Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users
IT Manager at a renewables & environment company with 201-500 employees
Real User
It has good integration with other Microsoft tools and allows us to retain and recover an email deleted by a user
Pros and Cons
  • "It has a feature that allows you to retain an email and recover it as an administrator. When you activate this feature, even if a user deletes an email, the email is still in the system, and we can retrieve it as an administrator. It is a very useful function. We turn this feature on for some of the mailboxes because we need to keep all the records. I like the way emails are classified in this solution. It makes it really easy to take a look at the most important messages. This is a really good functionality. Some of the emails directly exchanged with you are marked as important and shown in one tab, and everything else is in another tab. We usually don't have any issue with Exchange. It can be integrated with different solutions."
  • "Its search functionality can be better. It is currently not really easy. It has the capability to search your mailbox, but it has some restrictions in terms of the number of results that you can retrieve. You can only get around 250 results. If you want to do a deeper search, you need to use different functionalities of the product. The policy that we have for handling emails is that we do not delete emails at all. If I insert the text that I am searching for in the Search field, it only retrieves a limited number of emails. To search for an email from 2010, I need to use different search functions to find what I am looking for. Microsoft can also improve its licensing for its products. Microsoft's licensing is not very easy to understand. It can sometimes be really complex to understand what you need to have in order to comply with Microsoft licensing."

What is our primary use case?

It is an email solution with all the capabilities similar to different email solutions. We basically use it for internal emails and for making reservations. We have some shared mailboxes to receive communication from general entities.

What is most valuable?

It has a feature that allows you to retain an email and recover it as an administrator. When you activate this feature, even if a user deletes an email, the email is still in the system, and we can retrieve it as an administrator. It is a very useful function. We turn this feature on for some of the mailboxes because we need to keep all the records.

I like the way emails are classified in this solution. It makes it really easy to take a look at the most important messages. This is a really good functionality. Some of the emails directly exchanged with you are marked as important and shown in one tab, and everything else is in another tab.

We usually don't have any issue with Exchange. It can be integrated with different solutions. 

What needs improvement?

Its search functionality can be better. It is currently not really easy. It has the capability to search your mailbox, but it has some restrictions in terms of the number of results that you can retrieve. You can only get around 250 results. If you want to do a deeper search, you need to use different functionalities of the product. The policy that we have for handling emails is that we do not delete emails at all. If I insert the text that I am searching for in the Search field, it only retrieves a limited number of emails. To search for an email from 2010, I need to use different search functions to find what I am looking for.

Microsoft can also improve its licensing for its products. Microsoft's licensing is not very easy to understand. It can sometimes be really complex to understand what you need to have in order to comply with Microsoft licensing.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Exchange since I joined this company back in 2008.

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Exchange
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Exchange. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Exchange has been pretty stable. The problem we faced was because we forgot to delete some of the rules that were created automatically. The problem was on our side. 

We also have Exchange Online, and we have experienced an issue with it in the past. Microsoft had a huge outage about three or four months ago, and we didn't have any access to our email in the cloud. That's the only time we experienced a problem with Exchange Online.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We are a mid-size company with 350 employees. We haven't experienced any problems with scalability or faced a situation where we need to quickly increase the capacity of the system. The company has grown over the last ten years and has added around 100 employees. It has worked for us in terms of scalability, but I don't know if it works for companies bigger than ours.

We have all kinds of users. There is a mix of different functions that are using the system. Our core business is for operating power plants, so our employees are plant operators. Half of our users are plant operators, and we also have a mix of engineers, accountants, commercial staff, legal department, and HR department. 

How are customer service and support?

We have not contacted their technical support. We found all the documentation on the Microsoft site very useful. 

How was the initial setup?

I was not the one who implemented this solution. Based on my understanding from the technical department, installing it in an on-premises environment is easy. Creating or handling all the emails on the cloud is also really easy. The most complex process that we have done so far is migration. We have a hybrid environment with half of them on-premises and half of them on the essential line. Integrating these two environments was the most difficult task. You need to understand both environments to integrate them. We didn't have a lot of problems with this integration. It is a difficult task, but it is not impossible.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Its price is very affordable, and basically, it is the standard of the industry. We have the Exchange 365 subscription, which includes the usage of Exchange Online. I don't know the specific cost, but it is the retail price of Microsoft 365 E3 licenses.

