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IT manager at GCT
Real User
Very stable with an easy-to-use email management system
Pros and Cons
  • "The email management system is very easy to set up, configure, and use."
  • "The setup is difficult so could be easier."

What is our primary use case?

Our company uses the solution as our server. We have 20 to 30 users who collaborate across the solution. We prefer the solution on our web servers for committee users. 

What is most valuable?

The email management system is very easy to set up, configure, and use. 

The integration and features are very good. 

What needs improvement?

Creating an email for one user on a different domain takes time. 

The setup is difficult so could be easier. 

Our version of the solution is legacy so is no longer supported. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for fifteen years. 

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Microsoft Exchange
September 2025
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable but you need to keep updating it. 

The solution's old version is discontinued with no support. 

How was the initial setup?

The setup is difficult because it requires specialists to create domains and activities. 

What about the implementation team?

We implemented the solution in-house. It was difficult and might have taken a day or more. 

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

The solution is expensive to maintain because it requires frequent updates and ongoing server maintenance. 

The 365 email only costs around $8 per month, per user. 

For all 365 applications, the cost is $12 per month, per user. For comparison, Google Workplace costs $8 per month, per user for all applications. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We are looking to other providers like Google Workspace because the solution is legacy and no longer supported. It is also very expensive to maintain. 

We are deciding if we should upgrade our server and version or move to a different server and product.  

What other advice do I have?

The solution is a very, very stable product so I recommend its use if your budget can handle it. 

I rate the solution an eight out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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NileshRade - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Engineering at Hexure
Real User
Top 20
Effective communication tools with a good exchange server and good scalability
Pros and Cons
  • "With the cloud coming in, scalability is not an issue even for Microsoft."
  • "I do not have any notes for improvement."

What is our primary use case?

I use Microsoft Exchange as our mail server. Google is free, so I use it for my personal use, and for our office, we have the 365 option.

What is most valuable?

I use Exchange Server for email. That's why I am using Outlook for Exchange email. 

What needs improvement?

I do not have any notes for improvement.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I face some issues. No system is perfect, so I do face issues. They fix it and then get going.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

With the cloud coming in, scalability is not an issue even for Microsoft. They probably will be able to scale up and scale down as and where it's required. Scalability probably is not proper.

How are customer service and support?

I contact my technical support team, and they probably might be able to troubleshoot it on their own. If not, they'll take a ticket. I have a technical support team, the help desk, who will try to resolve it.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

For my personal use, I am using Google Gmail, and I am okay with it.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I am satisfied with the product. I am used to it, and it's all good. From my experience, I would rate the product stability eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Microsoft Exchange
September 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Exchange. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2025.
868,787 professionals have used our research since 2012.
AnikIslam - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Executive at Lakdhanavi Limited
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Has a straightforward setup process, but the functionality for replying to conversations needs enhancement
Pros and Cons
  • "The setup was straightforward."
  • "One major area for improvement is the need for repeated authentication when running a meeting."

What is our primary use case?

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.

What needs improvement?

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.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using Microsoft Exchange for three years.

How was the initial setup?

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

What other advice do I have?

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. 

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Muhammad Shoaib Bhatti - PeerSpot reviewer
CoFounder/CTO at Hybrid Tech
Reseller
Top 20
Covers major security measures and is easy to deploy
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a very scalable solution."
  • "The tool is not easy to use. Every person has to have at least administration-level experience to use the tool."

What is most valuable?

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

What needs improvement?

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.

For how long have I used the solution?

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

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

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.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

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

How are customer service and support?

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.

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

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.

How was the initial setup?

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.

What about the implementation team?

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

What was our ROI?

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.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

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

What other advice do I have?

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.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
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Fritz Richard-Quiras - PeerSpot reviewer
DevOps Platform Engineer at Trend Micro
Real User
Top 20
Organizing tasks effectively with seamless integration and good compatibility
Pros and Cons
  • "The most used feature of Microsoft Exchange is the email capability, especially since it integrates with the calendar."
  • "The filtering of spam needs significant improvement, as many spam emails are not getting detected."

What is our primary use case?

I use Microsoft Exchange more for organizing tasks than as an email client. We have integrated Exchange with Teams for organization and communication.

What is most valuable?

