What will Exchange Online offer?

As we covered in news last week, Microsoft is to offer Exchange hosting online in the UK, and a trial version is available now. Some readers have emailed asking for more info, so here you go.

According to Microsoft, Exchange Online is a hosted enterprise messaging solution based on Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, and it provides "advanced" e-mail features as well as calendaring, contact, and task management capabilities. Exchange Online also provides built-in spam control and virus scanning.

Microsoft has a whitepaper describing the services and features that are included with the Standard offering of Exchange Online.

According to the document, Exchange Online Standard provides
 
· Secure access: Microsoft Online Services are accessed via 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption. Anyone who intercepts a communication sees only encrypted text.

· Business continuity: Geographically dispersed Microsoft data centres are used to handle unscheduled service outages, with data centres acting as backups for each other: If one fails, the affected customers are transferred to another data centre with limited interruption of service. Microsoft has data centres in Dublin and Amsterdam within the EU.

· Intrusion monitoring: Microsoft continuously monitors the Microsoft Online Services systems for any unusual or suspicious activity. If Microsoft detects such activity, it investigates and responds appropriately. In the unlikely event that a significant incident occurs, the customer is notified.

· Security audits: Ongoing assessment of the Microsoft Online Services infrastructure ensures installation of the latest compliance policies and antivirus signatures, along with high-level configuration settings and required security updates.

· High availability: Microsoft Online Services have a 99.9 percent scheduled uptime. If a customer’s service is affected, Microsoft Online Services offers financial remedies subject to the terms and conditions of the service level agreement (SLA).

· Support: Web form and phone support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for the service administrator.

· Administration Center: This is a Web site that can be used by service administrators for managing all Microsoft Online Services. After logging on to the Microsoft Online Services Administration Center, service adminstrators can perform a number of common tasks such as add and delete users, add contacts and distribution lists in Exchange Online, and create and configure Microsoft SharePoint Online sites. The Administration Center is also where service adminstrators can download Microsoft Online Services software such as the Microsoft Online Services Sign In application, Directory Synchronization tool, and Migration Tools.

· My Company Portal: Your end users can log on to the My Company Portal Web site to launch Microsoft Online Services. They can access services such as e-mail, create a SharePoint site, download the Sign In application—and more.

· Sign In application: This tool allows Microsoft Online Services end users to sign in once and access all services without being prompted repeatedly for their password.

· Virus filtering: Microsoft Exchange Hosted Filtering automatically removes viruses and spam in incoming and outgoing e-mail. Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint scans for viruses in intracompany e-mail and in all documents that reside in SharePoint Online sites.

· Directory Synchronization tool: For subscribers with an on-premises Active Directory service deployment, this tool allows you to keep your on-premises Active Directory and the Microsoft Online Services directory in sync.