Zülfikar Erdem - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Support Specialist at Wagner Kablo A.S.
Real User
Top 10
Easy-to-install platform with valuable collaboration features
Pros and Cons
  • "The technical support services are good."
  • "The platform could be more user-friendly."

What is our primary use case?

We use the platform to facilitate email traffic, file transfer, security services, and rule policies.

What is most valuable?

Microsoft Exchange is a user-friendly product with efficient features for mail services and DNS registration.

What needs improvement?

The platform could be more user-friendly.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Microsoft Exchange for three years.

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March 2024
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The service is stable. I rate the stability a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have 132 Microsoft Exchange users in our organization. It has a good scalability.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support services are good. The team answers the tickets immediately.

How was the initial setup?

The product is easy to install and deploy. The development steps included creating DNS records, followed by synchronizing with the Active Directory and facilitating user logins.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented the platform with the help of our in-house team.

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

Microsoft Exchange is an inexpensive application.

What other advice do I have?

The product, Microsoft Exchange, has significantly impacted our team's collaboration by utilizing hybrid directory functionality. We can integrate it with Teams, Calendar, and SharePoint providing simultaneous access for the users. It has effective calendar functionality improving scheduling efficiency. It offers various security-level templates, allowing administrators to tailor security policies based on specific organizational needs.

It is a stable service. It has a knowledgeable technical support team as well. I rate it a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Software Engineer at ADM
Real User
Top 10
Useful cloud storage and reliable
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Microsoft Exchange is the email storage is on the cloud. We don't have to delete emails often."
  • "Microsoft Exchange could improve the archiving of emails and the performance."

What is our primary use case?

Microsoft Exchange can be deployed on-premise and in the cloud.

We are using Microsoft Exchange for general sending and receiving emails in the office to customers.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Microsoft Exchange is the email storage is on the cloud. We don't have to delete emails often.

What needs improvement?

Microsoft Exchange could improve the archiving of emails and the performance.

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?

Everyone in the company is using Microsoft Exchange.

How are customer service and support?

We have our own technical team for support of Microsoft Exchange.

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

We have been using Microsoft Exchange for a long time. Prior to this, we were using a solution called Thunderbird.

What about the implementation team?

Our internal team does the maintenance of Microsoft Exchange, such as managing the group policy.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend this solution to others.

I rate Microsoft Exchange a ten out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Exchange
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Exchange. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
767,995 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Robert-Morrison - PeerSpot reviewer
Principal at Creative Technology and Management Services
Real User
It's easy to use and the built-in calendar is helpful
Pros and Cons
  • "Exchange is easy to use. It also has a built-in calendar for all the stuff I'm supposed to be looking at and doing. Exchange tells you if you have a doctor's appointment or a scheduled call. It also has a place to store and manage your contacts. If I want to add a new contact, it will put in information about that contact stored anywhere within the Microsoft Suite."
  • "They keep making all these changes, and our system was down for four or five days. They finally got it up, but there are still lots of quirks."

How has it helped my organization?

Email is something we constantly use. 

What is most valuable?

Exchange is easy to use. It also has a built-in calendar for all the stuff I'm supposed to be looking at and doing. Exchange tells you if you have a doctor's appointment or a scheduled call. It also has a place to store and manage your contacts. If I want to add a new contact, it will put in information about that contact stored anywhere within the Microsoft Suite.

What needs improvement?

They keep making all these changes, and our system was down for four or five days. They finally got it up, but there are still lots of quirks. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Exchange is about 90 percent stable, but they're working on it. In the next two or three weeks, they should be able to do it. I know what they're going through. 

How are customer service and support?

Microsoft has teams in different countries, so they will help you depending on your problem. If you have an issue with something else, they will email you a link that puts you into contact with the team you should talk to. I gave them a lot of issues, and they're working on them. They're saying they will do everything they can to make it work.

The only issue is that the phone connection is sometimes bad because it's a foreign country. It's something you have to live with. You can repeat what they said and ask if you heard them correctly, but they're accommodating.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Microsoft Exchange nine out of 10. My advice for prospective Exchange users is to have an experienced person deploy it and show you how it's done. They should give instructions on how to make it into a server. That's critical. If you set up a server and think that's the end of it, you could go down the wrong alley.

You'll want some help initially, but on the other hand, you definitely want to learn to use the solution yourself. I recommend getting a support contract with someone who knows the solution. There is so much specialization in this world. For example, a veterinarian and a cardiologist are both doctors, but would you see your vet about a heart problem?

