Hosted Exchange pricing is one of the most compelling arguments used in convincing people to use software as a service, or outsourcing their email services. On the surface it looks like a basic calculation. Setup costs plus running cost versus monthly fee for per seat licensing. It isn’t always that easy though, contrary to what many would have you believe.

The standard calculation is upfront costs vs. monthly ones. For example, for a 5 user mail system the calculation is often illustrated as follows:

• Cost of Exchange server hardware                      $3000
• Small Business Server with 5 Licenses                        $560
• Anti-virus for Small Business Server                     $400
• Backup tape drive                                           $420
• Setup fees                                            $1700
• Annual estimated maintenance cost @$100 month       $1200
• Total cost for first year                                 $7380

The hosted model looks something like this:

• Cost of Exchange server hardware                            $0.00
• Small Business Server with 5 Licenses                        $0.00
• Anti-virus for Small Business Server                     $0.00
• Backup tape drive                                           $0.00
• Setup fees                                            $0.00
• Annual estimated maintenance cost per server           $0.00
• Monthly mailbox cost per user $15×5                   $75
• Annual charge for 5 mailboxes @$15 per month each   $900
• Total cost for first year                                 $975

On the surface hosted Exchange pricing looks to have proved a compelling case. However, these are simplified examples. What it doesn’t take into account is bandwidth, tolerance, SLAs and support.

Many hosted service providers will have a robust support system that offers 24/7 support for issues, but that isn’t a given. Neither is tolerance. To survive long, the service provider needs to utilize server clustering or virtualization to keep downtime to a minimum, but that again, is not a given.

Bandwidth is a big issue, especially as net neutrality is becoming such a hot topic. Hosted Exchange pricing doesn’t take into account the end-users bandwidth costs, which can be considerable unless they rent a fixed pipe. With our email habits often including large files, such as .pdfs or CAD drawings, bandwidth becomes a problem.

In an in-house situation, the only bandwidth problems are the internal network or where the business emails externally with any frequency. These issues can be managed internally. A 10-base-1000 internal network costs relatively little to implement, but buying that kind of bandwidth from an ISP can cost considerably more.

However, to balance that argument, the costs for an in-house Exchange Hosting system is also oversimplified. Servers don’t work in isolation, they need a network, security and availability to be productive. That doesn’t often get factored into a calculation. While it can be argued that most organizations already have a network in place, it isn’t always sufficient to cope with the extra traffic.

Then there is maintenance. Costing it at $100 per month is a very simplistic, and in our opinion generous amount. A server technician costs much more than that, and this calculation is only good in larger businesses where the cost per head is split among many servers.

Hosted Exchange pricing is a complicated process, and one that needs to be undertaken thoroughly in order to get it right. Be wary of these oversimplified pricing illustrations and make your own. It might save you some money.

Microsoft in their software has laid a great emphasis on the practical life of the people. They have tried to provide the people what they wanted. This Microsoft exchange is also a good example of that. You all can use it in your house, offices or in other platforms. Basically Microsoft exchange 2010 is a communication tool, but you all can do it in style using it. Communication is not limited to the mail receiving and sending but you all can start live voice conversation with your client when ever you wanted. The reliability of Microsoft exchange 2010 is also quite awesome. You all just cannot find a better alternative of this software. There is nothing which you will complaint of. Every thing has been laid down in the desired format and style, so you will surely appreciate it. More over, the complex task which you find in the previous version of exchange has been paid proper attention and to some extent they have been simplified as well. This software will make you more independent in your approach. You do not need to depend upon the Microsoft exchange support in order to rectify various tasks. Now you will decide when to take help and when to not. Microsoft exchange 2010 is immense software with innumerable thing for you to explore. This is just the beginning of it.

Apple’s Snow Leopard release, known as Mac OS X 10.6, is impressive. Snow Leopard’s business improvements are simply outstanding. Newfound compatibility with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 makes the operating system more than enterprise ready, it makes Snow Leopard enterprise friendly.

Recent reports list Microsoft Exchange market share as high as 65 percent. That’s a lot of organizations tapping Exchange for critical messaging, calendaring, and contacts functionality, and it’s why Apple’s superior client-side applications should be such big news. The simplicity, usability, and reliability of Mac Mail 4, iCal 4, and Address Book 5, combined with newfound Exchange compatibility, make a compelling partnership.

Using Snow Leopard, accessing and synchronizing a user’s email, tasks, calendar items, and contacts have never been easier. Mac OS X 10.6 makes the formerly challenging process, which sometimes stressed even the most veteran of Windows administrators, simple.

Some of the credit goes to Microsoft. The Exchange Web Services (EWS) protocol serves as the critical link in enabling secure synchronization between Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 systems and Snow Leopard-powered Macs.

Maximize Snow Leopard/Exchange deployments by keeping these three tips in mind.

#1 EWS is the key

Mac Mail requires Windows administrators install Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 Update Rollup 4. Windows administrators must also enable Outlook Web Access on the Exchange server.

Mac support technicians and users will now find Mac Mail capable of leveraging Exchange Server 2007’s Autodiscovery feature. Connecting to Mac Mail now requires only that the technician or user know the Exchange server address, the username, and the user account’s password.

EWS taps standard ports for email. TCP port 80 is used for standard messaging, while port 443 is tapped for secure transport.

#2 iCal and Address Book synchronization is automatic

Once a user’s account is associated with Mac Mail, administrators and technicians need do little else. In Snow Leopard, Mac Mail automatically configures connections to a user’s Contacts and Calendar information on the Exchange server. This information is presented within the Mac’s Address Book and iCal applications, respectively.

Secure synchronization with the Exchange server is supported, too. Because Snow Leopard leverages EWS, calendar and contacts information can be synchronized using SSL on port 443.

#3 Tasks live within Mac Mail and iCal

Mac Mail 4 includes its own integrated To Do application. Found within Mac Mail’s standard left-hand navigation menu, To Do synchronizes with the user’s Tasks found on the Exchange server. Further, To Do items can be associated within the Mac iCal application simply by right-clicking a To Do item and clicking Reveal in iCal. Information from the entire task can be reviewed, priorities can be changed, dates and notes updated, and more.

Simplified enterprise administration

In short, Snow Leopard’s new Exchange support makes it very easy for Mac-based users to tap organizations’ existing messaging infrastructure. Better yet, thanks to EWS, complex VPNs need not be constructed or maintained to enable secure synchronization of Exchange-based information.