Microsoft Exchange is used for emailing groups, subscription-based similar to Online Exchange you can work on emails anywhere at any time. Used for groups, global address books, and global calendars.
Managing Director at KRsolns LTD
Good support, performs well, and is easy to install
Pros and Cons
- "Our customers are satisfied with the features included in Microsoft Exchange."
- "There are issues when you add your domain to Microsoft Tenant, and you try to create that. Which is a problem for me."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
Our customers are satisfied with the features included in Microsoft Exchange.
What needs improvement?
The only and main issue I had was when we had to verify the domain on the tenant.
There are issues when you add your domain to Microsoft Tenant, and you try to create that. Which is a problem for me.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Microsoft Exchange for more than ten years.
It is deployed both on-premise and on the cloud.
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Microsoft Exchange
January 2025
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have not had any complaints regarding the stability of Microsoft Exchange.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft Exchange is a scalable solution.
I have 10 clients with approximately 200 licenses.
How are customer service and support?
The Microsoft employees in Mauritius are friends, and they assist us whenever help is required.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is very easy.
I have myself and two others to maintain and deploy this solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licensing fees are paid monthly.
What other advice do I have?
We plan to move everyone to Microsoft Exchange Online.
Everyone, in my opinion, is going for the Online Exchange, and I don't see any other option for myself.
I would rate Microsoft Exchange a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Controls Engineer at C-Tech Controls
Easy to set up but doesn't work very well on a virtual machine
Pros and Cons
- "It is easy to set up."
- "It doesn't work very well on a virtual machine. We had to move it around. There are also issues when you try to move it between computers."
What is our primary use case?
We use it just for email.
What is most valuable?
It is easy to set up.
What needs improvement?
It doesn't work very well on a virtual machine. We had to move it around. There are also issues when you try to move it between computers.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Exchange for around ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Its stability is not so great. We can't move mailboxes because of a corrupt file or random issues, which causes headaches.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We didn't have any need to scale it. We have got the same number of people in our company. We have 20 users at the moment. They are accountants and engineers at the job sites.
How are customer service and technical support?
We don't really use them. We use a local IT company for any major issue.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We've had the same solution for a long time.
How was the initial setup?
The setup program is straightforward, but there are hiccups when you try to move it between computers. You come across different issues.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Its price is okay.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Microsoft Exchange a seven 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.
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.
Research Analyst at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Quite stable, with an easy setup, and works well overall
Pros and Cons
- "It's so much of a part of what I do every day that I don't give it a lot of thought. It just works, for the most part, until it doesn't, in which case I call tech support."
- "Exchange can be a little finicky, sometimes, or flakey. Last week, for example, I had gone into my calendar to check on some briefings that I had established, and then went back into my inbox, and suddenly the view had changed. I had no idea what it was that I had done, and I couldn't figure out how to get that view back. I took a productivity hit as a result of that, trying to fix it, due to the fact that it just wasn't what I wanted. It wasn't what I was used to working with. Two different tech support people had to work with me in order to get the view back to what I wanted just so I could be productive."
What is our primary use case?
I primarily use the solution for work email.
What is most valuable?
It's so much of a part of what I do every day that I don't give it a lot of thought. It just works, for the most part, until it doesn't, in which case I call tech support.
What needs improvement?
Exchange can be a little finicky, sometimes, or flakey. Last week, for example, I had gone into my calendar to check on some briefings that I had established, and then went back into my inbox, and suddenly the view had changed. I had no idea what it was that I had done, and I couldn't figure out how to get that view back. I took a productivity hit as a result of that, trying to fix it, due to the fact that it just wasn't what I wanted. It wasn't what I was used to working with. Two different tech support people had to work with me in order to get the view back to what I wanted just so I could be productive.
The fact that I messed around trying to get that view back, and could not figure it out for myself, and it took two different tech support people to help me get back to what I had before, is an area of improvement. I have no idea what it was that I did that caused the view to change. All I was doing is going from the calendar back to the inbox, and it was somehow different. It may have been a UI bug. I'm unsure.
The second tech person that was working with me to try to get the view back the way I wanted it, told me one time his cat walked across his keyboard and it totally screwed things up for him. He had no idea what had happened, and he had to go back and re-set up a lot of configurations. That tells me there must be something wrong in the design, if small things can happen to set it off like that.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've probably been using the solution, on different jobs, for about 20 years at this point.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I believe the solution is quite stable. I don't recall it crashing on me, for example. That would be a big, "Oh my God, what do I do?" situation due to the fact that I rely on it so heavily. It's a workhorse for me.
Just that fluke occurrence recently around the views changing, and how the information was presented in the inbox, that's maybe a stability issue as well as a UI issue.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Everybody in our company uses the solution, however, we're pretty small. There are only 20 of us. I'm not sure how it scales, as we wouldn't need it to.
How are customer service and technical support?
I don't work with Microsoft Exchange for technical support. I worked with a company that does tech support for us. In terms of judging Microsoft's services, I wouldn't be able to give any feedback.
How was the initial setup?
I don't recall the initial setup being complex. When I joined this company three years ago, the tech support folks set it all up and I don't remember it being particularly painful.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I have no idea what the licensing costs are on the solution.
What other advice do I have?
I'm unsure as to which version of the solution I'm working with at this time.
