Microsoft Exchange 2007 Unififed Messaging

1. Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Customer Solution Case Study
Institute Cuts Costs, Boosts Efficiency with
Exchange Server Unified Messaging
Overview “We’ll save 25 percent in up-front costs by not having
Country or Region: United States
Industry: Education
licensing fees, and yearly maintenance costs will go
down $10,000 a year.”
Customer Profile
Jeff Jenkins, Director of Information Systems, Georgia Tech Research Institute
Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) in
Atlanta is the applied research arm of the
Georgia Institute of Technology. Its 1,200 Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), the nonprofit applied
employees conduct U.S.$100 million in
research annually for industry and
research arm of Georgia Institute of Technology, was using a
government. unified-messaging system that was expensive to license and
Business Situation
maintain. The institute sought a better solution that would provide a
GTRI wanted a unified-messaging solution foundation for integrated communication and collaboration
that was less expensive and offered more
functionality than its existing solution. It
processes. In May 2007, with help from Microsoft® Gold Certified
also sought to lay the foundation for unified Partner Enabling Technologies, GTRI deployed Microsoft Exchange
e-mail, voice mail, instant messaging, and
conferencing.
Server 2007 with Unified Messaging. The new solution will save
GTRI in administrative and maintenance costs by consolidating e-
Solution
GTRI began deployment of Microsoft®
mail and voice-mail solutions and providing a single configuration
Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging point. It also helps employees improve efficiency through unified-
across the organization. All users are
expected to be online by the end of 2007.
messaging capabilities that they didn’t have with their previous
solution. In addition, GTRI says Exchange Server Unified Messaging
Benefits
Saves more than $10,000 per year
provides a foundation for unified communications that will further
Enhances organizational efficiency enhance productivity.
Improves collaboration
Provides foundation for future upgrades

2. “It was a matter of Situation country and in Ireland, and hundreds of
Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), sponsors we work with. So collaboration is
Exchange Server Unified originally called the Engineering Experiment important for us.”
Messaging bringing us a Station, was created in 1919 by the Georgia
Legislature to provide high-quality Solution
cheaper licensing engineering research. Today, the nonprofit The research institute considered upgrading
solution, along with organization is the applied research arm of to the latest version of its third-party unified-
Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, messaging system. However, it decided the
additional functionality. Georgia. Its 1,200 employees, working in best option was to deploy unified messaging
It’s not often you find seven labs and 10 field offices, perform more with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. “We
than U.S.$100 million in research and stay on top of the latest technology, so we
something that costs development annually for more than 200 were planning on moving from Exchange
you less and gives you customers in industry and government Server 2003 to Exchange Server 2007,”
around the world. Jenkins says. Exchange Server 2007 Unified
more.” Messaging provided better integration and
Chris Slater, Manager of Systems In 2004, GTRI deployed Microsoft® Exchange more-advanced features than other solutions,
Development, Georgia Tech Research Server 2003 throughout the organization to he says. And it didn’t require any additional
Institute consolidate the six different messaging licensing costs because it was covered under
systems it previously had used. At that time, Exchange Server licensing. “It was a matter of
GTRI also implemented an additional third- Exchange Server Unified Messaging bringing
party unified-messaging system that provided us a cheaper licensing solution, along with
employees with voice mail in their e-mail additional functionality,” explains Chris
inboxes. While the system offered GTRI stable Slater, Manager of Systems Development at
performance, IT personnel weren’t happy with GTRI. “It’s not often you find something that
its high cost: U.S.$100 per phone for costs you less and gives you more.”
licensing and $10,000 per year for
maintenance. In addition, a new solution To help with the implementation, GTRI chose
would require additional time and money to Enabling Technologies, a Microsoft Gold
configure and integrate. Certified Partner with extensive experience in
messaging and speech-enabled applications.
GTRI wanted a new solution that would Enabling Technologies helped GTRI assess,
reduce costs and provide more-advanced design, and deploy its Exchange Server 2007
features. It also sought to expand on unified solution.
messaging by deploying collaboration tools
such as instant messaging and conferencing Establishing a New Infrastructure
to offer a comprehensive unified GTRI first provided Enabling Technologies
communications system. with a two-day environmental overview that
included sharing diagrams and
“Part of our goal when we started three years documentation of its infrastructure. Once the
ago was to unify the organization with one e- overview was complete, hub transport and
mail system,” says Jeff Jenkins, Director of client access servers were deployed. The next
Information Systems at GTRI. “Another part of step included implementing mailbox and
the goal was to create a collaboration unified-messaging services. In total, GTRI
environment so that everybody in the added eight HP ProLiant servers to its
organization could work together more easily. infrastructure: two firewalls running Microsoft
We have seven labs scattered across two Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA)
states, along with field sites across the Server 2006, two mailbox servers, two hub

