Microsoft
Exchange Hosted Continuity
Introduction
Exchange Hosted Continuity is a business continuity solution that helps
protect and provide continuous access to e-mail for a business and its
employees.
E-mail has evolved from a simple communication tool into a
mission-critical application that supports all aspects of a business.
Without access to e-mail, productivity can grind to a halt, and the loss of
critical information exchanged through e-mail can be disastrous.
Exchange Hosted Continuity is one of four distinct services in the
Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services portfolio. The service provides a
security-enhanced and intuitive Web interface through which users can access
their previous 30 days of e-mail and can compose and send new messages in
real time during a primary mail system outage. Exchange Hosted Continuity is
deployed over the Internet, which helps minimize up-front capital
investment, free up IT resources to focus on value-producing initiatives,
and mitigate messaging risks before they reach the corporate network.
How it Works
Exchange Hosted Continuity benefits from the in-stream spam and virus
protection features provided by Exchange Hosted Filtering. As messages pass
through the network, a copy of each is made and stored in a
security-enhanced 30-day rolling message repository. Similarly, mail sent
within the organization is captured through the mail server’s journaling
function.
If the primary mail environment should become unavailable, due to a
planned or unplanned outage, end users can access the password-protected,
off-site message repository at any time to read, compose, and reply to
messages. Administrators can use a set of continuity management tools to
deliver communications to end users during an outage.
After connection to the primary e-mail system is restored, messages
received during the outage are automatically restored. Any messages sent by
means of the Web-based interface can be optionally restored to the primary
mail system to complete disaster recovery operations. Because it’s always
on, Exchange Hosted Continuity can always be used to restore messages that
may have been lost or deleted from the primary e-mail environment. The
service also includes a set of Continuity Management tools that can be used
to deliver communications to end users during an outage.
Solution Overview