Microsoft's licensing is not very easy to understand. Microsoft changes rules every other day, which makes it difficult for us to understand the licensing not only for Exchange but also for other products. It can sometimes be really complex to understand what you need to have in order to comply with Microsoft licensing.

What other advice do I have?

Its technical implementation is quite good. It is stable and can be accessed through all kinds of devices. You can access it through a client for your mobile phones or computer. It performs pretty well. Microsoft is a market leader with a presence everywhere, which makes it easy to find support.

I would recommend this solution. I would advise others to also go for the entire suite of Office 365 along with Microsoft Exchange. I don't know if Exchange licenses are sold separately. If you are already using Microsoft tools, it makes sense to go for Microsoft Exchange because it has native integration with all those tools.

I would rate Microsoft Exchange a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer2126463 - PeerSpot reviewer
Consultant at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 10
Needs to offer better support services but is beneficial for managing emails
Pros and Cons
  • "The tool's most valuable feature is associated with the fact that it stands out for being beneficial for managing emails."
  • "At the end of the day, the biggest area for improvement is having better and more knowledgeable support technicians."

What is our primary use case?

I use the solution in my company because it is an email system, and it can be hard to get by without one. I also use the tool for different companies and offer support for it. As a consultant, I support it for many different organizations. I use the tool across a whole bunch of different industries, so there are too many to name.

What is most valuable?

The tool's most valuable feature is associated with the fact that it stands out for being beneficial for managing emails.

What needs improvement?

At the end of the day, the biggest area for improvement is having better and more knowledgeable support technicians. Anytime I have to call in with issues about Microsoft Exchange, I know more about it than the consultants or some other people to whom Microsoft pays to offer support for the product.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have experience with Microsoft Exchange since it came into existence. I used to work at Microsoft, so I have been familiar with Microsoft Exchange when it was Microsoft BPOS. My company has a partnership with Microsoft.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I am a small business person, so the tool's scalability is just fine.

The tool is meant for small businesses.

How are customer service and support?

I rate the technical support a zero out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Negative

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I don't see any differences between Microsoft Exchange and some other email applications I have used. Microsoft Exchange is just a tool. The biggest I see in Microsoft Exchange is that it is much easier to access it through multiple platforms.

What was our ROI?

There is no ROI from the use of the tool in my company. It is a required piece of tool for business. I can have a functionality-related discussion about the tool that I need to run the business. The tool's ROI discussion is kind of moot for me.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution's pricing is fine. There are not many options out there, so it is not fair to rate the tool's pricing on a scale of one to ten. I do think the tool offers value for money.

What other advice do I have?

The security and compliance features impacted our organization to a minimal extent because we use third-party products for most of such stuff.

Speaking about the tool's integration capabilities with other software, I would say that they vary a lot, so some things are good, while some areas are challenging.

I utilize the mobile access features of the tool all the time.

Speaking about the tool's productivity, I would say it is the number one email platform in the world. The product works just fine. It does what I need it to do. The only time I get frustrated is when it breaks down or doesn't do things the way it is supposed to and when the support people are unable to assist me.

As I support Microsoft Exchange for many people, I can recommend it to others.

When the tool is working just fine, it is a great product. When it breaks and I cannot get it working the way it is supposed to, it is bad.

I rate the tool a five out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Exchange
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Exchange. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.
CTO at Numo Capital Holdings
Real User
A highly scalable solution that offers multiple functionalities to its users
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a very stable tool...It is a very scalable tool."
  • "In terms of Microsoft Exchange, I think maybe what can be done is to make it more user-friendly."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution in our company for emails, calendars, requests, and tasks.

What is most valuable?

The exchange of emails is its most valuable feature.

What needs improvement?

I'm a user for the time being. I'm not an administrator who is managing the server. I was an administrator fifteen years ago. But today, I'm just a simple user using the solution for emails.

We had an antivirus like Sophos to secure our network. In terms of Microsoft Exchange, I think maybe what can be done is to make it more user-friendly. Also, Microsoft should make it more like a web version.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Exchange for a very long time. Currently, we are on the cloud version.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a very stable tool.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a very scalable tool. In my last company, the solution had more than five thousand users. Now, thirty users use the solution. Considering the upcoming year, there are no plans to increase its usage.

How are customer service and support?

I am not seeking any help from technical support because we speak with our own technical staff.

How was the initial setup?

