Exchange 2003 or 2007

What do you think?

Once 70-291 is out of the way, for an elective I am planning to hit Exchange - I am not sure which version to go for though.

It seems logical in a way to go straight to 2007, however I am worried about skipping 2003 since many companies still use it.

I found out yesterday that 2007 does not support public folders either!

Seemingly because Microsoft are pushing SharePoint - $$$$$$$$

It is also 64bit only! Besides a unsupported 32bit testing version. Which makes me think that some companies will think twice before upgrading.

Our Exchange implementaion cost the company £330,000 ($660,000) - £50,000 was for Symantec Enterprise Vault - I am not sure how we got to that figure??? This was all before I started working here. Either way - $$$$$ - In fact, I am going to double check that on Monday - surely it could not have cost that much?

FYI - 2400 users, 2 servers - not clustered - 1.1GB of incoming mail per day after 3GB of rejected spam.

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Comments

HeroPsycho

Exchange 2007 absolutely does support public folders. It's absolutely astounding how so many people hear this lie.

I'd get Exchange 2007 certification. You can learn Exchange 2003 as well. You just don't necessarily need to get certified in it.

Also, 64-bit is actually very positive and something they really should have done. When you buy new servers, they have 64-bit processors anyway. Also makes migrating easier since no one can force you to do in place upgrade just to save a few bucks on a server.

jojopramos

You should priorities Exchange 2003 for this reasons:

1. All the company will be using exchange 2003 and it will be there until the next 3 years.

2. You will need strong knowledge in exchange 2003 for Exchange Migration to 2007 later.

3. You can have a strong foundation on MS Exchange by studying exchange 2003 if you want messaging specialization.

HeroPsycho

I disagree that all companies that are using Exchange 2003 will be doing so for the next three years. I know many companies that have already migrated or will be migrating within the next year. Differentiate yourself from other messaging guys by knowing the newest release.

I do agree you need Exchange 2003 knowledge as well, but as I mentioned, I don't think you necessarily need to be certified in it. For example, I consider myself an expert in migrating from Exchange 5.5 to 2000/2003, but I'm not certified in Exchange 5.5. Potential employers/clients never question those abilities due to a lack of certification. They see I'm certified in Exchange 2000/2003/2007, see my work experiences, and that's very persuasive.

mrx9000

Thank you for the advice, I will think about it carefully.

mrx9000

I found out about the £330,000 price tag too! It turns out that included training costs for 1800 people - along with the servers and software licensing.

I would develop some in houst training for that kind of money - too much hand holding!