Determining Your Messaging Needs

Which messaging solution is right for any organization is based on which abilities the organization requires from a messaging system.

Some organizations require only basic e-mail service and are very cost sensitive. These organizations generally do not require centralized, sophisticated management, administration, backup, or high availability. They often have only basic security requirements and can work with decentralized storage of their e-mail. Their users do not require shared calendar or other specialized functionality. Windows Server and its POP3 service can be an appropriate solution for this scenario.

Other organizations have complex messaging and collaboration needs and require services such as server-side rules, shared calendar, resource management, and access from anywhere through a Web client. These organizations often look for sophisticated and integrated management and administration. Security, reliability, and high data availability are key factors in choosing a messaging solution. Some companies require centralized backup (for example, retaining e-mail for legal reasons). For these requirements, Exchange Server is the better solution.