NHS moves email to Exchange

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The National Health Service (NHS) has announced it will be moving its massive email platform to Microsoft Exchange 2007 running Outlook.

The NHS IT service Connecting for Health launched NHSmail in 2004 with Cable & Wireless on a Mirapoint system, a CfH spokesman said. The timeline of the transition to the Microsoft system has not yet been announced, he added.

One of the more popular aspects of the embattled National Programme for IT (NPfIT), NHSmail it has been endorsed by the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing. It has 260,000 registered users, making it one of the biggest enterprise message systems in the world.

Despite the success of the Mirapoint system, the NHS and Cable & Wireless decided to upgrade the mail system following a feasibility study, saying in a statement that while the system was the best at the time, advancements in technology mean that other options better suit the ever evolving requirements of the massive NHS system.

"Cable & Wireless worked in partnership with NHS CfH on a feasibility study to establish the most appropriate technology solution moving forward, and between us we have concluded that as a result of increasing demands for functionality and flexibility of use, Exchange 2007 offers the best option for an enhanced user experience," said Martin Goodman, managing director for public sector and systems integrators at Cable & Wireless.

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