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
IT Manager at a renewables & environment company with 201-500 employees
Real User
It has good integration with other Microsoft tools and allows us to retain and recover an email deleted by a user
Pros and Cons
  • "It has a feature that allows you to retain an email and recover it as an administrator. When you activate this feature, even if a user deletes an email, the email is still in the system, and we can retrieve it as an administrator. It is a very useful function. We turn this feature on for some of the mailboxes because we need to keep all the records. I like the way emails are classified in this solution. It makes it really easy to take a look at the most important messages. This is a really good functionality. Some of the emails directly exchanged with you are marked as important and shown in one tab, and everything else is in another tab. We usually don't have any issue with Exchange. It can be integrated with different solutions."
  • "Its search functionality can be better. It is currently not really easy. It has the capability to search your mailbox, but it has some restrictions in terms of the number of results that you can retrieve. You can only get around 250 results. If you want to do a deeper search, you need to use different functionalities of the product. The policy that we have for handling emails is that we do not delete emails at all. If I insert the text that I am searching for in the Search field, it only retrieves a limited number of emails. To search for an email from 2010, I need to use different search functions to find what I am looking for. Microsoft can also improve its licensing for its products. Microsoft's licensing is not very easy to understand. It can sometimes be really complex to understand what you need to have in order to comply with Microsoft licensing."

What is our primary use case?

It is an email solution with all the capabilities similar to different email solutions. We basically use it for internal emails and for making reservations. We have some shared mailboxes to receive communication from general entities.

What is most valuable?

It has a feature that allows you to retain an email and recover it as an administrator. When you activate this feature, even if a user deletes an email, the email is still in the system, and we can retrieve it as an administrator. It is a very useful function. We turn this feature on for some of the mailboxes because we need to keep all the records.

I like the way emails are classified in this solution. It makes it really easy to take a look at the most important messages. This is a really good functionality. Some of the emails directly exchanged with you are marked as important and shown in one tab, and everything else is in another tab.

We usually don't have any issue with Exchange. It can be integrated with different solutions. 

What needs improvement?

Its search functionality can be better. It is currently not really easy. It has the capability to search your mailbox, but it has some restrictions in terms of the number of results that you can retrieve. You can only get around 250 results. If you want to do a deeper search, you need to use different functionalities of the product. The policy that we have for handling emails is that we do not delete emails at all. If I insert the text that I am searching for in the Search field, it only retrieves a limited number of emails. To search for an email from 2010, I need to use different search functions to find what I am looking for.

Microsoft can also improve its licensing for its products. Microsoft's licensing is not very easy to understand. It can sometimes be really complex to understand what you need to have in order to comply with Microsoft licensing.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Exchange since I joined this company back in 2008.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Exchange has been pretty stable. The problem we faced was because we forgot to delete some of the rules that were created automatically. The problem was on our side. 

We also have Exchange Online, and we have experienced an issue with it in the past. Microsoft had a huge outage about three or four months ago, and we didn't have any access to our email in the cloud. That's the only time we experienced a problem with Exchange Online.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We are a mid-size company with 350 employees. We haven't experienced any problems with scalability or faced a situation where we need to quickly increase the capacity of the system. The company has grown over the last ten years and has added around 100 employees. It has worked for us in terms of scalability, but I don't know if it works for companies bigger than ours.

We have all kinds of users. There is a mix of different functions that are using the system. Our core business is for operating power plants, so our employees are plant operators. Half of our users are plant operators, and we also have a mix of engineers, accountants, commercial staff, legal department, and HR department. 

How are customer service and technical support?

We have not contacted their technical support. We found all the documentation on the Microsoft site very useful. 

How was the initial setup?

I was not the one who implemented this solution. Based on my understanding from the technical department, installing it in an on-premises environment is easy. Creating or handling all the emails on the cloud is also really easy. The most complex process that we have done so far is migration. We have a hybrid environment with half of them on-premises and half of them on the essential line. Integrating these two environments was the most difficult task. You need to understand both environments to integrate them. We didn't have a lot of problems with this integration. It is a difficult task, but it is not impossible.

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

Its price is very affordable, and basically, it is the standard of the industry. We have the Exchange 365 subscription, which includes the usage of Exchange Online. I don't know the specific cost, but it is the retail price of Microsoft 365 E3 licenses.

Microsoft's licensing is not very easy to understand. Microsoft changes rules every other day, which makes it difficult for us to understand the licensing not only for Exchange but also for other products. It can sometimes be really complex to understand what you need to have in order to comply with Microsoft licensing.

What other advice do I have?

Its technical implementation is quite good. It is stable and can be accessed through all kinds of devices. You can access it through a client for your mobile phones or computer. It performs pretty well. Microsoft is a market leader with a presence everywhere, which makes it easy to find support.

I would recommend this solution. I would advise others to also go for the entire suite of Office 365 along with Microsoft Exchange. I don't know if Exchange licenses are sold separately. If you are already using Microsoft tools, it makes sense to go for Microsoft Exchange because it has native integration with all those tools.

I would rate Microsoft Exchange a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Md. Ariful Islam - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Software Engineer at উপায় (UCB Fintech Company Limited)
Real User
Top 20
The best feature is single sign-on access
Pros and Cons
  • "Exchange's best feature is single sign-on access using the Microsoft Identity framework."
  • "The security features could be improved. There should be a better policy management system."

What is our primary use case?

Exchange is an email solution. 

What is most valuable?

Exchange's best feature is single sign-on access using the Microsoft Identity framework. 

What needs improvement?

The security features could be improved. There should be a better policy management system. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used Exchange for the last 12 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Exchange is 100% stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Exchange is 100% scalable. More than 100 of my customers use Microsoft Exchange, and some of the larger ones have more than 10,000 users.

