Microsoft hits the road with Exchange 2010

Microsoft and its partners are embarking on a major UK tour next week to usher in the launch of Exchange 2010 and Windows IT Pro readers have been invited along for the ride.

The Exchange 2010 Launch Roadshow kicks off in partnership with POSTcti on November 23 at the City of Manchester Stadium, home of Manchester City Football Club. The tour then hits London's Park Plaza County Hall on November 25 for a team-up with Dimension Data and the IoD Hub in the City with EuroData Systems on November 26. BT Engage's site in Barlborough, Chesterfield, plays host to the Roadshow on December 1 which then travels to Microsoft's Edinburgh site in partnership with Exactive on December 2. The tour will conclude next year with another visit to the capital at Fujitsu's offices in Baker Street on January 26. Attendance to each event is free and you can find out more and register at the links on the dates above.

Speakers at the roadshow will highlight the cost savings that can be achieved with Exchange Server 2010. As an example, Microsoft says that an enterprise on Exchange 2010 with 100,000 mailboxes at 1GB could save 59% over Exchange 2003 with smaller mailboxes at 250MB. Furthermore, it says that if an organisation decides to retire some of its parallel infrastructure for voice mail or archiving this could potentially increase the savings to 75%.

Presenters will explain the end-user productivity improvements that can be made via features like conversation view, cross-browser support, mobile messaging experience, voice mail preview and auto attendant, calendar sharing and mail tips. There will also be a look at software/service delivery options, compliance through integrated RMS and legal hold, easier operations through RBAC and Exchange 2010's built-in HA and DR features.