In the middle of 2003, Microsoft plans to release an upgrade to Exchange Server 2000. Microsoft says the release, code-named "Titanium," won't require a major reinstallation, but will be analogous to the 1997 upgrade from Exchange 5.0 to 5.5. It will include improvements based on partner and customer feedback.

Malcolm Pearson, general manager of Microsoft's Exchange Server Business Unit, says that although 41 percent of Exchange customers are running Exchange 2000, many are still undergoing the upgrade from 5.5 to 2000, which requires a migration to Active Directory. The new release, then, will be designed as an easy update with minimal disruption.

Titanium will be ".NET-connected," Pearson says, and will offer new e-mail management functions for users and system management functions for administrators.

Improvements include:

• Mobile deployment: Pearson says Titanium will offer built-in mobile access that should make it easy and secure to setup, deploy, and manage Exchange on devices such as wireless laptops, Pocket PCs, and smart phones.
• Security: Administrators will also get new security technology in Titanium and Outlook 11 that will help stop e-mail-based viruses from spreading. Microsoft plans to enhance the virus-scanning API introduced in Exchange 2000 Service Pack 1, which will let third-party vendors develop Exchange-based security solutions.
• Server consolidation: "IT pros told us we did a great job with server consolidation in Exchange 2000, but that bandwidth limitations made it tough to consolidate when small numbers of users were out at remote sites," Pearson says. "With Titanium, we've found ways to get over those limitations."
• Deployment tools: These should help administrators get Exchange and Active Directory running smoothly, and ensure that Windows 2000 and Windows .NET Server Active Directory integrate smoothly with Exchange.
• Storage: A new backup and restore technology will be available in Windows.NET Server. Called "volume shadow copy," the technology will let administrators mirror the disk, making it easier to back up Exchange.