Exchange 2007 set for premium edition

ACCORDING TO a News.com story, Microsoft may be set to apply its premium-edition strategy to Exchange as well as Vista and Office. If so, some waverers might be tempted to review strategies or even jump ship in the wake of other Microsoft demands and interesting alternatives.

News.com suggests Microsoft will ask buyers for more to get hold of features such as unified messaging and antivirus.

This isn't the first time Microsoft has added a rider to Exchange 2007 Ts and Cs. Late last year, it announced that the release would require 64bit-extended processors, a move that upset some partners and end-users that hadn't planned on moving to 64bits but liked the way Exchange was shaping up.

One interesting alternative to shutting up and paying is Azaleos, a startup firm that has developed an appliance for IT buyers wanting the latest Exchange offerings - or maintaining Exchange 2003 -- but lacking an appetite for retraining or the general-purpose server chops to run it. Where could Azaleos have developed its expertise?

The answer is no three-pipe problem as it is based in Redmond and executive talent once worked on the Exchange team.

Other alternatives are also building up with the hosted, open-source Zimbra messaging service gaining kudos and developing more of an international presence. The firm has recently been sounding out UK PR firms so stand by for some rival spinning to the Exchange marketing machine. µ