Microsoft Exchange Online Reviews

The experience has been rather good. We've had nothing major happen to us. We've had no major downtimes. We haven't lost mail so far, which is good.

I enjoy not having to maintain the local infrastructure, local servers, local whatever. You use the software and don't have to worry about the details. You're not concerned with administration tasks other than managing users, which, of course, our team does on a daily basis, basically.

The pricing is okay.

The solution is stable.

The product scales well.

The user interface isn't too bad.

There were a few short outages where mail delivery was flaky.

I don't really like the response time of the web GUI for administration. All this seems a bit slow and not responsive enough. They should provide a far simpler solution for sending mail from machines as this is not really intuitive.

Due to the restrictions that Azure and Microsoft impose on sending mail, for example, if you have an Azure-deployed server that is sending out mails (for a shop system or something like that) it's not really simple. Also, it is not really scalable to use Office 365 as a relay server.

There's not really a useful backup tool that comes along with Exchange Online. You have lots and lots of storage for each user, yet you have to buy extra backup tools just to back it up with an Exchange on-premise. You could do this just with onboard tools, however, there's no such thing in cloud deployment.

We completed the migration from Lotus Notes on-premise to Microsoft Office Online or Exchange Online last year.

The stability has been good. We haven't dealt with bugs or glitches. it's pretty reliable. 

I expect the product to scale well. That is what we are paying Microsoft quite a bit of money for. They have to address scalability, reliability, and things like that. We have the service-level agreement and it's their business to do it. That's what they get the money for. 

We have about 3,500 physical users currently using Exchange. There are 1,500 more that are not interactive (for example, service accounts, group mailboxes, and accounts for machines that send mail and things like that). That makes the total number of users 3,500 persons and about 1,200-1,500 users that are not necessarily people.

I haven't had any direct contact with technical support, however, I have not heard complaints as to their services.

We used to have an on-premise deployment of Lotus Notes, however, we discontinued using this and swapped over to Microsoft Exchange Online with the help of an external consultant as there was a lot of mailbox migration to do. That was a quite lengthy process due to the fact that we had several terabytes of mail storage that had to be migrated.

We had a partner help us migrate everything over. 

The deployment times depend on a few factors. From the first start to the last migrated mailbox, for us, the deployment took over half a year. That said, actually, it wasn't that long, as we deployed in several waves taking one user group at a time and migrating them over.

Therefore, the real transfer time was much less than the seven months. In total, if you take the net time, it might have only been one month of actual migration.  However, we made a point of migrating only on weekends to keep user satisfaction high and disturbance to daily business low.

We had a partner assist us with the process.

Pricing is good. However, it's also not exactly cheap.

It's my understanding that we have a contract that runs for two or three years with an enterprise agreement backing all this up. We do not buy on a yearly basis. That would be unusual for our company to buy for such short term.

Since the project was finished, I'm no longer in an administrative role with Exchange Online. I have passed it on to other colleagues. The administration part is no longer in my hands, for which I'm quite grateful. I don't have to do the daily tasks anymore. My main job is to be the principal cloud architect for the company. I'm, to a lesser extent, concerned with daily administration tasks.

I'd recommend potential new users just go ahead and do it. It reduces the on-site administration chores by quite a bit. It's reliable enough to be used without second thoughts for business if you can handle the cost that comes with it, as Exchange or the whole Office 365 is not exactly cheap, especially when you count in the cost for security-related services that come with Office 365 if you pay for them.

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. It works well, just not perfectly.

It's a messaging card with the assembly solutions. I manage multiple platforms and upgrade and migrate the environment on-prem to online.

It is an easy-to-use platform. It provides both browser-based and desktop versions, accessible through a single license or up to three licenses. Additionally, with enterprise plans, you can use desktop licenses. It includes mail tagging and other top-notch security measures. You can manage mailboxes and utilize many other features based on your needs. Shared mailboxes are also available and can be used freely.

The cost is very high, and not every customer can afford licenses. Many customers only require the desktop version, so they don't opt for desktop licensing. Also, Exchange lacks a tunneling system. We need to explore third-party solutions and tunneling systems.

They are improving the new version of Outlook. It's free, and we provide the desktop application. This can be quite resource-intensive on the desktop level. When you open Outlook, it heavily utilizes your internet connection, slowing down your email access. Another issue concerns security features. There have been reported bugs in Microsoft's security features where emails marked as spam may still get through, leading to concerns about spoofing.

I have been using Microsoft Exchange Online for 11 years.

The solution is stable. However, some certain limitations and issues arise, particularly with the desktop application and related functionalities. Recently, Microsoft announced an issue with email invitations not functioning correctly in Exchange Online, leading to duplication and other disruptions.

We must procure licenses and ensure we have everything required based on the requirements. However, this also depends on the network. For instance, scalability and other issues may arise if we have fifteen users and a network speed of ten Mbps from our ISP.

I experienced an issue with Microsoft Exchange Online, where creations are typically sorted out within 15-16 days.

I've worked on involved setting up Microsoft Exchange Online. We implemented DMARC, DKIM, and other essential email authentication protocols. Additionally, we focused on configuring API access to enhance security measures. We also redirected all mail services to Office 365, a standard procedure. Our approach included reconfiguring settings according to best practices for Exchange Online.

