Top 10 Reasons for Exchange 2003 SP2

I was debating writing an article about the reasons for upgrading to Microsoft Exchange Service Pack 2 – and then I found a great one from Microsoft. Well, here are the top 10 reasons to upgrade. You can learn more by clicking on the original source link on the bottom of this page.

1. Keep up to date with Direct Push Technology.
   It's easy for mobile workers to keep on top of issues with improved Exchange ActiveSync technology that automatically pushes Exchange Server data to mobile devices over HTTP and HTTPS. With SP2, synchronization has been extended to include more Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 properties, including Tasks.
   
2. Help protect your mobile devices through policy enforcement.
   With easily enforceable device policies such as remote wipe, local wipe, and PIN lock, you can more securely enable mobile access to Exchange Server.
   
3. Boost your defenses with Microsoft Exchange Server Intelligent Message Filter and Sender ID.
   SP2 raises the bar in the antispam war. The latest Exchange Server Intelligent Message Filter incorporates checks against phishing scams and domain spoofing tactics.
   
4. Support larger mailboxes with the raised storage limit in Standard Edition.
   Exchange Server 2003 Standard Edition can now accommodate your users' demands for larger mailboxes. In SP2, storage limits have increased to 75 gigabytes (GB).
   
5. Simplify public folder administration.
   If your company uses public folders, SP2 brings a number of improvements to make them easier to manage and maintain, such as new wizards for easier administration, folder deletion logging and added replication controls.
   
6. Get your e-mail faster when on the go.
   Additional data compression through GZIP reduces synchronization bandwidth and latency giving you a faster experience when sending and receiving messages over mobile devices.
   
7. Access contact information wirelessly.
   Looking up global address list information stored on Exchange Server makes it easier to conduct business when out of the office.
   
8. Gain more mobile e-mail security options.
   Support for Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME) message encryption and certificate-based authentication of mobile e-mail gives you more options for more securely handling your mobile e-mail.
   
9. Migrate with peace of mind with fully supported tools to move from GroupWise.
   Get the Migration Wizard and Connector for Novell GroupWise 6.x, included in SP2, now fully supported for co-existence and migration support from GroupWise 6.x to Exchange Server 2003.
   
10. Extend server consolidation with optimized cached mode.
    Administrators now have the ability to force clients into cached mode to help increase the number of active users per server. Also new with SP2, the offline address book has been reformatted to improve cached mode performance. These improvements extend opportunities for site and server consolidation.
    

This article came from Microsoft: http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/sp2/topten.mspx