As a user, we don't get involved in the setup process. We need to connect it using the email address. It takes a minute to deploy it. I can do the deployment by myself.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Since my company is on Microsoft Cloud, we pay for the licenses per user. Compared to volume licensing, I would say the present licensing cost is not expensive.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend others planning to use the solution to use it. I rate the overall solution a ten out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Venkat Narayanan - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Manager - Delivery Excellence,Risk & Compliance at Tata Consultancy
Real User
User-friendly, high performance, and simple installation
Pros and Cons
  • "Microsoft Exchange has good performance and is user-friendly."
  • "Microsoft Exchange could improve by adding artificial intelligence."

What is our primary use case?

Microsoft Exchange is used as a collaboration platform.

What is most valuable?

Microsoft Exchange has good performance and is user-friendly. 

What needs improvement?

Microsoft Exchange could improve by adding artificial intelligence.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used Microsoft Exchange within the last 12 months.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

70 percent of our company is using Microsoft Exchange. We have plans to increase our usage. We have a large company.

How are customer service and support?

We have internal support for Microsoft Exchange, it is rare for an issue to reach Microsoft technical support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I was using Lotus Notes previously to Microsoft Exchange.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of east to do for Microsoft Exchange.

What about the implementation team?

Our IT department did the implementation of Microsoft Exchange.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate Microsoft Exchange a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Zülfikar Erdem - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Support Specialist at Wagner Kablo A.S.
Real User
Top 20
Easy-to-install platform with valuable collaboration features
Pros and Cons
  • "The technical support services are good."
  • "The platform could be more user-friendly."

What is our primary use case?

We use the platform to facilitate email traffic, file transfer, security services, and rule policies.

What is most valuable?

Microsoft Exchange is a user-friendly product with efficient features for mail services and DNS registration.

What needs improvement?

The platform could be more user-friendly.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Microsoft Exchange for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The service is stable. I rate the stability a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have 132 Microsoft Exchange users in our organization. It has a good scalability.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support services are good. The team answers the tickets immediately.

How was the initial setup?

The product is easy to install and deploy. The development steps included creating DNS records, followed by synchronizing with the Active Directory and facilitating user logins.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented the platform with the help of our in-house team.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Microsoft Exchange is an inexpensive application.

What other advice do I have?

The product, Microsoft Exchange, has significantly impacted our team's collaboration by utilizing hybrid directory functionality. We can integrate it with Teams, Calendar, and SharePoint providing simultaneous access for the users. It has effective calendar functionality improving scheduling efficiency. It offers various security-level templates, allowing administrators to tailor security policies based on specific organizational needs.

It is a stable service. It has a knowledgeable technical support team as well. I rate it a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Solutions Architect at Vvolve management consultants
Real User
Protects data privacy
Pros and Cons
  • "On-premises Microsoft Exchange is good because it protects data privacy."
  • "Microsoft could improve on Exchange's hybrid deployment or HCW. They need to improve on that because I was having many issues with HCW in our environment at times."

What is our primary use case?

So I'm part of the team that does migration from the old version to the new version. I've done updates on all the versions up to 18.

What is most valuable?

On-premises Microsoft Exchange is good because it protects data privacy. It depends on the client because clients want to share their mailing communication with anyone, like vendors and all. So it's purchasing like on-premises server exchange email. So if they are okay with storing data to Online Exchange and all Office 365, they're buying that one. So it depends on the client's needs entirely. 

What needs improvement?

Microsoft could improve on Exchange's hybrid deployment or HCW. They need to improve on that because I was having many issues with HCW in our environment at times. And there are certain things I'm not clear about, like eDiscovery on our on-premises level. There were some features that I liked, such as Unified Messaging and Advance Search, but Microsoft removed them in 2019.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with Microsoft Exchange off and on for several years. It's not something I use daily. I work with it when I'm brought in to provide migration or implementation services. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Exchange's stability all depends on the environment. So when we are configuring and implementing, we're optimizing everything for performance. I've been working for 10 years in that field, so if anyone changes a configuration, we take into consideration the impact it will have on the stability. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Microsoft Exchange is scalable, but it depends on the company and how much they're willing to pay. Scalability is only limited by the price.

How are customer service and support?

When I'm migrating or implementing, and I have an issue, I check out a few things, like which applications are running. I also check the network security to discover all the basic stuff like server performance. Then, I suggest how many people are required to address these technical issues and at what level. I escalated to Microsoft two or three times. That was what the client needed, so we contacted Microsoft and got an LSA for that.

