Business email servers such as Microsoft Exchange often need infrastructure investments that may be beyond a small business’s budget. A good way to deal with this issue is by using hosted Exchange services.

​​What is Microsoft Exchange?

Microsoft Exchange is a messaging system that offers businesses a number of services, including email, calendaring, task management, and address lists. By integrating Exchange into your business, you can access all of these services from any location and on almost every device.

Many companies that purchase Exchange install it on their on-premises servers, which can be a bit expensive, especially for small businesses. Moreover, the server required to host it can take up space that a business may not have. This is why many companies prefer to operate on cloud-based systems.

What is hosted Exchange?

To make Exchange available to more businesses, many IT companies like Microsoft now offer hosted Exchange. In this setup, your IT provider allots a space on their servers where they install Microsoft Exchange and make it accessible only to your company over an internet connection. They are in charge of ensuring that the data stored is secure and accessible to you at all times. Many hosted Exchange providers will also offer extra features like improved security, full-time management, and data backup.

In other words, hosted Exchange is the cloud-based version of Microsoft Exchange managed by a host company or provider. You and your employees will still be able to access Exchange as if it were hosted in your office.

Benefits of hosted Exchange

Companies looking to integrate hosted Exchange into their business can enjoy the following benefits:

1. Predictable and lower costs

Like many other hosted services, the majority of hosted Exchange services are offered on a monthly, per-user basis, inclusive of maintenance and hosting. This makes costs predictable, as you’ll be paying a fixed fee every month.

Hosted Exchange also lowers overall costs. If a business were to calculate the cost of purchasing Microsoft Exchange and the infrastructure required to use it, plus maintenance fees, the total and per-user cost will likely add up quickly. For many small businesses, paying a monthly fee will be far less expensive than hosting a Microsoft Exchange solution in house. What’s more, you save money on maintenance overhead and future expenses.

2. Easier implementation

Implementing Microsoft Exchange in your office would require you to find space for the server. Once you install Exchange on this server, you’ll have to manage it and add new accounts and users. In case the service goes offline, you’ll have to fix it yourself. But with a hosted Exchange solution, your IT partner will take care of hosting, installation, and management, so you can focus on running your business.

3. Flexible solutions

Growing businesses may find it tough to scale up or down on an in-house Microsoft Exchange solution because of the server’s limited capacity. With hosted Exchange, scaling up or down is as easy as contacting your provider, who can ensure that space and resources are available. They can also help scale your solutions in case you move offices.

Looking to learn more about hosted Exchange and how your business can benefit from it? Chat with us today!

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Nothing lasts forever — and that’s very true for your company’s servers. Purchasing new ones, however, isn’t your only option. Instead of buying new servers, you can leverage solutions that offer the same outcomes while saving you a lot of money.

When do my servers need to be replaced?

This is a difficult question, but there are two factors you will want to consider: age and performance. The useful life of a server is around three years. While it’s not unheard of for servers to function properly beyond year three, relying on them past this point can be risky, as hardware problems may occur more often. This means you will have to deal with costly repairs and possible sudden downtime.

In terms of performance, it doesn’t make sense to keep your servers around until year three if they are slow and too costly to maintain. It’s important to compare how much money you will lose in repairs and downtime versus the cost of buying new hardware.

Do I have an alternative to buying new servers?

Believe it or not, the answer to your server problems might not necessarily be purchasing more physical servers. One solution is to embrace server virtualization. This process allows your servers to be stored and maintained off-site, with all your resources being delivered to your office via the internet.

There are two notable benefits of virtualizing your servers. First, you don’t have to spend a ton of money on new equipment. Second, virtualization is a scalable technology, meaning you only pay for the data capacity you use. For instance, you can have just two and a half servers, if that’s all your business needs. This is in contrast to having physical equipment, which would require your business to either make do with two servers or splurge and buy a third one even if you didn’t need all of that space.

Of course, there are a few things you need to consider before making the switch to server virtualization. One of the biggest issues is security. Ask yourself if you feel comfortable keeping all of your data off-site. While this isn’t a concern for some companies, others may not see this as palatable. There are several workarounds to this issue, including the hybrid option where you keep sensitive data on-site and everything else off-site.

Can I do anything to prevent a full-scale server replacement?

Yes. It’s certainly possible for you to buy some time and give your current servers additional life, but these are short-term fixes, not long-term solutions. Server upgrades are a good place to start if your servers are less than three years old but are performing poorly. Installing additional CPUs or memory may increase server performance at a fraction of the cost of buying new servers.

