What Is UW Exchange?
Summary: This page describes UW Exchange, including its capabilities and benefits. It also explains the difference between Exchange, Outlook, and Outlook Express, which are often confused.
Topics on this page
- What Is UW Exchange?
- What Is the Difference Between Exchange, Outlook, and Outlook Express?
- Benefits of Exchange
- UW Exchange Capabilities
- Supported Operating Systems and Client Software
- Client Software Feature Comparisons
- Exchange Features in the Current UW Exchange Service Offering
- UW Exchange Architecture
- For More Information
What Is UW Exchange?
UW Exchange is the University of Washington's implementation of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, a secure, scalable environment for integrated messaging and collaboration. Exchange provides calendar and email functions integrated with popular Microsoft Office applications such as Word and Excel. With Exchange you can also manage your contacts and tasks.
- You can use the same set of contacts for both calendaring and email.
- You can access your account when you are away from your desk by using a Web browser or mobile device.
- Your mobile devices (such as BlackBerry or Windows Mobile) can have all the features of the desktop, including instant synchronization.
- You get the latest Microsoft security technology.
What Is the Difference Between Exchange, Outlook, and Outlook Express?
Exchange Server 2007 is Microsoft's server software that provides calendar, scheduling, and messaging features (including email) in a secure, scalable environment.
Outlook is Microsoft Windows client software for email, scheduling, contacts, and tasks, which means it is the application on your computer that allows you to take advantage of the many benefits offered by an Exchange Server environment. Other client software programs can also be used with Exchange, for example, there are client software programs for mobile devices and Macintosh computers. Outlook is part of the Microsoft Office product suite.
Outlook Express is an email-only client software program that is bundled with the Windows operating system. Do not confuse Outlook with Outlook Express. In Microsoft Vista, the email-only client software program that is bundled with the operating system is called Windows Mail.
Benefits of Exchange
Exchange offers may benefits. Some of the most significant benefits include:
- With Outlook and other full-featured Exchange-compatible client software programs, you have the convenience of using the same full-featured graphical user interface for both email and calendar.
- You can access your account from Web browsers and mobile devices, so you can check email and calendar away from your desk.
- Exchange offers integration of email and calendaring with Microsoft applications. For example, if you are reading your email remotely through a Web browser, you can view an attachment such as a PowerPoint presentation, even if you don't have PowerPoint installed on the computer that you are using.
UW Exchange Capabilities
Microsoft Exchange supports a variety of client software programs and provides a huge feature set. The UW Exchange capabilities can be understood from several perspectives:
- Supported Operating Systems and Client Software
- Client Software Feature Comparisons
- Exchange Feature Releases
Supported Operating Systems and Client Software
UW Exchange is not limited to Microsoft Windows environments. A variety of clients and operating system combinations can be supported, including Web-based access and mobile devices. UW Exchange supports the operating systems and clients in listed in the following table.
| Operating System | Supported Client Software Programs |
| Windows |
Outlook 2007 |
| MacOS X |
Entourage 2004 |
| Web-based client software programs |
Outlook Web Access Premium (browser: Internet
Explorer 7.0 or later) |
| Blackberry | Messages Address Book Calendar Tasks Memo Pad |
Note regarding IMAP client software programs. Any email client software program that uses the IMAP protocol can work with UW Exchange. UW Exchange does not support the POP3 protocol.
Note regarding Apple Mail. Apple Mail is the email client software program of choice for most Mac users, but it is not supported by UW Exchange. Apple Mail includes the Exchange protocol as a choice when setting up a new account, but it is a hybrid of sorts. The Exchange protocol in Apple Mail uses IMAP to access the mailboxes, and then it uses Outlook Web Access to access the public folders. This works acceptably with Exchange 2003, but unfortunately support for Exchange 2007 is completely broken.
Client Software Feature Comparisons
Not all client software programs support all Exchange features. Different client client software programs provide different feature sets in the Exchange environment, with Outlook 2007 providing the richest user experience. For details, see Client Software Choices.
Exchange Features in the Current UW Exchange Service Offering
The current offering is UW Exchange Feature Release 1. New features will be added in upcoming feature releases. Features for the current offering are described in UW Exchange Service Description.
UW Exchange Architecture
For information on the UW Exchange Architecture, see UW Exchange Architecture Diagrams.
For More Information
- UW Microsoft Collaborative Applications Initiative. Planning and progress information about current and future Exchange deployments and other Microsoft collaborative applications, including SharePoint.
- Microsoft's Exchange 2007 Home Page.
- Microsoft's Outlook 2007 Home Page.
