Updated: August 2007 Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 is the industry’s leading server for e-mail, calendaring and unified messaging. Exchange Server 2007 is the foundation for a dynamic and holistic unified communications experience, and has been designed to meet the challenges and address the messaging needs of today’s businesses. Microsoft Corp. is extending the value of Exchange Server 2007 with Service Pack 1 (SP1), providing customers with added anywhere access* to information, advanced built-in protection and greater operational efficiency. Customer Benefits For most businesses today, e-mail is the mission-critical communications tool that allows their employees to produce the best results. As working environments change and security and compliance requirements continue to be top of mind, organizations are looking for solutions that will help them meet these challenges. With the built-in capabilities in Exchange Server 2007, customers will get the advanced protection they demand and the operational efficiency required by IT administrators. In addition, Exchange Server 2007 provides anywhere access that people need so they can access their information as they want, where they want and when they want. SP1 extends the capabilities and scenarios of Exchange Server 2007 available to customers, whether end users or administrators. Building on the success of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and based on customer feedback, SP1 adds significant value and functionality to each of the core pillars of Exchange Server 2007, while supporting the server as it remains a stable and high-performing messaging platform. Key New Features and Enhancements Built-in Protection Exchange Server 2007 offers built-in protective technologies to ensure business continuity, security, confidential messaging and regulatory compliance. In SP1, areas of enhancement for built-in protection include the following: | • | Standby Continuous Replication (SCR). This new high-availability feature helps organizations recover quickly from failures that affect an entire datacenter, such as a natural disaster or extended power outage. Mailbox data is replicated continuously to a standby server using Exchange Server’s built-in log file shipping technology. The standby server can be quickly activated if the primary server or datacenter goes offline. SCR is available in addition to the existing Local Continuous Replication and Cluster Continuous Replication options. | | • | Additional Exchange ActiveSync policies. New Exchange ActiveSync policies in SP1 build on Exchange Server 2007’s robust security and management features with new policies for synchronization, authentication and encryption policies. For businesses with more advanced data protection needs, SP1 offers device, network and application controls. These new features allow network administrators to help manage and secure Exchange ActiveSync-enabled mobile devices. | | • | Enhanced security. Additional features enable users to more securely send and receive encrypted mail, support S/MIME in Outlook® Web Access and ship logs over private networks. SP1 accelerates access to files protected by Information Rights Management (IRM) using IRM pre-fetching. Also, advanced security scenarios now include the Defense Message System for government and military deployments. | | • | Forefront support. Microsoft Forefront™ Security for Exchange Server SP1 integrates with Exchange Server 2007 SP1 to provide an extra layer of security for even greater protection and control. The new service pack for Forefront Security for Exchange Server features improvements in content filtering and manageability, as well as support for Windows Server® 2008. |
Anywhere Access Exchange Server 2007 increases employee productivity by enabling easy access to e-mail, voice mail, calendars and contacts from a variety of clients and devices at home, at work or on the move. Key features include unified messaging, speech-enabled auto-attendant, calendar concierge and self-service remote device wipe. New features in Exchange Server 2007 SP1 include the following: | • | Enhancements to Outlook Web Access. Microsoft reinitiates several key features for Outlook Web Access, including public folder accessibility, personal distribution lists, recovery of deleted items, monthly calendar view, automatic conversion of 2007 Microsoft Office system documents into WebReady documents (HTML), additional language support in spell check, and custom form support, providing the ability to customize an interface and add functionality from external applications. | | • | Enhanced integration with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. Exchange Server 2007 unified messaging goes beyond e-mail to deliver faxes and voice mail to Outlook. With Exchange Server 2007 SP1, people can retrieve voice mail messages from Microsoft Office Communicator with a single click. Also, certain Office Communications Server 2007- and Office Communicator 2007-qualified devices will be able to work with Exchange Server 2007 for additional functionality, such as a new message indicator that shows when a user has a new voice mail message. | | • | Improvements to unified messaging. Key improvements to unified messaging introduced by SP1 include enhanced improved caller ID resolution, fax tone detection, real-time audio support, and secure real-time protocol and simplified transport layer security/transmission control protocol (allowing end users a secure connection to corporate networks) configuration. |
Operational Efficiency | • | Exchange Server 2007 facilitates operational efficiency through capabilities that optimize hardware and networking investments and features that help increase administrator productivity, ensuring easy deployments and enabling Exchange Server to be an extensible platform for messaging communication. New features in Exchange Server 2007 SP1 include the following: | | • | Support for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista®. Exchange Server 2007 SP1 runs on Microsoft’s next-generation server platforms, including Windows Server 2003 SP2 and Windows Server 2008. The update also enables Exchange Server 2007 management tools to run on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. Among other benefits, Windows Server 2008 clustering will help to make it easier for companies to deploy geographically dispersed Exchange Server clusters. | | • | Increased administrator productivity. SP1 offers compatibility with Internet standards, specifically IPv6 support, advanced support of Exchange Server features through the Windows PowerShell™ Management Console, improvements in the command-line syntax, direct import/export of mailbox items from a PST, public folder management and additions to voice over Internet protocol security controls for unified messaging, Office Communications Server 2007 and POP/IMAP configuration. | | • | Platform extensibility. Web services are extended to enable a wide range of scenarios and support for open Web service APIs. There is also a new ability for developers to use Exchange Server 2007 as a development platform. |
Pricing and Availability SP1 is available at no additional cost to customers that have purchased Exchange Server 2007. SP1 is slated for release in the fourth quarter of 2007. More information on Exchange Server 2007 SP1 can be found on the Exchange Server Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/exchange. * Anywhere access requires Internet connectivity. Outlook Voice Access requires phone connectivity. | 
