Microsoft Exchange Reviews

I have one major use case for Microsoft Exchange, which is primarily this.

The most beneficial aspects of Microsoft Exchange are that it is solid, dependable, and reliable. Rather than relying on machine learning, which failed badly, we have gone with human learning instead and trained people how not to abuse their email.

From a security standpoint, advanced security capability could be better to protect my company in general. In summary on security, it could be better, but it suffices at the moment along with human training.

I see some drawbacks and areas for improvement; the quarantining is not fantastic. I think the quarantining is not fantastic because it lets a lot of spam through, and when it is notified of spam, it does not particularly alter its behavior quickly. It does alter over a long period of time, but people get sick of marking things as spam repeatedly.

I think the functionality of Microsoft Exchange is not that advanced; you could always add more features to any software.

I have been using Microsoft Exchange for about eight years now.

I would not say the solution is 100% stable; no solution is 100% stable, but it is as good as expected.

I find it scalable as expected; there are very few limits.

I have never actually had to deal with Microsoft's technical support myself. I have never dealt with Microsoft's technical support because we do use an outsourced consultant for the more technical aspects of it.

Negative

I have never used a solution similar to Microsoft Exchange from other vendors because our user base is too diverse for that.

I would say the installation of Microsoft Exchange is straightforward; it seems to be very straightforward. It is all cloud-based.

I am aware of pricing aspects, and I would say it is affordable for what it is.

I have worked with Cisco, Grafis, and Proofpoint for various needs, but currently, I am not engaged in anything specific as that was an investigation I did on what alternatives there were to Proofpoint, and we did not proceed with anything in particular. I just used that report as an information source.

I do use Cisco Secure Email, Grafis, and Proofpoint Email Protection when needed, but we were using Proofpoint before, and we are no longer using it.

I am currently using Microsoft Exchange as our email solution.

We are a client of Microsoft; there is no partnership between my company and Microsoft.

My experience with Microsoft Exchange is as good as the generic email.

I do not use Microsoft Exchange to synchronize emails across devices, and it is not part of my workflow.

The protocols I mostly use with Microsoft Exchange for integration are SMTP.

I do not use the shared calendars feature in Microsoft Exchange.

Data loss prevention is something we are not really using or utilizing at the moment.

My overall review rating for Microsoft Exchange is 8.

I use it for email service and contact management.

All features  are useful; they meet the purpose of an email server. There's no specific or very appealing function. All are related to email services.

The function of this product is to send an email. It's easy to manage because we know how. If you don't know how to manage, then, of course, it will be complicated.

Everything is useful. The only useful thing Microsoft Exchange could do is give us more of a discount on pricing because it's so expensive.

Regarding the calendaring functions of Exchange, there is a problem when scheduling an event for the whole day. When you click the whole day event, the scheduling doesn't really work. 

For example, if I schedule a meeting with you and block your whole day, instead of just putting a time from morning to afternoon, other people can still block your time, which results in double booking. It's kind of a bug that allows people to double-book. So, the scheduling isn't working properly yet.

We also faced challenges with backup services. You need to use a third-party backup solution to back up the whole Exchange server properly. You can't use the native Windows backup services. It's like they're forcing me to buy another product, which means additional costs.

The backup solution and the double booking issues. If Microsoft Exchange can fix these two things, then it will be very good.

I have been working with it for 15 years. 

No complaints. It is stable. I would rate the stability a nine out of ten.

We have around 10,000 end users. We plan to increase our usage. 

I would rate the scalability a nine out of ten. 

The customer service and support could improve their technical support capabilities and the knowledge.

Neutral

The initial setup is straightforward. I would rate my experience with the initial setup a nine out of ten, with ten being very easy. 

It is on-premises.

Deployment time: It depends on the number of users, I can deploy within one day, or it can take two or three days. The problem is the migration, which can take months.

It's a productivity tool, not measured in dollars.

It helps me with email services and communication with internal and external contacts (third party). That is the biggest value gained from Microsoft Exchange

I would rate the pricing an eight out of ten, with ten being expensive. 

The pricing is expensive. 

My recommendation is to study the Exchange server architecture and system administration.