The deployment spans one month at maximum, depending on specific requirements. For me, it is crucial to meet all prerequisites, such as domain names, DMARC policies, certificates, and other necessary configurations. Once these are prepared, straightforward implementations can be completed within seven days, barring unforeseen complexities. Integration with licensing structures, email gateways, and potential hybrid environments adds further considerations. Understanding hybrid configurations is essential and tailored to meet client-specific needs for an optimal online deployment.

All of that is managed within the pipeline. The cost-saving aspect involves reducing licensing requirements. For instance, if you have fifteen licenses, you must evaluate which licenses are unnecessary for non-required production. Reducing those licenses will reduce costs.

The compliance features are crucial. We have options such as rights management, marking as confidential, and restrictions on sending emails. Additionally, we monitor tunneling systems for security threats such as malware and employ spam filtering and anti-spam measures. These practices are designed based on industry best practices and tailored to meet customer requirements, including regulatory compliance. Retention policies are also implemented online for five to ten years, depending on customer and regulatory requirements.

It can be integrated using the Graph API. Third-party tools like IronPort and Mimecast can also be integrated with Exchange Online. These integrations often utilize Azure APIs for connectivity.

It requires maintenance based on our needs. Unnecessary licensing can become an issue, especially in large environments with multiple users. Therefore, it's essential to manage licenses effectively, such as by removing licenses from groups based on usage. Regular maintenance involves disabling users, removing sync, and adjusting licensing accordingly. Security features like spam filtering should also be upgraded quarterly to ensure optimal protection.

I recommend using Microsoft Exchange Online because it offers a straightforward environment. Administrative tasks are easily manageable at the L1 and L2 levels. However, it's important to note that Exchange Online operates primarily through a UI-based control interface. If issues like data corruption occur on the backend, we lack direct control to fix them ourselves. In such cases, we must report the issue to Microsoft for resolution.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

We use the Microsoft email suite and we use this solution on a client basis so email can go through it. Everyone is using it currently.

We like that it is online and easy to access. We can work for everywhere. You don't have to install anything. 

It's pretty reliable. We haven't had any issues with it. 

The product is scalable.

Technical support has been very good.

We've witnessed a bit more ROI since switching to the cloud. 

The solution is expensive. 

The stability could always be better.

I've been using the solution for three years. 

I'd rate the stability eight out of ten. We haven't had any issues, however, in previous versions, a few months back, we did have an outage.

It's scalable. I'd rate it ten out of ten for ease of expansion. There are 300 users on it right now. We do not have plans to increase usage. 

We've used technical support in the past. They have been very good. We have nothing to complain about. 

We don't have to do any setup. We just have to log in and start using it. Since it's cloud-based there is no configuration necessary.

We have three people who are able to deploy and manage the solution.

We've seen an ROI. When we were on-premises we had much more trouble. The cloud makes it much better. We're saving a bit more money.

The solution is expensive. For the price, we do get value, however, it is a bit too much money.

We pay for the solution on a yearly basis. There are no extra costs on top of licenses. 

I'm always on the latest version since it is a cloud-based solution. 

I'd recommend the solution to others if they have the budget.

I would rate the solution nine out of ten.

Microsoft Exchange Online is used for emails and it does a fantastic job. 

The only reason why you would choose an online solution is the company that you're working at is they do not want to have an onsite server. The companies that want something on-site would choose the on-premise version.

The most valuable feature of Microsoft Exchange Online is if you have people that are geographically distributed from each other is good. For example, if you have people in the United States, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia, having an online solution works best because then you can reach the scale of the data centers that are available by Microsoft. Additionally, if you're only going to have two to three people using the solution the cost is a lot less than having an onsite server and licensing. It is highly beneficial in these areas.

The online archiving option works well. If you have a lot of emails and you want to keep them indefinitely, then you can use the online archive. It's available permanently and you can store quite a bit of email inside it.

I have been using Microsoft Exchange Online for approximately four and a half years.

The stability of the solution is good. I've only had an issue with it once or twice, but that was due to undersea cable damage.

Microsoft Exchange Online is highly scalable.

We have a lot of users using this solution.

The support from the vendor is fine. However, it could be faster, and some of the agents could be more knowledgeable, but it is a large solution, there's a lot of information that the agents have to work with. I can't always expect when I get connected to the first-level agent that they will know absolutely everything. Sometimes there's no replacement for pure experience.

I rate the support from Microsoft Exchange Online a three out of five.

Neutral

The initial setup of the cloud version is similar to the on-premise version. You can have a straightforward or semi-complex deployment. Cloud deployments do not become as complex as the on-premise version, but they can, depending on how it is used. 

The deployment of the solution only takes five minutes. It is very useful when deploying from scratch. As soon as you have the domain up and running it is complete and ready to go.

The license for the solution is cheap, but it could be more affordable in the long term.

We have one level two or level three engineer that does the deployment and maintenance of the solution. The online version does not require a lot of people to run it.

I recommend this solution to others and they will not regret it. They should not use other solutions.

