The Microsoft Exchange service is one of the single most popular distributed email applications in the world, rivaled almost solely by Google’s Gmail service. Thanks to its robust selection of features and excellent support, Exchange is being used by millions of businesses, public sector offices, and other enterprises worldwide.
However, the Microsoft Exchange service is probably not for everyone. Some types of businesses simply don’t need all the features it offers, or won’t see enough of a productivity improvement to see a return on their investment in the software.
Here are a few common elements of companies using Microsoft Exchange.
Who Uses the Microsoft Exchange service?
- Two-thirds of the top 100,000 enterprises online using Exchange are either purely business, shopping-oriented, or in education. This isn’t surprising, since enterprises in these categories generally have larger employee bases.
- Medium- to Large-sized businesses are more likely to be able to afford licensing and upkeep of a Microsoft Exchange service. Smaller firms may find that Gmail works well for them, at a lower price.
- Companies with a global base are prime candidates for Exchange. While it may have some use even for local businesses, in general, those getting the most use out of it are coordinating multiple offices nationwide or worldwide.
- Businesses with a large mobile device base. Exchange is easier-to-use on mobile devices, and with wider compatibility than the competition. It also offers a large number of options for managing and dealing with mobile devices that other similar services lack.
- Companies that want a time-tested partner. Exchange has existed since 1996, and has been constantly worked on and improved in that time. Its rise to dominance in the Enterprise email field is no accident; Microsoft has been working on it and fine-tuning it for over 15 years.
Enhancing Exchange With Office 365
If you are looking to move more than just your email online, you might also consider using Microsoft’s online Office 365, which can be paired directly to Exchange. Companies utilizing this option frequently want the ability to expand their Cloud-based work hosting as needed, beginning with email and then moving more of their services online.
Takeaway
Is the Microsoft Exchange service right for your company? If you have a large number of employees, a distributed workforce, or have to support multiple mobile devices, it probably is. Between its robust feature set and established history, it makes sense for a wide variety of enterprises.
Photo Credit: Dell