Microsoft has expanded Exchange Server’s features, but the companies that need them may already have them.
The newest version of Microsoft’s Exchange Server is as significant a leap forward as the two other major platforms Microsoft introduced in 2006?Office 2007 and Windows Vista.
The changes to Exchange Server 2007, which became available in December, are numerous, including mobile support, integrated unified messaging, bundled anti-spam and anti-virus capabilities, a new Outlook Web Access interface, and new management tools. Nonetheless, upgrading from previous versions of the platform is not a no-brainer decision?Exchange Server 2007 brings many benefits but also substantial costs.
Exchange Server 2007 is priced at $699 for the Standard Edition and $3,999 for the Enterprise Edition. A client access license costs $69 per user or device for access to standard features. Access to advanced features?including unified messaging, compliance capabilities and Forefront Client Security (anti-virus and anti-spam)?costs an additional $25 per user or device.
The problem with some of Exchange Server 2007’s new features is that companies that need them probably already have them. For example, the advanced compliance tools work well, but companies that need to audit e-mail likely already have e-mail auditing tools in place.
So are companies wasting money each year on pointless purchases???????
