Exchange Alternatives for a Small Buisness

My company currently uses hosted exchange service that's starting to get pretty expensive. So I was asked by our Management Team to look into how much it would cost to bring that email functionality in-house.

Now I've already priced out the cost of a Windows server w/ Exchange (and the needed CAL's) but what other Exchange like packages have you used and what do you think about them?

Find more posts tagged with

SAVE $250 on Your Boot Camp — Use Code "EXAM26"

Exclusively for TechExams members for Infosec Boot Camps starting before April 30, 2026

View Boot Camps

Comments

swild

I personally love Office 365 for Small Businesses. When you don't have the number of users necessary for in house equipment and maintenance, it makes a lot of sense.

it_consultant

Depends on where your expenses are with your current provider and what you consider expensive. Office 365 can be very inexpensive to sort of pricey when you start getting some options. For 12.50 a month per user you can get the exchange and the office suite in desktop form. If you have a lot of remote people, the hosted Lync may prove to be very valuable...then again you could just use free google apps and google hangouts.

undomiel

Another alternative for bringing it in house would be Zimbra Collaboration Server. I haven't used it in a number of years so I can't give a current recommendation but I found it to be pretty good when I originally set it up. VMware offers some pretty competitive pricing for it.

demonfurbie

you can get google services fairly cheap

Pricing ? Google Apps for Business | United States

wes allen

If you look at the overall costs, I don't see how hosted can be more the in house. Office365 is really worth a look, esp. if you can also include the sharepoint site as well.

qwertyiop

wes allen wrote: »

If you look at the overall costs, I don't see how hosted can be more the in house. Office365 is really worth a look, esp. if you can also include the sharepoint site as well.

Hosted is definitely cheaper but for smaller organizations, the total cost savings doesn't scale very well and theirs a point where it becomes cheaper to bring it in-house rather than hosting it.

Peterm44

I would go for Office365, can get email only plans fairly cheap and its easy to use.

Architect192

Kerio Connect, Zimbra, Exchange Online.

SteveLord

GMail business?

SteveLord

qwertyiop wrote: »

Hosted is definitely cheaper but for smaller organizations, the total cost savings doesn't scale very well and theirs a point where it becomes cheaper to bring it in-house rather than hosting it.

Paying for server hardware, Microsoft licenses and an admin to manage it is cheap? Or are you talking another brand?

blargoe

How many users are you talking here? What features do you require?

Paying for maintenance on an Exchange infrastructure (capital layout for server hardware and storage, licensing; ongoing maintenance renewals, power/cooling, monitoring, backups, etc), and needing the higher level of expertise required to manage it all is not cheap either.

It is possible your manager signed on with a hosted Exchange partner who is just charging you too much for what you get. I'd think unless you are nearing 1000 users or so it would be more cost effective to keep it hosted.