Microsoft's Outlook 2003, which was released to consumers this week as part of Office Systems 2003, proves to be a lot more than a simple makeover for what has become an industry standard.
CRN Test Centre engineers evaluated the newest Outlook by installing the product on a Windows XP based system, attached to a Windows Small Business Server 2003 based network.
That configuration allowed Test Centre engineers to fully explore Outlooks key improvements when combined with Microsoft Exchange 2003, and Microsoft's e-mail /scheduling server software.
Outlook 2003 offers users significant enhancements and a fresh look. The overall design of the product took several elements in to account to improve functionality and ease of use.
For example, users will find the new interface more logical. Outlook now presents users with a vertical navigation pane in place of the old folders list. That enhancement allows users to quickly locate common functions. They now have a quick menu of icons that launch all of Outlook's key features, ranging from schedules to tasks to e-mails.
Outlook's new look is most noticeable when working with e-mail. On this screen, users work with three information panes: the navigation pane, preview pane and e-mail list.
One of the most welcome enhancements is ability to filter out spam e-mail. the product now offers tunable filtering that allows a user to take control of the inbox and direct mail identified as spam to either the trash or another folder for later review. While Outlook's spam filter does not offer all the strengths found in some third-party filtering products, Outlook still manages to do a serviceable job of controlling spam. It may very well meet the needs of most users.
Remote users leveraging Exchange 2003 will benefit from enhanced access abilities. Simply put, Outlook 2003 users can connect directly and securely to an Exchange 2003 server over the Internet, without having to use a VPN or other additional security. That feature will prove to be a boon for both mobile and remote workers, while reducing support tasks.
When setup properly, Outlook will first try to connect locally to an Exchange 2003 server. If that connection fails, then Outlook 2003 seeks to connect over the Internet, which proved to be a relatively seamless process.
What's more, if Outlook can't establish a connection to the Exchange Server, the product now supports a 'cached' mode, which allows a user to continue working with Outlook in the absence of a server. Of course any updates would be saved until a connection is re-established. User will surely benefit from having an 'off-line' mode such as this available.
Other key product enhancements focus on team support. Outlook has eased looking at team member calendars, handling group schedules and viewing scheduled events. Users can now quickly compare multiple users' calendars side by side, which greatly reduces overhead when it comes to scheduling meetings or events with other team members.
Users also will appreciate Outlook's native support of Microsoft's Share Point Services. Users can now drag and drop documents, e-mails, tasks and other items directly to a shared workspace hosted on a Share Point site and then generate automated notifications of changes in the shared workspace.
Other notable enhancements include tighter integration with instant messaging, improved archiving capabilities, virtual folder support and enhanced alerts.
Considering the focus on easing information handling for both the individual and the workgroup, Outlook 2003 proves to be an essential upgrade for those that desire to leverage Microsoft's workgroup products, such as Exchange and Share Point.
