Lessons from the Field: Moving from Exchange 5.5 to Exchange 2003

With the December 2006 release of Exchange Server 2007, organizations worldwide are reassessing their messaging infrastructure and planning for the future. Because Exchange 2007 in a production environment is supported only on 64-bit hardware platforms, many of those plans today involve staying on Exchange Server 2003 until sites are ready to upgrade their hardware to support the new version. Or, as with a recent client still running Exchange Server 5.5, planning for the future involves an interim move from its legacy mail platform to Exchange 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2) in preparation for a possible migration to Exchange 2007.

Microsoft ended extended life-cycle technical support for Exchange 5.5 last year and doesn't offer a direct migration path from Exchange 5.5 to Exchange 2007. So if you want to get from Exchange 5.5 to Exchange 2007, moving to Exchange 2003 first is unavoidable—unless you deploy a third-party solution such as Quest Software's Quest Exchange Migration Wizard. Exchange 2003 SP2 is a reliable, secure messaging platform that will serve organizations well until they have the time to assess Exchange 2007's features and their business needs and budget. . . .