I rate Microsoft Exchange Online a nine out of ten.

We're using Microsoft Exchange Online for our emails.

What I like about Microsoft Exchange Online is that it's a very convenient solution because it's part of the Microsoft business suite. This is the first email service I've used that lasted for many years, and I'm still using it because it's very convenient and it's suitable for my needs.

Microsoft Exchange Online is the best product in the world for me because I don't remember any other service that's so well-accepted.

What I don't like about Microsoft Exchange Online is too much integration because now it has many services connected to it. In the beginning, it was just email, and now it's also Teams and Visio, and many other services which I don't like.

Microsoft Exchange Online should focus on one service. The product now lost focus, and this is its area for improvement.

I would also like more freedom in choosing to use just one service, for example, just Microsoft Exchange Online, which means I don't need Teams or any other Microsoft product or service there. Right now, all services are either in the Microsoft Office suite, or there are more products or services integrated with Microsoft Exchange Online, and I'd like to just focus on one.

I've been using Microsoft Exchange Online for more than ten years.

Microsoft Exchange Online is a stable product, in particular, when it's on the cloud. It's stable when it's dependent on the cloud, but if it's deployed on-premises, Microsoft Exchange Online is not stable.

It's a very old product with the same code, even on Windows. Nothing's changed, and my company is using Windows NT for Microsoft Exchange Online with Unix as the code.

Microsoft Exchange Online is a scalable solution.

We haven't used the technical support for Microsoft Exchange Online.

Microsoft Exchange Online is the first service I've used, and all the new services in the market are a little bit different from this solution. Microsoft is a very old company, and almost all of my colleagues started with Microsoft products, so it's just natural to continue using Microsoft Exchange Online.

Microsoft Exchange Online is easy to install.

There is a license for Microsoft Exchange Online and I have information on that, but there have been so many changes to the licensing and it's a completely different story nowadays. Microsoft has been pushing users to buy a package of products under one license. Users are becoming more dependent on Microsoft rather than independent, that you can't decide anymore, and from my point of view, that is bad.

My company evaluated Qualitas, Unix, HP, and IBM.

In my company, Microsoft Exchange Online is deployed both on the cloud and on-premises.

More than two thousand people use Microsoft Exchange Online in my company of four thousand employees.

At the moment, there's no plan of increasing usage of the product because of the current crisis.

In terms of whether I would recommend Microsoft Exchange Online to others, with the integration it has, it depends on the focus of the company. For small markets, Microsoft Exchange Online is "too big" because it has a lot of services and you'll be paying for services provided in the package, with some you don't get to use. For end users, this would be difficult, but for companies, especially bigger ones that would have a choice, Microsoft Exchange Online is a good product. My recommendation would depend on the case because every user is different, for example, the purpose is different, the business is different, etc.

My rating for Microsoft Exchange Online is seven out of ten.

I use Microsoft Exchange Online mainly for emails.

Microsoft Exchange Online is an easy-to -use email solution.

Microsoft Exchange Online should have a faster search feature.

I have been using Microsoft Exchange Online for eight years.

Microsoft Exchange Online is a very stable solution.

Microsoft Exchange Online is a scalable solution.

The solution’s initial setup is straightforward.

Overall, I rate Microsoft Exchange Online ten out of ten.

We use Microsoft Exchange Onlne for communication, collaboration, and some project management tasks.

Exchange Online is consistent. It's easy to deploy and scale out to all of our organizations.

The efficiency could improved.

I have been working with Exchange Online for more than 10 years.

Exchange Online must be reliable and available for our operations.

It can be complex to incorporate the unique requirements of each division into a single platform to meet all of the requirements. It's not hard to maintain Exchange Online, but you need an expert on your team and some outside help from the vendor.

I rate Microsoft Exchange Online seven out of 10. 

We use SharePoint Online for the collaboration of our team and for other desktop applications we are using in-house.

We also create technical presentations, so most of the time we are dealing with MS Word and Excel. Sometimes, we also use Visio for diagramming. Our overall experience is good.

They should tighten their cloud security. If you are using Microsoft Office 365, the responsibility of backup is not on the part of Microsoft. It is on the part of the customer. Microsoft Office should give some kind of built-in solution with the Office 365 subscription regarding the backup of their online mailboxes.

My company has been a Microsoft Gold partner for the last 12 years. As soon as we became a Gold partner, we started to use Office 365.

It's stable.

We can have different plans. If we are scaling, then obviously we can go for the enterprise plan and add an unlimited number of users to our Office 365 plan.

Overall, technical support is very good. My colleagues reached out to Microsoft technical support many times for queries. They are very responsive.

Setup was really simple. We migrated our customers from a different platform to Microsoft Office 365. There is a separate technical team. I designed the solution only.

They have raised their prices, and obviously, it hits our customers. Some of them are deciding to step back from Office 365. For customers who have bought the annual subscription, they are moving to the monthly subscription.

I would rate this solution 8 out of 10.

I would recommend Office 365. It's a global product, and overall they have a larger footprint in the world. We're a Microsoft Gold partner, so as soon as the customer moves to Office 365, obviously our business will also grow.