Unified Messaging Advances Voice Mail

New unified messaging (UM) capabilities in Exchange Server 2007 improve on traditional voice-mail systems by placing voice mail, faxes, and e-mail into a single inbox. Users can access their unified inbox—as well as their calendar, contact lists, and corporate address book—from a PC, Web client, or mobile e-mail client, and from a standard telephone using voice commands. However, providing users with UM capabilities involves upgrading the entire e-mail infrastructure to Exchange Server 2007, as well as the potentially complex task of interfacing with existing telephony equipment. In addition, unlike most other new features in Exchange 2007, UM requires a higher-priced Client Access License for each end user. (Licensing details are covered in the chapter “Packaging, Licensing, and Pricing“.)

Advantages of the Unified Inbox

A unified inbox reduces the number of places users need to check for messages and makes messages easier to prioritize and organize. Users who receive many voice mails and faxes in addition to e-mails will benefit greatly by being able to manage all of them from a single client interface. Furthermore, the ability to navigate e-mail messages and personal calendar entries by issuing voice commands over a standard phone and hearing the information read back—a feature Microsoft calls Outlook Voice Access—can be useful for mobile users without immediate access to a PC or who do not have their hands free to operate a mobile device.