I've been using Exchange forever as an end-user, however, I don't know much about the technical aspects of it. I just use it a lot. For me, it's always worked quite well, and because of that, I haven't' given anything about it much thought.
When it works, it's a beautiful thing. When it doesn't, you want to tear your hair out. Sometimes that's the price that we pay for the automation that we get.
I'd rate the solution overall eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
CoFounder/CTO at Hybrid Tech
Good logistics and very user friendly
Pros and Cons
- "I like the logistics and the Microsoft protocol of reaching Outlook anywhere."
- "Load balancing is lacking."
What is our primary use case?
I'm the CDO and we are resellers of Microsoft Exchange.
What is most valuable?
I like the logistics and Microsoft protocol of reaching Outlook anywhere. It's a user-friendly product.
What needs improvement?
Load balancing is lacking. If you need to use it, it requires preparation of the Windows IIS services for load balancing.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with this solution for close to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
You can add multiple lots and expand the solution so it is very scalable.
How was the initial setup?
It depends on the customer's architecture but in general, the setup is quite straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There are multiple competitors in the market and I think the price is a little bit high but it has many benefits.
What other advice do I have?
We've just stopped providing advice for on-premise products because customers are moving to cloud-based products which saves a lot of preparation time.
That said, I rate this solution nine out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
IT Infrastructure Engineer at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
Good technical support, simple to set up, and easy to scale
Pros and Cons
- "The initial setup is very simple."
- "In the version we have, I would like to see better communication between the end device and the Exchange server."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use is for email and communication. We also implement this product for our customers.
What needs improvement?
In the version we have, I would like to see better communication between the end device and the Exchange server.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Microsoft Exchange for the last 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We use Exchange on a daily basis and most of the time, it is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Exchange is very easy to scale and we have approximately 1,000 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
If we have an issue where a support ticket is escalated to level three then we will contact the vendor. The technical support is good and we haven't had any issues.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have not personally worked with other similar solutions.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very simple.
What about the implementation team?
We are a partner and deploy this product on our own. There is four or five staff who are system administrators.
We provide level one and level two technical support for our customers.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
With respect to pricing, this product is somewhere in the middle. Everything is included in the standard licensing fees.
What other advice do I have?
This is a good product but our version is reaching end-of-life. I would recommend using the most recent version of Exchange.
I would rate this solution 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.
Technology, Infrastructure, Riset & Development Staff with 1,001-5,000 employees
It is a product that is simple to manage, and easy to use.
Pros and Cons
- "It is a product that is simple to manage, and easy to use."
- "I think that improvements should be made in creating greater abilities for Microsoft Exchange in terms of Reasearch and Development."
What is our primary use case?
This solution helps us collaborate with other members of the organization.
How has it helped my organization?
It helps us with basic needs such as email. It is also extremely helpful for us to collaborate with other Microsoft products such as: Office and Active Directory.
What needs improvement?
I think that improvements should be made in creating greater abilities for Microsoft Exchange in terms of Reasearch and Development.
For how long have I used the solution?
More than five years.
What other advice do I have?
It is a product that is simple to manage, and easy to use.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
ICT and Cyber Security Adviser at a educational organization with 201-500 employees
It provides a good platform for collaboration between users
Pros and Cons
- "The functionality on the user side is quite good. Exchange provides an excellent platform for collaboration between users."
- "Microsoft could make it easier to combine comments in the GUI. It isn't easy to do certain things in Exchange, primarily if the administrator isn't used to the command line, so I think the customer interface could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We mainly use Exchange for the email, calendar, and contact management features.
What is most valuable?
The functionality on the user side is quite good. Exchange provides an excellent platform for collaboration between users.
What needs improvement?
Exchange's management could be improved a bit, and its troubleshooting tools are limited at times. It's not easy sometimes to troubleshoot. That's another area where there's room for improvement.
Microsoft could make it easier to combine comments in the GUI. It isn't easy to do certain things in Exchange, primarily if the administrator isn't used to the command line, so I think the customer interface could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Microsoft Exchange for 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Exchange's application front services are robust and scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I've never had to contact Microsoft support about issues with Exchange. We used to have a support contract with Microsoft, but it was for integration. However, the technology itself is mature though, and we have extensive experience managing Exchange. But if there are matters related to the environment, sometimes it is tricky. You have to build your own capability and rely on it when there is some novel use case.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
If you want to run Exchange as an on-premises solution, you have to cover infrastructure costs. If cost is an issue, you can opt for Office 365 instead. But I'm fine with what we're paying because we have no problem budgeting for an Exchange server.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Microsoft Exchange nine out of 10.
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.
Accounts Manager. at Focus Corporation
Reliable, straightforward install, and backup feature valuable
Pros and Cons
- "The backup and archiving features are valuable, it is user friendly too."
- "They could improve on the search function, it takes too much time."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for all communication exchanged with our team, customers, and all other internet exchanges. Additionally, it was used as a formal way of communication.
What is most valuable?
The backup and archiving features are valuable, it is user friendly too.
What needs improvement?
They could improve on the search function, it takes too much time.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a reliable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have approximately 20,000 users using the solution.
How was the initial setup?
The installation was straightforward and it was supported by the IT team.
What other advice do I have?
I was satisfied with the usage of Microsoft Exchange, I would recommend the solution.
I rate Microsoft Exchange an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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Updated: January 2025
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