Benefits of Hosted Exchange 2007

In IT studies looking at a Hosted Exchange solution over three years, some users estimated an ROI of more than 1000%, with payback in less than 30 days. With on-premise solutions, you have to pay for hardware as well as Windows and Exchange Server licenses. There may also be costs related to anti-virus and anti-spam software and client access licenses (such as Microsoft Outlook). Additional costs come in the form of spare parts, overtime for administrative staff, especially if you want 24-7 reliability, and other maintenance-related expenses. In fact, the long-term costs associated with server maintenance usually far outweigh the initial acquisition costs over the life of the server. With Hosted Exchange, there are no initial upfront commitments for infrastructure, hardware, licensing and ongoing IT costs, so the returns are immediate.

Hosted Exchange's productivity improvements are often enormous. Hosted Exchange customers often attribute gains to: 1) shared calendars, contacts and files; 2) anywhere, anytime access via Outlook Web Access and wireless messaging from your Blackberry or Windows Smartphone; and 3) the ability to refocus IT resources on key business priorities.

Scaling an in-house Exchange environment can require purchasing additional servers or upgrading hardware or software. Hosted Exchange customers avoid these costs by simply adding more email mailboxes as needed.

The best Hosted Exchange providers have designed and built their network to minimize email downtime. This means they have highly secure, geographically dispersed data centers that can guarantee 99.99% network uptime. Translation: Your email is always available. This also means that your service provider manages the upgrades and security patches that are required to keep your network running smoothly.

You can dedicate precious time, resources and expertise to doing all the day-to-day tasks necessary to keep your in-house network and hardware up-and-running optimally 24-7-365, but why? A hosted solution allows you to focus your technical staff on core business issues to grow your revenues and profitability.

Some Hosted Exchange providers also offer spam and virus protection, which can help eliminate 99% of unwanted email before it ever reaches your inbox. It also screens for and quarantines any viruses, which can bring your email system to a screeching halt.

Several Hosted Exchange providers offer a complimentary copy of Outlook 2007 for access to your email when you're not connected to the Internet. This way, you can read all of your email as well as draft new emails and schedule meetings, which will then be updated (synchronized) the next time you are connected to the Internet. In addition to Outlook in the office, users can securely access Outlook email, calendars and contacts with Outlook Web Access (OWA), the online companion to Outlook.

Another benefit of LiveOffice Hosted Exchange 2007 is the pricing model. The cost for this hosted service is generally charged on a flat per user, per month basis (often between $10 and $15 for each mailbox). This makes budgeting easier and streamlines your cash flow, since you don't have to worry about depreciation of expensive upfront capital expenses.

Some of the best Hosted Exchange vendors offer a simple Web-based management portal, which lets you directly manage your Exchange environment without having any in-depth technical knowledge. Your administrators can easily set up new users, perform tasks like email routing and manage mailbox storage limits and permissions with just a few key strokes.

Many Hosted Exchange accounts can easily be upgraded to include real-time synchronization of email, calendars, contacts and tasks with your BlackBerry or Windows Smartphone. This way, you're always connected, no matter where your job takes you.

Because you have effectively shifted your IT burden and headaches to a vendor, they are on the hook to serve you. So look for vendors with U.S.-based support centers that can do everything—including the worrying—for you.