Overall, I would rate it a nine out of ten. 

It is a basic email solution. There are two email options, including Exchange, which can be built internally, and Office 365 for cloud-based Microsoft email. The choice depends on the organization. I've worked with both Exchange and Office 365. 

The internal email system allows setting up the servers and domain controllers are employed. It facilitates internal communication for the employees. For external email services, other services are needed to be implemented within the same solution. It involves sending external emails by activating another service.

There aren’t any unique features and it's a standard email setup. 

I have been using Microsoft Exchange for around five to six years.

Office 365's stability depends on consistent internet connectivity. Evaluating this solution includes considering internet stability. A dependable internet connection is essential for secure internal and external communication.

In contrast, Exchange is vulnerable to internet disruptions, affecting external email operations. However, internal communication stability within Exchange is ensured by the stability of the internal network which is guaranteed by default.

Regarding the decision of increasing the number of users, it depends on the organization's choice, whether to opt for CapEx or OpEx. Both options involve expenses over the years. Building an in-house Exchange solution requires investing in hardware, storage, connectivity, and administrative resources. Office 365 shifts the budget solely to OpEx as a subscription service.

Scalability is another factor. Starting a new company favors Office 365 due to cost efficiency. As the organization grows, the choice depends on available resources and technical expertise. An internal Exchange setup is feasible with skilled engineers, while Office 365 suits those lacking in-house resources.

The technical support varies based on the organization's level and classification, whether it's a small, medium, or high business. Usually, large enterprises have contractual agreements with Microsoft and they respond within an hour and resolve the issue within twenty-four hours. It also depends on the organization's business classification with Microsoft.

You can choose either on-premises Exchange installation or Office 365 Cloud. This decision majorly affects the budget allocation in terms of CapEx or OpEx and ownership. Exchange has the facility of owing the corporate licenses and yearly costs are adjustable based on usage. On the other hand, Office 365 has a subscription model, which needs timely payments to utilize licenses. This is a major difference between both models.

The usage of both Exchange and Office 365 Cloud depends on the basis of the organization, each option has its own advantages and disadvantages. In terms of pros and cons, ownership of the Exchange model provides control and independent financial planning. Conversely, with subscriptions, decisions are made regarding expenses and usage. This is very similar to the postpaid and prepaid versions of mobile phones.

Exchange relies on an internet network. In this case, internal communication within the organization functions seamlessly. Employees from the same organization using the same domain remain connected to Exchange and can send and receive emails effortlessly. In the case of downtime or failed internet connection, external emails can't be sent, and incoming external emails can't be received. In the case of Office 365, internet failure affects both internal and external communication. Even within the same organization and office, both internal and external emails cannot be sent or received if the internet connection is disrupted. Even employees from the same office cannot send each other emails.

The initial setup is straightforward and there are no complaints. Exchange took time to be deployed. It requires extensive configuration and setting up servers and managing internal network access. It also includes opening internal network access and server configurations.

On the other hand, Microsoft 365 involves selecting a few options on the portal itself. It is comparatively straightforward and easier to set up.

Office 365 is deployed on the cloud and Exchange is deployed on-premises.

You will need an experienced and skilled engineer for the implementation, which is typically managed by a single engineer. The process takes around five days to finalize, involving coordination between Exchange's system engineer, Microsoft, a network engineer, and security personnel. It involves opening specific ports to ensure secure internal and external connectivity.

Office 365 is mostly free to use. You can also have a pay-later service. The choice depends on the type of license. Exchange functions as a single entity, with higher email capacity. Office 365's licenses differ across categories, each offering varying storage. For instance, a subscription for five employees using Office 365 costs $200 monthly, while setting up an Exchange solution for the same number would demand additional expenses, such as hardware, licenses, and technical support. 

If you're starting a new organization and entering a new industry, Office 365 is the right choice. It offers the same features as Exchange without any extensive technical expertise or manpower. This saves the cost by not investing in hardware or resources. Therefore, Office 365 is recommended for startups. However, as the organization grows to thousands of employees and reevaluation is necessary, factoring in costs and making a TCO comparison between Office 365 and Exchange solution, you can make the decision.

