I'm a UC Blog

I’m guessing that if you are reading my blog you are technically minded or as others call it (a-geek) therefore I would like to make a profound statement “everybody should have an Exchange Server at home”.

Now before you think I have completely lost the plot let me recite my evidence:

• Microsoft has already launched a home server product aptly named “Windows Home Server”, for the purpose of hosting media content, centralised home backup, remote access and document management.
• Mass market “consumer” mobile phones have become smart phones, i.e. iPhone, Windows Mobile, BlackBerrys etc and they all want to feed from a centralised mailbox
• Webmail, we all want enterprise strength web access with near-Outlook functionality (because we have seen that it exists by using it at work)
• Unlimited storage, I know Hotmail offers 5gb but do you really want to be restricted given the fact that you are taking pictures and movies via your mobiles?
• Remote access to your home voicemail aka “home call director”
• Anti-spam, anti-virus – do I need to say more?

This is to name just a few higher-level reasons, bottom line is that most consumers want to have the same experience at home as they do within the enterprise (albeit with less restrictions). So imagine a cut down, easy to install and configure “Exchange Home Server”?

Summary of features would include:

• Out-of-the-box iPhone, Windows Mobile & BlackBerry connectors (with an easy SSL configuration wizard)
• Outlook web access via dynamic DNS
• No static IP required because it would just download POP-3 from your e-mail provider
• Forwarding your e-mail to your ISPs SMTP relay service (to get around spamhaus etc. dynamic IP mail relay blocks)
• Off-site backup (cloud based?) – I’m sure the folks at Carbonite would be happy to write an agent
• Unified communications via a PSTN SIP device, giving callers an ACD-like call direction service with “follow-me”
• Built-in Forefront for anti-virus and anti-spam control

So come on Microsoft think of slotting a product in-between Hotmail and Small Business Server?