We’re happy to announce updates to the Exchange Server 2013 Deployment Assistant!
We’ve updated the Deployment Assistant to include the following new scenarios:
- Upgrading from Exchange 2007 to Exchange 2013
- Upgrading from Exchange 2010 to Exchange 2013
- Configuring an Exchange 2013-based hybrid deployment for Exchange 2007 organizations
These new scenarios provide step-by-step guidance about how to upgrade your existing Exchange 2007 or Exchange 2010 organizations to benefit from the improvements and new features of Exchange 2013. Plus, Exchange 2007 organizations can now configure a hybrid deployment with Office 365 using Exchange 2013 instead of Exchange 2010 SP3 in their on-premises organization.
And, there’s more on the way! We’re also working hard on additional scenarios, such as upgrading from a mixed Exchange Server 2007/2010 organization to Exchange 2013 and configuring Exchange 2013-based hybrid for Exchange 2010 organizations. Keep checking back here for release announcements.
In case you're not familiar with it, the Exchange Server 2013 Deployment Assistant is a web-based tool that helps you deploy Exchange 2013 in your on-premises organization, configure a hybrid deployment between your on-premises organization and Office 365, or migrate to Office 365. The tool asks you a small set of simple questions and then, based on your answers, creates a customized checklist with instructions to deploy or configure Exchange 2013. Instead of trying to find what you need in the Exchange library, the Deployment Assistant gives you exactly the right information you need to complete your task. Supported on most major browsers, the Deployment Assistant is your one-stop shop for deploying Exchange 2013.
Figure 1: The updated Exchange 2013 Deployment Assistant (large screenshot)
And for those organizations that still need to deploy Exchange 2010 or are interested in configuring an Exchange 2010-based hybrid deployment with Office 365, you can continue to access the Exchange Server 2010 Deployment Assistant at http://technet.microsoft.com/exdeploy2010 (short URL: aka.ms/eda2010).
Do you have a deployment success story about the Deployment Assistant? Do you have suggestions on how to improve the tool? We would love your feedback and comments! Feel free to leave a comment here, or send an email to edafdbk@microsoft.com directly or via the 'Feedback' link located in the header of every page of the Deployment Assistant.
Happy deploying!