PDF version of this report
You must have Adobe Acrobat reader to view, save, or print PDF files. The
reader is available for free
download.
Microsoft
Exchange Server 2019
Copyright 2021, Faulkner Information Services. All
Rights Reserved.
Docid: 00016412
Publication Date: 2103
Report Type: PRODUCT
Preview
Microsoft’s Exchange Server is a messaging and collaboration software server
platform that features email, calendaring, and contacts, and also supports
mobile and Web-based applications. The original Exchange Server was released in
1996, with the most up-to-date version being Microsoft Exchange Server 2019,
which was released in October 2018. Recently Exchange Server has been the target
of ongoing attacks from both state-sponsored and independent hacking groups,
taking advantage of multiple vulnerabilities. Despite Microsoft’s patching of
the exploited flaws, unpatched systems remain high-profile targets. This report
reviews the key features and functions of Exchange Server 2019, along with its
requirements.
Report Contents:
- Description
- Related Faulkner Reports
- Vendor
- Applications
- Environment
- Support
- Pricing
- Competitors
- Web Links
Description
[return to top of this
report]
Related Faulkner Reports |
Microsoft Company Profile |
IBM Notes Product Profile |
Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 is the foundation for Microsoft’s Unified
Communications platform and is designed to lower messaging costs, boost
productivity, allow access to business communications from any location,
and provide security and compliance to protect important business
data. The newest version of Exchange Server, which was released in
late 2018, offers SHA-2 compliant S/MIME in Outlook on the Web, 17
additional languages, and an improved download package. Starting with CU1,
it is now packaged as ISO files instead of a self-extracting EXE file.
Exchange Server manages all business communications including email,
voicemail, and instant messaging from any platform, Web browser, or
device.
In March 2021, Microsoft announced it detected multiple zero-day exploits
being used to attack on-premises versions of Exchange Server in limited and
targeted attacks. The threat actor used the vulnerabilities to access
Exchange servers, which accessed email accounts and allowed for
the installation of additional malware to facilitate persistence in the victims’
environments. Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) attributed the
campaign to the Hafnium group, a state-sponsored actor supported by the Chinese
government.
While Microsoft quickly issued emergency fixes for the identified exploits,
the company soon reported that multiple other actors were also taking advantage
of unpatched systems to launch their own attacks on organizations with
on-premises Exchange Servers. In response, Microsoft issued a number of tools
to help both incident response teams and customers who do no have dedicated
security or IT teams identify indicators of compromise and apply the updates that will remediate and defend against the associated attacks.
Figure 1 displays Exchange Server 2019’s Web-based admin center
interface.
Figure 1. Exchange Server 2019 Admin Center
Source: Microsoft
Vendor |
Name: Microsoft Headquarters One Microsoft Way Redmond, WA 98052-6399 Phone: (425) 882-8080 Fax: (425) 706-7329 Web: http://www.microsoft.com/ Type of Vendor: Operating System and Application Software Provider Founded: 1975 Service Areas: Global Stock Symbol: MSFT (NASDAQ) |
Among the key new features offered in Exchange Server 2019 are:
- Improved search infrastructure
- Faster, more reliable failovers
- Metacache database
- Modern hardware support
- Dynamic database cache
- Calendar – Do Not Forward
- Calendar – Better Out of Office
- Calendar – Remove-CalendarEvents cmdlet
- Assign delegate permission via PowerShell
- Email address internationalization (EAI)
Exchange Server Technologies | Features |
---|---|
Cloud Transition |
|
Exchange Administration Center |
|
Exchange Online Protection |
|
In-Place Archive |
|
Site Mailboxes |
|
Web-based Apps for Outlook and Outlook Web Apps |
|
Voicemail with Unified Messaging | Voicemail with Unified Messaging is designed to reduce the administration required to manage voice messages. Within this feature, Microsoft offers:
|
Mailbox Resiliency | To support disaster recovery, backup, and high availability, Exchange can handle high volumes of mail through the following features:
|
Mobile Email with Exchange ActiveSyncI | The mobility features within Exchange Server enable users to have access to their communications on various compatible devices. These features include:
|