I would rate the product Microsoft Exchange a seven out of ten.

I use the product to help customers build their infrastructure, support their existing operations, or troubleshoot their Exchange environment. 

My use cases span setting up on-premises solutions to configuring hybrid environments involving Office 365.

The platform has significantly streamlined communication and collaboration for my clients, offering reliable email and calendaring services. It also provides compliance features like email journaling, which is critical for legal and regulatory purposes.

The Database Availability Group (DAG) is the solution's most valuable feature. It ensures high availability and resilience, allowing seamless recovery from potential failures and making it a reliable option for business-critical operations.

The solution's hybrid deployment process could be improved, particularly for customers who initially started in the cloud and may want to return to an on-premises setup. Microsoft could make this transition more flexible.

I have been working with Microsoft Exchange since version 5.4.0, which has been approximately 27 or 28 years.

The product is stable when implemented by experienced professionals.

The platform scales well, especially with the use of hybrid cloud environments. However, to maintain performance at scale it may require careful management of resources and configurations.

Microsoft’s support for Exchange is adequate, but their shift away from partner-focused business models has caused delays in getting timely support. Their support team may not always have the depth of knowledge needed, particularly for complex on-premises or hybrid scenarios.

For someone with my level of experience, the setup is straightforward. However, for less experienced users, the complexity of configuring Exchange, especially in hybrid environments, can be challenging.

I handle the implementation in-house due to my extensive experience with Exchange. However, for those who have in-house expertise, engaging a vendor with specialized knowledge is crucial for a smooth setup.

The product pricing is reasonable if you utilize its full suite of features. However, it may feel expensive for users who only require basic email services.

Exchange was selected based on its advanced features, such as archiving, legal compliance, and multi-site support, which were not fully available in open-source alternatives.

I advise investing in proper training or expert support is essential for maximizing the product's potential.

Overall, I rate it a seven out of ten. 

We use the platform for scheduling and managing meetings. We regularly use the calendar function to select and integrate schedules with Microsoft Teams for seamless communication and collaboration.

One major area for improvement is the need for repeated authentication when running a meeting. This requirement for users to sign in and authenticate their mail each time they access the service is complicated, as employees need to be able to access their accounts anytime, anywhere. Additionally, the functionality for replying to conversations using a link has deteriorated in the newer version of Outlook, an issue that needed to be present in previous iterations.

We've been using Microsoft Exchange for three years.

The setup was straightforward, particularly because it is cloud-based, simplifying the installation process.

We currently utilize Python AI tools to handle graphical views, financial documents, and financial questions, which complements our use of Microsoft Exchange.

We use the calendar to schedule meetings, and it integrates with Microsoft Teams.

Overall, I rate the product a five out of ten. 

The solution's most valuable feature is Outlook, as its users are comfortable using it.

There will be no next release of the tool because Microsoft already announced that Exchange will reach the end of the support phase after October 2025. The only option people will have is Microsoft Office 365 or Exchange Online. Microsoft Exchange will not be updated in the future. The last release of the tool was in 2019, and it had extended support. After October 2025, no matter what, Microsoft will not provide support or updates for the tool.

The tool is not easy to use. Every person has to have at least administration-level experience to use the tool. From an improvement perspective, the tool can be made easier to use.

I have been using Microsoft Exchange since 2003, so it has almost been twenty years. My company is a Microsoft partner and reseller.

The product is stable, but since Microsoft 10 will stop working after 2025, the majority of users are trying to move on to cloud services, like Office 365, which I think is easier for users to access. As it is a cloud tool, you have to click on the mailbox users and reset the password.

It is a very scalable solution. There are thousands of mailboxes being used by the customers, and all are happy with the tool.

It is a very easy product to use. I received support during the deployment phase. The tool is very easy, and we can find any resolutions we want on Microsoft's forums, so there has been no need to get support from Microsoft.

I don't have the technical skills of other tools. The majority of customers are using MDaemon and IBM Lotus Notes. Few customers migrated to Microsoft Office 365 and Microsoft Exchange.

My company helped our customers implement the tool, as we deployed the product as part of our after-sales services.

