Is it a bad idea to host other services on an edge server, such as company website, or video conferencing software?

as always there is pros and cons on having multiple functions/roles on the same server. If you have single role on a server you get more flexibility and also applications that dont interfere with each other. on the other hand if will be more expensive to have separate boxes and more licenses.

Hi, Besides Lasses inputting, please understand that Edge Transport server handles all Internet-facing mail flow, which provides Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) relay and smart host services for the Exchange organization. Additional layers of message protection and security are provided by a series of agents that run on the Edge Transport server and act on messages as they are processed by the message transport components. These agents support the features that provide protection against viruses and spam and apply transport rules to control message flow. So I recommend you to just install Edge role on that server in thought of the Server performance. More information share with you: Edge Transport Server Role: Overview http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124701(EXCHG.80).aspx Planning for Edge Transport Servers http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa996562(EXCHG.80).aspx Hope it helps. Xiu

Thanks for the good information. How about running other services as VM on the same box?

Hi, VM? VMare? I am not familar with that.But we need to ensure that the Exchange Server can be work smoothly. So in order to avoid any other unsuspected issue,I recommend you to only host the Edge Transport role on that machine. Hope it helps. Xiu