Outlook Web Access 2003 Features
Enhancements to the Exchange
2003 architecture dramatically affect the way Microsoft Office Outlook® Web
Access functions and help to secure corporate messaging information.
Better User Interface

Outlook Web Access running on Microsoft Internet Explorer
5.01 and later, displays a new user interface (UI) called the Premium
Client, which is close
in features and functionality to the UI of Microsoft Office Outlook
2003. The Outlook Web Access UI now includes these added abilities and features:
- Two-line view
- Context menus view
- Meeting requests can be forwarded
- Desktop Alert and Notification Area icon
for new mail
- Add to Contacts feature
- Ability to set number of items to view per page
- Bidirectional layout support
for Arabic and Hebrew (Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 required for
bidirectional layout)
- Richer support for icons in Mail view
- Control when messages are marked as
read in Preview Pane
- Public folders now display in their own window
- Access to Global Address Lists
properties sheets within an e-mail message or meeting request
- Message
sensitivity settings on Information Bar
- Meeting invitees can set their
preferred reminder time for meetings
- Calendar can be opened in its own
window from a Meeting Request offering the ability to evaluate the
calendar and meeting
request at the same
time
- Forms-based authentication
- Support for common rules
- Server-side spelling checker for six languages
- Quick Flags
- Personal Tasks
- Message signatures
- Saved searches
The Outlook Web Access UI features also include
improved keyboard shortcuts and
reorganized toolbars to better
match those in
Outlook 2003.
Enhanced Security and Privacy
Security enhancements in Outlook Web Access
in Exchange 2003 include:
- S/MIME support (Internet Explorer 6 and Microsoft Windows® 2000 or
later is required)
- "
Spam beacon" blocking to help protect your e-mail address privacy from
spammers
- A hidden destination site to help protect your privacy when viewing
a URL from a message in Outlook Web Access
- Attachment blocking so you
can selectively disable attachments being viewed from outside the
firewall. You can also prevent sensitive documents
from
being downloaded outside your network.
- A session inactivity timeout
using forms-based authentication that enables support for a timed
log off after a period of inactivity. Outlook
Web
Access enables you to log off securely even if the browser is
left open with a
current session to the server.
Performance Improvements
Outlook Web Access performance is improved with:
- Deferred search for new messages after deletion
- A choice between Basic and
Premium versions of Outlook Web Access clients when connecting with
Internet Explorer 5.01 or later
- A choice between the Basic client version from
the forms-based authentication logon page when connecting with Netscape
and Internet Explorer 5.01 and
earlier or you can choose the Premium client version
- Substantial performance
improvements, after you've enabled GZip compression, when you connect
through dial-up, low-bandwidth wireless networks or
when you use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)