Microsoft has taken a large chunk of market share from products such
as Lotus Notes with its ease of installation and seamless integration
into Outlook environments. It is now relatively simple to install a
fully functioning email server which includes advanced features such
as webmail with spell-checker, public contacts and calendars,
and wireless synchronization with your PDA. Couple this with
the ability to cluster and the dramatic price drop of hardware,
and you now have a viable Enterprise-class email system.
Coastal Interactive has installed Exchange Servers into many small and medium businesses
as well as been local support for large corporate installations. We have been working
with MS Exchange Server since version 4.0 at all phases including planning, implementation,
testing, and ongoing maintenance.
Most small businesses start with an email address that is provided by their Internet Provider.
This gives them "theirname@earthlink.net" or "theiremployee@earthlink.net", for example.
This works well for them for a period of time until they want to have a shared calendar or contacts,
or want to access email from their house without having to re-sort it each time.
At this point they typically have 3 choices: 3rd party add-on programs,
outsourced Exchange Server boxes, and an in-house Exchange Server.
The first option, 3rd party programs, can work as a bandaid fix for a period of time.
There are programs that will allow you to share your Outlook calendar and contacts,
just like you had your own Exchange Server. The main problem with these is they are
usually running on a users desktop and are subject to failure as the users desktop encounters problems.
We have deployed programs from a few different vendors and have had mixed results.
The second option - outsourced Exchange mailboxes, is growing steadily as the cost of hardware
plummets and as Microsoft makes hosting Exchange Server most cost-effective through programs
such as SPLA. This option allows you to have a fully functional, virus and spam cleaned inbox
that is available to you from anywhere in the world. There are many companies in addition to
ours that offer this service, so beware of poorly planned, shabby operations.
We offer this service to you for as low as $9.95 per month.
The third option is to host your own email server. This is a pretty expensive solution when
you start to include the hardware, software, tape backup system and installation cost.
You also need to add to this the cost for the ongoing maintenance and management of your server.
If you can get past the monetary hurdle, this is a great solution for your company.
You have complete, local control of all aspects of your email. You can setup any
number of public calendars and contacts, build custom Outlook forms to automate your business,
and have as large a mailbox as you wish. You have complete control of your email server.
We have deployed countless Exchange Server solutions, as outlined in our Case Studies
including some of the following:
- Windows 2003 SBS with Exchange 2003 turn-key installation
- Exchange Server 5.0 to 2003 migration
- Integration of multiple Blackberry Enterprise Servers across a medium business
- Setup of Exchange 2003 Hosted Solution
- Integration of Exchange 2003 with Windows Mobile Pocket PC synchronization
- Ongoing maintenance of Exchange Server sites across Southern California
