Microsoft Exchange Online Reviews

The product is used to create email addresses. We can also create groups and distribution lists. The product also provides email forwarding features. We can create rules, monitor the flow of emails, and trace messages. We can use connectors on the platform for email security and email signature.

Message trace is the most valuable feature of the product. We can get a customized report on what is happening in our environment. We can trace all the emails, understand what happened, and get information on how they reached the user and the hops before delivery. It is very interesting.

We can also know how many deliveries failed and are pending in the queue and customize our reports how we want them to be. The product is very easy, simple, and secure. It is available everywhere because it is cloud-based.

The solution should have a better interface. The interface is a bit confusing. It should be more simple. The product should also improve the email flow. The rules are a bit complicated compared to the previous version. The previous version was much easier, and the latest one is more complicated.

I have been using the solution for four to five years.

In my organization, 150 people use the product. I have plans to increase the usage by 10% in one or two years, depending on how much the organization will grow. The product is extensively used in our company.

I had a very good first impression of the technical support team. Technically, the team is very good, very supportive, and very friendly. The team members are well-mannered while talking to customers. They follow up very well and are with us until the case is closed and we are satisfied.

Positive

I was using Lotus Notes five to six years ago. It was centrally based in our head office. I didn’t contribute to it. Later, when I applied to have my own email solution, I chose Microsoft.

The solution is very easy to set up. We just have to enter the username and password and start using it. We can deploy emails to end users within five to ten minutes. The product is cloud-based.

In our business, everything is done by email applications, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Word. So, we get a 60% ROI on the solution.

We pay a yearly licensing fee for the solution. The cost depends upon the plans we choose and the types of applications we want to use. We have a three-year deal with Microsoft to get a good price for the product. They are very willing to revise the price, accompany us for the setup, and give us a framework. They are very impressive to work with. There are no additional costs associated with the product.

I am using the latest version of the solution. Most businesses and users are using Microsoft for email business. I would recommend the solution to others. Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

We primarily use the solution for email and calendar functionality.

It works. It does what it's supposed to do with minimal issues.

It's one of the products that Microsoft has absolutely done its very best with.

The solution is very easy to set up and quite quick to deploy.

Right off the top of my head, I can't think of anything that I would change to improve Exchange.

The pricing could always be better.

Right now, I'm writing documentation to upgrade the existing Exchange and Active Directory from 2016 to 2019.

When you migrate from on-prem to cloud, if you choose to or are forced to do the hybrid, they need to devise a way to undo the hybrid. At present, once you establish a hybrid organization between cloud and on-prem, there's no way to undo it. Fixing that would be most beneficial. At the last organization I was at and did a migration, I had 31,000 users, and my largest mailbox was 90 gigs. It took three months to complete the migration.

We had no choice but to put it into hybrid mode due to the period of time. The MX record can only exist in one place. Therefore, you can't route mail from one system to another system. All the mail had to be routed through the on-prem and then synced from the on-prem to the cloud until everything was in the cloud. Then we were able to move the MX record from being on-prem to being in the cloud. Then all mail could be received in the cloud. However, then there was no way to tear down the Exchange organization on-prem. We are still left with a server, server maintenance, licensing, OS upgrades, patching, and everything on the on-prem server. The on-prem server is literally sitting there doing nothing except filtering air in the data center, costing me power, time and cooling. Therefore, fixing that would be awesome.

I’ve used the solution throughout my career - for over 30 years.

Typically, by the time I open a ticket, and they get back to me, I've figured out how to fix it. I don't call them until I'm really stuck.

They're not very good. I have had one of their technicians call me back more than once, and I'll go, "I figured it out, I fixed it." They flat asked me, "Well, how did you fix it?" I'm like, "You're Microsoft. You figure it out." They may not have the best understanding of the system.

Neutral

I've used Exchange my entire career. My best friend is currently trying to get rid of Lotus Notes where he's at. He's been working on that for a year now, and it just doesn't seem to want to go away. I've always been with this product. I did a bunch of work with GroupWise and got GroupWise out of the environment and so forth - replacing that with Active Directory. However, that really didn't have a mail component to it.

The initial setup is very straightforward. It only took a few hours to deploy.

