Microsoft Gold-Certified Consultants
Exchange Server 2013 Help:
Planning, Deployment, Problem Solving
Introduction to Microsoft Exchange Server 2013
Microsoft Exchange 2013 builds on the proven technology of Exchange 2010. Existing features have been enhanced, new ones have been added, and a sleek new architecture simplifies configuration, administration, and expansion. The result is a messaging system that is easier to manage, less likely to fail, more secure and compliant, less expensive to provision and operate, faster, more supportive of team projects, and simpler for end users to learn and use. Exchange Server 2013 is designed to run in the cloud, at an on-premises datacenter, or in a hybrid environment. Although Exchange 2013 can work with many legacy servers from Microsoft, to realize all the advantages of Exchange 2013 requires the most current releases of Windows Server, SharePoint, and Lync.
Progent's Microsoft-certified consulting experts can help you evaluate the advantages and risks of upgrading to Exchange 2013 and can provide comprehensive project management services for migrating from an older version of Exchange or from a different messaging platform. Progent can help you design your Exchange environment, develop a testing and roll-out plan, prepare Active Directory forest and its domains to support your Exchange 2013 environment, integrate your collaborative applications with Exchange 2013, create a suitable security and compliance strategy, and train your IT staff on leading practices for managing Exchange 2013. Progent also offers both online and onsite consulting and troubleshooting services as well as 24x7 system monitoring. Whether you are looking for occasional help in deploying and maintaining Exchange 2013 or you need full-service project management, Progent has the expertise to make sure you derive maximum business value from your Exchange 2013 solution.
If you are currently running Exchange Server 2013 and want to upgrade your Exchange environment, Progent can help you implement a seamless Exchange Server 2016 migration.
Important enhancements to Exchange Server 2013 include:
Exchange 2013 cuts the number of core server roles in half by consolidating them into the Client Access server role (CAS) and the Mailbox server role (MBX). This simplified architecture allows more efficient hardware utilization, more flexible and less complex deployment and administration, plus lower cost and easier to manage load balancing.
Exchange 2010 is managed primarily by the Exchange Management Console (EMC) and the Exchange Control Panel (ECP). With Exchange 2013, the functions of the EMC and ECP have been consolidated, and in many cases enhanced, in the web-based Exchange admin center (EAC). Various tools have also been incorporated into the EAC as well as brand new functions. Web access to the EAC frees administrators from being tied to a specially provisioned desktop. Centralized control simplifies training and saves on the cost of managing Exchange.
Exchange 2013 provides major improvements to this popular and powerful feature introduced by Exchange 2010 to improve the availability and resilience of Exchange Mailbox servers. Enhancements to Database Availability Groups such as managed availability, multiple databases per disk, managed store, and autoreseed help to improve fault tolerance and failover speed and lower operating costs.
Exchange 2013 supports an improved version of Outlook Web App that simplifies the management of portable devices and enhances the productivity of mobile workers. OWA offers stronger support for iPhones and iPads, the ability to work offline, plus better handling of contacts, calendars, and presence.
Exchange 2013 expands the possibilities for collaboration and simplifies compliance through tight integration with SharePoint 2013 and Lync 2013. Innovations such as site mailboxes, unified contact store, and in-place eDiscovery take advantage of Exchange, SharePoint, and Lync cross-product functionality to boost productivity and cut management costs.
Streamlined Architecture
Exchange 2013 now has only two core server roles, CAS (Client Access server ) and MBX (Mailbox server). The optional Edge Transport server role is available for environments that require a perimeter network. The MBX incorporates Client Access protocols, Transport service, Mailbox databases, and Unified Messaging. All these functions are handled by separate server roles in Exchange 2010, which added to the complexity of deployment and management.
The Exchange 2013 Client Access server is a thin, stateless server where nothing is queued or stored and which supports HTTP, POP and IMAP, and SMTP protocols. Because the Client Access server proxies all user connections to a specified Mailbox server, session affinity is not necessary at the CAS servers. Eliminating the session affinity requirement (known as "session indifference") does away with the need for expensive and complex Layer 7 load balancing that is protocol aware. Inbound connections to CAS servers can be load balanced using inexpensive Layer 4 techniques such as least connection or round-robin. The new architecture of Exchange 2013 also provides version upgrade flexibility and, by lowering the required number of namespaces for a resilient site design from 8 to 2, dramatically simplifies deployment.
