATA and JBOD (Raid-less) to the storage options. It also features a set of mailbox servers that use continuous replication of up to 16 copies to provide automatic recovery from a variety of failures including disk, server and data centre failures. Moreover, it allows administrators to move users’ mailboxes without taking the mailbox offline and delegate tasks to users in a controlled way.

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Some of its other features include SMS Sync, Voice Mail Preview, Protected Voice Mail, Browser Support (Internet Explorer 7+, Safari 3+, and Firefox 3+) and Instant Messaging that allows users to send IMs from OWA, leveraging OCS or Microsoft Live Messenger.

What is happening on the interoperability front?

For Microsoft, interoperability lies at the core of its product groups and the same is true for Exchange including Exchange Server 2010. Interoperability is always contextual to the customer environment and customers generally look for a seamless experience across devices and applications.

Some of the key interoperability features of Exchange Server 2010 include rich desktop clients for both PCs and Macs through Outlook and Entourage and rich Web browser access through Outlook Web Access (OWA) Premium for 99 percent of the browser market. Users can use IE for the premium experience or Safari and Firefox for similar premium experiences. OWA Lite is also available for those with restricted bandwidth or accessibility issues. In addition, Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) is also fast becoming the standard for push e-mail from smartphones. For almost any smartphone that an organisation has decided to support, there is an Exchange ActiveSync-enabled client available.

What about Exchange 2010’s compatibility with Apple’s Mac platform?

Outlook and Exchange Server have been cornerstones of enterprise communication and collaboration, so compatibility with other platforms is of prime importance. For several years, we have focused on providing the best Microsoft Exchange client for the Mac. In fact, our Macintosh Business Unit (Mac BU) recently introduced infrastructure changes in Entourage 2008, which is an e-mail application for the Mac in the form of a service. This Web services edition will provide faster data synchronisation, so current Entourage users on Exchange will experience improved e-mail and calendaring support.

After the beta launch of Exchange 2010, users have pointed out limited customisation options as compared to IBM Lotus Notes. Should we expect some update on this front in the final release?

With the launch of Exchange 2010, we have introduced some significant changes that will alter the way IT staff and users manage and customise the Exchange Server and Inbox. We have brought in a new role-based security model, self-service capabilities, and a Web-based Exchange control panel, all of which facilitate delegation of common or specialised tasks to users, without having to provide full administrative rights or generate increased helpdesk call volume.

To preserve e-mail data, we have added integrated e-mail archiving capabilities that offer out-of-the-box tools, all without having to change the user experience. There is a new retention policy framework in place that will allow IT staff to define, deploy, and automate the expiry and archiving of e-mail data. In addition, the new Transport Protection rules will help safeguard enterprise communication by allowing automatic application of Information Rights Management (IRM) policies to both e-mail and voice mail messages, after they have been sent. Further, we have also incorporated new time-saving inbox management tools that can help users easily organise and prioritise the communication they receive each day.

What is the momentum in India as far as adoption of Exchange Server is concerned?

Microsoft Exchange Server has 56 percent market share in the business e-mail and communications segment in India (Frost & Sullivan 2009 report). Today, we have 200 plus customers using Exchange Server 2007 ranging from large enterprises such as NIIT, MindTree, Marico, Godrej, BILT and Moser Baer to SMEs such as Macawber Beekay, Lakshmi Vilas Bank and others. In fact, the migration from IBM Lotus Notes to Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 has enabled 30 percent savings for Biocon in terms of operating and licencing costs.

What is happening in terms of Exchange’s compatibility with the mobile platform?

Microsoft Exchange Server provides broad device support for more than 200 devices including the iPhone and the BlackBerry. It offers easy phone-based access to the Inbox with built-in support for Unified Messaging in over 25 languages. Further, users can send and receive SMS messages from Outlook and Outlook Web Access.