The pricing is always something that could be better. We always like to work towards protecting our budget.

I know what the cloud cost per user is. I don't have what the on-premises costs are.

I’m a customer. I don't have any direct relationship with Microsoft.

I’d rate the solution a nine out of ten.

It's an excellent product. It's an excellent mail system. It does exactly what it's supposed to do. If you are under 5,000 employees, I would say that Microsoft 365 is the way to go. If you're over 3,000 or 5,000 employees, I would have some serious conversations about on-prem versus cloud. Once you get over about 3,000 or 5,000 employees that are mail users, the cloud really starts to get much more expensive than on-prem.

It's a messaging card with the assembly solutions. I manage multiple platforms and upgrade and migrate the environment on-prem to online.

It is an easy-to-use platform. It provides both browser-based and desktop versions, accessible through a single license or up to three licenses. Additionally, with enterprise plans, you can use desktop licenses. It includes mail tagging and other top-notch security measures. You can manage mailboxes and utilize many other features based on your needs. Shared mailboxes are also available and can be used freely.

The cost is very high, and not every customer can afford licenses. Many customers only require the desktop version, so they don't opt for desktop licensing. Also, Exchange lacks a tunneling system. We need to explore third-party solutions and tunneling systems.

They are improving the new version of Outlook. It's free, and we provide the desktop application. This can be quite resource-intensive on the desktop level. When you open Outlook, it heavily utilizes your internet connection, slowing down your email access. Another issue concerns security features. There have been reported bugs in Microsoft's security features where emails marked as spam may still get through, leading to concerns about spoofing.

I have been using Microsoft Exchange Online for 11 years.

The solution is stable. However, some certain limitations and issues arise, particularly with the desktop application and related functionalities. Recently, Microsoft announced an issue with email invitations not functioning correctly in Exchange Online, leading to duplication and other disruptions.

We must procure licenses and ensure we have everything required based on the requirements. However, this also depends on the network. For instance, scalability and other issues may arise if we have fifteen users and a network speed of ten Mbps from our ISP.

I experienced an issue with Microsoft Exchange Online, where creations are typically sorted out within 15-16 days.

I've worked on involved setting up Microsoft Exchange Online. We implemented DMARC, DKIM, and other essential email authentication protocols. Additionally, we focused on configuring API access to enhance security measures. We also redirected all mail services to Office 365, a standard procedure. Our approach included reconfiguring settings according to best practices for Exchange Online.

The deployment spans one month at maximum, depending on specific requirements. For me, it is crucial to meet all prerequisites, such as domain names, DMARC policies, certificates, and other necessary configurations. Once these are prepared, straightforward implementations can be completed within seven days, barring unforeseen complexities. Integration with licensing structures, email gateways, and potential hybrid environments adds further considerations. Understanding hybrid configurations is essential and tailored to meet client-specific needs for an optimal online deployment.

All of that is managed within the pipeline. The cost-saving aspect involves reducing licensing requirements. For instance, if you have fifteen licenses, you must evaluate which licenses are unnecessary for non-required production. Reducing those licenses will reduce costs.

The compliance features are crucial. We have options such as rights management, marking as confidential, and restrictions on sending emails. Additionally, we monitor tunneling systems for security threats such as malware and employ spam filtering and anti-spam measures. These practices are designed based on industry best practices and tailored to meet customer requirements, including regulatory compliance. Retention policies are also implemented online for five to ten years, depending on customer and regulatory requirements.

It can be integrated using the Graph API. Third-party tools like IronPort and Mimecast can also be integrated with Exchange Online. These integrations often utilize Azure APIs for connectivity.

It requires maintenance based on our needs. Unnecessary licensing can become an issue, especially in large environments with multiple users. Therefore, it's essential to manage licenses effectively, such as by removing licenses from groups based on usage. Regular maintenance involves disabling users, removing sync, and adjusting licensing accordingly. Security features like spam filtering should also be upgraded quarterly to ensure optimal protection.