Centralized Management
Exchange Server 2013 consolidates management tools and enhances management options through the Exchange admin center (EAC). This web-based tool combines the functions of the Exchange Management Console (EMC) and the Exchange Control Panel (ECP) introduced in Exchange 2010. The EAC also adds the functionality of various stand-alone management tools and utilities while providing additional features that were previously unavailable. Because the EAC is web based, Exchange managers are no longer limited to a dedicated desktop PC that has to be provisioned and kept up to date with specialized software. By providing centralized, site-independent control over any Exchange environment (local, cloud, or hybrid), the EAC cuts management training time and reduces management workloads.
New or enhanced features incorporated into the EAC include a vastly expanded list view, a new notification viewer for long-running processes, and improved Group management. Importantly, you can partition Internet vs. intranet access at the level of the virtual directory in IIS, allowing managers to control whether users can access the EAC via the Internet from outside your organization, while at the same time permitting end-user access to Outlook Web App Options.
Database Availability Group (DAG) Improvements
In Exchange 2013, the basic unit of high availability for mailbox servers continues to be the database availability group (DAG), which relies on Windows Server failover clustering and supports file and block mode for continuous replication. Improvements to DAG technology introduced with Exchange 2013 address availability, failover speed, fault isolation, resource utilization, and support for public folders.
Exchange 2013 DAG now supports managed availability by providing integrated monitoring and recovery features that can anticipate and ward off failures, restore services, launch failovers, and send alerts to administrators. The Exchange Store in Exchange 2010 has been renamed "Managed Store" and revamped to offer improved availability and faster failover. Exchange 2013 offers improved disk utilization by supporting multiple databases per disk, and the new AutoReseed feature improves the speed at which the contents of a failed redundant disk can be copied to a backup disk. Because public folders are now stored in mailbox databases, they benefit from the high availability provided by DAG technology.
Improved Outlook Web App
Outlook Web App (OWA) works with supported browsers to allow users to access their Exchange mailbox from virtually any computing device connected to the web. Exchange 2013 supports a new version of OWA with a redesigned set of interfaces to match the client's type of computer (desktop, smartphone, or tablet) and a variety of features that improve usability, collaboration, and productivity.
Offline access allows OWA users to get work done even without a web connection. Lync support allows OWA users to see and manage IM contacts and groups and to conduct Instant Messaging sessions. Microsoft has developed two apps, OWA for iPhone and OWA for iPad, that simplify the sign-in process and support offline email access. Contact linking allows you to link, automatically or manually, multiple entries for the same person to create a single contact card that shows the combined information. Calendar views have been enhanced to show multiple calendars in a merged view, display an agenda for a selected day, and provide item details via pop ups. New controls permit you to accept/decline meetings and edit or delete appointments, and users can search simultaneously across primary and archive mailboxes. Developers can now produce OWA apps for distribution at Office.com, and users can integrate OWA apps from the Office marketplace.
Tighter Integration with SharePoint and Lync
Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 offers tight integration with SharePoint 2013 and Lync 2013. Together, these platforms can form the basis of a solid solution for collaboration and compliance. By allowing features such as eDiscovery, archiving, and in-place hold to be managed centrally and performed seamlessly on Exchange mailboxes, SharePoint web sites and documents, and Lync content, this cross-platform integration makes it easier to coordinate team projects and comply with regulatory requirements or internal standards. (For information about Progent's consulting and application development services for SharePoint 2013, see SharePoint Server 2013 Migration and Development Support.)
The new site mailbox allows project members to share Exchange emails and SharePoint documents through Outlook 2013. The new unified contact store (UCS) feature makes it possible for contact information stored in Exchange 2013 to be accessible from Lync, Exchange, Outlook, and Outlook Web App (OWA). OWA users can also see Instant Messaging groups and contacts in the OWA Navigation Panel and conduct IM sessions from within OWA. SharePoint 2013's new eDiscovery Center provides a single interface for compliance officers to locate, hold, and analyze immutable in-place data from Exchange 2013 mailboxes, SharePoint 2013 websites, and archived Lync 2013 content. Exchange 2013 can now store user profile photos for sharing via SharePoint 2013, Lync 2013, and OWA. A low-res version of each photo is also stored in Active Directory. This spares users the trouble of storing their profile photos individually in each application.
