Electronic messaging is mission critical, but it remains vulnerable to a growing array of threats. Viruses, worms, denial-of-service attacks, spam, and the need to satisfy a growing set of government regulations and legal actions all make effective messaging security and management increasingly difficult.

Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services for messaging security and management is composed of four distinct services that help organizations protect themselves from e-mail-borne malware, satisfy retention requirements for compliance, encrypt data to preserve confidentiality, and preserve access to e-mail during and after emergency situations. The services are deployed over the Internet using a "Software as a Service" model which helps minimize additional capital investment, free up IT resources to focus on other value-producing initiatives, and mitigate messaging risks before they reach the corporate firewall.

With just a simple mail exchange (MX) record configuration change, Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services can be up and running quickly. There is no additional hardware to provide; no additional software to buy, install, or configure; and no expensive training required for your IT staff.

Furthermore, there is no need for you to change or modify your existing e-mail infrastructure, nor to install and maintain any new hardware or software. The heart of Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services is a distributed network of data centers located at key sites along the Internet backbone. Each data center contains fault-tolerant servers that are load-balanced from site to site and from server to server. In the unlikely event that one data center is unavailable, traffic can be easily routed to another data center, minimizing the chances of interruption to the service. Microsoft algorithms analyze and route message traffic between data centers to help ensure secure and timely delivery.