1. Microsoft Exchange Server 2010
Customer Solution Case Study
Law Firm Provides Disaster Recovery While
Reducing Costs with E-mail Upgrade
Overview “I have been using Exchange Server 2010 and Outlook
Country or Region: United States
Industry: Professional services—Legal 2010 for e-mail since June and have been extremely
services satisfied with the performance and the user experience.
Customer Profile It is a robust, very stable platform.”
Law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
Alexander Diaz, Enterprise Development Manager, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
has over 600 attorneys in locations
across the United States and an Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP offers legal counsel in 40 different
affiliate in London. Its practice areas
include corporate, financial services,
areas of practice, including corporate, financial services,
litigation, and real estate. litigation, real estate, and commercial finance. E-mail is a critical
Business Situation
communication tool for its 1,350 employees—650 attorneys and
To provide disaster recovery and 700 administrative and support staff—who work in offices across
address challenges with e-mail
retention, Katten wanted to provide a
the United States and in an affiliate in London. Katten wanted to
highly available messaging improve site resiliency to avoid extended e-mail system outages
environment that eased regulatory
compliance.
that were imposed by property management at their buildings
for electrical and HVAC maintenance. Working with Microsoft®
Solution
Katten deployed Microsoft® Exchange
Gold Certified Partner Project Leadership Associates, Katten
Server 2010 to take advantage of deployed Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 to provide a highly
improved compliance capabilities and
to reduce e-mail downtime.
available messaging environment that supported the compliance
requirements of legal communications. The firm expects high e-
Benefits
• Less e-mail downtime
mail availability, savings in storage costs, and a decrease in
• Decreased compliance costs compliance costs.
• Reduced storage costs
• Reduced IT administration

2. “As a law firm, e-mail is Situation mailbox on an alternative server via a
Founded in 1974, Katten Muchin third-party hosted service until their
one of the critical Rosenman LLP employs 650 attorneys regular firm-provided e-mail service
who provide an extensive range of legal could be restored. However, this
applications that we services across numerous industries. The presented several issues around access
can’t live without.” firm’s clients include one-third of the and security. First, a new mailbox without
Fortune 100, as well as a number of data did not enable attorneys to
Alexander Diaz, Enterprise Development government and nonprofit organizations continue working effectively, which
Manager, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP and individuals. precluded the ability to provide good
client service. Second, when a work e-
Katten depends on secure and effective
mail mailbox was down, an attorney
communication between attorneys and
might be tempted to use personal e-mail
clients. Alexander Diaz, Enterprise
for urgent communication instead of
Development Manager at Katten Muchin
waiting for IT to provision a new mailbox,
Rosenman LLP, says, “As a law firm, e-
putting sensitive legal information at risk.
mail is one of the critical applications
Diaz says, “Downtime costs us a lot in
that we can’t live without.” Maximizing e-
productivity, so redundancy is very
mail availability at Katten is important to
important for the firm. The attorneys
help maintain a high level of client
need access to e-mail to continue
service and reduce response time for
providing timely services to their clients.”
critical inquires.
Since mailbox sizes at Katten average
The firm was using Microsoft® Exchange
approximately 30 gigabytes (GB), a lot of
Server 2003, and employees accessed e-
storage is required. Katten uses a storage
mail through the Microsoft Office
area network (SAN) storage system with
Outlook® 2003 messaging and
fiber channel disks and redundant array
collaboration client. The company had e-
of inexpensive disks (RAID) 10
mail servers in its Chicago office and five
redundancy for storage. This system is
other locations. Each site used a two-
expensive but necessary to provide the
node cluster for high availability, but
performance the firm requires in its
there was no replication of data among
Exchange Server 2003 environment. “The
the sites. Diaz says, “Some sites, such as
vast majority of our mobile devices are
Los Angeles, face brownouts as well as
BlackBerry. They are so I/O
scheduled electrical outages. So we
[input/output] intensive that it requires
might have a complete system outage at
the need to be on fast disks to minimize
a given site, which directly impacts
the impact,” explains Diaz. The large
business in those locations. They can still
mailbox sizes also affected the
work on local documents, but e-mail is
performance of the Office Outlook 2003
down for them.” Katten had begun using
client. Attorneys complained that starting
servers at a co-location facility to store a
Outlook could take as long as five
redundant copy of their litigation
minutes, and Katten was looking for a
practice data and wanted to be able to
way to improve performance.
use that site to provide disaster recovery
for e-mail as well. As a law firm, Katten has stringent
compliance, security, and litigation
Without a robust disaster-recovery
requirements. Diaz says, “We struggled
solution in place, Katten could only
with litigation holds. There have been
provide e-mail users with a brand-new
times we needed to be able to search

