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Microsoft has started testing E14, the next version of Exchange. Among its features is an improved Web client, Outlook Live, seen here. (Credit: CNET News)

Microsoft has started beta testing their next version of Exchange, codenamed E14.  It is said that this version has been designed from day one to compliment hosted environments, where multiple businesses are using the same Exchange server.

Currently, there are 3.5 million users across 1,500 schools testing the new collaboration system. Some of these schools include, St John’s University, The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, Hinds Community College, Coos Bay Public Schools, Colorado Community College System, etc.

Microsoft has made improvements to both OWA and Outlook live, including improved administration. One feature some users should be looking forward to, the ability to preview office documents as html page, within Outlook, without the need to have Office suite installed. OWA is also being given more functionality to better serve those users on the go, who don’t always have access to Outlook for the desktop.

This new version of Exchange should help keep Microsoft’s growing market share, despite the alternatives, Google App, Lotus Notes and Open Exchange. These alternatives do have unique features which distinguish them from Exchange and each other, but none have been able to dominate the market like Exchange 2007 has.

Details on E14 are limited. Don’t expect a public beta any time soon, as Microsoft has just started to make their development of E14 public. The video publicly announcing their new development is available at Microsoft’s Exchange Team blog.

Exchange My Mail (EMM) is excited that Microsoft is gearing E14 toward multi-tenant, hosted environments. EMM has been providing Exchange Hosting starting with Exchange 2003 and then later adding support for Exchange 2007. We will continue to grow and improve on our environment and are looking forward to providing E14 to our customers in the future.

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News Team General, Software, Tips & Tricks E14, Exchange, Microsoft