Securing OWA using SSL and enabling Forms-based Authentication

First thing is to create or buy a certificate ( Verisign or Thawte ..there are others ) and assign that certificate to the server. This is performed on the Default Web Site properties, under the Directory Security Tab. Once the certificate has been added, no additional configuration is needed on the Default Web Site. The following steps detail how to enable SSL, and forms-based authentication.

1. On the properties of the Exchange Virtual Directory, go to the same Directory Security tab and under the Secure Communications area, click on Edit. Choose Require Secure Channel (SSL) and check the box next to require 128-bit encryption. Follow the same steps for the Public Virtual Directory.
2. Now that you have enabled SSL, you can enable Forms-based authentication. Go into Exchange System Manager, and go to the properties of the Default HTTP Virtual Server. Under the Settings tab, check the box Enable Forms-based authentication. Optionally, modify the compression settings. Setting this to High will have the greatest performance improvement to users. Forms-based authentication will allow Exchange to display the OWA logon screen instead of the popup window asking for username and password. .