The past week I have been playing with beta Exchange 2013. I know many enterprises will be asking is it worth the upgrade, and to me there are a few key items that would make me move to 2013.
My top 2 reason items are:
The new Exchange Online Protection is high on the list of enhancements Microsoft has provided. This cloud-based service provides malware and spam detection and protection. It also offers back-up email queueing for on-premises servers and usage analytics data, such as reporting, auditing and message tracing. Exchange Online Protection, which is an upgrade to Forefront Online Protection for Exchange, also features inbound message blocking, content filtering and transport rules. In my usage in the lab, seems to work very well.
The new Exchange also comes with a data loss prevention (DLP) capability that automates the detection, monitoring and protection of sensitive content and data on email based on pre-established policies, rules and exceptions. The DLP functionality can trigger a variety of actions, including stopping an outbound message or placing it in a moderation queue. It can also inform end users about potential violations of company policies regarding the type of data and content they're allowed to send via email, to promote awareness among employees. I found this feature/function not only work very well, but fills a significant gap in many organizations. I am impressed with this new feature.
The other feature is around the new mobile client that comes with 2013. We all know that the iPhone and other smartphone devices are used for email more and more everyday. This client works very well, and offers some native feature/function of the device.
The other one worth mentioning is around archiving. Microsoft highlight of Exchange 2013's architecture, which allows administrators to keep current and archived messages in the same mailbox infrastructure, as opposed to keeping them in separate repositories. With this "in-place archiving" technology, archived messages are more easily and quickly available to end users, and email management is simplified for administrators, who can address compliance and retention from a single repository, according to Microsoft. I found this feature clunky. In addition, am looking for the overall value to the enterprise.
Email archiving to me can not be a stand alone solution, but part of an overall enterprise information archive solution. Provide a search portal that allows you to find archived information, regardless if it is email, document, fax, or data. To me, this feature is efforts missed placed, and a feature around meta data tags to be used in an enterprise wide archive solution, part of Data Lifecycle Management of the company is better.
Overall, I am impressed with Exchange 2013. I like the enhanced security, the hybrid of online vs premise and continued interactions with SharePoint, Lync and other productivity tools.
Keep it positive!
Scott Arnett
scott.arnett@charter.net
About Me
- Scott Arnett
- Scott Arnett is an Information Technology & Security Professional Executive with over 30 years experience in IT. Scott has worked in various industries such as health care, insurance, manufacturing, broadcast, printing, and consulting and in enterprises ranging in size from $50M to $20B in revenue. Scott’s experience encompasses the following areas of specialization: Leadership, Strategy, Architecture, Business Partnership & Acumen, Process Management, Infrastructure and Security. With his broad understanding of technology and his ability to communicate successfully with both Executives and Technical Specialists, Scott has been consistently recognized as someone who not only can "Connect the Dots", but who can also create a workable solution. Scott is equally comfortable playing technical, project management/leadership and organizational leadership roles through experience gained throughout his career. Scott has previously acted in the role of CIO, CTO, and VP of IT, successfully built 9 data centers across the country, and is expert in understanding ITIL, PCI Compliance, SOX, HIPAA, FERPA, FRCP and COBIT.
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