The most used feature of Microsoft Exchange is the email capability, especially since it integrates with the calendar. We integrate Exchange with Teams, and the single sign-on feature is very helpful. I use Exchange to organize tasks with implemented rules, and its integration with Teams enhances our organizational abilities.

What needs improvement?

The filtering of spam needs significant improvement, as many spam emails are not getting detected. Exchange should provide higher security and better spam filtering.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Exchange for more than ten years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution has faced performance issues, especially lagging, in recent updates.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is not a major issue, as it's easy to scale up and provide Exchange access to new users.

How are customer service and support?

I do not need to contact Microsoft directly as the IT department handles any support interactions for us.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Microsoft Exchange is straightforward. It requires simply having a user and password to initiate, and a lot of the process is automated.

What was our ROI?

Microsoft Exchange saves time by allowing users to send emails or set schedules instead of making calls or holding meetings.

What other advice do I have?

I can recommend using Microsoft Exchange as it is a functional product, but users should be aware of cybersecurity issues and potential spam. It is important for users to be cautious when opening or forwarding emails. My total rating for Microsoft Exchange is eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Business manager at Tata Communications Ltd
Real User
A great tool that adds new features regularly and provides a good ROI
Pros and Cons
  • "Technical support is good."
  • "The cost could be cheaper."

What is our primary use case?

We wanted to centralize email to a specific server. We needed to manage the Exchange from one place and centralized everything. We chose Office 365 for all of our mailboxes, and the emails run through Exchange. With one click, we can access all of Microsoft's products.

What is most valuable?

Everything is good.

New features come in regularly.

It helps users communicate effectively with outside parties.

The whole Microsoft Team has created a great tool that has helped improve our capabilities and productivity. We use the solution daily.

Technical support is good.

We have witnessed an ROI.

The solution is stable.

It can scale well. 

What needs improvement?

The solution is serving the purposes we have. 

The cost could be cheaper. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for 13 or 14 years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is fine. There have only been one or two incidents where Exchange did not work. However, for the most part, it is issue-free. There are no bugs or glitches. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We currently have 12,000 mailboxes that leverage this solution. 

The solution is scalable. It is very easy to expand usage. 

We do not have plans to increase usage at this time. 

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is fine. We haven't had issues with them. We've found them helpful. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of the solution is okay. It depends on the level of knowledge of the people setting it up. I found it easy since I have past experience. It needs to be implemented with people with past experience. It is easy to upgrade.

The time it takes to deploy depends on the number of mailboxes. 

We have a team that handles deployment and maintenance. We manage the solution for ourselves and sometimes for our clients. 

What about the implementation team?

We are able to handle the implementation ourselves. I'm quite comfortable with the process and can do it myself. It does take a certain level of knowledge.

What was our ROI?

I have witnessed ROI while using the solution. It has good value for money. However, it depends on the use case. It's a journey for every organization. Each business might witness a different ROI across a different amount of time. 

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

The pricing model is a bit costly. They should work to lower the cost for the Indian market.

We pay for the solution yearly.

What other advice do I have?

We're a Microsoft partner. 

We are using the latest version of the solution. I'm not sure which version number we are on. We migrated from on-premises to the cloud three or four years ago. 

We are a telecom service provider and have integrated Microsoft with a variety of products. It also integrates with mobile. It allows us to provide multiple services, including control and command centers. 

Technology is moving fast in this space, and there are more service providers out there. Many people are beginning to look at Google as an alternative. However, I've used Exchange for the last 14 years, and I am very familiar with it. Still, others are coming up fast, and more competition is on the horizon.

I'd rate the solution nine 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
PeerSpot user
Technical Consultant at TatweerIT
Consultant
Integrates well with other tools and software; scalable and has good stability
Pros and Cons
  • "What I love about Microsoft Exchange is the good integration since 2013, particularly its integration with the calendar and other software such as Zoom, TeamViewer, AnyDesk, etc."
  • "After 2022, users of Microsoft Exchange have to migrate mailboxes to Microsoft Exchange Online, and what I'd like to improve is for Microsoft to publish more on-premise versions for customers using Microsoft Exchange. Having more security is another room for improvement in the solution, particularly for mailboxes that develop the Exchange Edge rule to protect internal mailboxes. What I'd like to see from Microsoft Exchange in the future is for Microsoft to still update the latest, existing version which is 2022. I'd like Microsoft to still push more cumulative updates for Microsoft Exchange 2022."

