Gartner: Exchange 2007 to shape the future of email

In December Exchange 2007 will be release to manufacturing.  Gartner think its going to change the face of email.  Here's why:

Microsoft Exchange has about half of the market for corporate e-mail seats, with share
expected to grow steadily through the end of the decade. For that reason alone, a new
version of Exchange has the potential to set the direction for the e-mail market. While, as
expected, this new release (due 1Q07 and called Exchange 2007) improves
management, bumps scalability and adds security elements, the real news is that
Microsoft is changing the core notion of what services an e-mail system provides.

Key Findings

• Unified communications. With the inclusion of voice mail and fax capabilities, as well
  as integration with the voice components of Office Communications Server (OCS),
  Exchange 2007 moves from e-mail-only services to support for a broad spectrum of
  communication technologies.
• Expansion of access mechanisms. Exchange 2007's Direct Push mobile e-mail
  services, improved browser access, and voice interfaces to e-mail and calendar services
  will broadly expand the availability of rich e-mail services.
• Message control. Driven by an increase in regulations, and concerns over e-mail abuse
  and more aggressive record management programs, Exchange 2007 will add facilities
  for greater control of e-mail by allowing all messages (outbound or inbound) to be
  interrogated prior to delivery.
• Hosted messaging services. Some license options for Exchange 2007 include use of
  Microsoft-hosted, Internet-based spam and virus filtering services. Other Microsoft email
  hosting services such as continuity, archiving and encryption are also available.

Predictions

• Volume adoption of Exchange 2007 will begin in earnest in 2008, with the installed base
  reaching 40% in 2010 (0.7 probability).

Recommendations

• Via Exchange and Hotmail/MSN, Microsoft has more influence on the e-mail market
  and, consequently, the unified communications market, than any other vendor.
  Organizations must coordinate relevant Exchange plans with overall investments in
  collaboration and communication technologies, including voice.

To find out more about Exchange 2007, Vista and Office 2007 be sure to book a seat on my team's UK Cinema Tour this December!

 

Read the full report "Microsoft's Exchange 2007 Could Set the Future for EMail"

Comments

• Anonymous
  January 01, 2003
  The comment has been removed