We mainly use Exchange for the email, calendar, and contact management features.
ICT and Cyber Security Adviser at a educational organization with 201-500 employees
It provides a good platform for collaboration between users
Pros and Cons
- "The functionality on the user side is quite good, and Exchange provides an excellent platform for collaboration between users."
- "Microsoft could make it easier to combine comments in the GUI. It isn't easy to do certain things in Exchange, primarily if the administrator isn't used to the command line, so I think the customer interface could be improved."
- "Exchange's management could be improved a bit, and its troubleshooting tools are limited at times."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The functionality on the user side is quite good. Exchange provides an excellent platform for collaboration between users.
What needs improvement?
Exchange's management could be improved a bit, and its troubleshooting tools are limited at times. It's not easy sometimes to troubleshoot. That's another area where there's room for improvement.
Microsoft could make it easier to combine comments in the GUI. It isn't easy to do certain things in Exchange, primarily if the administrator isn't used to the command line, so I think the customer interface could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Microsoft Exchange for 15 years.
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Microsoft Exchange
June 2026
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Exchange's application front services are robust and scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I've never had to contact Microsoft support about issues with Exchange. We used to have a support contract with Microsoft, but it was for integration. However, the technology itself is mature though, and we have extensive experience managing Exchange. But if there are matters related to the environment, sometimes it is tricky. You have to build your own capability and rely on it when there is some novel use case.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
If you want to run Exchange as an on-premises solution, you have to cover infrastructure costs. If cost is an issue, you can opt for Office 365 instead. But I'm fine with what we're paying because we have no problem budgeting for an Exchange server.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Microsoft Exchange nine out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT Support Team Leader at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Compatible with other clients, effective business features, and simple client setup
Pros and Cons
- "Microsoft Exchange is comparable to the Outlook client, both are Microsoft products, and most people are familiar with Outlook, which is why the best feature of Microsoft Exchange is the ease of use, as it is more compatible with the client software, especially for Microsoft Outlook, and there are a lot of features available that are required for business users."
- "The solution is stable, but it could improve. It's crashing if there is a big mail database. The Zimbra solution is better in this area."
What is our primary use case?
We use Microsoft Exchange for emails.
What is most valuable?
Microsoft Exchange is comparable to the Outlook client. Both are Microsoft products, and most people are familiar with Outlook. This is why the best feature of Microsoft Exchange is the ease of use. It is more compatible with the client software, especially for Microsoft Outlook. There are a lot of features available that are required for businesses users.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Exchange for approximately five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Exchange is stable. However, there are other solutions that are more stable, such as Zimbra.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is stable, but it could improve. It's crashing if there is a big mail database. The Zimbra solution is better in this area.
We have approximately 200 people using this solution and we plan to continue to use this solution.
How are customer service and support?
We have contacted support. The support for Microsoft Exchange and Office 365 is widely available and is good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used Zimbra.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is simple for the clients.
What about the implementation team?
We have approximately three engineers that support this solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate Microsoft Exchange an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Exchange
June 2026
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Exchange. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2026.
902,270 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Engineer at a energy/utilities company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Improves collaboration between our organization and contractors through the ability to exchange information and tasks
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features are that you can exchange information, tasks, attachments, and enhance the process in a short amount of time."
- "This solution has improved the collaboration between our organization and our partners and contractors."
- "For the next release, there are some features on the cloud-based Exchange that aren't included on-prem. It would be great if these features were made available in the next release. For instance, integration between Exchange and its on-prem calendar is not available for the on-prem solution."
- "The security for the email technology could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
Our entire organization uses Microsoft Exchange. We are using Microsoft Exchange 2016. The solution is deployed on-premises.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution has improved the collaboration between our organization and our partners and contractors.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are that you can exchange information, tasks, attachments, and enhance the process in a short amount of time.
What needs improvement?
The security for the email technology could be improved.
For the next release, there are some features on the cloud-based Exchange that aren't included on-prem. It would be great if these features were made available in the next release. For instance, integration between Exchange and its on-prem calendar is not available for the on-prem solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for more than 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I think Exchange is one of the most stable products from Microsoft.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is good. We're covered with the technical support maintenance agreement with Microsoft.
How was the initial setup?
Most of the process is straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We used a consultant for deployment. We are working directly with Microsoft partnerships.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We renew the product license with Microsoft every three years. The cost is included within a bundle of services. It's an enterprise agreement with Microsoft.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution 10 out of 10. It has enhanced the process of exchanging information between our organization and others.
I recommend this solution for others to use the auto implement. It's a good product. You can use this product through cloud, and it will be more valuable than on-prem deployment.
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.
Solutions Area Lead at a tech consulting company with 501-1,000 employees
Has all the calibration features you need
Pros and Cons
- "Exchange has helped us with encryption."
- "Exchange has all the calibration features you need."
- "One thing for improvement would be to have an offline version of Exchange available for use if our connection goes down."
What is our primary use case?
My primary use case is for migrations, setting up hybrid identities, and integrating with other systems, for example, SharePoint.
How has it helped my organization?
Exchange has helped us with encryption.
What is most valuable?
Exchange has all the calibration features you need.
What needs improvement?
One thing for improvement would be to have an offline version of Exchange available for use if our connection goes down.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for fifteen to sixteen years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This product is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Exchange is scalable.
What other advice do I have?
I would give this solution a rating of nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Implementer
Director at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Highly scalable, reliable, reasonably priced, and has good support
Pros and Cons
- "Support is very good."
- "Microsoft Exchange is a very well-priced solution."
- "If it was the same product, and slightly cheaper, that would be amazing."
- "While this solution is cost-effective, in general, the price could be better."
What is our primary use case?
Microsoft Exchange is an email platform.
What is most valuable?
