Businesses have grown to rely on 24x7 access to Microsoft Exchange to meet the increasing demands of mobile computing, global business, and electronic commerce. They depend on e-mail, group scheduling, and calendars for critical business communication and key business processes. E-mail also supports vital applications needed for functions such as workflow, collaboration, and knowledge management. According to Microsoft, nearly 45 percent of business-critical information is housed in e-mail and e-mail-attached documents.

Companies implementing business continuity plans are designating Exchange as a mission-critical application that must be protected from downtime in the event of disaster. E-mail access is particularly important during and immediately after a disaster, when employees may be dispersed or working from home and remote offices.

There are many expensive, complex technologies that promise disaster recovery for Exchange. Fortunately, there are also simple, automated ways to get the highest levels of disaster protection. The following six secrets to 24x7, disaster-tolerant Exchange will show you how to implement an Exchange environment with zero lost data and continuous application availability—with no IT intervention—in the event of a disaster.