I recommend using Microsoft Exchange Online because it offers a straightforward environment. Administrative tasks are easily manageable at the L1 and L2 levels. However, it's important to note that Exchange Online operates primarily through a UI-based control interface. If issues like data corruption occur on the backend, we lack direct control to fix them ourselves. In such cases, we must report the issue to Microsoft for resolution.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

We use Microsoft Exchange Online for sending emails between companies.

The best thing about Microsoft Exchange Online is that it's integrated with the Outlook application. Google also has the same solution, but Microsoft is more integrated with Outlook because the Outlook application is its own product.

The configuration of the solution's on-premise version is a little bit difficult, and its troubleshooting is more difficult than the installation itself. You need to configure load balancing, high availability, databases, and user policy to complete the configuration. If anything happens, it will take a very long time to troubleshoot.

We have been using Microsoft Exchange Online for ten years.

All of our users are using the solution.

The technical support for the solution's on-premise version is a little bit slower.

The solution's pricing is reasonable. It's not very cheap, but it's reasonable somehow. It depends on the plan because the cloud users do not buy Microsoft Exchange Online separately. They take a Microsoft 365 plan. It's very rare that a customer comes and says that he needs only emails.

Customers purchase the plans of Microsoft Office, including Windows license from the cloud, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint. All these products come with the bundle of Microsoft 365. So, the pricing depends on the plan you are going through.

Most of the customers want to send emails securely. Things changed when the cloud came. Microsoft Exchange Online is still important as on-premise for the government of Saudi Arabia because they have a policy that they don't allow their data to go on the cloud.

Most of our customers use Microsoft Exchange Online, which is a great solution because it reduces the headache of technical support. Very few users who deal with the government still use the solution's on-premise version. I would recommend the solution to other users to send and receive emails. It's a very great solution.

Overall, I rate the solution ten out of ten.

I manage the tool. All of our business activities happen with the help of the tool. We also have SharePoint integrated into it. We have several other packages listed on the Exchange platform.

The product enables us to have remote meetings. Several valuable resources like SharePoint are available to us. It has been our basic tool for communication in an enterprise environment. It's user-friendly. The interfaces are quite friendly. We can navigate around interfaces and tasks. It has several productivity tools attached to it. I can have it deployed on the local computer and the cloud. As long as we have access to the internet, the tool is accessible anywhere in the world. It is a seamless and excellent product. It is a critical support platform.

The solution must provide better security features. It provides two-factor authentication, IPSec, security payload, and other authentication and encapsulation. I want more consignment of the access to identify users.

I have been using the solution for about 15 years.

The tool’s stability is excellent. The server hardly goes down. In ten years, I hardly recall any downtime.

We have more than 300 to 400 users.

The support is excellent.

Positive

We chose the solution because our sister companies and other associates were using it.

The setup was not difficult. We created a domain and implemented it with the help of a third-party company that is a partner with Microsoft. I do the annual renewal of our licensees. We have moved from enterprise licenses to educational licenses. Educational licenses have certain benefits and discounts.

The product is very cheap. It is relatively affordable.

If someone plans to use the solution, they must consider the number of users. They must choose the license model depending on their organization. The documentation must be put together in detail, and the right model must be chosen. Overall, I rate the tool a ten out of ten.

I work for civil ministries, and we exclusively use Microsoft products because we get them for a low price.

I handle security with Fortinet, and I run virtualization with Citrix. Those are my main tasks.

Microsoft has many consultants who can provide support.

Some of the Microsoft implementations of protocols are far from standard. They make their own standards, and you're out if you can't convert to them. With other Unix-based solutions, we had more flexibility to react to special problems we needed to solve. We can only solve the problem now if the problem is solvable with Microsoft.

Similarly, it is tricky to integrate Microsoft Exchange Online if you are in an infrastructure provided by other vendors. We have had an alternative solution to Exchange since 2016, and if we had problems, it was never a problem with Microsoft. It was a problem with the alternative product. The problem is that Microsoft has a standard, and you need to stick to it.

Even if the reason for the problems is Microsoft, the SMTP stack in Exchange is far from the RC of SMTP. If the alternative solution makes extensions to DNS for their active directory and if you use an RC DNS server, you would have problems with some of the records that Microsoft produces. They are not replicated. If you begin with Microsoft, you make everything Microsoft. It is difficult to mix Microsoft with other vendors or with other products. And you get less support if you want to choose a solution other than Microsoft.

