Microsoft teases new features in Exchange Server 2016
Microsoft has lifted the lid on what to expect in its forthcoming preview of Exchange Server 2016, which is set to be outed at its May Ignite Conference.
The company says the new release of its on-premises Exchange Server will be ready in the second half of this year, but those who want to take an early look will be able to do so from next month. In the new edition, Microsoft is touting updates focused on “individual productivity, team collaboration, and information governance.”
Be that as it may, we’re not expecting any radical new, as-yet-unseen features because as Microsoft readily admits, there won’t be much new that hasn’t already been built into the cloud version of Exchange Server – hardly a surprise given Microsoft’s new cloud-first strategy.
Here’s Microsoft’s run down of the headline features that are included:
- A new approach to document collaboration that makes it easy to send links and collaborate without versioning issues of attachments
- Faster and more intelligent search, to help users quickly find what they need in their mailboxes and calendars
- Significant improvements to eDiscovery search performance and reliability
- Better extensibility, including new REST-based APIs for Mail, Calendar, and Contacts that simplify web and mobile development
“Most of the new features in Exchange Server 2016 were birthed in the cloud and then refined in a feedback loop that includes millions of mailboxes deployed worldwide,” the company says in its TechNet blog. “The same is true of back-end improvements to Exchange architecture, high availability, and storage. We are now working to bring these elements to the diverse world of on-premises environments.”
Exchange users who wish to get access to the early preview can do so by joining Microsoft’s Technology Adoption Program. Alternatively they can see a demonstration of the new software at Ignite, or view the sessions online if they’re unable to attend. The event runs from May 4 to May 8.
Microsoft added it will reveal more features later on, and is promising “tight integration with products like SharePoint Server 2016” by the time the final product is released.
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