The Exchange product is a powerful client/server enterprise messaging product.
The types of applications in an Exchange environment are as follows :
Electronic mail (e-mail)
Groupware
Other applications, such as fax, paging, and voicemail
The network computing model that Exchange uses to implement its messaging system is the client/server model. This model utilizes the computing power of both client computers and server computers.
Exchange was designed for enterprise-wide implementations and, consequently, meets the following requirements:
Enterprise-quality application services
Scalability
Interoperability
Performance
Administration
Reliability
The following industry standards are used by Exchange:
Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI)
Internet protocols (e.g., SMTP, POP3, IMAP4, LDAP, SNMP, and others)
Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
X.400
X.500