3. transport servers, and two unified-messaging messaging will be deployed throughout the
servers. All run the Windows Server® 2003 organization by the end of 2007.
operating system. Because GTRI handles
highly confidential information, protection of Most of the GTRI administrative team is using
its infrastructure is a high priority. For that Microsoft Office Professional 2007, and
reason, GTRI added Microsoft Forefront™ plans are to deploy it to the remaining
Security for Exchange Server to its existing employees once licensing is completed. GTRI
third-party firewall to guard against spam and also expects to upgrade users’ smartphones
viruses. from Windows Mobile® version 5.0 software
to Windows Mobile 6.
The deployment, excluding the planning
stages, took 10 business days and two For collaboration, GTRI has already
weekends, says Jenkins. Three people from implemented Microsoft Office SharePoint®
GTRI and two from Enabling Technologies Server 2007, so that it’s easier for employees
were dedicated to the project during the first to share and work together on documents. It
10 days, and two GTRI staff members will be plans to further integrate communications by
dedicated to it going forward. “The length of deploying Microsoft Office Communications
time it took from start to finish certainly Server 2007, which provides presence and
surprised us,” says Jenkins. “The whole instant-messaging capabilities. The solution
process of implementing Exchange Server also includes an on-premise version of
2007 was far smoother than we expected it Microsoft Office Live Meeting for
to be.” conferencing. And it incorporates software-
powered voice over IP (VoIP), allowing users
Issues they encountered were minor. to make, receive, and manage phone calls
Exchange Server 2007 support team anywhere in the world using Microsoft Office
members helped GTRI and Enabling Communicator 2007.
Technologies work through challenges such
as how to configure Exchange Server 2007 Benefits
for shared namespaces. That hands-on Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging is
support from Microsoft was appreciated. “The helping GTRI reduce expenses by eliminating
account manager and the Exchange Server maintenance and licensing fees. It also
Unified Messaging specialist, Greg Katz, were improves organizational efficiency and
very helpful in the deployment,” says Jon collaboration by sending voice mail and e-
Kremkau, Regional Sales Manager at mail to users’ inboxes. In addition, it lays a
Enabling Technologies. foundation for a unified-communications
solution that will continue to improve and
Deploying a Pilot Program streamline existing communication
In May 2007, GTRI began a pilot program processes.
involving 100 employees, including
administrative assistants, faculty Cost Savings of More Than
researchers, and administrators who work in $10,000 Yearly
laboratories throughout the organization. Because GTRI will no longer pay $100 per
GTRI expects to have all users on Exchange phone in licensing fees, the move to
Server 2007 by November 2007. Once GTRI Exchange Server Unified Messaging will save
completes a planned upgrade of its Private GTRI money. “We’ll save 25 percent in up-
Branch Exchange (PBX) system, unified front costs by not having licensing fees, and

