Microsoft Gold-Certified Consultants

Introduction to Microsoft Exchange Server 2019
Exchange Server 2019 is an on-premises version of Exchange that supports hybrid deployments with Microsoft 365 Exchange Online. A headline enhancement is support for Windows Server 2019 Core, which minimizes the surface area exposed to malware attack and eliminates unneeded services that waste resources. Improvements over Exchange Server 2016 include enhanced security and compliance, higher performance and scale, and a variety of new email client features.

The Mailbox and Edge Transport server roles as well as management tools for Exchange Server 2019 require Windows Server 2019 Standard or Datacenter. Also, Exchange 2019 no longer includes the Unified Messaging (UM) role, and so does not provide voicemail or auto attendant services. If you are upgrading from Exchange 2013 or Exchange 2016 and have deployed UM services, Microsoft recommends that you move to Microsoft Cloud Voicemail Service in Microsoft 365. Skype for Business 2019 uses this voice messaging service for Exchange 2019 mailboxes. Generally, migration to Exchange 2019 can require an all-out modernization effort.

Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can assist you with any facet of your migration to Exchange 2019 from Exchange Server 2016, Exchange 2013, or from legacy versions of Exchange Server. Progent offers online and onsite expertise for solution design; implementing hybrid architectures; building test lab environments; deploying high availability technology including hardware load balancing (HLB) and high availability (HA) DAG groups; reviewing server and CAL licensing compliance; configuring host systems based on Windows Server 2019; setting up Windows Hyper-V virtualization; updating your voicemail services; and calculating storage requirements for VMs, databases and logs. Progent's Exchange consultants are available to provide on-demand support to help you resolve an occasional technical impasse or Progent can deliver end-to-end project management or co-management services to make sure your Exchange Server 2019 migration is carried out on schedule and within budget.

Exchange Server 2019 Architecture
Exchange Server 2019 is built on the streamlined architecture introduced by Exchange Server 2016. This design consolidates transport services, mailbox databases, and client access services in the Mailbox server. This dramatically simplifies migration, deployment, scale, administration, and troubleshooting. The optional Edge Transport Server role includes filtering agents that allow your perimeter network to manage Internet-facing mail flow and protect against data leakage, spam and viruses.

Exchange 2019 Mailbox and Edge Transport servers and management tools require Standard or Datacenter versions of Windows Server 2019 or later. To manage these servers from a Windows client requires Windows 10 or Windows 11. (Exchange 2016 can be run on Windows Server 2012 R2 and managed with Windows 8.1 or later.) Progent can provide online or onsite Windows Server 2022 integration expertise, Windows Server 2019 consulting, Windows 11 planning and migration consulting and Windows 10 integration expertise to help you modernize your messaging environment.

Security and Performance Improvements in Exchange Server 2019
Exchange 2019 is optimized for running on Windows Server 2019 Core, which provides the most secure environment for hosting Exchange 2019. You can also run Exchange 2019 on Windows Server 2019 with Desktop Experience, although this option exposes a larger attack service for malware. Out of the box, Exchange Server 2019 uses Transport Layer Security protocol version 1.2 (TLS 1.2) and removes legacy ciphers and hashing algorithms. Several standards organizations mandate the use of TLS 1.2. Another security improvement is the ability in Exchange 2019 to prevent external users from accessing the Exchange admin center (EAC) and the Exchange Management Shell. This means you can require that the administration of Exchange can only be performed from within the security perimeter of your network.

For improved performance and scale, Exchange Server 2019 can utilize 48 processor cores (vs. 24 for Exchange 2016) and 256GB of RAM (vs. 192GB for Exchange 2016). Recommended minimum in-box memory has been increased to 128GB. The proven search infrastructure used by Exchange Online has been ported to Exchange Server 2019 to deliver higher search performance and faster database failovers, support larger files for indexing, and simplify management. Exchange Server 2019 also allows larger disk drives. To counter the increased latency associated with high-capacity spinning disks, the new MetaCacheDatabase (MCDB) feature of Exchange 2019 enables you to set up solid state disk (SSD) caching when you configure Database Availability Groups (DAGs). Based on technology developed for Exchange Online, MCDB can dramatically enhance the responsiveness of the end user experience. Performance is further improved by changes in Exchange 2019 algorithms that make more RAM available for caching active database copies. These improvements in Exchange Server 2019 make it possible to scale each server to support more users, integrate larger disk drives, and increase the responsiveness of many end-user operations.

Changes for Exchange Server 2019 Clients
Exchange 2019 supports Outlook 2013, 2016 and 2019. Improvements to the client experience include the Do-Not-Forward feature that allows only a meeting's organizer to invite additional attendees. Out-of-Office (OOF) options have also been expanded. In addition, a new Remove-CalendarEvents cmdlet allows admins to remove calendar events organized by an employee who has left the company.

Cloud Voicemail for Exchange Server 2019
Exchange Server 2019 does not provide the Unified Messaging (UM) services incorporated in previous versions of Exchange. These services include voicemail and auto attendant. Skype for Business 2019 relies on Microsoft Cloud Voicemail Service to provide voice messaging functions for Exchange 2019 mailboxes. (Skype for Business 2019 continues to support Exchange UM services for Exchange 2013 and Exchange 2016.) Microsoft recommends that customers upgrading to Exchange 2019 migrate to Skype for Business Server 2019 and use Microsoft Cloud Voicemail Service. Exchange Server 2019 and Skype for Business 2019 can be configured in a hybrid architecture with a mix of Exchange 2019 and Exchange Online mailboxes so that both on-premises Exchange 2019 users and Exchange Online cloud users have full access to advanced voice messaging services.