How was the initial setup?

Installing and configuring Microsoft Exchange is a little bit complex. Initial installation takes around 45 minutes to 30 minutes. Then we have to do some configuration. The basic configuration takes one to two days, depending on the environment. When we are implementing in a hybrid environment, we need to make some manual adjustments. For example, there was an issue with creating multiple databases during one implementation, like active and passive copy. That was not transferring and working in that scenario. 

Often we're working with a company that has already deployed. That's where we need to understand our workflow and main flow. For example, say there is a company that already deployed version 10, and we need to upgrade to 16 or 19. So we would have to understand their needs, like if there is a hybrid configuration or some other existing requirement. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

There are different pricing tiers, and I don't remember all the costs for that. For Office 365, it depends on the license price per mailbox user. And for the on-premises version, there is a scale license. Overall, it's about average for the market. The on-premises license is a bit more costly because there is a requirement for OS-level licensing. And we offer a standard edition, so it is a little more straightforward to figure out the cost. We can also go for enterprise pricing. It depends on what the client needs.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Microsoft Exchange eight out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Roymell Santos - PeerSpot reviewer
ICT Officer at Intelligent Skincareinc Inc.
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Has efficient calendar-sharing capability and a knowledgeable technical support team
Pros and Cons
  • "It integrates well with other tools."
  • "We are not able to use Microsoft Teams due to connection issues. Thus, the product integration with Teams could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We mainly use the solution for our company email communications.

What is most valuable?

The platform is easy to use as it is integrated with Microsoft. We can easily share work files with other employees. 

What needs improvement?

We are not able to use Microsoft Teams due to connection issues. Thus, the product integration with Teams could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Microsoft Exchange for about seven months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have 73 Microsoft Exchange users in our organization. It is scalable. 

How are customer service and support?

We contacted the technical support team for the migration. They responded immediately to our concerns and were knowledgeable.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We used Google Workspace before migrating to Exchange. We switched to Exchange as it was already integrated with Microsoft Office and didn't require paying for a separate license.

How was the initial setup?

The setup was not very complex. It took about one to two weeks to migrate all our end-user accounts.

What other advice do I have?

The platform's calendar-sharing capability is useful. It integrates well with other tools. 

I recommend it to others. It has many security features and is integrated with Microsoft Office, making it cost-effective. I rate it a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
Emil Heinemann - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at Cerberus IT Solutions
Real User
Works well, offers easy access, and has helpful support
Pros and Cons
  • "It is stable."
  • "The only thing that could be improved is the pricing."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for e-mail. That's pretty much what Exchange is built for, and it's very good at what it's built for. 

What is most valuable?

If you want to have an email system that works quite well and that allows you to be able to give easy access to everything from emails to checking calendars, that's basically 365.

It is stable. 

It can scale. 

Technical support is largely helpful.

What needs improvement?

The only thing that could be improved is the pricing. They could make it more competitive. The price is a lot. That said, the product works, which means you're kind of caught between two realities. You want to pay for something that works. You just don't want to pay too much. If they could get it to be more affordable, then they will have a greater uptake in users. All the people that are using G Suite, the free version, would likely actually move over to 365.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for over 15 years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a very stable product. There aren't bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It is reliable, and the performance is good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I'm happy with the scalability. 

We have about ten people using the solution in our company; however, our customers that we support number in the thousands. 

If we do get additional people, we will increase usage. 

How are customer service and support?

I've used Microsoft tech support quite a bit across various applications that they have available. Technical support is not bad. Once or twice you get a unique issue that's going to be difficult until you find someone that knows absolutely everything. However, for the most part, technical support is okay. It could be far worse.

How was the initial setup?

The setups vary in level of difficulty. I've worked with both simple and complex setups. 

I'm not sure exactly how long it takes to deploy. The time would depend on the size of the implementation. 

What about the implementation team?

I can handle the initial setup myself. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution could be less expensive. 

We can do monthly payments if we like; however, usually, we do a yearly subscription. 

What other advice do I have?

We've used on-premises and cloud deployments. In on-premises, we're likely one version behind. On the cloud, we are using the latest version.

I'd recommend the solution to others. Whenever, for example, I find someone using Google, I move them over to Exchange. 

I would rate the product eight out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Exchange Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: January 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Exchange Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.