News: Software for Small Business

New Exchange Server Ready to Talk?

Exchange 12 offers new access opportunity: voice

by Keith R. Wheeler

2/15/2006

Microsoft has a new operating system on the way for later this year, Vista. An upgrade to Office is due out before 2007. Somewhere along the way, Microsoft plans on releasing a new version of their powerful and popular Exchange Server software. Exchange “12”, as it is currently named, is scheduled for a late 2006/early 2007 release to the general public. As is the case in the current release, Exchange 2003, Outlook Web Access will be a key component of the system. The ability to access the critical information on an Exchange Server from a web browser, OWA, is key to small businesses. Naturally, Microsoft claims a significantly improved version of OWA is part of Exchange “12” without providing much in the way of details. Along with a new version of OWA, Microsoft claims that there will be further alphabet soup in the form of OVA, Outlook Voice Access. The new version of Exchange has a unified messaging structure: collection point for email, faxes, and voice mails. This means that users can get more than just their voice mail when they call in via phone (provided that the small business has integrated their voicemail system into their Exchange Server). The Exchange Server will actually let you access email messages and calendar entries as well. In the case of the user stuck in traffic, access to OVA will let them update their calendar – even moving meetings and informing colleagues of the changes. Sounds like OVA could give further life to the ad line “Can you hear me now?”.