In the early days of the beta version of what became known as Exchange 2007, the internet was littered with rumors and speculation about the demise of Exchange Public Folders. The implementation of Public Folders in the initial release to market instance of that product did little to convince us that Microsoft was going to support them for long. All administration of Public Folders had to be performed from the Exchange Management Shell, and that was a difficult pill for many Exchange admins to swallow. Furthermore, there was a lack of support for Public Folders in Outlook Web Access (OWA).

In this white paper we will examine Exchange Public Folders and consider where they fit in our plans for a messaging infrastructure. Our examination will take us through:

1. What Public Folders Are

2. Moving From Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2010

3. Moving From Exchange 2007 to Exchange 2010

4. Moving From Other Messaging Infrastructures to Exchange 2010

5. Leaving Public Folders Behind

6. What the Future May Hold