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reviewer2024649 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT-Manager / Finanzbuchhaltung / Personalwesen at a manufacturing company with 1-10 employees
Real User
Offers stability and easy integration with other Microsoft products, but needs to use less resources and be more reasonably priced
Pros and Cons
  • "It's user-friendly."

    What is our primary use case?

    I use this solution for my email and calendar. 

    How has it helped my organization?

    Because of this solution we have better integration with other Microsoft Office solutions. 

    What is most valuable?

    It's user-friendly. 

    What needs improvement?

    The solution needs a lot of resources to run efficiently. It would be nice if it used less resources to run on-premise.

    Buyer's Guide
    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.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been working with this solution for about five years. 

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    We have not had any problems with the stability of the solution. I would give it a nine out of ten. 

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The solution is scalable. There are about 70 users working with it on a daily basis in our organization. 

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

    Previously, we used Scalix. We switched to Microsoft Exchange for easier integration and better stability. 

    How was the initial setup?

    It was a little bit complex to set up, so we had to get external help. 

    What about the implementation team?

    A third-party did the deployment, and it took about two days. 

    What was our ROI?

    This is a time-saving solution. 

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

    This solution is expensive. On a scale of one to ten, where one is the worst and ten is the best, I would rate it a four. 

    What other advice do I have?

    Overall, I rate this solution as a seven 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.
    PeerSpot user
    Lazar Ninkovic - PeerSpot reviewer
    IT Cordinator at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees
    Real User
    Provides unlimited storage and the integration with OneDrive comes in very handy
    Pros and Cons
    • "Provides unlimited storage for our mailbox."
    • "The licensing model could be improved."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use this product for emails and for meetings. I'm the IT coordinator. 

    What is most valuable?

    The biggest advantage of this product is that it provides us with unlimited storage for our mailbox. The availability and simplicity of getting emails is great. There's an accessible online version and you have the full Office package available at any moment beyond Outlook. The integration with OneDrive comes in very handy. The Outlook Exchange server becomes your go-to place for storing conversations and correspondence. 

    What needs improvement?

    The licensing could be better. There are several levels of licensing depending on the number of users and features but it lacks the breakdown of what's included in the license, and the possibility to customize what you really need. There are likely to be features included that you don't need but there's no opt out option for those.  

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using this solution for 10 years. 

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Stability has improved tremendously. These days it requires an extraordinary set of circumstances to not be able to access your emails, to send or receive emails, or to access the Exchange server.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The solution is quite scalable. We have over 1,000 users. 

    How are customer service and support?

    We've contacted technical support several times and they've been responsive. They're pretty good, in general. 

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Positive

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is straightforward. There's really no problem with the setup of the latest Exchange servers and Exchange in general. We deployed in-house and didn't need any external partner to handle it.

    What other advice do I have?

    Microsoft provides you with an ease of control, and management, and sets certain expectations from the software that you can't have if you implement other, cheaper solutions that are likely to be more difficult to manage or that are unable to adapt to new demands. It has a really nice scalable environment. You can start with the smallest Windows license and then just continue scaling up and upgrading, without the need to completely change and start over as your organization grows. The backbone is there on Microsoft. 

    I like this product and rate it nine out of 10. 

    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
    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.
    Mahmoud Mawad - PeerSpot reviewer
    IT network admin at GASCO
    Real User
    Secure, scalable, and helpful support
    Pros and Cons
    • "One of the most valuable features of Microsoft Exchange is its security."
    • "Microsoft Exchange is highly stable. However, after receiving some updates it can be unstable."

    What is our primary use case?

    We are using Microsoft Exchange mainly for the email system for my company and other companies I work for.

    What is most valuable?

    One of the most valuable features of Microsoft Exchange is its security.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Microsoft Exchange for seven years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Microsoft Exchange is highly stable. However, after receiving some updates it can be unstable. 

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The scalability of Microsoft Exchange is good but it depends on the license.

    We have approximately 4,000 users using the solution.

    How are customer service and support?

    We had to contact support from Microsoft when there was a critical update that we needed to have which fixed some issues we were having.

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

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup of Microsoft Exchange is complex. It contains a lot of components that have to be configured perfectly together. After the installation, it works well. It took us two weeks to migrate from one release to another.

    What about the implementation team?

    I did the implementation of Microsoft Exchange in my company. We have a team of three people that do the maintenance and support for the solution.

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

    Microsoft Exchange itself does not require a license, but users who will have mailboxes will require a license. It depends on the number of users to choose which license. If you exceed 2,000 mailboxes, it's preferable to get the enterprise license.

    What other advice do I have?

    Many people when they upgrade their mailing system choose Microsoft Exchange.

