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The Microsoft Exchange product family consists of:
Microsoft Exchange Server must also be a platform for an assortment of business solutions, which organizations of all sizes can implement to meet a wide range of key challenges, including:
Microsoft Exchange Server combines the best features of both host-based and LAN-based E-mail systems with some additional benefits all its own. The result is a messaging system that is easy to use and manage and that moves messages and files through the system quickly, securely, and reliably, regardless of how many users or servers the organization has.
The Universal Inbox in the Microsoft Outlook Client lets users keep all messages, forms, faxes, and meeting requests in one location, where they can be easily accessed. Users can search and sort these items using a wide range of criteria such as addressee, topic, or date of receipt to quickly locate the information they need.
In addition, server-based rules automatically process incoming messages, including those from the Internet, even when the user is out of the office. These rules can be configured to file incoming messages in appropriate folders or to respond immediately with specified actions, such as forwarding messages to another person, flagging them for special attention, or generating a reply automatically.
Because Microsoft Outlook is tightly integrated with the Microsoft Windows operating system and the Microsoft Office family of products, it is easy for users to learn and use. Microsoft Outlook actually ships with both Exchange Server and Microsoft Office 97. With new features such as journaling (which allows a user to find a file based on when that file was used, rather than by file name), Outlook can keep track of what users do every day.
Microsoft Exchange Server takes full advantage of the robust client/server architecture in Windows NT Server to get messages to their destinations quickly, whether across the hall or around the world. It also provides tools for easily tracking messages sent to other users of Microsoft Exchange Server and via the Internet to users on other systems, to confirm that they arrived and that they were read. Support for digital encryption allows users to automatically secure messages against unauthorized access, and digital signatures guarantee that messages get to their recipients without modification.
In addition to these security features, Microsoft Exchange Server also takes advantage of the security features built into Windows NT Server to prevent unauthorized users inside or outside the organization from accessing corporate data.
Local replication is the ability to do two-way synchronization between a server folder and a copy of that folder on a local or portable machine. Local replication is initiated by creating an offline folder a snapshot or replica of the server-based folder the user wishes to use while disconnected from the server. (The use of offline folder synchronization is discussed further in a subsequent section.)
Built on the scalable Windows NT Server architecture that supports the full array of Intel and Digital Alpha-based servers, Microsoft Exchange Server scales to meet a range of requirements from those of a small, growing office to those of a multinational corporation.
It is easy to add users to existing servers and new servers to an organization as it grows. Routing and directory replication occur automatically between the new and existing servers at each site. Plus, optional connectors are available to connect computers running Microsoft Exchange Server to the Internet and X.400 systems.
In addition to E-mail, which allows users to send information to each other, Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft Outlook support groupware applications that help users share information by retrieving it wherever it might be without the traditional complexities of navigating through a maze of network servers or jumping between multiple screens and applications.
A built-in suite of groupware applications in Microsoft Exchange Server gives users a headstart with group scheduling, bulletin boards, task management, and customer tracking. Because these applications are designed to integrate tightly with the Windows operating system and Microsoft Office, Microsoft Exchange Server provides an ideal platform for integrating business solutions with desktop applications.
While some Microsoft Exchange Server applications are ready to go right out of the box, and many more are also available on the Web, you can also easily customize them using Microsoft Outlook and extend them using popular development tools such as the Visual Basic programming system, the Visual C++ development system, Java, and ActiveX components.
The concept of discussion groups and bulletin boards are nothing new to Internet users. With the Microsoft Exchange Internet News Service, the complete set of Internet newsgroups are easily available to users through public folders. Organizations can make public folder information available to internal or external users of the Web without storing information in redundant locations or manually reformatting information into hypertext markup language (HTML) format, via Outlook, Outlook Web Access, or any NNTP newsreader client. Users can also access newsgroups hosted on Exchange Server using the native NNTP protocol.
Microsoft Exchange Server also allows users to communicate with each other and to share information from any time zone or location. This is especially important for mobile users, who need to break through traditional organizational boundaries to communicate with the enterprise. Group scheduling and public folders help users work together more effectively, whether they are across the hall, across the country, or around the globe.
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