Are there any microsoft developed best practice recommendations when it comes to exchange 2003 on: mailbox retention/management public folder security/management delegate/send as rights/management I want to check we are doing things in line with MS best practice. Aside from the above 3 topics, what other key areas outside of virus/spam should be included in a comprehensive email/exchange audit, in your view?

1. Depends on your env, and your requirements. 2. Engage MS PFE for a Exhchange health check (exchRAP). May not be avaliable to you if you're not a premier customer, but confirm. They will check your Exchange Env and provide you with a detailed report of best practises and misconfigurations. Sukh

1. Depends on your env, and your requirements. 2. Engage MS PFE for a Exhchange health check (exchRAP). May not be avaliable to you if you're not a premier customer, but confirm. They will check your Exchange Env and provide you with a detailed report of best practises and misconfigurations. Sukh Wasnt really what I was after, it was best practices to check key issues ourselves, not pay a fortune for someone to do it on our behalf

1. Depends on your env,and your requirements I was after some insipration on issues to include in the scope Just general brain storming

1. Run the ExBPA, this is what it is designed for too. 2. Exchange security model, i.e who are your Exch admins are and what access do they have etc.... 3. Ensure your logging is setup correctly to include MT, applications, security, smtp, across your servers and is consistent. 4. I know you mentioned AV, but dont forget your exceptions at the file level. 5. Monitoring of your servers, proactive monitoring in plae if oyu can, dont have to spends money, use sme basic scripts to monitor core servcices, startup type, disk space etc.. 6. Exchange Server 2003 Security Hardening Guide http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=47578 http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=45208 7. Certficates and Exchange infrastucture documentation, keep it updated, if it exists :-) 8. General pacthing is up to date for OS and Exchange etc... 9. Mailbox and Public folder limits, max number of messages per folder ideally should be 10,000, Sub-folders of a folder should ideally be 250. 10. Regular backups. Check yur daily reports. Test your backups!.