5 free Exchange add-ons you should consider Eliminating administration pain points on a budget

Transcription

1 5 free Exchange add-ons you should Eliminating administration pain points on a budget

2 There are countless cost-free ways to supplement the basic features that come with Exchange and that help to streamline Exchange administration and improve end-user experience. Inside this exclusive guide, get one industry expert s take on Exchange add-ons and realize the key benefits they can bring to your organization. By Serdar Yegulalp I'm a firm believer that Exchange Server was never meant to be used as is; I like to think of it more as something administrators can build on. There's a whole market of add-ons, extensions, sidecar applications and snap-ins that either add functionality to Exchange or provide convenient access to features buried underneath interfaces. I've compiled a list of my five favorite free Exchange and Microsoft Outlook add-ons. Each add-on either adds new functionality or makes it easier to work with existing functions that aren't sufficiently exposed through the graphical user interface (GUI) or PowerShell. Also, there are no trial periods or other strings attached. That said, some of them are "light" versions of other products or single-feature editions of the full-blown product. Exchange itself is expensive so free add-ons are often tough to come by; most companies assume that the prospective user can afford the full product license. Note: Some of these add-ons have been eclipsed by advances in functionality in Exchange itself. I've included add-ons for the various iterations of Exchange and Outlook, so be sure to click through them all -- there's sure to be at least a couple that could satisfy your organization's needs. Page 1 of 4

3 1. Exchange 2007 add-on to manage SSL certificates Working with SSL certificates in Exchange 2007 can be a cumbersome process. The Certificate Manager add-on for Exchange 2007 by U-BTech both simplifies and streamlines the process of auditing, importing, exporting, enabling and purging SSL certificates. One nice feature the Exchange 2007 add-on offers is an at-a-glance view of all certificates. The view includes a column that details whether or not certificates are self-signed, which can be a major security hole in any Exchange organization. 2. Outlook 2010 tool uploads and associates user photos Exchange Server 2010 added support for user avatars, giving users a better way to associate messages with its author (via Outlook 2010). Outlook Photos by Exclaimer is a free Outlook tool for uploading images and associating them with users in your address book. Images can be uploaded en masse or one at a time. Additionally, users can upload photos on each other's behalf if the administrator allows it. 3. Active Directory tool reports modifications to Exchange admins Changes to Active Directory should never happen out of sight. This is where an Active Directory tool like NetWrix's Active Directory Change Reporter (ACDR) comes in handy. Once implemented, ACDR sends change reports to a defined list of users. It also allows for tracked changes to be restored manually if need be. Note: The freeware version has a limited set of features compared with the full enterprise version. Page 2 of 4

4 4. Outlook add-on synchronizes folders Download CodeTwo's free Outlook add-on -- FolderSync -- and you'll be able to synchronize any two Outlook folders on demand, either locally or in an Exchange store. Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2010 are both supported, although the sync direction is always two-way. For example, the contents of both folders will always be equivalent to each other. A similar Outlook too, CodeTwo Exchange Sync, offers greater functionality, but only the trial version is free. 5. Exchange monitoring tool offers quick glimpse at important stats SolarWinds' desktop Exchange monitoring tool gives admins an at-a-glance view of Exchange Server's most crucial statistics: mail queue lengths, CPU usage, disk space and the status of vital Exchange services, such as the MTA stack or routing engines. If problems exist, they are labeled with either a critical (stop sign) or warning (yield sign) logo. Reporting tools for other Microsoft server products, like SQL Server, are also available. You're not limited to these five; there are lots of other free tools available: A tool to edit and delete entries in Outlook's.n2k file A virtual appliance to help load balance Exchange 2010 A tool to facilitate RBAC management in Exchange Page 3 of 4

5 Free resources for technology professionals TechTarget publishes targeted technology media that address your need for information and resources for researching products, developing strategy and making cost-effective purchase decisions. Our network of technology-specific Web sites gives you access to industry experts, independent content and analysis and the Web s largest library of vendor-provided white papers, webcasts, podcasts, videos, virtual trade shows, research reports and more drawing on the rich R&D resources of technology providers to address market trends, challenges and solutions. Our live events and virtual seminars give you access to vendor neutral, expert commentary and advice on the issues and challenges you face daily. Our social community IT Knowledge Exchange allows you to share real world information in real time with peers and experts. What makes TechTarget unique? TechTarget is squarely focused on the enterprise IT space. Our team of editors and network of industry experts provide the richest, most relevant content to IT professionals and management. We leverage the immediacy of the Web, the networking and face-to-face opportunities of events and virtual events, and the ability to interact with peers all to create compelling and actionable information for enterprise IT professionals across all industries and markets. Related TechTarget Websites Page 4 of 4