I am quite happy with this solution.
What needs improvement?
While this solution is cost-effective, in general, the price could be better. If it was the same product, and slightly cheaper, that would be amazing.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Microsoft Exchange for 15 years.
Historically, this solution was on-premises, and now it is cloud-based.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have no issues with the stability of Microsoft Exchange.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a highly scalable email platform.
We support 15,000 end-users for many different companies.
How are customer service and support?
Support is very good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Microsoft Exchange is a very well-priced solution.
Depending on their use case, they can purchase a variety of licenses.
What other advice do I have?
I would definitely recommend this solution.
I would rate Microsoft Exchange a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Delivery manager at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
A stable and scalable solution with good technical support, but should be easier to deploy
Pros and Cons
- "The technical support is fine."
- "The solution can scale up to whatever number of users one desires."
- "The solution should be easier to deploy."
What is our primary use case?
I believe I had used my previous version in 2010 or 2016. Subsequently, more people switched to Office 365, Exchange Online.
Microsoft Exchange is exclusively an email solution and this is what we use it for.
What is most valuable?
The performance is good.
What needs improvement?
The solution should be easier to deploy.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Microsoft Exchange for a couple of years. I'm now using Office 365, Exchange Online.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution can scale up to whatever number of users one desires. This depends on one's infrastructure.
The solution is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is fine.
How was the initial setup?
The deployment could be easier.
I believe the installation lasted a couple of hours. However, further integration takes time and this can vary with the additional features one wants, customization which is based on the ETA, the rules and one's desire to make the solution visible to others.
Once the solution is wholly deployed, there is not much need for further intervention.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay for the license annually. We could take advantage of it throughout the course of the year, although it is now online, meaning subscription-based, by which the person can receive all the bookings, save for the mailing system.
What other advice do I have?
I'm currently using Office 365, Exchange Online.
The solution can scale up to whatever number of users one desires. This is wholly dependent on one's infrastructure.
We have approximately eight to ten thousand users making use of it in our organization.
I would recommend the solution to others. People are gravitating towards it.
I rate Microsoft Exchange as a seven out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Vice President & Head of ICT at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Scalable, good support, but lacking cloud management
Pros and Cons
- "Microsoft has a very good support team."
- "We would prefer to be able to manage the solution on the cloud."
What is our primary use case?
Microsoft Exchange can be used as an email service.
What needs improvement?
We would prefer to be able to manage the solution on the cloud.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Exchange for approximately eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have found Microsoft Exchange to be stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft Exchange is scalable.
We have 600 users using this solution in our organization.
How are customer service and support?
Microsoft has a very good support team.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation ourselves.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Microsoft Exchange a six 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.
Sr System Administrator at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Good configuration and customization features
Pros and Cons
- "All of Exchange's features are valuable. For example, we can configure the MAPI profile, IM profile, or mobile profile."
- "Microsoft Exchange needs to improve how it handles and assigns policy and security."
What is most valuable?
All of Exchange's features are valuable. For example, we can configure the MAPI profile, IM profile, or mobile profile.
What needs improvement?
Microsoft Exchange needs to improve how it handles and assigns policy and security.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Exchange for the last 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is absolutely stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I think Exchange is somewhat scalable, but not exactly. For example, if we ever need to update our server, we have to create another server and migrate the mailboxes from one server to another. So, it's only somewhat scalable, not fully.
How are customer service and support?
We are getting good technical support. We have an in-house support person, so we don't need any technical support most of the time.
How was the initial setup?
It's easy. Easy to use. Not complex.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's reasonable. It's an affordable price.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Microsoft Exchange nine out of 10. It's a good product that you can either implement on-premises or on the cloud.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
System Administrator at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
A stable and scalable business email and calendaring server that's user-friendly
Pros and Cons
- "It's a very user-friendly application. The mail server is also valuable when compared to other services like SquirrelMail."
- "Exchange is a very good Microsoft product, and it's very stable."
- "From a security point of view, Microsoft should enhance the new features. Technical support could also be better."
What is most valuable?
It's a very user-friendly application. The mail server is also valuable when compared to other services like SquirrelMail.
What needs improvement?
From a security point of view, Microsoft should enhance the new features. Technical support could also be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Microsoft Exchange for about three or four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Exchange is a very good Microsoft product, and it's very stable. It's rare to face issues like mailboxes, but troubleshooting is very easy.
From a security point of view, Microsoft Edge's role is very good. This is because the Edge server is not part of an internal network. If there's a vector attack on Exchange, it will affect only the internal Exchange Edge server and not our private network or DMZ.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This product is reliable and very scalable. We have almost 5,000 users at the moment.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is average at best. Many times Microsoft engineers took a long time to support us after we logged a case.
What other advice do I have?
Microsoft Exchange is for any company with 400 to 500 people, but a mid-size company can also use this product. It's not very costly for them. The alternative many companies are using is Gmail desktop services with about 100 users. I don't know about the quantity, but many companies are using Gmail as a free service because they don't want to invest in other products like Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft Office 365.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Microsoft Exchange a nine.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Can be easily installed and is stable and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "We have found it to be a stable solution. It is scalable and easy to install."
- "I think it could be more scalable."
What is our primary use case?
We use Microsoft Exchange Server for the users in our company.
What is most valuable?
We have found it to be a stable solution. It is scalable and easy to install.
What needs improvement?
I think it could be more scalable.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Exchange is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. We currently have 2000 users.
How was the initial setup?
It's easy to install and took about three to four hours.
What about the implementation team?
We were able to install it ourselves. A team of three handled the installation and maintenance.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale from one to ten, I would rate Microsoft Exchange at ten.
It is easy to install. A team of three people were able to handle the installation and maintenance.
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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Updated: June 2026
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