What is our primary use case?

Microsoft Exchange is the main mail server of Microsoft. It's a popular mail server, so a common use case for Microsoft Exchange is for small, medium, and enterprise-scale businesses. It's a mail solution, voicemail solution, live calendar solution, etc.

What is most valuable?

What I love about Microsoft Exchange is the good integration since 2013, particularly its integration with the calendar and other software such as Zoom, TeamViewer, AnyDesk, etc.

What needs improvement?

After 2022, users of Microsoft Exchange have to migrate mailboxes to Microsoft Exchange Online, and what I'd like to improve is for Microsoft to publish more on-premise versions for customers using Microsoft Exchange. Having more security is another room for improvement in the solution, particularly for mailboxes that develop the Exchange Edge rule to protect internal mailboxes.

What I'd like to see from Microsoft Exchange in the future is for Microsoft to still update the latest, existing version which is 2022. I'd like Microsoft to still push more cumulative updates for Microsoft Exchange 2022.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Microsoft Exchange for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I'm impressed with Microsoft Exchange, and I'm rating it five out of five, stability-wise.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Microsoft Exchange is a scalable solution.

How was the initial setup?

Setting up Microsoft Exchange from 2016 to 2022 in an SMB environment is straightforward because Microsoft combined all the cache, hubs, and mailboxes into one server. For large enterprises, the initial setup for Microsoft Exchange isn't as straightforward because large enterprises require more sophisticated setups.

How long it takes to deploy Microsoft Exchange depends on the size of the environment. For example, if I'm going to implement the solution in a small or medium-sized customer environment, then the deployment would take approximately one to two days, but if I'm implementing Microsoft Exchange for a more complex environment that has a minimum of 10 mailboxes and multiple sites, the deployment alone can take up to one week.

What about the implementation team?

My team is responsible for deploying Microsoft Exchange for customers, so the implementation is in-house. I lead the deployment team.

What was our ROI?

The ROI you get from Microsoft Exchange can be very, very broad in terms of values. The solution, particularly the on-premise version, can save you additional costs compared to deploying it on the cloud, but the downside is the maintenance cost, and during new releases or updates, you may want to schedule the downtime in advance.

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

I don't have enough information about the licensing costs of Microsoft Exchange, but I do know that you need two types of licenses to run it. You need the product key and the client access key to activate Microsoft Exchange. This means that apart from the standard Microsoft Exchange licensing fees, you have to pay additional costs.

What other advice do I have?

I'm working in a professional service company that's implementing Microsoft Exchange on-premises for customers. I implemented the solution on-premises in 2016, 2019, and 2022. In 2016, I also performed a migration from Microsoft Exchange to Microsoft Exchange Online.

My current company has between fifty to one hundred users of Microsoft Exchange, but in terms of the number of clients my team has implemented the solution for on-premises, it's potentially five thousand.

Deploying Microsoft Exchange for SMB would require just two people, but deploying it for enterprise-scale businesses would require a minimum of three people. Maintaining Microsoft Exchange requires five to seven people for SMBs, and up to twelve in enterprise environments because maintaining the solution isn't as easy.

My advice to anyone looking into implementing or using Microsoft Exchange is the same advice I give to my team every day, which is to be more aware of new information found on the internet in terms of troubleshooting Microsoft Exchange problems. You should also keep on training about sophisticated setups for the solution because you deal with aggressive customers, so I encourage my team to learn about Microsoft Exchange designs, troubleshooting mechanisms, etc.

I'm rating Microsoft Exchange as nine out of ten.

My company is an implementer and consultant for Microsoft Exchange, not a reseller or retailer. The customer is responsible for purchasing the Microsoft Exchange license.

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. Partner/Implementer
PeerSpot user
Boris Kaluža - PeerSpot reviewer
global admin at Enter++
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Administrator relies on consistent integration and seamless user communication

What is our primary use case?

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.

What is most valuable?

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.

What needs improvement?

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.

For how long have I used the solution?

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

How are customer service and support?

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.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

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.

What other advice do I have?

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.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Exchange Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: September 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Exchange Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.