How are customer service and support?

We are a service provider, so we provide the first and second tiers of support. If we cannot solve the issue, we escalate to Microsoft premier support. My clients are happy with the Microsoft team. 

How was the initial setup?

When I started using Microsoft Exchange, I found it to be complex. It's much easier now that I understand the architecture. Microsoft Exchange can be deployed on-premises, but it is also excellent as a cloud solution. 

The deployment time depends on the customer. A greenfield deployment typically takes around two weeks. It might take one or two months if you need to migrate accounts and data. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Microsoft Exchange 10 out of 10. I always recommended customers go with the Microsoft email solution, either on-premises Exchange or Microsoft Office 365. You can also go for the hybrid. I suggest Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Exchange for their collaboration and communication solutions.

Speaker 2:

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Venkat Narayanan - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Manager - Delivery Excellence,Risk & Compliance at Tata Consultancy
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
User-friendly, high performance, and simple installation
Pros and Cons
  • "Microsoft Exchange has good performance and is user-friendly."
  • "Microsoft Exchange could improve by adding artificial intelligence."

What is our primary use case?

Microsoft Exchange is used as a collaboration platform.

What is most valuable?

Microsoft Exchange has good performance and is user-friendly. 

What needs improvement?

Microsoft Exchange could improve by adding artificial intelligence.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used Microsoft Exchange within the last 12 months.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

70 percent of our company is using Microsoft Exchange. We have plans to increase our usage. We have a large company.

How are customer service and support?

We have internal support for Microsoft Exchange, it is rare for an issue to reach Microsoft technical support.

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

I was using Lotus Notes previously to Microsoft Exchange.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of east to do for Microsoft Exchange.

What about the implementation team?

Our IT department did the implementation of Microsoft Exchange.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate Microsoft Exchange a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Boris Kaluža - PeerSpot reviewer
CEO at Enter++
Reseller
Top 5
Reliable, old-fashioned communication for non-cloud users
Pros and Cons
  • "Microsoft Exchange's most valuable feature is that it's old-fashioned communication, meaning it's good for people who aren't able to work comfortably in a cloud environment."
  • "Sometimes we don't get support quickly enough - for example, if there's some global hacker attack, we don't get served as quickly. The skills of the technical staff can also vary, and Microsoft could perhaps improve their training."

What is our primary use case?

I primarily use Microsoft Exchange as a messaging platform.

What is most valuable?

Microsoft Exchange's most valuable feature is that it's old-fashioned communication, meaning it's good for people who aren't able to work comfortably in a cloud environment.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Microsoft Exchange since 1996.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Exchange is very stable - I'm very satisfied with its availability and reliability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Microsoft Exchange's scalability is very good, with load balancing and failover switching features.

How are customer service and support?

We use Microsoft Premier Support and are very satisfied with it. However, sometimes we don't get support quickly enough - for example, if there's some global hacker attack, we don't get served as quickly. The skills of the technical staff can also vary, and Microsoft could perhaps improve their training.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is really straightforward so long as you meet all the prerequisites. However, in some scenarios, you only have selected privileges and limited control over parts of the installation, which means you may have to ask Microsoft for help if something goes wrong. 

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

Microsoft's licensing structure is too complex, but its prices are affordable, though not cheap.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Microsoft Exchange as ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Test Automation Lead at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Real User
User-friendly, scalable and reliable
Pros and Cons
  • "For me, the solution is very user-friendly. I've used it a long time and I know where everything is."
  • "For new users, it might take them some time to get used to the product."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for emails and calendars and things like that.

What is most valuable?

It is a stable solution.

The solution is scalable.

For me, the solution is very user-friendly. I've used it a long time and I know where everything is. 

What needs improvement?

For me it's sufficient. I don't see much that can be improved.

I'm not sure if the security is enough. That said, for my purposes, it's fine. However, I am aware there are always new vulnerabilities and security threats to worry about.

For new users, it might take them some time to get used to the product.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for as long as I've worked with the company I'm at now. It's been a few years at this point. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have found the solution to be stable. There are no bugs or glitches. The performance is good. We don't worry about it crashing or freezing. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution has been scalable so far. We have no problems expanding it.

In our company, we have several thousand people that use the solution.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have never called technical support myself. Therefore, I cannot speak to how helpful or responsive they are. We have our own internal team that handles everything.

How was the initial setup?

I was not personally involved in the installation process. I cannot speak to how easy or difficult the setup would have been.

I'm not sure how many support personnel we require for deployment and maintenance. 

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

I don't handle the licensing aspect of the solution. I cannot speak to any costs involved. 

What other advice do I have?

I'm just a partner so not like I'm an administrator of IT.

It's my understanding that the solution we work with is a company installation and is not on the cloud, however, I'm not 100% sure.

I'm not sure which version of the solution we're on. I don't know the version number off-hand. 

I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten overall. we've been very pleased with its capabilities. 

I would recommend the solution to other users and companies. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Exchange Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: March 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Exchange Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.