With a new version of nearly every product always on the horizon, you might be wondering if Exchange 2010 is simply another ploy to squeeze your wallet dry. After all, it’s just e-mail! But for anyone who has lived through Exchange migrations in the past, Exchange 2010 has a few features that might make your next migration a little bit simpler, while also giving your users something to rave about. Just a quick disclaimer, though: Exchange 2010 is still under development. Some features may change between now and when the product is released.
#1: Online Mailbox Moves
As you know, moving data takes time. Users with large mailboxes are usually the ones that are least willing to wait patiently while their mail moves (especially if that mailbox is moving to another location across a WAN connection!) In previous versions of Exchange, users were unable to access their mailbox while it was being moved. Users who were in cached mode and had Outlook open prior to the move were still able to access old mail, but new mail wasn’t available until after the move.
In Exchange 2010, mailboxes can be moved between different Exchange 2010 databases without any interruption in service. While this doesn’t directly help migrations from older versions of Exchange, organizations moving a mailbox to another site can first add an Exchange 2010 server to host the mailbox at the existing site in order to reduce downtime while data travels across slower connections.
#2: Database Availability Groups
One of the biggest complaints that I have heard from companies seeking a highly available Exchange 2007 solution is that doing so required a minimum of 4 servers. This is because no other roles could be installed on the same server as a clustered mailbox server. Doubling the number of servers adds cost, no matter how you slice it.
![[June 2009 Award Winner]](/imagesb/Serchen_Award_SaaSdir.com.jpg)
We are happy to announce that SaaS Directory has selected INetU Managed Hosting as June 2009’s number 1 provider for Microsoft Exchange Hosting.
