My main use case is corporate messaging.
System architect at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Flexible messaging server with longstanding reputation for stability
Pros and Cons
- "Exchange is very scalable, it's one of the most important things about this software."
- "An area for improvement would be the convenience of working with Azure services from Exchange on-premise installations."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The most important things are its long reputation of stability and that it has a lot of options for corporate staff.
What needs improvement?
An area for improvement would be the convenience of working with Azure services from Exchange on-premise installations.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for at least 15 years.
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Microsoft Exchange
June 2025

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a very stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Exchange is very scalable, it's one of the most important things about this software.
How are customer service and support?
We've had some issues getting responses from Microsoft support lately, as they seem not to be very interested in the Russian region nowadays.
How was the initial setup?
Exchange isn't a very hard solution to implement, though the infrastructure can require some changes in advance. Deployment can take anywhere from a few months to a few years, depending on the size of the customer and the project.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Exchange is better for medium to large businesses because it can be quite costly for SMB, which may not need all the options the product provides. Customers may also need to buy additional client licenses depending on the options they require.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution as eight 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.

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. 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."
What is our primary use case?
We mainly use Exchange for the email, calendar, and contact management features.
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.
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.
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Exchange
June 2025

Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Exchange. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
861,034 professionals have used our research since 2012.
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. 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."
- "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.
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 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.
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.
Vice President at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
User-friendly and scales with our organization, but they need better anti-spam functionality
Pros and Cons
- "The interface is user-friendly."
- "There is a lot of spam email that comes in, so they should add functionality to help fix this problem."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Microsoft Exchange for our email. It is hosted with Zimbra and we use Exchange to interact with it.
What is most valuable?
The interface is user-friendly.
What needs improvement?
There is a lot of spam email that comes in, so they should add functionality to help fix this problem.
Better integration with other service providers would be helpful.
For how long have I used the solution?
I joined the company two months ago and I have been using Microsoft Exchange since then. The company has been using it for much longer.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable product. With our IT putting a firewall in place, it is robust.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
My impression is that it's scalable. We have approximately 1,000 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have not has a reason to contact Microsoft for support.
How was the initial setup?
When I joined the company, my laptop was pre-configured, so everything was already done.
What about the implementation team?
Our in-house IT team is responsible for deployment and maintenance.
What other advice do I have?
In general, this is a good product and I am happy with it.
I would rate this solution a seven 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.

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