Microsoft Exchange Server Features and Benefits

Email

Exchange Server makes email much easier to use and administer.

• Centralized Address Lists: All email accounts are automatically added to the "Global Address List" which is available to all users.
  
  
• Centralized Groups: Groups of users (e.g. departments, committees etc.) can be created within ExchangeServer and then appear in the "Global Address List" which is available to all users when addressing email.

Public Folders

Public Folders are centralized folders that can be accessed by all users. Access to these folders can be restricted (by user or group) to provide whatever level of security is required. Public Folders can contain various kinds of information including contact info, appointments, Tasks, or Email. Some examples of public folders include:

• Contact information for clients/customers or vendors.
  
  
• Calendars to schedule the use of shared resources
  like meeting rooms.

Group Enabled Outlook Features

With Exchange Server, everything in Outlook becomes "shared". Your calendar, task list, inbox, etc. can all be viewed or modified by other users. You decide how much, if any, access you want to allow to your information.

Meeting Planner

Exchange Server features a Meeting Planner that enables you to select users for a meeting, checks each user's calendar to determine a free time, and then notifies each user and updates their calendars with the scheduled meeting.

Out of Office Assistant

Exchange Server provides a simple tool to notify others when you are out of the office. When you are preparing to be out of the office you can customize an email message, which will be automatically sent out when you receive email. You can even have your email forwarded to another person or mailbox so nothing falls through the cracks.

Outlook Web Access

Outlook Web Access is Web browser based version of Outlook with almost all the same features. It enables you to access your email, calendar, contacts, etc. any time, from any computer, via the internet.

Administration

Exchange Server provides easier and more complete administration of email. With standard POP3 email, everything is stored on each user’s individual PC. With Exchange Server, all the data is stored in a database on the server. There are many benefits to this:

• All email, contacts, calendars, etc. are included in the daily backup of the server. When a computer crashes or experiences a hard drive failure, the email will not be lost because it is stored on the server. If the server fails, the email can be restored from the backup.
  
  
• When a user gets a new computer, you don't need to move the email data file and email address lists to the new
  computer. When you have Exchange Server you just configure the new PC which mailbox to access on the server.
  
  
• Exchange server has some anti-spam features in place, adding another layer to your control of unwanted emails.