3. “Performance with large across multiple mailboxes, which was not Microsoft Forefront™ Protection 2010 for
easy in the previous environment. IT Exchange Server. These servers will
mailboxes greatly should be able to offload these tasks to perform antivirus checks on all e-mail
the conflicts and records departments.” traffic destined in or out of the firm. In
exceeds our order to provide redundancy for external
expectations. With the Solution
e-mail this role will have a redundant
counterpart at the firm’s co-location site.
To investigate a way to resolve its e-mail
growing amount of data performance, storage, and compliance With Database Availability Groups
that needs to be issues, Katten decided to participate in resolving its high-availability and
the Rapid Deployment Program for disaster-recovery needs, Katten began
retained, it is not Microsoft Exchange Server 2010. With looking at the other capabilities
the help of Microsoft Gold Certified Exchange Server 2010 could provide.
uncommon for us to Partner Project Leadership Associates, With Exchange Server 2010, Katten
have 30-gigabyte plus Katten began testing Exchange Server administrators and compliance officers
2010 in April 2009 and found that the with the correct permissions can now use
mailboxes.” solution was just what it was looking for. the Exchange Control Panel to perform
Alexander Diaz, Enterprise Development “Exchange Server 2010 has increased our multi-mailbox searches for items such as
Manager, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP ability to provide our customers with a messages, attachments, contacts, or
very flexible and reliable messaging calendar entries. During conflict searches
infrastructure,” explains Forrest McDuffie, or litigation investigations,
Senior Consultant with Project administrators can save the search
Leadership Associates. “Exchange Server results to a specified mailbox or store
2010 enables us to provide these options them for further investigation.
more cost effectively than we could with
Katten also will take advantage of
previous versions of Exchange Server.”
improved retention policies in Exchange
A key Exchange Server 2010 capability Server 2010 to help satisfy corporate
that has helped improve resiliency for policy requirements on communications.
Katten is Database Availability Groups. Administrators can apply retention or
Database Availability Groups combines expiration settings to specific items or
on-site and off-site data replication into folders in a mailbox, at an organizational
a single high-availability solution that or user level. The administrator
helps protect its Exchange Server configures the policies, which are
environment from downtime. Using displayed inside each e-mail, along with
Database Availability Groups, Katten can a header message describing the policy
implement high-availability and disaster- that has been applied. These headers
recovery solutions for each office so that make it easier for employees to identify
employees will not face interruptions in when an e-mail is set for expiration and
service even if their sites experience a move it to another folder if they need to
planned outage. Diaz says, “We will have retain it beyond the expiration policy.
a redundant copy within each site and a Katten also plans to use Information
replicated copy at the co-location facility. Rights Management to help safeguard
With Exchange Server 2010, the failover sensitive information.
is seamless.”
With Role Based Access Control (RBAC),
All Internet mail will be routed through Katten can delegate Exchange Server
two Hub Transport servers running 2010 administration capabilities by

4. “We will have a creating specialty roles with Server 2010 even when someone breaks
predetermined functions. Diaz says, “We the conversation, the conversation view
redundant copy within found RBAC to be a huge benefit. That is maintains the thread and brings an
something I have needed for a long otherwise disjointed conversation back in
each site and a time—to have more granular rights for line.” He continues, “I also really like the
replicated copy at the administrators and lower-level IT staff to new user interface in Outlook 2010. One
do targeted tasks. Today we have a lot of of my favorite features is QuickSteps.
co-location facility. With low-level administrators who execute With QuickSteps, I can easily automate
mailbox moves or perform other some of the actions that I do frequently.”
Exchange Server 2010, Exchange Server related administrative
Katten has been testing the client
the failover is seamless.” tasks. Previous versions of Exchange
performance of Outlook 2010 along with
Server would require giving them full
Alexander Diaz, Enterprise Development the Windows® 7 operating system.
Exchange Server administrator rights to
Manager, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP “Regarding performance, if you are
perform some of these routine tasks.
running 64-bit Windows 7, it is blazingly
Now we can easily provide the help desk
fast. Microsoft did a bang-up job with
additional access to create or modify
these products. Performance with large
distribution lists—some of the routine
mailboxes greatly exceeds our
tasks that would otherwise burden your
expectations. With the growing amount
more experienced Exchange Server
of data that needs to be retained, it is
administrators.”
not uncommon for us to have 30-
The firm will take advantage of the 90- gigabyte plus mailboxes, making these
percent reduction in disk input/output performance improvements crucial to
(I/O) compared to Exchange Server 2003, our business. I have been using Exchange
by reducing the cost of the storage it Server 2010 and Outlook 2010 for e-mail
uses on its SAN. “We’ll be able to use since June and have been extremely
less expensive disks for the redundant satisfied with the performance and the
copy at each site and in the co-location. user experience. It is a robust, very stable
We will use SATA [Serial Advanced platform,” says Diaz.
Technology Attachment] instead of fiber
Katten also would like to increase the
channel disks and will also use RAID 5
number of employees using Windows
instead of RAID 10 for the secondary
phones with Windows Mobile® 6.5 to
copies,” says Diaz. The use of RAID 5 will
reduce the I/O impact and security
reduce the amount of storage needed to
concerns of mobile devices accessing
help protect against hardware or site
mail on its e-mail servers. Diaz says, “We
failures.
are trying to expand the use of Windows
Attorneys at Katten will benefit from phones and would like to expand the use
some of the new user capabilities of Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync®
provided by Exchange Server 2010. The technology. During the development of
Conversation View is useful because it our new Exchange Server 2010
collapses the conversation and can even environment we have also been testing
pull together messages that have been the features and functionality of
saved in different folders. Diaz says, Windows Mobile 6.5. Overall, the
“Let’s say you are out of the office and experience has been nicer on Windows
you get ten e-mails on the same thread. Mobile 6.5 than experienced on previous
Before, you would spend time looking versions. The phones are receiving e-mail
for the end of the thread. With Exchange as quickly as it shows up on the mailbox

