Overview of Exchange Server 2019
Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 ExpertsMicrosoft Exchange Server 2019 is an on-premises release of Exchange that enables hybrid implementations with Microsoft 365 Exchange Online. A headline feature is support for Windows Server 2019 Core, which minimizes the surface area exposed to a cybersecurity attack and eliminates unneeded server roles that waste network resources. Improvements over Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 include enhanced data protection, greater performance and scale, and a multitude of novel email client features.

The Mailbox and Edge Transport services as well as management utilities for Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 require Windows Server 2019. Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 no longer includes the Unified Messaging role, and therefore does not provide voicemail or auto attendant support. If your organization are moving from Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 or Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 and have implemented UM services, Microsoft recommends that you move to the Cloud Voicemail Service offered in Microsoft 365. Skype for Business 2019 and Microsoft Teams use this voice messaging service for Microsoft Exchange 2019 mailboxes. Generally, migration to Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 can require a serious modernization project.

Progent's Microsoft consultants can help you with any facet of your upgrade to Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 from Microsoft Exchange Server 2016, Microsoft Exchange 2013, or from legacy releases of Exchange Server. Progent can provide remote and on-premises expertise for system design; configuring hybrid deployment models; building test lab environments; incorporating fault-tolerant techniques such as HLB and DAG groups; reviewing licensing compliance; setting up host servers powered by Microsoft Windows Server 2019; setting up Hyper-V virtual machines; upgrading your voicemail system; and quantifying disk storage needs for virtual machines, critical databases and logs. Progent's Microsoft Exchange Server consultants are on call to deliver on-demand support to help you resolve an occasional technical bottleneck or Progent can provide end-to-end project management services to ensure your Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 upgrade is carried out on time and on budget.

Exchange Server 2019 Design
Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 is engineered on the efficient architecture used for Exchange Server 2016. This architecture consolidates transport services, mailboxes, and user access services in the Exchange Mailbox server. This dramatically simplifies upgrades, deployment, scale, management, and troubleshooting compared to legacy versions of Microsoft Exchange Server. The Edge Transport Server role comes with filtering agents that allow your perimeter network to manage Internet-facing mail traffic and guard against information leakage, spam and malware.

Microsoft Exchange 2019 Architecture Consultants

Exchange 2019's compact design makes it easier to manage than legacy versions

Microsoft Exchange 2019 Mailbox and Edge Transport servers and management utilities need Standard or Datacenter editions of Microsoft Windows Server 2019. To manage these servers from a Windows client requires an up-to-date 64-bit version of Windows 10. (Exchange 2016 can be run on Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 and managed with Windows 8.1 or later.) Progent can provide remote or on-premises Windows Server 2019 deployment expertise, Windows 11 planning and upgrade consulting, and Windows 10 deployment consulting to help your business update your Exchange environment.

Cybersecurity and Speed Improvements in Exchange Server 2019
Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 is tuned for running on Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Core, which offers the safest deployment for Exchange Server 2019. You can also run Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 on Windows Server 2019 with Desktop Experience, although this alternative presents a larger target for malware exploits. Out of the box, Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 uses Transport Layer Security protocol version 1.2 (TLS 1.2) and replaces outdated ciphers. Several standards organizations require the use of TLS 1.2. Another security enhancement is the capability in Exchange Server 2019 to prevent external users from connecting to the Exchange admin center console and the management shell. This means you can make sure that the management of Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 can occur exclusively from inside the security perimeter of your system.

For improved throughput and expandability, Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 can use up to 48 processor cores (as opposed to 24 with Exchange 2016) and 256GB of RAM (vs. 192GB for Exchange 2016). Suggested minimum in-box RAM has been increased to 128GB. The proven search technology incorporated in Exchange Online has been ported to Exchange Server 2019 to deliver improved search response and faster database failovers, allow larger files for indexing, and streamline administration. Exchange Server 2019 also allows bigger disk drives. To counter the longer latency characteristic of high-capacity spinning disk drives, the new MCDB technology of Exchange Server 2019 enables you to configure SSD caching when you implement Database Availability Groups (DAGs). Based on features originally developed for cloud-hosted Exchange Online, MCDB can significantly improve the quality of the end user experience. Performance is also increased by improvements in Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 algorithms that make more RAM available for caching active database copies. These enhancements in Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 make it practical to scale each server to support more users, integrate higher capacity disk drives, and improve the responsiveness of many end-user operations.

Changes for Exchange Server 2019 Clients
Exchange Server 2019 can be used with Outlook 2013, 2016 and 2019. Enhancements to the client interface include the Do-Not-Forward function that allows only a conference's organizer to create invitations other attendees. Out-of-Office features have also been expanded. Also, a Remove-CalendarEvents cmdlet enables administrators to remove calendar events organized by an employee who is no longer with the company.