It’s also possible to extend the life of servers that may have four or five years of wear-and-tear on them via repurposing. Instead of swapping out all of your servers, use the old ones for non-critical processes and purchase new ones to handle critical workloads. This will help you get a better ROI on your technology while avoiding a wholesale hardware purchase, which could cripple your budget.

If you have any questions about your servers and how you can increase their performance, get in touch with us today. We can help you procure new hardware or explore other alternatives such as server virtualization.

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Servers can host almost every type of business program, with email being one of the most common. Businesses commonly install email servers on-site and use Microsoft Exchange as their software. But if you’re looking to save on infrastructure costs, consider hosted Exchange. Here’s what you need to know.

What is Microsoft Exchange?

Microsoft Exchange is a messaging system that offers businesses various services, such as email, calendar, task management, address lists, and more. By integrating Exchange into your business processes, you can access all of these services from any location, on almost any internet-connected device.

Many companies that purchase Exchange install it on on-premises servers. This setup can be costly, especially for small businesses. Moreover, the server needed to host it can take up a significant amount of physical space. This is why other companies prefer to operate on cloud-based systems.

What is hosted Exchange?

To meet the demands of various businesses, many IT services providers started offering hosted Exchange. In this setup, your IT provider allocates some space on one of their servers. They then install Microsoft Exchange in a space accessible only to your company, over an internet connection. The provider is in charge of ensuring that the data stored is secure and accessible to you at all times. Some hosted Exchange providers also offer extra features like improved security, full-time management, and data backup.

In other words, hosted Exchange is the cloud-based version of Microsoft Exchange. You and your employees will still be able to access hosted Exchange as if it were installed on an in-house server.

Benefits of hosted Exchange

Companies looking to integrate hosted Exchange into their business can enjoy the following benefits:

1. Predictable and lower costs
   Like many other hosted services, the majority of hosted Exchange services are offered on a monthly, per-user basis, inclusive of hosting and maintenance. This makes costs predictable as you’ll be paying a fixed fee.Hosted Exchange also lowers overall costs. If you calculate the cost of purchasing a new server, Microsoft Exchange, and supporting infrastructure, plus maintenance fees, the total and per-user cost will add up quickly. For many small businesses, paying a fixed monthly fee will be far more cost-efficient than hosting a Microsoft Exchange solution in-house. What’s more, you save money on future expenses such as hardware replacements and new software licenses.
2. Easier implementation
   Implementing Microsoft Exchange in your office would require you to allocate physical space for the server and to install the server and Microsoft Exchange. On top of this, you also have to manage Exchange and add new accounts and users. In case the service goes offline, you’ll have to troubleshoot it yourself. But with a hosted Exchange solution, your IT partner will take care of hosting, management, and installation, so you can focus on more important business matters.
3. Flexible solutions
   Growing businesses may find it difficult to scale up or down on an in-house Microsoft Exchange solution due to the server’s limited capacity. With hosted Exchange, you can simply contact your provider whenever you need to adjust your server requirements. The hosted Exchange provider can also help scale your solutions in case you move offices.

Looking to learn more about hosted Exchange and how your business can benefit from it? Talk to us today!

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A server can host most business programs, and many businesses rely on at least one server — most commonly Microsoft Exchange — to host their email platform. Some companies, however, don’t have enough room for a server. Hosted Exchange solves this dilemma.

What is Microsoft Exchange?

Microsoft Exchange is a messaging system that offers businesses a number of services, including email, calendar, task management, address lists, and more. By integrating Exchange into your business, you can access all of these servers from any location, on almost every device.

Many companies that purchase Exchange install it on servers that are usually on premises. This setup can be a bit expensive, especially for small businesses. Moreover, the server needed to host it can take up space that a business may not have. This is why many companies prefer to operate on cloud-based systems.

What is hosted Exchange?

To meet the demands of businesses of all sizes, many IT companies like Microsoft started to offer hosted Exchange. In this setup, your IT provider makes space available on one of their servers. They then install Microsoft Exchange in a space accessible only to your company, over an internet connection. They are in charge of ensuring the data stored within is secure and accessible to you at all times. Many hosted Exchange providers will also offer extra features like improved security, full-time management, and data backup.

In other words, hosted Exchange is the cloud-based version of Microsoft Exchange managed by the host company. You and your employees will still be able to access it as if it were hosted in your office.

