New Unified Messaging Functionality
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 will reach end of support on April 11, 2017. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see Resources to help you upgrade your Office 2007 servers and clients.
Applies to: Exchange Server 2007, Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007 SP2, Exchange Server 2007 SP3
The telephony functionality found in Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging (UM) is new to the Microsoft Exchange product line. Its introduction combines multiple messaging infrastructures into a single messaging infrastructure. This topic discusses the new telephony features and functionality that are found in Exchange 2007 UM.
The Unified Messaging Server Role
Exchange 2007 provides distinct server roles that align with how a messaging system is typically deployed and distributed in an organization. A server role is a unit that logically groups the features and components that are required to perform a specific function in the messaging environment. The Unified Messaging server role is one of the Exchange 2007 server roles that can be installed on a computer that is running Microsoft Windows Server 2003 or that is running Windows Server 2003 and Exchange 2007.
Exchange 2007 Unified Messaging
Unified Messaging (UM) combines voice messaging, fax, and e-mail messaging into a single messaging infrastructure. Exchange 2007 Unified Messaging puts all e-mail, voice, and fax messages into one Exchange 2007 mailbox that can be accessed from a variety of devices. After Exchange 2007 UM servers have been deployed on the network, users can access their messages from a telephone using Outlook Voice Access, from a mobile device, or from a computer.
Today, employees of companies frequently manage their voice and fax messages separately from their e-mail messages. Additionally, IT administrators frequently manage the voice mail or telephony networks and the e-mail systems or data networks as separate systems. In these situations, voice mail and e-mail are located in separate inboxes hosted on separate servers that are accessed through the desktop for e-mail and through the telephone for voice mail. Fax messages come to, and are sent from, physical stand-alone fax machines. Exchange 2007 Unified Messaging offers a single store for all messages including e-mail, voice, and fax messages.
For More Information
For more information about the Exchange 2007 Unified Messaging server role, see Unified Messaging.
For more information about the telephony concepts and components found in Exchange 2007 Unified Messaging, see Overview of Telephony Concepts and Components.