E-mail is an integral part of most collaborative solutions. You can integrate MOSS 2007 with Exchange Server 2007 and Outlook 2007 to incorporate e-mail seamlessly in collaborative solutions. There are various benefits of integrating MOSS 2007 with Exchange Server 2007.
A key benefit of this integration is that users are notified when they are added to a site or when a site is updated.
In addition, all SharePoint-based lists and libraries are identifiable by their e-mail addresses or aliases. This makes it easy for information workers to send e-mail messages to lists or a library. MOSS 2007 stores the received e-mail messages in relevant lists or a library, which helps information workers disseminate information from their mailboxes to other team members.
Integrating MOSS 2007 with Exchange Server 2007 also provides record management features. Record management is used to control official versions, retention, and expiration of documents and other enterprise information. Typically, records-type data is contained in e-mail messages.
In addition, MOSS 2007 and Exchange Server 2007 work together to help records managers and compliance officers manage e-mail messages in individual mailboxes. They can define a set of standard folders, each indicating a business purpose, in which users can file their respective e-mail messages. These folders can be further deployed on the basis of organizational roles so that specific roles have consistent filing structures.
Another benefit of this integration is that information workers can view and modify shared calendars that are managed by Exchange Server 2007 from within MOSS 2007 solutions. This helps in team collaboration by providing information about the availability of team members and resources, such as meeting rooms and projectors.
Exchange Server 2007 also helps you publish and access SharePoint-based documents from within e-mail messages while working remotely by using Microsoft Office Outlook Web Access.