5. server. It is almost instantaneous.” Reduced Storage Costs
Windows Mobile 6.5 also delivers many With the upgrade to Exchange Server
of the same new features included in 2010, Katten will use less expensive
Outlook 2010 and Outlook Web App, storage for redundant copies of the data
providing a consistent user experience while maintaining similar performance to
across the clients. the primary copy. Diaz says, “Our storage
costs for e-mail will be considerably less.
The number of disks in the RAID sets will
Benefits be much greater, with 1-terabyte drives
With its deployment of Exchange Server
in a RAID 5 configuration providing more
2010, Katten looks forward to several
available storage. With RAID 10, we used
benefits that will improve its attorneys’
up a lot of disks. Exchange Server 2010
ability to serve clients. The firm expects
eliminates the need to use more costly
less e-mail downtime, decreased
storage configurations.”
compliance costs, reduced storage costs,
and reduced administrative time. Reduced IT Administration
With Exchange Server 2010, IT can safely
Reduced E-mail Downtime
delegate many of the less complex
Diaz says, “The main goal for the
administrative tasks such as distribution
Exchange Server 2010 deployment is to
lists or mailbox moves to the help desk
provide high-availability and business
personnel or less experienced IT staff.
continuity functionality.” He continues,
More experienced administrators would
“With Exchange Server 2010, failover is
then be free to spend additional time
seamless.” With improvements enabled
resolving complex support issues. Thanks
by the use of Database Availability
to Exchange Server 2010, Katten
Groups to provide site redundancy at its
administrators can move mailboxes
co-location facility, Katten attorneys can
between databases without taking users
continue to use e-mail without
offline. Employees will be happy because
interruption, making them more
they can continue to send and receive
responsive to client needs and enabling
mail without interruption, and IT
them to meet critical deadlines.
administrators will appreciate the ability
Decreased Compliance Costs to perform mailbox moves during normal
With Exchange Server 2010, Katten is business hours.
reducing the time and cost of e-mail and
“With the help of Project Leadership
records compliance. With the Exchange
Associates, Katten has created a unified
Control Panel for multi-mailbox searches
communications environment that helps
and RBAC, compliance officers and
to improve the quality and reliability of
administrators can better track,
its e-mail platform for its attorneys and
investigate, and manage the
support staff. This solution will provide
communications related to litigation
the firm with improved client servicing
holds. The time spent on compliance
and productivity,” says Diaz.
activities related to e-mail will decrease,
reducing the need for IT involvement.
With improved rights management and
retention policies, the firm will enhance
the ability to protect its intellectual
property.

6. For More Information Microsoft Exchange Server 2010
For more information about Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 can help you
products and services, call the achieve better business outcomes while
Microsoft Sales Information Center at controlling the costs of deployment,
(800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the administration, and compliance.
Microsoft Canada Information Centre Exchange Server delivers the widest
at (877) 568-2495. Customers in the range of deployment options, integrated
United States and Canada who are information leakage protection, and
deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach advanced compliance capabilities, which
Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) combine to form the best messaging and
services at (800) 892-5234. Outside the collaboration solution available.
50 United States and Canada, please
contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. For more information about Microsoft
To access information using the World Exchange Server 2010, go to:
Wide Web, go to: www.microsoft.com/exchange
www.microsoft.com
For more information about Microsoft
For more information about Project Unified Communications, go to:
Leadership Associates products and www.microsoft.com/uc
services, call (312) 441-0077 or visit the
Web site at:
www.projectleadership.net
For more information about Katten
Muchin Rosenman LLP products and
services, call (312) 902-5200 or visit the
Web site at:
www.kattenlaw.com
Software and Services • Microsoft Office
• Microsoft Server Product Portfolio − Microsoft Outlook 2010
− Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 • Windows Mobile 6.5
− Microsoft System Center Data
Protection Manager 2007 Partners
• Project Leadership Associates
This case study is for informational purposes only.
MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
Document published November 2009