Moreover, Exchange Online should work on integration with other services like Teams because when they work together, you gain benefits that other companies might not be able to give you.

I have been using Microsoft Exchange Online since 2012, and we will use it in the future.

We formerly worked with Unix-based mail servers. The positive side is that you're flexible. You could use different hardware. You get limited with Microsoft.

Microsoft solutions are expensive.

I prefer to use solutions like LibreOffice since they are free and cheaper, but our partners might have problems reading our data, and we would face difficulties cooperating.

The main problem with Microsoft products is that we get very dependent on them. Until 2016, I had to make decisions for the budget for the Southwest of Germany, and when you work with Microsoft, your budget is fixed to them, and you lose your ability to work with other solutions. That was a bad situation for us.

If you don't plan to use other solutions in the future, it's a good product. Otherwise, you have to be prepared that some problems may arise. Once you get married to Microsoft, it's a fierce divorce if you want to leave. I rate the solution an eight to nine out of ten.

Our company used the solution as an alternative to desktops for accessing emails remotely. It is a front-end email application that can be accessed from the web.

The solution allowed us to create new emails, collaborate via online surveys, and get feedback from a group of engineers on a specific items. We had 2,000 users across our company. 

The solution more or less is an online collaboration tool.  

The solution is quite convenient because you can access the web version anywhere. You aren't tied to a company-provided laptop where you have your Outlook desktop.  

The UI could be improved to look more like the desktop version for ease of use. 

I used the solution all the time as an end user with my prior employer. 

The solution is stable with no issues. 

The solution is scalable because it is on the Microsoft cloud. The sky is the limit. 

As an end user, I contacted our internal support team. They actually handled reaching out to Microsoft's technical support. The process didn't take a lot of time and was quite transparent. We received feedback within 24 hours. 

The solution is cloud-based and accessed via a website so there is no setup. You just point to the URL, provide any extensions, and log in to the solution. 

We implemented the solution in-house. 

Our IT department deployed by installing exchange server and enabling a shared configuration item. This allowed all users to access the solution via the web. 

Deployment shouldn't take more than two hours because you just enable the web for the online exchange. Then you share a link or the URL so users can access the solution. 

Our company achieved ROI by using the solution. 

The pricing is based on a yearly contract and a floating license option is offered.

I strongly recommend using the solution. 

The primary use case for Exchange Online is managing users and their mailboxes, resources, and contacts. We also use it to manage email communication within and outside the organization.

Exchange Online has helped us properly manage email communications in the company and also from employees to other users outside the company. Microsoft has deployed a lot of newer features on Exchange Online that have helped improve security, email management, email trace, mail flows, and all else. This has been very helpful for us.

The features I find the most valuable are the rules, the mail flow, the reports, and the shared mailbox. I most appreciate the shared mailbox feature.

I think Microsoft could add more security features in terms of managing spam emails, because for us as an organization, we've had to deploy that trace to complement the Exchange Online security feature.

In the next release, I would like to see more features added to the security of the solution.

I have been using Microsoft Exchange Online for over three years now.

I would rate the stability of this solution a 10, one a scale of one to 10, with one being not stable and 10 being very stable.

I would rate the scalability of this solution a 10, one a scale of one to 10, with one being not scalable and all and 10 being very scalable.

We plan on increasing the usage of this solution in the future. As we increase the number of our employees, we also increase the usage of Exchange Online.

We currently have about 700 users and above.

I would rate their customer service a 10, on a scale of one to 10, with one being very poor and 10 being very responsive.

Positive

I would rate the initial setup a 10, on a scale of one to 10, with one being very complex and 10 being very straightforward. It was really straightforward.

We see a whole lot of return on investment.

I would advise being aware of the organization's requirements. Also, an in-house technical person that can help in terms of managing is a necessity, because Exchange Online requires a continuous management process. The solution is not one that can just be deployed one-off and let go; it has to be continuously managed. Also, Exchange Online is quite cheap.

Overall, I would rate Microsoft Exchange Online a 10, on a scale of one to 10, with one being poor and 10 being excellent. It is a fantastic solution.