White Papers and Articles
White Papers and Articles Index
Exchange Hosting
SharePoint
Hosting
Ecommerce Hosting
Dedicated and Managed Hosting
Erate
General
Top 10 Reasons for Choosing Microsoft Exchange Hosting
Exchange hosting has become a popular solution for small- and medium-sized businesses that want the same class of messaging and collaboration as large corporations, but cannot afford the expense of hosting their own exchange. Even large corporations have begun to view Exchange hosting as an alternative for maintaining quality while lowering overhead. Microsoft has capitalized on the exchange hosting trend with the advent of their Exchange software. In essence, Exchange hosting involves hiring a hosting company to handle a message exchange system, similar to hiring a host for a website. There are several reasons to choose Exchange hosting:
1. Financial Investment - By using Exchange hosting, companies are able to save a significant amount of money. In order to host their own exchange, a company would need to purchase all of the hardware, including everything needed to create the security and redundancy level needed for the company. In addition, it would be necessary to purchase Exchange software, and each user would need a separate user license. In addition, there has to be a physical location for the server, as well as personnel to administer and manage the exchange service. With Exchange hosting, none of those expenses are required. Instead, there is one monthly fee that is set, predictable and easy to budget.
2. IT Resources - Maintenance of an in-house exchange system can often take well over 80% of the senior technician's time, making it necessary to have IT personnel specifically for the exchange. Using Exchange hosting eliminates the need for dedicated IT staff. System management is handled entirely by the hosting provider, and user maintenance does not require technical personnel.
3. Deployment - With a dedicated IT staff, it can take as long as 30 days for a company to get their internal exchange system fully operational. With Exchange hosting, a messaging and collaboration environment can be up and running in minutes on a shared platform. If you prefer to have a dedicated platform, most Exchange hosting providers can have it fully functional in a few days.
4. Reliability - For an Exchange system to be fully reliable there needs to be sufficient hardware and software for the job, and personnel to oversee all of it. Without redundancy, for example, a server crash can create email interruptions, which leads to a loss of email service and a loss of productivity. The typical Exchange hosting service uses server clusters to offer a guaranteed uptime, usually 99% or better. In addition, the Exchange host has the necessary personnel to handle the maintenance of the hardware, further ensuring the reliability of the exchange service.
5. Security - Protecting the security of the exchange system requires constant care, making it a daunting task for many IT departments. Exchange is set up with enhanced security features. For example, Exchange has new anti-spam features, along with having integrated Outlook's ability to block senders, and it has new virus scanning features. Additionally, Exchange is set up to automatically log off Outlook Web Access and to block attachments.
6. Data Preservation - While most companies recognize the value of backing up data, many fail to realize how valuable messages and collaboration documents can be until it's too late. By using Exchange hosting, message data is backed up, often on tape, on a regular basis.
7. Features - In addition to email messaging, Exchange offers a wide variety of group collaboration features that can be crucial to any business. Administrators can set up public folders for sharing information, and they can set limits on who can access those folders. In addition, users can access a company calendar to stay informed of schedules and deadlines, and the task manager features allows managers to create a to-do list for projects and email users about specific tasks and deadlines that apply to them. Exchange even offers the ability to have discussion groups and to place customized forms, like those dealing with company policies, in a central folder that all employees can access.
8. Accessibility - Exchange can be accessed using Outlook, Outlook Web Access, and any internet-based email client. Using Outlook or Outlook Web Access gives the user access to all the functions of Exchange, many of which are listed above.
9. Scalability - Servers running Exchange are run with up to 20 message databases per server, making it easy for an Exchange host to expand to fit your needs. As your need for messaging and collaboration increases, hosting providers can simply increase the number of servers handling your exchange.
10. Mobile Devices - Many mobile devices can be synchronized with Exchange to allow secure access when employees are away from the computer. This requires the use of a Mobile Devices update for Exchange, which can be easily installed by an Exchange host in a matter of seconds.
While Microsoft Exchange can be a valuable tool for collaboration and messaging for any company, it can often be too expensive for many. By using Exchange hosting, even small businesses can have access to a top quality system without breaking the budget.