Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 is due out in "early 2007. " This major new release of Exchange emphasizes security issues and unified messaging, along with general enhancements all around.  The following excerpt from Microsoft identifies the major new features:
Built-in Protection for the Company
Anti-spam and Antivirus
Built-in defenses against spam and phishing e-mail as well as new antivirus filtering and scanning capabilities provide comprehensive protection.

Confidential Messaging
New encryption features for both internal and Internet-based messages as well as enhanced Information Rights Management support help protect the confidentiality of messages in transit.

Business Continuity
New data replication capabilities (local and clustered) keep the system highly available while limiting the need and frequency for tape backup.

Anywhere Access For Employees
Collaboration and Productivity
Enhanced calendaring, out-of-office, resource booking, and meeting scheduling capabilities simplify collaboration and increase productivity.

Unified Messaging
New Exchange Unified Messaging goes beyond e-mail to deliver more types of communications to the inbox, including faxes and voice mail, as well as offering new capabilities such as inbox access from a regular phone. ....

Mobile Messaging
Exchange Server ActiveSync technology delivers an improved Outlook e-mail and calendaring experience on mobile devices, while offering enhanced device and security policy control.
 

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WORD TIPS*[Excerpted from source 3]

1. Add a watermark to a document so everyone knows that it is a draft.

If you are circulating a proposal to your staff, you don't want it mistaken for the finished product. A good way to avoid that is a watermark that says "Draft," "Confidential," "Sample" or anything else you'd like.

A watermark is clearly visible on the document, but does not damage the legibility of the writing. You can even establish it in a variety of colors.

You can also use a picture for a watermark. Suppose you run a flower shop. You can use a drawing or picture of a flower that would appear on everything you print. How cool is that?

To use the watermark, click Format > Background > Printed Watermark. Make your selections and click OK. If you expect to use a watermark regularly, create a template.

Remember that there is a fine line between cool and irritating. If people must struggle to read the document because of the watermark, they may give up. Be sure you have "semitransparent" or "washout" selected.

2. Track changes that people are making to documents.

When a sales plan or another document is returned to you, it is sometimes difficult to see changes made by others. Word has a simple way to show them to you.

Here are the instructions for Word 2002/2003: First, open the newer Word document. Click Tools > Compare and Merge Documents. Browse to the original Word document. Click it once to highlight it. In the lower right corner, click the drop-down box and select "Merge Into Current Document."

Sometimes, the development of a document is so arduous that we lose sight of what we're trying to do. Looking back at previous versions can help.

That's easy to do in Word. Click File > Versions. Select "Automatically save a version on close." Every time you close the document, that version will be saved.

When you want to look at an old version, follow the same path. All of the versions will be listed in the box. The most recent will be on top. Highlight the version you want and click Open.

You can turn off this "versioning" feature by clearing the check mark from "Automatically save a version on close." Or, you can delete individual versions. Just highlight the ones you want to dump and click Delete.

HELP: For help with Exchange, Business Continuity Planning, Disaster Recovery planning, Storage and Backup, Security Issues or general IT support, give us a call or email EBS and we will be glad to be of assistance: 713.522.3480

Sources:
[1]Microsoft @
http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/preview/evaluation/overview.mspx
[2]Microsoft@
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/email/ms_genuine_mail.mspx
[3]5 tips and tricks for using Word for business
By Kim Komando
http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/resources/technology/
business_software/5_tips_and_tricks_for_using_word_for_business.mspx

 
Its time to think about Windows Vista, the new Microsoft PC Operating System that will replace XP.  Listed below are two more of the new Vista features and links  to more information about Vista. The release date for Vista is now "early 2007."

Desktop Search LINK "With Windows Vista, you no longer have to remember where you store every file. Instead, to find a file, you need to only remember something about it, such as a word contained within a document, the artist of a song, or the date a picture was taken.  .... For example, in the new Start Menu, it is as simple as typing a word, a phrase, a property, or any part of a file name into the embedded Instant Search box to instantly find the file that you want."

Enhanced Backup  LINK "Windows Vista provides valuable new innovations to help ensure you never lose information that is important to you. Windows Vista offers multiple layers of backup and restore protection from hardware failure, user error, or other issues. These innovations include system restore enhancements, a new feature called Windows Backup, and a related feature: Previous Versions, based on the Volume Shadow Copy technology ..first introduced with the Windows Server product family. These features are presented in a single, unified Windows Backup and Restore Center.. "