    I rate Microsoft Exchange a ten 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.
    PeerSpot user
    Alexey Rogov - PeerSpot reviewer
    Lean manager at Gazprombank
    Real User
    Scalable mail server solution that handles primary functionality including message delivery, archiving and calendars
    Pros and Cons
    • "This solution handles all of our primary functionality including email, message delivery, message archiving and calendars."
    • "In our current situation, the disappearance of sanctions would be a tangible improvement. We are basically cut off from technical support and it's very difficult to obtain any updates."

    What is our primary use case?

    This solution handles all of our primary functionality including email, message delivery, message archiving and calendars.

    What is most valuable?

    The primary features I use are email and calendar.

    What needs improvement?

    In our current situation, the disappearance of sanctions would be a tangible improvement. We are basically cut off from technical support and it's very difficult to obtain any updates.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We have been using this solution for four years. 

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    This is a stable solution.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    This is a scalable solution. We already have over 10,000 users in Microsoft Exchange and the total size of the databases exceeds several hundred terabytes.

    How are customer service and support?

    In all large corporate installations, the first level of tech support is always the local support team. Only if they aren't able to handle the case, we contact tech support in Microsoft. For now, because of sanctions, this option is quite limited.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Neutral

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

    We had used IBM Notes before but it is an inferior product compared to Exchange.

    How was the initial setup?

    I barely had any issues with initial setup of Microsoft Exchange. It involves a few clicks on the initial setup dialogue and that's it.

    What other advice do I have?

    This solution is used by many large organizations and I don't know of any viable alternatives. If there are a large amount of users in an organization, Exchange is probably the best option. If there are less than 1000 users, opensource software may be a better alternative.

    I would rate this solution a nine 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.
    PeerSpot user
    Navarda  Elliott - PeerSpot reviewer
    Information Technology Manager at Factories Corporation of Jamaica
    Real User
    Simple to use, reliable, and expands easily
    Pros and Cons
    • "The solution can scale well."
    • "In terms of configuring the product, that's definitely an area in which they can make some improvements on."

    What is our primary use case?

    We primarily use the solution to send and receive emails.

    What is most valuable?

    In terms of usability, it’s pretty simple.

    It’s stable.

    The solution can scale well.

    What needs improvement?

    In terms of configuration, you definitely have to go way in depth. In terms of configuring the product, that's definitely an area in which they can make some improvements on.

    The initial setup is complex.

    Technical support could be more responsive.

    From an on-premise standpoint, we’d like more security. I would definitely want to see some more security than Office 365 has to offer.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I’ve used the solution for a couple of years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    We’re able to do what we need to. In that sense, it’s stable and reliable. We haven’t had issues.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The solution is quite scalable.

    We have about 150 people on the solution currently. Everyone is pretty much using it. Right now, we’re just sticking to the basics. I’m not sure if we have plans to increase usage.

    How are customer service and support?

    Technical support could be improved. It takes you a while to get through to a technician, especially on the Microsoft side. They need to be more responsive.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Positive

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

    I have utilized G Suite. The flexibility that Microsoft has to offer, especially when it comes to email, is better. Sometimes you need the ability to be able to make certain configurations and policy changes that Google might not offer.

    How was the initial setup?

    The solution isn’t exactly straightforward. It’s pretty complex. The configuration can be difficult. It takes a while to set up, and you need to have some advanced knowledge in order to implement it correctly.

    Based on who you have that is doing the deployment, it could take up to about three days or even maybe up to a week. However, in terms of a deployment plan, we need to analyze in terms of what we do internally and what outcomes we're actually seeking, and put the project plan in place with some timelines.

    Internally, you might need one to two people to handle the initial setup. We had two engineers.

    What about the implementation team?

    We had assistance from a third party.

    What was our ROI?

    I don’t have any details in terms of ROI.

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

    I don’t have any information about how much the licensing is.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    We didn’t really evaluate other options beyond Microsoft and Google.

    What other advice do I have?

    I’m an end-user and a customer.

    We may not be using the most updated version.

    I’d advise potential users to ensure that you do your due diligence. If you're using a third-party contractor, just ensure that they're extremely qualified to actually execute the setup for you. Otherwise, you might run into problems.

    I’d rate the solution an eight out of ten. It's stable. It works. Unless you probably go and mess with the configuration, then you won't have any problem. For the most part, it works. It does what it says it's going to do.

    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.
    PeerSpot user
    Misba Ishfaq - PeerSpot reviewer
    Client Relationship Manager at Capgemini
    Real User
    Reliable, scalable, and easy implementation
    Pros and Cons
    • "Microsoft Exchange is stable."
    • "The price of Microsoft Exchange could improve, it is priced high."

    What is our primary use case?