Additional Enhancements to Exchange 2013
Exchange 2013 features important additional enhancements, many of which concern security and compliance. Exchange 2013's improved Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solution includes advanced and extensible transport rules, monitoring, and policy tips for clients. These enhancements help enforce compliance policies and prevent sensitive data contained in email from being leaked or lost. In-Place Hold is a new unified hold model that allows you to comply with legal hold requirements by protecting email messages from deletion, alteration, and tampering.
Exchange 2013 also lets you archive Lync 2013 content in a user's mailbox and use In-Place eDiscovery to search archived Lync content. New Messaging records management (MRM) features in Exchange 2013 help you to enforce your organization's email lifecycle policies. Retention policies now support Calendar and Tasks retention tags. Another new feature is a basic level of anti-malware protection incorporated into Exchange 2013. This uses the same anti-virus engine as System Center Endpoint Protection and is easy to configure and monitor. You can also disable Exchange 2013 anti-malware protection if you prefer to use another solution.
Progent's Consulting Services for Microsoft Exchange Server 2013
Progent's Microsoft-certified Exchange consultants can help you assess the business advantages and technical risks associated with moving to Exchange 2013 from your current messaging environment. Progent can assist you to upgrade to Exchange 2013 while keeping your current hardware or migrate to Exchange 2013 on a new networking infrastructure. Progent can help you to plan and carry out an efficient upgrade or migration from Exchange 2010, Exchange 2007, Exchange 2003, or Exchange 2000. Progent's Exchange experts have the experience to design and manage an upgrade or migration plan that avoids business disruption, facilitates security and compliance, provides high availability and throughput, cuts management time and costs, lowers operating expense, and increases worker productivity. For complicated Exchange environments that may involve multiple datacenters or hybrid cloud and on-site deployments, Progent offers the network infrastructure skills required to execute a successful upgrade on schedule and within budget.
Progent can provide a broad array of consulting and support services to make sure you extract the greatest possible business value from your Exchange 2013 migration. Progent can help you set up Exchange 2013 in conjunction with Active Directory following industry best practices, design and implement a DAG solution for high availability and fast failover, design and validate a disaster recovery plan that takes advantage of Exchange 2013's HA technology, and provide services such as iPhone and iPad integration, Android phone and tablet consulting, and RIM BlackBerry expertise in order to integrate smartphone and tablets with Exchange 2013 to enhance the productivity of your mobile workforce. Progent can also provide the help of certified network security engineers to help you plan and implement an organization-wide strategy for security and compliance.
Microsoft 365 Exchange Online Integration with On-premises Exchange
Microsoft supports seamless hybrid environments that combine Microsoft 365 Exchange Online and on-premises Exchange deployments. 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 certified Exchange consulting team can assist you with any facet of planning, integrating and debugging your hybrid Exchange solution. Progent's Exchange specialists can provide occasional support to help you through stubborn technical bottlenecks and also offer extensive project management outsourcing or co-sourcing to ensure your hybrid Office 365/Exchange initiative is completed on schedule and within budget. For more information about Progent's consulting expertise for hybrid Microsoft 365 and on-premises Exchange environments, see Office 365 integration with on-premises Exchange.
Download Progent's Exchange 2013 Migration Support Datasheet
To download a single-page printable datasheet in PDF format describing Progent's Exchange 2013 Migration Support, click:
Progent's Exchange 2013 Migration Support Datasheet. (PDF - 101 KB)
Progent's World-class Online Consulting and Technical Support Services
Progent's consulting team has more than a decade of experience delivering online high-level consulting and technical support to businesses of all sizes in every state in the U.S. (Refer to Progent's testimonials from customers nationwide.) By combining world-class expertise with online delivery, Progent is able to provide enterprise-class network support services at a price that fits small business budgets. Online consulting eliminates travel expenses and delays and preserves productivity by resolving problems quickly, before they can seriously disrupt business. For projects that require it, Progent can also provide prompt onsite service in major metropolitan areas throughout the United States.
Another key to Progent's effectiveness is breadth of expertise. Progent is not only a Microsoft Certified consulting firm, but has also put together one of the world's largest independent group of Cisco-certified CCIE network engineers. This networking expertise makes it possible for Progent to fix even the most stubborn issues associated with network infrastructure. In addition, Progent's team of CISA, CISSP, GIAC, CISM, and ISSAP certified network security consultants offer a comprehensive array of online services including affordably priced security audit packages to assess the vulnerability of networks of any size to external and internal threats.
