Microsoft Unveils Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 in Technology Preview

REDMOND, Wash. — Aug. 13, 2007 —Microsoft Corp. today announced Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) and opened a technology preview for the software. Exchange Server 2007 SP1 features enhancements such as support for Windows Server® 2008, enhanced integration with Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007, and improved mobile device management and advanced security technology.

Exchange Server 2007 SP1 also includes features that enhance the user experience in Outlook® Web Access, provide greater functionality in the Exchange Server 2007 Management Console, and deliver improved disaster recovery capabilities through Standby Continuous Replication. As part of the technology preview, nearly a million Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN®) and TechNet subscribers can download the service pack beta. Today more than 150,000 people are already testing the service pack at organizations such as the U.S. Army, Oconics and Windrush Frozen Foods Ltd.

“We took special interest in Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1, and put it through a rigorous, live-user test with over 7,500 soldiers and civilians around the world,” said Lt. Col. C.J. Wallington, director of the Army’s Advanced Technologies. “SP1 gives us more secure access to communications and information, and the cost savings with improved security in Exchange Server 2007 are immeasurable. We realize significant savings with respect to lower costs of user management because we now have a way for our users to authenticate to their mailbox with their Department of Defense Smart Card, which results in fewer password resets. More important, when we consider the risks our soldiers face due to insecure systems and poor security practices, a secure system means more than dollar savings — in our line of work it saves lives.”

Terry Myerson, general manager for Exchange Server at Microsoft, attributes the enthusiastic response of customers to the value Exchange Server 2007 provides in addressing the overall communications and collaboration needs of companies. “Microsoft continues to see increased growth and adoption of Exchange Server with approximately 3 million people representing 1,000 companies switching to Exchange Server and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server from Lotus Notes in the past year,” said Myerson. “With the new service pack, we have zeroed in on several areas of investment that are important to our customers, including support for Microsoft’s next-generation platforms and improved mobile device management. SP1 will drive added value for our customers, further establishing Exchange Server as the foundation of a unified communications platform.”

Key new features of Exchange Server 2007 SP1 unveiled today include these:

  • 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 make it easier for companies to deploy geographically dispersed Exchange Server clusters.

  • Enhanced integration with 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 2007 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.

  • 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. For businesses with more advanced data protection needs, Exchange Server 2007 SP1 offers device, network and application controls. These new features allow network administrators to help manage and secure Exchange ActiveSync-enabled mobile devices.

    • 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.

    • Enhanced security. Microsoft also unveiled Forefront™ Security for Exchange Server SP1, which integrates with Exchange Server 2007 SP1 to provide an extra layer of security for even greater protection and control. Forefront Security for Exchange Server includes multiple scan engines from industry-leading security firms integrated in a single solution to help protect against viruses, worms and spam. 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.

A complete description of the features in Exchange Server 2007 SP1 can be found in the Exchange Server 2007 SP1 fact sheet, which will be available at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/newsroom/servers/default.mspx. Both Exchange Server 2007 SP1 and Forefront Security for Exchange Server SP1 are expected to be generally available in the fourth quarter of 2007.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

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