This voice messaging solution offers voicemail answering and deposit; voice-to-text and text-to-voice transcription; voice mail access via Outlook or Skype for Business clients; voicemail management via the M365 portal; and hybrid support for Exchange mailboxes on premises or in the cloud. Management is simplified because you have a uniform set of control tools for both Exchange 2019 and Exchange Online mailboxes. Progent can help you follow best practices to configure a hybrid topology that allows all your Exchange users to connect to the Microsoft Cloud Voicemail service.

How Progent Can Help You Deploy and Maintain Exchange 2019
Exchange 2003 has reached end of life. Exchange 2007 and Exchange 2010 have become legacy email platforms. Exchange Server 2019, Windows Server 2019, Skype for Business 2019, and SharePoint 2019 have all been revamped with Microsoft's proven cloud technology and optimized for hybrid deployments. All this makes it prudent to consider modernizing your messaging and collaboration infrastructure. Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can assist you to evaluate the business advantages and technical hurdles associated with migrating to Exchange Server 2019 and related modern platforms; decide whether an on-premises, cloud, or hybrid architecture works best for your organization; plan and document a deployment strategy that makes efficient use of your current resources; and carry out a migration from your existing Exchange deployment to a modern messaging solution based on Exchange 2019.

Progent's certified Exchange consultants can help businesses of all sizes to follow leading practices for designing and implementing a cost-effective migration to Exchange 2019 from Exchange 2016, Exchange 2013, Exchange 2010, Exchange 2007, or Exchange 2003. Progent can provide a broad range of online and onsite services such as design review; architecture planning and documentation; setting up Windows Server 2019 Core to host Exchange 2019; integrating Skype for Business 2019 and Microsoft Cloud Voicemail Service; preparing the schema, domain, and forest for Exchange Server 2019; designing and configuring Database Availability Groups (DAGs) and hardware load balancing (HLB) for high availability (HA) and rapid restore; setting up DirSync; updating the firewall, creating SSL certs and resolving SSL issues; configuring IIS; writing PowerShell scripts; and verifying mail flow.

Progent's certified Windows Server 2019 consultants, Skype for Business specialists, SharePoint 2019 consultants and Microsoft 365 integration experts can help you create modern, integrated collaboration solutions based on Exchange Server 2019. To support mobility with Exchange 2019, Progent can provide iPhone and iPad integration and Android phone and tablet consulting. Progent's load balancing consultants are experienced in implementing and debugging affordable technology from leading vendors such as Barracuda, Cisco, Citrix NetScaler, Coyote Point/Fortinet, Kemp Technologies, and NGINX.

Progent's disaster recovery and business continuity planning experts can assist you to design, deploy and test a disaster recovery strategy for Exchange 2019 based on multiple physical data centers or a mix of physical and cloud resources. Progent's certified cybersecurity consultants can design and enforce email security policies that comply with business and government standards. Progent's Cisco CCIE certified network consultants can assist you to plan, configure and debug an efficient, protected, and robust network infrastructure for your Exchange 2019 deployment. Progent has more than 20 years of experience working with Microsoft's Exchange platform and can help you adhere to industry best practices to proceed smoothly through the critical stages of coexistence, proof of concept, mailbox migration, technology retirement, debugging, training, and tuning.

Microsoft 365 Integration with Local Exchange
Microsoft has made a strong effort to enable transparent hybrid environments that integrate Microsoft 365 and on-premises Exchange. This permits you to have specific Exchange mailboxes located on your physical datacenter and other mailboxes hosted by Microsoft 365. Progent's Microsoft-certified Exchange consultants can help your organization with any facet of planning, integrating and debugging your hybrid Exchange network. Progent's Exchange specialists can provide as-needed support to help you resolve challenging technical problems and also can provide comprehensive project management outsourcing or co-sourcing to ensure your hybrid Exchange initiative is carried out on schedule and on budget. To find out more about Progent's online consulting services for integrating Microsoft 365 and on-premises Exchange systems, refer to Microsoft 365 integration with on-prem Exchange.

Download Progent's Microsoft Exchange 2019 Migration Support Datasheet
To download a datasheet about Progent's migration consulting services for Microsoft Exchange Server 2019, click:
Progent's Microsoft Exchange 2019 Migration Expertise Datasheet. (PDF - 101 KB)

Progent's Consulting Services for Microsoft Technology
For companies of any size anywhere in the U.S., Progent's Microsoft-authorized experts offer affordable online computer assistance and IT consulting services for the entire family of Microsoft .NET servers. Progent can provide Windows Server 2022 planning and integration services, Windows Server 2019 upgrade expertise, Windows Server 2016 hybrid cloud solutions, Windows Server 2012 R2 migration support, Windows Server 2008 expertise, and Microsoft Windows 2003 Server technical support. Progent's migration, integration, optimization, and support capabilities include network design, deployment, and administration outsourcing for project analysis and documentation, on-site and off-site IT help and network repair, Help Desk Call Center Support, comprehensive security consulting, full-service outsourcing, and ProSight Virtual Hosting.

Progent in addition can deliver a wide array of remote desktop support including Windows 11 planning and upgrade assistance, Windows 10 configuration consulting, Microsoft Windows 8.1 consulting expertise, Windows 7 support, moving to 64-bit computing, Office and Microsoft 365 integration, and automating desktop configuration.

In case your business needs urgent remote help from a certified engineer, visit Progent's Emergency Remote Network Help.

Find out more about Progent's Support for Microsoft Servers.

In order to ask Progent about consulting help for MS Exchange Server technology, call 1-800-993-9400 or go to Contact Progent.