Benefits of hosted Exchange

Companies looking to integrate hosted Exchange into their business can enjoy the following benefits:

1. Predictable and lower costs

Like many other hosted services, the majority of hosted Exchange services are offered on a monthly, per-user basis, inclusive of maintenance and hosting. This makes costs predictable as you’ll be paying a fixed fee.

Hosted Exchange also lowers overall costs. If a business were to calculate the cost of purchasing a new server, Microsoft Exchange, and the infrastructure required to use it, plus maintenance fees, the total and per-user cost will likely add up quickly. For many small businesses, paying a monthly fee will be far less expensive than hosting a Microsoft Exchange solution in-house. What’s more, you save money on maintenance overhead and future expenses.

2. Easier implementation

Implementing Microsoft Exchange in your office would require you to find space for the server, install the server and Microsoft Exchange. Once installed, you’ll have to manage Exchange and add new accounts and users. In case the service goes offline, you’ll have to fix it yourself. With a hosted Exchange solution, your IT partner will take care of hosting, management, and installation, so you can focus on running your business.

3. Flexible solutions

Growing businesses may find it tough to scale up or down on an in-house Microsoft Exchange solution because it’s limited by the capacity of the server. With hosted Exchange, you can just contact your provider, who can ensure that space and resources are available. The hosted Exchange provider can also help scale your solutions in case you move offices.

Looking to learn more about hosted Exchange and how your business can benefit from it? Chat with us today!

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For small or medium-sized business, getting a leg up on the competition can be the difference between simply surviving and thriving. One way of doing this is by embracing virtualization. Many SMBs have used virtualization techniques to great effect, but implementing a change can be difficult and time-consuming. Here are a few questions you should ask before virtualizing your office.

Sure, virtualization does sound fancy and expensive but, if done correctly, it can be of great benefit to your company. The process involves removing your physical equipment and instead running everything on virtual machines. This allows you to reduce expenses on equipment like servers – and, depending on your needs, even computers – while also freeing up valuable space in your office.

Before you start enjoying these benefits, or even beginning the process of virtualization at your company, there are questions you’ll need to be prepared to answer. We’re going to reveal three of the most important ones you should consider.

Who will handle the project?

Like any massive IT project, who will be overseeing the implementation of the new technology is vital to its success. There will be a lot to consider depending on whether you have an in-house IT department or utilize a Managed Services Provider to take care of your technology. Let’s take a brief look at the things you need to think about with each one.

In-house IT department – If you have IT staff on-site, the most cost-effective option would be delegating the virtualization to them. However, being cost-effective and being practical don’t always align in this situation. Before trusting your IT department with this project, you’ll want to get a better idea of their current workload, as well as what experience they have with virtualization technology. It could be in everyone’s best interests to outsource the project if you don’t believe your IT staff has the time or experience to get the project done.

Managed Services Provider – A lot of MSPs can help with the planning and execution of virtualization projects. This is normally a good thing, but make sure to ask a lot of questions in order to get a better understanding of what they do and don’t offer. Realistically, they should be able to make recommendations for your specific company and industry that align with your business goals. If you notice a lot of broad generalizations or get pigeonholed to a specific hardware manufacturer, you might consider talking with one or two other IT providers about your virtualization project.

Will you virtualize everything at once, or a little at a time?

This is a question that takes a lot of SMB owners by surprise. Many believe virtualization to be an either/or scenario, but the reality is that you can virtualize as much or as little of your technology as you want. Some businesses who are confident in the technology do it all at once, but a lot of companies take an incremental approach to their virtualization projects.

Normally, your answer to this question will come down to who’s managing the project and what your budget is. It’s not unusual for a business to start by virtualizing a few of their servers at a time. This allows you to better see just how the process works and what the benefits are. However, if you’re ready for a full-scale office virtualization, then by all means go for it; this will allow you to streamline everything into one project.

What about your applications?

Before you start the virtualization process, it’s good to come up with a list of which applications, if any, you need to be hosted at your premises. Sometimes a company may have one or two applications that they do not wish to be hosted on virtual servers. This is something you will want to take into account before the project begins, especially if you are virtualizing all of your servers. There is nothing worse than ditching everything only to realize afterwards that one or more of your applications need to remain on a physical server at your office.

We can help your organization turn virtualization into a realization. And if you’re impressed by our rhyming skills, you should check out our IT project management skills. We can help your business with all of its technology needs.

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