The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/230349
best practices Take the Plunge into Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 by Eli Nussbaum of Keno Kozie Associates Choosing the right time to upgrade Exchange can be a challenge. However, Microsoft is starting to make that decision for you, and if your firm is running Microsoft Exchange Server 2000 or 2003, you have no choice. Exchange 2000 has been out of support for several years, and Exchange 2003 will be out of support on April 8, 2014. While an argument can be made to keep the status quo for a working system, that decision would be a difficult one to justify if your system breaks — and not only is there no migration path, but Microsoft refuses to assist. Firms running Exchange 2007 and 2010 should also consider an upgrade. The sooner they do so, the sooner those firms can start taking advantage of the new features included in Exchange 2013. When To Upgrade For those still using Exchange 2000, the time to upgrade is as soon as possible since Microsoft is no longer supporting this version. Firms using Exchange 2003 should start planning their migration as Microsoft support for 2003 will cease early next year. Microsoft is not offering a direct upgrade from Exchange 2003 to 2013. Firms will need to prepare and budget for the changeover. This could mean migrating to Exchange 2010 (which has a direct migration path from 2003) and skipping Exchange 2013 in favor of a future release if Exchange 2013's features do not prove sufficiently compelling. Law firms that run Exchange 2007 should also consider upgrading. When it comes to features, Exchange 2013 is a vast improvement, and, if Microsoft's model holds true, there might not be a migration path to the next release without a forced interim migration to Exchange 2010 or 2013. Upgrading now, your firm can take advantage of Exchange 2013's features and obtain a return on investment for an upgrade that might ultimately be required anyway. While there is not a critical need, Exchange 2013 offers some compelling features and improvements that can justify the trade up for many firms, even those that are running Exchange 2010. 14 Peer to Peer There is a long-standing tradition in legal IT to wait until Microsoft has released at least one service pack before considering upgrading to a new application, operating system or server version. This often plays out as the deployment of a version after the newest release comes out (e.g., many firms are only now starting to deploy Windows 7 desktops). Many of us have been burned by operating on the bleeding-edge, and frequently our ancillary applications aren't yet ready for the latest and greatest Microsoft revision, so this is justifiable. However, while Microsoft has yet to release that first service pack for Exchange 2013, this could be an exception. Benefits of Exchange 2013 Law firms will find some intriguing benefits with the latest version of Exchange. In some cases, the features include those introduced in 2010, which have been expanded and improved upon. Both Exchange 2010 and 2013 include Database Access Groups (DAG) which allow for exceptionally high levels of availability and redundancy without the limitations inherent in previous versions of Exchange. Other improvements found in Exchange 2013: • Mailbox High Availability functionality is even more robust than in previous versions. • Public folders are now mailboxes and use the same DAG and High Availability technologies as user accounts. • Outlook Web Access now offers features previously only available on desktop versions of Outlook and presents them to desktops, tablets and smartphones with individually optimized interfaces. • Improved functionality for data loss prevention (DLP) allows law firms to identify, monitor and protect sensitive data before email messages are sent. DLP can inform, stop or just log users violating confidentiality policies.