Progent's Consulting and Support Services for Microsoft Server Products
For small and mid-sized companies across the U.S., Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants offer computer assistance and IT consulting support for the entire array of Microsoft .NET servers and Windows Servers. Progent's planning, installation, optimization, and support services cover network architecture, deployment, and administration help for
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24x7 Email Virus Signature Specialists
Progent's ProSight Email Guard uses the technology of top information security companies to provide web-based management and world-class security for your email traffic. The powerful structure of Progent's Email Guard integrates cloud-based filtering with a local security gateway device to provide complete defense against spam, viruses, Denial of Service Attacks, DHAs, and other email-borne threats. The cloud filter acts as a preliminary barricade and keeps the vast majority of threats from reaching your security perimeter. This decreases your exposure to inbound attacks and conserves network bandwidth and storage space. ProSight Email Guard's on-premises gateway appliance provides a further layer of inspection for inbound email. For outgoing email, the on-premises gateway offers AV and anti-spam protection, protection against data leaks, and email encryption. The on-premises gateway can also help Exchange Server to monitor and protect internal email traffic that stays inside your security perimeter.
Online Support Services Microsoft GP/Great Plains
Specialists Great Plains Migration
Progent can show you how to plan and execute an efficient migration to Dynamics GP/Great Plains so that you preserve your data, strengthen your protection, modernize your management reporting, take full advantage of Microsoft Office support, and minimize productivity disruption by designing and executing a sensible migration plan. Progent can also help educate new Dynamics GP/Great Plains users so you don't lose productivity. Progent can enhance your company reports and management analytics by offering Crystal Reports help, FRx programming, and Excel support. Progent's background with Microsoft .NET development, Microsoft SQL Server solutions, and designing with VBasic, XML and other platforms make it possible to create custom business applications and eCommerce programs that work seamlessly with Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010/Great Plains 2010.
Deploying Phase: Implementation Networking Firms
Enterprise Services Project Methodology Security Consulting Company
In conducting consulting tasks for enterprise clients, Progent follows a phased approach driven by specified milestones in order to meet financial, timing and technical goals while minimizing productivity disruption. Progent's Enterprise Services Project Methodology utilizes accepted project management procedures derived from the leading practices described by the Microsoft MSF methodology which specifies requirements definition, architecture proposals, test models, design tuning, and expert deployment. All facets are documented to provide a detailed summary of technical services performed and to assist in ongoing system maintenance.
Network Security Inventory Consult
Internal Network Security Inventory Engineers
Progent provides small businesses a pair of low-cost network security evaluation scanning packages that include, for a preset fee, remotely administered inventory scans of your network security profile which are analyzed by professional security engineers who interpret the data collected by the scan, present unbiased summaries of your current network security, and make suggestions for enhancements. Progent offers two non-overlapping network security evaluation packages for external and internal security scanning that are priced to meet the budgets of small businesses while delivering enterprise-class assessments of your network's vulnerability to assault.
Remote Troubleshooting Windows 10 OneDrive
Windows 10 Provisioning Remote Consulting
Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can assist businesses of all sizes to assess Windows 10 or to upgrade to Windows 10 from an earlier version of Windows. Remote and on-premises assessment and migration services for Windows 10 available from Progent's consultants include Return on Investment estimates, project management, compatibility testing, test lab systems, virtualization architecture, Cloud and hybrid solutions, mobile management and synchronization, telecommuter connectivity, data and identity security, streamlined provisioning and management, network design, Wi-Fi support, disaster recovery planning, webinar training for IT support staff and end users, and post-migration consulting support.
Windows 2003 Server Consulting
Information Technology Consulting Windows 2003 Server
The knowledge and experience of Progent's certified Microsoft Windows Server 2003 consulting team, with an average of over 11 years of work in Microsoft technology, assures you success in selecting the version and configuration of Windows 2003 Server that aligns best with your company's goals. Progent can also assist you with planning, installing, managing and supporting powerful information technology applications based on Windows Server, and can streamline your migration from Windows 2000 or Windows NT.
Microsoft SQL 2008 Online Support Services
SQL 2008 Consulting Services
Progent's Microsoft-Premier SQL Server engineers can provide a range of services to help small companies to plan, implement, manage, and troubleshoot Microsoft SQL 2008 systems so that they gain the maximum competitive benefit from Microsoft's advanced RDBM technology. In addition, Progent offers consulting expertise for system architecture, enterprise-wide protection, and software development to optimize the business value of your SQL Server 2008 investment.
