Microsoft Finally Ships Exchange 2K -- Despite improvements, observers say software's new features may not justify upgrade

Dallas-Microsoft last week released the first major revision of its messaging and collaboration server in nearly three years, but analysts questioned whether companies should rush to make the upgrade.

Improvements to the new mail server, called Exchange 2000, include centralized administration, a more extensive application development environment, Web access to e-mail and schedules and a companion instant messaging application.

But customers and analysts attending last week's Exchange user group conference said as compelling as those improvements may be, they may not be worth the expense and effort of making the upgrade.

"The challenge of Exchange 2000 is trying to come up with what features give you return on investment," said Ian Campbell, an analyst at Nucleus Research. "At the end of the day, you won't deploy software unless there's some real benefit to your company. In many cases, the answer may be no."

Microsoft...