Outlook Web App | With Outlook Web App, users can access email, voicemail, instant messages, and SMS text messages through all major Web browsers. Outlook Web App features:
|
Management Tools | Microsoft Exchange Server’s management tools were created to help reduce the need for administration to handle common tasks. The management tools feature the following:
|
Information Protection and Control | To prevent unauthorized or accidental data distribution, Exchange Server can supervise email and apply appropriate levels of control based on each message’s sensitivity. Such controls include:
|
Email Archiving, Retention, and Discovery |
Since so many organizations have vast amounts of email messages, Exchange Server provides archiving, retention, and discovery capabilities which enable such data to be stored yet found quickly. The new features include:
|
Deployment | Exchange offers tools in an effort to make deployment simple. These include:
|
Security | In an effort to protect data and the overall messaging system, Exchange has implemented security features to deflect malware, control access to information, and guard against other types of attacks. The features are:
|
Applications
[return to top of this
report]
Microsoft touts Exchange Server as a full messaging system that utilizes
security features to meet the challenges like deployment, administration,
and compliance that enterprises face daily. Exchange Server has been used
by companies in a variety of markets which include financial, automotive,
systems integration, and food and beverages.
Environment
[return to top of this
report]
Exchange Server requires:
- Processor
- x64 architecture-based computer with Intel processor that supports
Intel 64 architecture (formerly known as Intel EM64T) - AMD processor that supports the AMD64 platform
- Intel Itanium IA64 processors are not supported
- x64 architecture-based computer with Intel processor that supports
- OS
- Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard or Datacenter
- Windows Server 2012 Standard or Datacenter
- Memory
- Mailbox 8GB minimum
- Edge Transport 4GB minimum
Hard Disk Drive
- At least 30 GB on the drive on which you install Exchange
- An additional 500 MB of available disk space for each Unified
Messaging (UM) language pack that you plan to install - 200 MB of available disk space on the system drive
- A hard disk that stores the message queue database on with at
least 500 MB of free space
- Drive – DVD, local, or network accessible
- File Format – Disk partitions must be formatted for
the NTFS file system
Support
[return to top of this
report]
Users can access support for Exchange Server via the support section of
Microsoft’s Exchange Server Web page. The Microsoft technical team has
posted various options for self-service help like documentation, blogs,
videos, files, and photos. Interested customers can also take a test drive
of Exchange Server’s features without a complete installation. The
Exchange Learning Portal, another sub-section of the support page, is
equipped with training resources that can assist users in learning about
and creating new applications for Exchange. A Support Contact section
links users to Microsoft’s local or worldwide Support Services Web site,
where they can view a list of Microsoft Professional Support phone
numbers. Microsoft also offers various support packages in tiers depending
upon the level of help that businesses need.
Pricing
[return to top of this
report]
For Server licenses and CALs, Exchange Server 2019 is offered in both a
Standard and Enterprise Edition. The Standard Edition is designed for small
to midsized organizations and supports one to five mailbox databases. The
Enterprise Edition supports 1 to 100 mailbox databases in large enterprises.
Exchange online costs $4.00 per user per month. Exchange online, which
offers unlimited storage and hosted voicemail, costs $8.00 per user per
month. Table 2 compares licensing for Microsoft Exchange Server 2019.
Product | Feature |
---|---|
Server Licenses | |
Standard Edition | Enables creation of up to five databases per Mailbox server role. |
Enterprise Edition |
Enables creating up to 100 databases per Mailbox server role. |
CAL Licenses | |
Standard CAL | Required for each user/device gaining access to the server, and entitles access rights to both editions of Exchange Server. |
Standard plus Enterprise CAL | Provides access to Unified Messaging and advanced compliance. |
Competitors
[return to top of this
report]
Exchange Server’s main competition comes from HCL’s Lotus Notes and
Domino, and Google Apps.
Web Links
[return to top of this
report]
- Google: http://www.google.com/
- HCL: http://www.hcltechsw.com/
- Microsoft: http://www.microsoft.com/
[return to top of this
report]