Should I upgrade Exchange 2003 or just upgrade the hardware?

Posted by JohnyD on Server Fault See other posts from Server Fault or by JohnyD
Published on 2010-12-21T19:05:02Z Indexed on 2010/12/21 19:55 UTC
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Filed under:

exchange-2007

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exchange-2003

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exchange-2010

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exchange-transition

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server-hardware

My organization currently has a 4 y/o Exchange 2003 email server (32-bit, Intel Pentium D @ 3GHz, 3GB RAM). It's run very well over the past 4 years but it is time to upgrade its hardware. This server would handle email for approximately 30 clients, a few OWA users with iPhones.

My (somewhat ambiguous) question is, when I receive the new hardware should I build out a new Exchange 2003 deployment or should I look at Exchange 2007 / 2010? I've heard that Exchange 2010 requires Sharepoint 2010 (which I am currently not running). Are there benefits that a small-medium sized business can or can't do without? Am I making a horrible mistake staying with antiquated software?

Other details:

Exchange 2003 (v6.5 + SP2)
single front-end server

All opinions and thoughts are very much appreciated.

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