In today's tenuous economy, virtually every enterprise is under pressure to do more with less. By the time this familiar refrain reaches the IT department, the edict is usually a bit more specific: Just pump up productivity, beef up security, step up reliability and crank up manageability -- and while you're at it, conjure up a way to run the IT infrastructure with a lowered budget.

A tandem solution to these challenges is on deck for Microsoft customers. At the Tech•Ed 2003 conference in Dallas today, Microsoft announced that it's a step closer to releasing Exchange Server 2003, the next edition of its messaging platform. The new software complements Microsoft's just-launched Windows Server 2003 flagship product, offering a compelling alternative to customers running Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 and Exchange Server 5.5. Along with its newest servers, Microsoft also is delivering a comprehensive suite of migration tools to make the switch easy and help customers gain the most value from their IT investment.

"Windows Server 2003 and Exchange Server 2003 are designed to work best together," says Jim Hebert, general manager of the Windows Server Group at Microsoft. "There are very specific technology and business benefits to having the two products run in unison, particularly in terms of security, reliability, and ease of management."