Cloud Voicemail for Exchange 2019
Exchange Server 2019 does not provide the Unified Messaging (UM) services offered in prior versions of Exchange. Unified Messaging services include voicemail and auto attendant. Microsoft Skype for Business 2019 relies on Microsoft Cloud Voicemail Service for voice messaging support for Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 mailboxes. (Skype for Business 2019 still supports Exchange UM services for Microsoft Exchange 2013 and Microsoft Exchange Server 2016.) Microsoft suggests that organizations moving to Microsoft Exchange 2019 adopt Skype for Business Server 2019 and use Microsoft Cloud Voicemail Service. Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 and Skype for Business 2019 can be deployed in a hybrid architecture with a combination of Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 and Exchange Online mailboxes so that both local Exchange 2019 clients and Exchange Online cloud users have full access to the latest voice messaging features.

Exchange 2019 Voicemail Experts

Exchange 2019 enables hybrid integration with Microsoft's Cloud Voicemail Service

This hybrid voice messaging solution offers voicemail answering and deposit; voice-to-text and text-to-voice transcription; voice mail access through either Microsoft Outlook or Skype for Business; voicemail management via the Microsoft 365 portal; and hybrid support for Microsoft Exchange mailboxes on premises or in the cloud. Administration is simplified because you have a uniform collection of control tools for both Microsoft Exchange 2019 and Microsoft Exchange Online mailboxes. Progent can assist your business to adhere to best practices to plan and implement a hybrid topology that allows all your Exchange users to access the Cloud Voicemail service.

How Progent Can Assist You to Configure and Manage Exchange Server 2019
Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 has reached end of life (EOL). Exchange 2007 and Exchange 2010 are all legacy platforms. Exchange Server 2019, Windows 2019, Microsoft Skype for Business 2019, and SharePoint Server 2019 have all been enhanced with Microsoft's tested cloud environment and optimized for hybrid network models. Under these circumstances, it is prudent to consider modernizing your email and groupware environment. Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can help your business to assess the strategic benefits and integration challenges associated with moving to Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 and related advanced platforms; determine if an onsite, cloud, or hybrid network model works best for you; plan and document a deployment plan that makes efficient use of your current assets; and carry out an upgrade from your current Exchange deployment to a modern email solution based on Exchange 2019.

Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can assist organizations of any size to adhere to leading practices for planning and implementing a cost-effective upgrade to Microsoft Exchange 2019 from Exchange 2016, Exchange 2013, Exchange 2010, Exchange 2007, or Exchange 2003. Progent offers a wide array of remote and on-premises guidance including project design review; architecture documentation; setting up Windows Server 2019 Core to run Exchange Server 2019; implementing Skype for Business 2019 and Microsoft Cloud Voicemail Service; diagramming the network schema, domain, and forest for Microsoft Exchange 2019; designing and implementing Database Availability Groups (DAGs) and hardware load balancing (HLB) for HA and fast restore; implementing DirSync; tuning your firewalls, generating SSL certs and troubleshooting SSL issues; setting up IIS; creating PowerShell scripts; and checking mail flow.

Exchange Server 2019 Database Availability Groups (DAGs) Configuration Consultants

Progent can help you design and set up DAGs and load balancing for Microsoft Exchange 2019

Progent's certified Windows Server 2019 experts, Microsoft Skype for Business specialists, Microsoft SharePoint 2019 solution design consultants and Microsoft 365 integration consultants can assist your business to build advanced, integrated collaboration solutions based on Exchange 2019. To support mobile devices with Microsoft Exchange Server 2019, Progent can provide Apple iOS consulting and Android smartphone expertise. Progent's load balancing consultants are skilled at implementing and debugging cost-effective solutions from leading vendors like Barracuda, Cisco, Citrix NetScaler, Fortinet, and NGINX.

Progent's disaster recovery/business continuity preparedness experts can help your organization to design, deploy and test a disaster recovery/business continuity plan for Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 that uses multiple geo-dispersed IT facilities or a combination of physical and cloud-based resources. Progent's CISSP and CISA certified security and compliance experts can design and configure company-wide mail policies that comply with corporate standards and government mandates. Progent's Cisco CCIE-certified infrastructure experts can help your organization to design, configure and troubleshoot an affordable, secure, and robust network infrastructure for your Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 solution. Progent has over two decades of background supporting Microsoft's Exchange platform and can help you follow leading practices as you proceed through the critical phases of Exchange migration including coexistence, pilot testing, mailbox migration, technology decommissioning, troubleshooting, education, and optimization.

Microsoft 365 Exchange Online Integration with On-prem Exchange
Microsoft 365 Integration with on-premises ExchangeMicrosoft supports transparent hybrid environments that combine Microsoft 365 Exchange Online and local installations of Exchange. This allows you to have certain Exchange mailboxes hosted at your on-premises datacenter or private cloud and other mailboxes resident on Microsoft 365. Progent's Microsoft-certified Exchange consultants can help your organization with any facet of designing, integrating and debugging your hybrid Exchange network. Progent's Exchange consultants can provide occasional expertise to help you resolve challenging technical issues and also offer comprehensive project management outsourcing or co-sourcing to ensure your hybrid Exchange solution is successfully completed on time and on budget. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for hybrid Microsoft 365 and on-prem Exchange environments, visit Microsoft 365 integration solutions with local Exchange.

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

If you wish to get in touch with Progent about professional support for Microsoft Exchange Server integration, call 1-800-993-9400 or see Contact Progent.