Microsoft Exchange Hosted Continuity
Published: March 30, 2006
Exchange Hosted Continuity is a business continuity solution that helps protect and provide continous access to e-mail for a business and its employees.
E-mail has evolved from a simple communication tool into a mission-critical application that supports all aspects of a business. Without access to e-mail, productivity can grind to a halt, and the loss of critical information exchanged through e-mail can be disastrous.
Exchange Hosted Continuity is one of four distinct services in the Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services portfolio. The service provides a security-enhanced and intuitive Web interface through which users can access their previous 30 days of e-mail and can compose and send new messages in real time during a primary mail system outage. Exchange Hosted Continuity is deployed over the Internet, which helps minimize up-front capital investment, free up IT resources to focus on value-producing initiatives, and mitigate messaging risks before they reach the corporate network.
How it Works
Exchange Hosted Continuity benefits from the in-stream spam and virus protection features provided by Exchange Hosted Filtering. As messages pass through the network, a copy of each is made and stored in a security-enhanced 30-day rolling message repository. Similarly, mail sent within the organization is captured through the mail server’s journaling function.
If the primary mail environment should become unavailable, due to a planned or unplanned outage, end users can access the password-protected, off-site message repository at any time to read, compose, and reply to messages. Administrators can use a set of continuity management tools to deliver communications to end users during an outage.
After connection to the primary e-mail system is restored, messages received during the outage are automatically restored. Any messages sent by means of the Web-based interface can be optionally restored to the primary mail system to complete disaster recovery operations. Because it’s always on, Exchange Hosted Continuity can always be used to restore messages that may have been lost or deleted from the primary e-mail environment. The service also includes a set of Continuity Management tools that can be used to deliver communications to end users during an outage.
Solution Overview
End users can access their Exchange Hosted Continuity mailbox by logging on to a security-enhanced Web browser from virtually anywhere. Whether the outage is planned or unplanned, users have access to e-mail. | • | Compose, receive, and send messages in real time. | | • | Familiar user interface requires minimal end-user training. | | • | Message repository is filtered upstream, which helps block spam, viruses, and other unwanted content. | | • | 30 days of previous e-mail is searchable and can be restored to the primary mailbox if necessary. | | • | Access the entire company directory for addressing internal messages. | | • | No additional software is required. |
| Tools are built into the system to assist with communication, message management, and user administration. | • | Use the Announcement Board in the application to broadcast communication to the entire user base. Posts are listed chronologically and unique expiration dates can be assigned. | | • | Set up the Call Tree by designating Callers and their assigned Callees. In the event of an e-mail outage, the Call Tree report can be used as an alternate method for contacting employees. | | • | The Mass Restoration function helps restore e-mail for the entire organization or a single user. Just set the start and end timestamps and click Restore. | | • | Secondary Disaster Password can be issued globally to help those users who have forgotten their primary password. | | • | The Event Viewer helps provide an audit trail for more than 30 different actions taken in the system. | | • | A Disaster Recovery Test can be deployed prior to an actual outage. The test reports on user login success rates. | | • | A variety of reports are available on demand or via automated e-mail delivery. |
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Benefits
| • | Service is always on |
| • | Captures messages in transit after they’ve been filtered, helping ensure that spam, viruses, and other unwanted content are kept out of the message store |
| • | Familiar Web-based interface helps minimize the need for end-user training and enable access for end users from virtually any location |
| • | All system actions are logged and available through the Event Viewer online auditing tool |
| • | Searchable message store provides easy recovery and restoration of individual or all messages |
| • | Minimizes up-front capital investment |
| • | Integrates with existing e-mail infrastructure |
| • | Helps free up administrator time to focus on other projects |
Next Steps
