subject: Exchange Hosting and its Use [print this page] Exchange Hosting and its Use Exchange Hosting and its Use
Exchange is an entry made by Microsoft into the groupware server space to enable email service. It facilitates users to easily communicate via Internet and / or Intranet with the help of clients on other desktop operating systems. Such hosting service, also popularly known as Exchange Hosting, can be made available to customers who require Microsoft Exchange features but do not have such facilities or the expertise for hosting the system by themselves. A subscription with an Exchange Host provider, gives the customer an access to all the benefits connected to Exchange, without any headache of maintaining this system.
Basically, organizations which have a requirement of robust email and collaboration benefit the most from Exchange Hosting service from Microsoft, within their business. On the other hand, companies with less hold on the facilities to host such system and further maintain it, and also do not have the right IT staff for handing the Exchange network, can always work with an Exchange host provider jointly.
However, there is no necessity of you owning a dedicated Exchange Server, until your own customers have voluminous requirements, or you wish to be separated from the other customers. This can be rather more expensive as compared to Shared Exchange hosting, leaving its obvious advantages on one side. Whether to opt for a dedicated Exchange server depends upon your usage of the server. An Exchange hosting provider generally sets up a number of Exchange accounts within the same box for different companies, as in the case of shared web hosting. Therefore, if your users exceed 100 in number, you may think to opt for a dedicated Exchange server.
The features of Exchange Hosting provided significantly depend on your web hosting provider. Basically, all key features and functions of Microsoft Outlook, including calendars, folders, files, tasks, address book and contact lists, are immediately shared amongst your users, once you enroll for Exchange Hosting. Nevertheless, other advanced features like Virus Scanning and Instant Messaging cost an additional price to be availed.
For you to be eligible for Exchange Hosting, you must have a good Internet connection (available upload bandwidth) and Microsoft Outlook along with licenses of all users who would use the services with you.