    I use Microsoft Exchange for their email service for my personal use.

    What needs improvement?

    The price of Microsoft Exchange could improve, it is priced high.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Microsoft Exchange for approximately 10 years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Microsoft Exchange is stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    I have found Microsoft Exchange to be scalable.

    How are customer service and support?

    I have not contacted Microsofts technical support.

    How was the initial setup?

    The installation of Microsoft Exchange is easy.

    What about the implementation team?

    Our technical team did the implementation of the solution.

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

    There is an annual cost to use Microsoft Exchange, and the price could be less expensive.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would recommend Microsoft Exchange to others.

    I rate Microsoft Exchange an 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.
    PeerSpot user
    reviewer1229187 - PeerSpot reviewer
    General Manager - IT at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
    Real User
    It's a robust system that's suitable for a large enterprise environment
    Pros and Cons
    • "Exchange is a robust system that is well suited for an enterprise environment. It's always up, and we hardly face any technical issues. Exchange has a web interface and integrates perfectly with Microsoft Outlook. This web interface can be easily used to change the passwords from the domain controllers."
    • "Microsoft needs to make some modifications to meet the current needs of the environment. For example, they need to add more cell service features because people work from home during the pandemic, and certain elements should be available as a mobile service."

    What is our primary use case?

    Exchange is an email solution. It is widely used in our organization.

    What is most valuable?

    Exchange is a robust system that is well suited for an enterprise environment. It's always up, and we hardly face any technical issues. Exchange has a web interface and integrates perfectly with Microsoft Outlook. This web interface can be easily used to change the passwords from the domain controllers. 

    What needs improvement?

    Microsoft needs to make some modifications to meet the current needs of the environment. For example, they need to add more cell service features because people work from home during the pandemic, and certain elements should be available as a mobile service.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using Exchange for many years now. 

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Microsoft Exchange is highly stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    You can scale it horizontally by adding several servers behind the load balancer if you want. We have more than 20,000 users.

    How are customer service and support?

    We contacted Microsoft about an issue a while back, but it was so long ago, I can't remember what the problem was.

    How was the initial setup?

    Installing Microsoft Exchange is straightforward. The conversion takes time, but the installation itself takes less than two hours. The total deployment time depends on what you want to do, i.e., how many servers you want to configure, the structure of your domain controllers, etc. We have four team members for deployment and maintenance. 

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

    We have an enterprise agreement with a five-year contract.

    What other advice do I have?

    I rate Microsoft Exchange eight out of 10. Exchange has a cloud solution also, so depending on the count of users, you can decide whether to use the on-premise or cloud version.

    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.
    PeerSpot user
    CJ Aulisa - PeerSpot reviewer
    Contact Center Consultant at okiBoe Group
    Real User
    Top 20
    Pleasant desktop interface, great support, and reliable
    Pros and Cons
    • "I find the desktop version of Microsoft Exchange looks better than the online version. You can make it a white background. You might be able to make the online background white, but I have no idea how to do that. I know how to do it only on the desktop version"
    • "The desktop version of Microsoft Exchange receives emails a little slower than the online version."

    What is our primary use case?

    I am using Microsoft Exchange for emails. For example, here's my email address, call me, or email me and I'll email you. I don't use it for any marketing emails.

    What is most valuable?

    I find the desktop version of Microsoft Exchange looks better than the online version. You can make it a white background. You might be able to make the online background white, but I have no idea how to do that. I know how to do it only on the desktop version

    What needs improvement?

    The desktop version of Microsoft Exchange receives emails a little slower than the online version. 

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have used Microsoft Exchange within the last 12 months.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The stability of the solution is good.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    I haven't run into any scalability problems. However, I've run into several large multinational companies that I know do run into issues, and they have to merge two separate something together.

    How are customer service and support?

    Microsoft support is very good. I did recently have an issue the other day.  The solution was asking me for my password, and I put it in and it didn't recognize it, and I was getting really frustrated. I called Microsoft support, spoke to a person, they had me download a tool,- for data checking, and it fixed it. Whatever it did, it fixed the problem. I had a good experience. 

    They are responsive and helpful, if you're only one user and not their biggest customer, they still give you good support.

    How was the initial setup?

    I have implemented the solution for my system and it is easy. I have not done so for a company. I just download it and run it, that is all.

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

    I have Outlook 365 Professional, and Exchange comes in the bundle with other solutions, such as Word and OneDrive. I pay for the use of the bundle monthly and I can imagine if you are a company with many licenses the pricing model would be a lot different.

    What other advice do I have?

    I do not see Microsoft having any competition in the market. They appear to be dominating.

    I rate Microsoft Exchange a ten 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.
    PeerSpot user
    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.