Microsoft will announce the release date of the next
version of its Exchange Server in the first half of 2005, but until
the upgrade arrives users can expect more management tools for
existing versions, the company said.
Due to the mission critical nature of Exchange, Microsoft will
continue to make large investments in providing tools for the
current and previous versions, said Exchange Server senior director
Kim Akers.
"We want to give customers the capabilities they need now
instead of just saying 'it's coming in the future'," Akers
said.
Exchange is server software that handles messaging and
collaboration capabilities including e-mail, considered one of the
most essential functions for most organisations.
Exchange Server 2003, the latest version of the software, was
released a year ago. Since then Microsoft has introduced a number
of tools to expand the capabilities of the software, including a
best practice analyser, which helps fix configuration problems, and
an antispam tool called Intelligent Message Filter.
This week the company also released Microsoft Operations Manager
(MOM) 2005, which supports Exchange Server 2003 availability.
RedMonk analyst James Governor believes that few Exchange users
are worried about when the next version of Exchange will be
released.
"A lot of Exchange shops want to see more management tools so
the real story is not Exchange as much as it is MOM and other
tools," Governor said.
And more tools are in the pipeline, according to Akers, who said
the company will let user demand for features dictate their plans.
She noted that new Exchange tools usually come out about every six
to nine months.
The latest tools, including the best practice analyser, will
most likely be incorporated into the next version of Exchange when
it is eventually released, Akers said.
Issues such as mobility and compliance frequently come up
frequently in discussions with customers, Akers said, so users
should expect the next version of Exchange to expand upon these
areas.
However, Microsoft is in no hurry to set down a specific road
map for the product since the demands of messaging and
collaboration are changing so rapidly, Akers said.
Another reason not to rush a new release is that some 40% of the
company's installed base of users are still on Exchange 5.5,
released in 1997, and many are in the process of upgrading to
Exchange 2003, Akers said.
Luke Radford, a UK IT professional, said that his company is
looking to move from Exchange 5.5 to 2003. In the meantime, it will
only implement additional tools to address specific problems since
Exchange is seen as a "central system", he said.
Radford questioned whether Microsoft's incremental release model
was part of an effort to buy time before issuing a new release.
Microsoft's decision to take its time on an Exchange upgrade
fits with the strategy laid out by company chairman Bill Gates, who
said that the company would focus on easing IT management rather
than "rushing to release" new products that are not
comprehensive.
Governor considered this a smart move given that enterprise
buying cycles have slowed since the 1980s and 1990s. The company
now faces the challenge of weighing when to release incremental
tools and upgrades and when to issue a fresh, new release,
however.
"It is the $64,000 question for Exchange as well as all of its
products," Governor said.
Scarlet Pruitt writes for IDG News Service