4. “We know that there is a yearly maintenance costs will go down help GTRI reduce employees’ dependence on
$10,000 a year,” Jenkins says. desktop phones in favor of wireless devices
huge amount of money Some cost -savings, however, are not so that will give them more flexibility. With the
we are saving in easily calculated, he adds. “We know that infrastructure already in place, a wireless
there is a huge amount of money we are pilot project is scheduled to begin in a few
productivity that is saving in productivity that is immeasurable,” months. “From a vision perspective, we would
immeasurable.” Jenkins says. like to see users with wireless capability, so
they can go anywhere on campus and still
Jeff Jenkins, Director of Information Systems, Increased Efficiency and Collaboration access their inbox information,” Jenkins
Georgia Tech Research Institute Moving to Exchange Server Unified explains. “Exchange Server 2007 will also be
Messaging improves the efficiency of GTRI the foundation for this wireless vision.”
employees, who depend on timely
communication and teamwork to complete Foundation for Unified Communications
their applied research tasks. They are happy Exchange Server Unified Messaging is an
with the enhancements Exchange Server has important step for GTRI as it unifies its
provided over the previous unified-messaging communication and collaboration tools. By
system. integrating Exchange Server with Office
SharePoint Server 2007, GTRI is helping
“Getting missed calls in their e-mail inbox and users work together more easily. “We can
being able to give audible commands to the now publish results on a SharePoint site so
phone to read their e-mail back to them are others can do reviews on them,” says
some of the most popular features,” says Jenkins.
Slater. The Microsoft Office Outlook® Voice
Access feature uses voice-recognition and “The integration of Exchange Server Unified
text-to-speech technology to make it possible Messaging within Georgia Tech’s IT
for employees using a phone to listen to and infrastructure will fundamentally change how
act on their inbox information. In addition, users communicate and give them a powerful
employees who are using the Calendar competitive edge,” adds Bill Vollerthum,
Concierge have been pleased with how easy President and CEO of Enabling Technologies.
the new feature helps them schedule
meetings with busy colleagues and respond GTRI will be able to further enhance
quickly to incoming meeting requests. communications when it deploys Office
Communications Server 2007. Users will be
Employees already had the ability to forward able to use presence to know when people
voice mail as an e-mail message, but are available and how best to contact them.
Exchange Server Unified Messaging extends They will also have the ability to quickly
that capability. “Somebody might get a phone escalate an instant-message session to a
call from a potential sponsor that went to the computer-based phone call with a click of the
wrong area. Being able to forward it to the mouse. “That’s going to be completely new
proper person through e-mail has been a functionality for the organization,” Jenkins
major boost,” Jenkins says. “Exchange Server says. “It’s going to be a big benefit.”
digs down deeper into contacts and gives you
a bit more information about who it is coming
from.”
Eventually, GTRI expects the move to
Exchange Server Unified Messaging will also

5. For More Information Microsoft Server Product Portfolio
For more information about Microsoft For more information about the Microsoft
products and services, call the Microsoft server product portfolio, go to:
Sales Information Center at (800) 426- www.microsoft.com/servers/default.mspx
9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft
Canada Information Centre at (877) 568- For more information about Microsoft
2495. Customers who are deaf or hard-of- Exchange Server, go to:
hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone www.microsoft.com/exchange
(TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234 in
the United States or (905) 568-9641 in
Canada. Outside the 50 United States and
Canada, please contact your local
Microsoft subsidiary. To access information
using the World Wide Web, go to:
www.microsoft.com
For more information about Enabling
Technologies products and services, call
(800) 923-4310 or visit the Web site at:
www.enablingtechcorp.com
For more information about Georgia Tech
Research Institute, call (404) 407-7400 or
visit the Web site at:
www.gtri.gatech.edu
Software and Services Windows Mobile 5.0
Microsoft Server Product Portfolio Technologies
− Windows Server 2003 − Microsoft Office Outlook Voice Access
− Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
− Microsoft Forefront Security for Hardware
Exchange Server HP ProLiant BL380 G5 server computers
− Microsoft Internet Security and HP ProLiant BLP20 G3 server computers
Acceleration Server 2006 Palm Treo smartphones
Microsoft Office Audiovox cell phones
− Microsoft Office Professional 2007
− Microsoft Office Communications Partners
Server 2007 Enabling Technologies
− Microsoft Office Communicator 2007
− Microsoft Office Live Meeting
− Microsoft Office SharePoint Server
2007
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT
MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS
SUMMARY.
Document published July 2007