Server Consolidation Integration
Online Help Server Virtualization
Server growth puts pressure on IT budgets and management resources. Server reduction via a virtual infrastructure promises lower total cost of ownership of servers and quicker ROI, more efficient utilization of physical computers, simplified operations, enhanced network uptime, and easier manageability. Typical uses for virtual machines include hardware consolidation, low-cost platforms for line-of-business legacy software running on outdated operating systems, and inexpensive isolation of software development or pilot testing environments from on-line systems.
Supplemental Service Desk Integration
Online Troubleshooting Shared Help Desk Ticketing
Progent provides three basic kinds of Call Center services including Microsoft and Cisco Call Center Outsourcing Services, Virtual Help Desk Support, and Call Center Consulting and Staffing. Progent is a Microsoft-certified Partner and Progent's Help Desk staff of certified Microsoft and Cisco experts offers your clients instant access to a reliable technical resource with years of experience providing phone support and remote access troubleshooting for IT systems based on Microsoft products. Progent's concentration is on earning the support Helpdesk a respected reputation as a key contributor to company productivity. Progent's goal is to fix and not merely record problems.
Exchange 2019 Data Loss Prevention Technology Consulting Services
Top Quality Exchange 2019 Data Loss Prevention Onsite Technical Support
Progent can assist your organization in any phase of your migration to Exchange 2019 including configuring Windows Server 2019 as a host for Exchange; designing high availability infrastructure for a local, cloud-based or hybrid deployment; moving mailboxes; planning and configuring Hyper-V virtualization; setting up HLB; building Database Availability Groups (DAGs) with MCDB solid-state caching; integrating with Skype for Business 2019 for voicemail services; setting up collaboration with SharePoint Server or SharePoint Online; preparing firewalls; integration with Microsoft Office 365; and setting up Outlook.
On-site Support Windows Server 2019 High Availability
Windows Server 2019 Network Consulting
Progent's certified Windows Server 2019 consultants can assist your organization to design and implement a cost-effective migration to Windows Server 2019 using your current deployment architecture or a cloud-hosted or hybrid deployment model. Windows Server 2019 offers major enhancements in capacity, speed, manageability, virtualization, cybersecurity, hybrid on-prem plus cloud integration, resilience, and container support.
Microsoft System Center Operations Manager Configuration
Remote Monitoring and Reporting Specialists
Progent's Microsoft-certified consulting experts have over a decade of background designing, deploying, enhancing and fixing SCOM solutions and can provide organizations of any size advanced online or on-premises consulting services for SCOM 2012. Progent can help you to design an architecture for Microsoft SCOM 2012 servers that delivers the performance and availability needed to monitor your datacenter efficiently, whether your infrastructure are on-premises, cloud-based, or a mixed environment. Progent's SCOM consultants can also help you to install and set up SCOM 2012 management packs according to industry best practices for monitoring network fabric as well as both Microsoft and 3rd-party applications and services. In addition, Progent can provide fast online or on-premises technical support to assist you to fix serious problems uncovered by Microsoft SCOM 2012.
24-Hour SCSM 2016 IT Consultant
System Center 2016 Amazon AWS Integration Help and Support
System Center 2016 delivers major enhancements for managing hybrid cloud networks by offering advanced support for Windows Server 2016, Windows 10 clients; seamless integration of multi-OS environments that incorporate various Linux distributions, Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware; and better cloud support including closer integration with Intune for Apple iPhone and Android smartphone management plus built-in integration with Microsoft Operations Management Suite for cloud-enhanced analytics and reporting. Progent's Microsoft-certified consulting team can provide advanced remote and onsite expertise for all elements of System Center 2016 including Operations Manager, Configuration Manager (SCCM), Virtual Machine Manager, Data Protection Manager (SCDPM), Orchestrator, and Service Manager (SCSM). Progent can help organizations of any size to plan and configure a new deployment of Microsoft System Center 2016, expand or optimize your current one, upgrade smoothly from an earlier release of System Center, or troubleshoot your System Center solution.
Wireless Security Inventory Consult
Consult Network Security Inventory
Progent provides small organizations a pair of low-cost security inventory packages that include, for a preset fee, remotely administered scans of your network security profile which are analyzed by expert security engineers who assess the results of the scan, present unbiased evaluations of your existing network security, and offer suggestions for remediation. Progent offers two non-overlapping security inventory packages for external and internal security testing that are priced to fit the budgetary realities of small companies while providing enterprise-class evaluations of your IT network's exposure to assault.
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