Exchange Email Hosting: Pros and Cons?

Answer 1

Microsoft Exchange email hosting is part of the Microsoft business software package. It is an email server that allows a business to host its own email through the company’s network. Installation of Exchange email hosting is not difficult, but the implementation can be something of a hassle if your company doesn’t have an IT department on site.

Keeps Everyone Connected

Exchange email hosting is the perfect way to keep all of your employees connected constantly. Since it works through your company’s servers, you have complete control of every mailbox. The administrator can assign rights to certain individuals and remove rights from others so that each department has its own specialized arrangement. Exchange email hosting also removes the middle man in your email configuration. Instead of relying on a remote web server for your email needs, you control the server yourself. You can create as many email addresses as you like, and assign different rights to each and every one of them.

Shared Elements are Seamless

Since Exchange email hosting is a Microsoft Office program, it works directly with all of the other Microsoft Office programs. You can use the Exchange email when you are inside Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel. Exchange uses Microsoft Outlook as the primary email program, and makes it very simple to share contact information and calendar information across the network. When you use Exchange server hosting, it is like adding email functionality to all of your document processing software.

Can Be Complicated to Configure

The only real down side to Exchange email hosting is that it can be difficult to configure. Unlike web hosted email, Exchange requires that an administrator make all of the email configuration changes from an administrative control panel. Many of the control panel elements are easy to understand, but not all of them. If you don’t have someone at your company who is available to take a course in how to use Exchange email hosting, you may find that the email service is too frustrating to use. Even simple tasks like forwarding an email address requires a solid understanding of the software and how it is configured. Exchange server hosting is not designed to be learned as you go.