4-page Case Study - Posted 10/30/2006
Views: 135
Rate This Evidence:
Messaging Solution Improves IT Reliability and Message Access for Slovenian Post Office
Pošta Slovenije provides postal services and operates more than 550 post offices throughout Slovenia. In addition to focusing on operational excellence, the company invests heavily in IT. E-mail has become a core IT service within Pošta Slovenije, so maintaining high availability and reducing the administrative costs of its messaging systems are priorities for the IT department. The company has strategically based its IT infrastructure on Microsoft® software, including Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. To bring the latest messaging features and technologies to its employees, the company joined the Rapid Deployment Program for Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 (Beta 2 version) and implemented a pilot project to thoroughly test the new software. Pošta Slovenije was particularly interested in features for high availability, enhanced performance, and message management.
Situation
Pošta Slovenije is a limited liability company that provides postal services and operates more than 550 post offices throughout Slovenia. In addition to focusing on operational excellence in its core
 |
We also tested Outlook Web Access and were pleased by how it is offering a number of features that have previously been seen only in client applications.  |
|
|
Smiljan Švarc
Head of System Engineering
Pošta Slovenije |
|
|
postal services business, the company has invested heavily in its IT infrastructure. Pošta Slovenije offers an array of electronic services such as issuing digital certificates, enabling business-to-business transactions, and other added-value services.
Pošta Slovenije strategically based its infrastructure on Microsoft® software, including using the Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 communication and collaboration server as its enterprise-messaging platform. The system is used by 700 employees and has become a crucial service within the company.
“We have been very happy with Exchange Server 2003,” said Smiljan Švarc, Head of System Engineering at Pošta Slovenije. “We haven’t had any system failures, and we have achieved high availability of this mission-critical service. However, we have been planning to upgrade our hardware platform, so this was a good time to look at a new version of our messaging software.”
Pošta Slovenije has achieved high availability by implementing a cluster of two back-end server computers running Exchange Server. In case of hardware failure in one server, the second server immediately takes over the workload and provides uninterrupted operation. The company has also implemented a front-end server running Exchange Server that supports mobile employees who access the system through mobile devices, portable computers, or kiosks.
Employees use Microsoft Office Outlook® Web Access to manage their e-mail when they’re away from the office. Office Outlook Web Access works through a Web browser and offers many of the features of the Microsoft Office Outlook messaging and collaboration client without having to install additional software.
All e-mail arrives through a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) relay server in the company’s perimeter network (also known as DMZ, demilitarized zone, and screened subnet). This server is used for virus scanning and SMTP filtering.
“We were hearing and reading a lot of good things about Microsoft Exchange Server 2007,” explains Švarc. “Our existing system offers a wide range of functions, but we wanted to see and test the new features in the areas of high availability, management, and security. We are constantly looking to improve our infrastructure, and we felt it was necessary to see what was being offered in the new product.”
Solution
Pošta Slovenije joined the Rapid Deployment Program for Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. The company implemented a pilot project to thoroughly test the software’s new features in a production
|
We also tested Outlook Web Access and were pleased by how it is offering a number of features that have previously been seen only in client applications. |
|
|
Smiljan Švarc
Head of System Engineering
Pošta Slovenije |
|
|
environment. “Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 brings new options for improving the productivity of administrators, especially with its integration with Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) which we were already using,” explained Švarc. “There are also the features for improving employee productivity and new antispam technologies. At the same time, we were interested in how we can use the new system to achieve compliance with rules and regulations regarding e-mail that will soon be effective in Slovenia.”
Pošta Slovenije integrated Exchange Server 2007 into the Exchange Server 2003 production environment. The new version is designed to operate in parallel with the previous version. The company migrated 100 users to the new system as part of the pilot. The implementation was done in collaboration with Microsoft Services and Avtenta.si, a Microsoft partner in Slovenia.
Pošta Slovenije retained its existing messaging system topology, including the SMTP relay server in the DMZ. The company also uses Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2006, the integrated edge security gateway that helps protect the IT environment from Internet-based threats while providing employees with fast and secure remote access to applications and data. ISA Server 2006 provides authentication for mobile users and supports ActiveSync® technology, Outlook Web Access, and Outlook Anywhere, which allows Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007 clients to connect to Exchange Server over the Internet without a virtual private network (VPN) connection.