The solution is easy to deploy.

The solution deployment time depends upon the customer's environment, and it may sometimes take two or three days to a few months. If it's a fresh deployment, it hardly takes three to four days. If there is a migration or operation process involved, it will take four months to complete the migration process.

For migration, I have a team of five people for the post-development phase. I am also a Microsoft-certified trainer, who has been using Microsoft for thirty-five years.

The tool's setup phase was managed by the local partner or the one who supplies the tool.

I have not calculated the tool's return on investment for my customers because we don't teach the customers about Microsoft Exchange since they already know what Exchange is, and they don't ask for products from its competitors in Pakistan, so I am not talking about the whole world. In Pakistan, Microsoft Exchange is a well-known product among customers, and so they don't ask for an alternative. Customers just say that they want Microsoft Exchange because a majority of the banks, financial sectors, and multinationals use microservices.

Instead of using Microsoft Exchange, I recommend Microsoft Office 365 and Microsoft Exchange to others.

I recommend the tool to all companies, especially financial sectors and multinational companies.

In terms of the tool's security measures, the majority of things are covered already in a timely manner. Microsoft is using the security patches which offer the capability of securing Microsoft Exchange's environment.

I don't think Microsoft Exchange has AI.

I have not used the tool for any AI projects.

When dealing with most third-party products, customers have the tools they want in place. Customers mostly want to relay the emails on some services and not deal with the integration part. I have not integrated the tool with any third-party solutions.

My company has other solutions, and as far as the technical expertise is concerned, we can sell other tools. In the local market, we can find many technical people for Microsoft Exchange compared to other products. Our customer recommends we provide them with Microsoft Exchange so that they aren't stuck as far as the technical part is concerned. It is easier for Microsoft to find technical people than for other solutions.

I rate the tool a ten out of ten.

My use case for the product varies depending on the industry. It involves email management, scheduling, and collaboration to support real estate and managed IT services operations.

The platform's most valuable feature is the mailbox roles. I am currently using the 2019 version and previously used the 2016 version. The mailbox role hosts all the mailboxes, which is essential for our email management needs. 

They could offer simultaneous features for Exchange Online and on-premises versions. Specific features such as litigation hold and audit setups should be available on-premises. Additionally, a clear roadmap for future versions is crucial for administrators to plan and implement upgrades effectively. 

I've been working with Microsoft Exchange since 2014.

Microsoft Exchange on-premises is very stable as long as the resources are allocated correctly and the system is properly set up and administered. 

I rate the stability an eight.

I rate the product scalability an eight. 

Microsoft provides very good technical support, especially with an Enterprise Agreement.

Compared to previous versions, the initial setup has become much more straightforward. 

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

The platform can help save on-premises costs. In the past three years, the cost changes have shown that for an organization with 500 to 1,000 users, Exchange on-premises is more cost-effective over a five-year ROI. 

The platform has a reasonable price. 

We evaluated several other email management solutions to determine the best fit for our business requirements. 

I recommend Microsoft Exchange to others due to its robust features and reasonable pricing. Setting up Microsoft Exchange has become much more straightforward compared to previous versions. The overall setup experience has significantly improved over the past six to seven years, making it easier for administrators.

I rate it a nine out of ten. 

There can be occasional challenges during the product's implementation phase, making it an area where improvements are needed.

I have been using Microsoft Exchange for twenty years. I am an end user of the product.

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten. The product rarely has issues.

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

The solution's technical support was very good. I rate the technical support a nine out of ten.

Positive

I have experience with Office 365 and SharePoint.

I rate the product's initial setup phase a five out of ten since it can be a challenging process.

Compared to the other options in the market, the licensing costs attached to Microsoft Exchange seem reasonable.

In my company, the product takes care of email communications as it handles all the emails and scheduling emails. Within the tool, the calendars are used extensively by our company and its customers.

The tool has improved the areas revolving around calendars and scheduling tasks since it has helped in the unification of everyone working in the company under the same system.

The most beneficial features of email management stem from the tool's ability to let its users combine the tasks and the calendar while also being able to organize emails.

The security and compliance features have impacted our organization, and it has been extremely helpful since such functionalities are needed for compliance purposes. For the customers and my company, being secure and having control of the handling of emails is extremely important.

The integration capabilities do not have a direct impact on the email portion of the product, but it does have the ability to set up meetings with the help of Microsoft Teams.

The mobile access feature provided by the product helps our company in the area of productivity.

I recommend the product to others who plan to use it. Based on the features and functionalities of the product, it would be beneficial to rule for any company where it is chosen.

The product offers good functionalities and reliability.

I rate the overall a nine out of ten.

My deployment model for Microsoft Exchange in this moment is for a company that uses Exchange Server on-premise solution to support its infrastructure services.

Although we keep all user data in the cloud, we have some kind of hybrid solution. It's Exchange service; our installation of Microsoft Exchange service is on-premise to cloud solution from Microsoft. In this moment, we are using some hybrid solution, although that on-premise solution is mostly for supporting our company infrastructure.

The best features of Microsoft Exchange, which I have answered many times in my trainings, is that it was a very compact, still extensible environment for user communication. There was a very short moment when it included messaging and instant messaging services, similar to messenger. It was not the best, but what was the best point is that it was complex, but simple to use with a clean interface for users. This could be a very short expression of the feeling.

Areas of Microsoft Exchange that have room for improvement could use some deeper thinking. I believe there could be better communication between Exchange Online and that cloud-oriented service and this Exchange server; some more precise communication to accept it as a single point of communication.

Another point would be that I would appreciate as a lazy administrator if there were better performance and monitoring available directly to the users and to the server. I can do that, but I need to at least have some knowledge and improve the scripts and so on. I would appreciate better performance, monitoring, and availability monitoring of Microsoft Exchange available to admin.

I have more than 25 years of experience with Microsoft Exchange, as I have been working from the beginning of Exchange Server.

I would rate technical support from Microsoft Exchange as great because we also had some issues while upgrading the system and maintaining it. The response is not immediate, but we are not paying so much money. As a general customer, I was very satisfied. They were fast enough and very skilled to support our needs.

Positive

My initial setup of Microsoft Exchange was very easy, and I am still doing it frequently; it's very easy to set up the environment.

I'm not a reseller and I have a loose connection to Microsoft solutions. I was not only a user, it means I was administrator of the system, administering it, so I was not a real user; my users were clients of the server. I was indirectly, loosely connected to Microsoft because I was also Microsoft certified professional. I was evaluated as having knowledge and I was also teaching it, so I had better connection to the server information.

The protocols I most utilize with Microsoft Exchange for integration are historically linked because now there are not very many ways to use Exchange since it became a messaging service. Today's world internet is communicating through SMTP, so SMTP is most important. We can say that is the only one, but there are still some extensions for reaching this Exchange server. In this moment in a Microsoft environment, there are different protocols that are good such as EWS.

It's something more advanced or some improvement of HTTP, because HTTP communication is used to communicate to web pages. You can access Exchange mailbox in the same way, but it's not called HTTP; it's a little bit enhanced protocol called Exchange Web Services, EWS. There are still ways to connect to your mailboxes.

Data loss prevention in Microsoft Exchange is critical for me. We use only part of these services because in the past, Exchange Server served and maintained user mailboxes. Now, I'm hired for an organization that moved all user mailboxes to cloud. We are still using Microsoft environment, and it's still Exchange server, but it's not directly accessed; it's called Exchange Online.

Regarding security, we now only use security infrastructure of Microsoft Exchange. That's very important. We have protected communication to Exchange server, using HTTPS connections to communicate to Exchange server and SMTP. Although SMTP protocol was built to communicate between mail servers, and the first internet was based as a free communication without any protection, now we are more concerned about security. That's why we also use the security part of SMTP, TLS, and so on. We use it, and we evaluate it as good at least.

Regarding the price of Microsoft Exchange, I don't really know, because now I'm completely disconnected from this due to working for a big company. In the past, I remember Microsoft Exchange was not the cheapest solution, but as it was very complex, covering many features needed for common users, it was an acceptable price. The ratio of power and price was very good.

I rate Microsoft Exchange a nine out of ten.