Mobile employees access the system using a variety of Windows Mobile® powered devices, including the HP iPAQ 4700, 3800, and 6515 series; and the Qtek 8300. “Devices running Windows Mobile software enable our employees to access their information from wherever they are,” said Švarc.
During the Exchange Server 2007 deployment, the company used the Microsoft Exchange Server Best Practices Analyzer (BPA), which helps locate and fix possible problems in a company’s Exchange Server environment. The tool also integrates with MOM and helps administrators easily pinpoint possible configuration mistakes or operational errors. For example, after using the tool, the IT department realized it needed to install Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2 in order to run Exchange Server 2003 in parallel with Exchange Server 2007.
For client software, Pošta Slovenije chose Outlook 2002, Outlook 2003, and Outlook 2007. Employees who were selected to use Outlook 2007 were especially satisfied with its numerous personal organization features, such as easy to-do item creation, a separate bar for tracking tasks, and integrated search.
“We also tested Outlook Web Access and were pleased by how it is offering a number of features that have previously been seen only in client applications,” said Švarc.
Benefits
Exchange Server 2007 helps Pošta Slovenije streamline its IT administration processes, and it provides a reliable, high-performance messaging environment. The new solution also helps employees improve their productivity by making it easier for them to access their messages from almost anywhere.
Improved Availability and Performance
One of Pošta Slovenije’s main reasons for testing Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 was to evaluate the new high-availability features. The IT department tested Local Continuous Replication, which creates a copy of the Exchange Server data store on another disk within the same server. In the event of disk failure, the system can immediately switch to the copy so that e-mail service is constantly available. The company is also looking into implementing a “stretch” cluster in which Exchange Server data is replicated to a remote location, and in the event of a catastrophic failure, the system can be brought back online in a couple of minutes.
“We were also interested in exploring the performance improvements in Microsoft Exchange Server 2007,” said Švarc. “The support for 64-bit platforms enables higher performance and more memory, reducing disk workload in the server.”
Streamlined IT Administration
Exchange Server 2007 integrates tightly with MOM, giving administrators easy-to-read reports and helping them quickly locate possible failures and errors in the messaging system. Also, the Best Practice Analyzer integrates with MOM, making it possible for administrators to schedule regular health checks for their servers.
“Together with the Windows® PowerShell and the new management console, the integration of Exchange Server 2007 with our existing systems-management infrastructure has reduced the effort required for IT administration,” explained Švarc. “The improvements in the administrative features are definitely a very important aspect of the new version.”
Higher Employee Productivity
Using Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 together with Outlook 2007 is increasing the productivity of employees. Specifically, new features for managing tasks and creating to-do items directly from e-mail are giving employees greater control over their professional lives.
Easier, More Secure Access to Messages
The new solution offers easy access to messages, especially for mobile employees, with strong security. With Exchange Server ActiveSync, e-mail is pushed to mobile devices and does not require them to repeatedly look for new messages. At the same time, Outlook Anywhere makes it possible for mobile users to use Outlook on their portable computers to securely retrieve e-mail and synchronize other information, wherever they are.
Pošta Slovenije is also considering using the Edge Transport server role in Exchange Server 2007 to replace the company’s existing SMTP server. “We will consider retiring our SMTP server when the migration to Exchange Server 2007 is more complete,” says Švarc. “It would be very beneficial to standardize our entire system on one platform and stop malicious and unwanted e-mail before it even reaches our internal systems.”
Švarc concludes, “By testing Exchange Server 2007, we have gained insight into its new features, and we are confident about the value of this new messaging platform.”
For More Information
For more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-2495. Customers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234 in the United States or (905) 568-9641 in Canada. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to:
http://www.microsoft.com/
For more information about Avtenta.si products and services, call 386 (1) 585-3410 or visit the Web site at:
http://www.avtenta.si/
For more information about Pošta Slovenije d.o.o. products and services, call 386 (1) 449-2642 or visit the Web site at:
http://www.posta.si/
Microsoft Server Product Portfolio
For more information about the Microsoft server product portfolio, go to:
www.microsoft.com/servers/default.mspx
For more information about Microsoft Exchange Server, go to:
www.microsoft.com/exchange
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
Document published October 2006
