Don't put all your eggs on the great Exchange

Microsoft Exchange has long been a staple of corporate email systems, providing email, calendar, and contact management for businesses of all sizes. And it comes as part of an even larger suite of software, making it natural for companies to overlook other options. 

While Microsoft Exchange Online, part of the Office 365 suite, has shifted much of its infrastructure to the cloud, the challenges and risks associated with Exchange as a whole should still give companies pause when considering their email solutions. Below are some reasons why businesses should consider alternatives.

Security Vulnerabilities

Microsoft Exchange is so dominant that has (naturally) become a frequent target (if not the main one) for cyberattacks, particularly ransomware and zero-day vulnerabilities. High-profile breaches, like the massive Hafnium and ProxyShell hacks, exposed thousands of businesses worldwide, including governmental organizations. The attack leveraged previously unknown vulnerabilities in on-premise Exchange servers, allowing hackers to gain access to sensitive information and even take control of email systems. 

On-premise Exchange requires constant patching, monitoring, and updates to mitigate these vulnerabilities. Even with stringent security practices, many organizations struggle to keep their servers fully protected due to the complexity of the system. 

If you're sticking with MS Exchange, do consider 3rd party (non-Microsoft) protection, both for the email communications (a security gateway) and for infrastructure (redundant backup and archiving).

High Costs

Running an on-premise Microsoft Exchange server is resource-intensive. Companies need dedicated IT staff to manage the infrastructure, maintain uptime, handle backups, and troubleshoot issues. Running the cloud version may even be more expensive, considering how focal this solution is for all businesses. Most companies cannot live without Microsoft's suite of products, and they know it, hence gradually raising prices over the years.

If you're sticking with MS Exchange, Balance the costs between the several options, pay grades and add-ons and consider 3rd party alternatives instead.

Downtime, Outages, and Data corruption Risks

Managing an on-premise Microsoft Exchange server often introduces a higher risk of extended downtime due to server failures, updates, or issues with system configurations. A malfunctioning server can disrupt communication, halt workflows, and lead to severe losses in productivity. Cloud-based systems, offer much greater reliability but when they go down, you will not know when will the service becomes operational again and, as important, you will not know if any email losses occurred.  

If you're sticking with MS Exchange, Get a solution that ensures your business continuity (backup your emails!) and your service continuity (Emergency mailbox solutions which let you operate your email from a live archiving system, even with the main Exchange down).

Feature Parity with Other Services

While Microsoft Exchange has a wide range of features, many of these are now standard across other platforms. Competitors like Google Workspace, Zoho Mail, ProtonMail, and even smaller email hosting providers offer similar features with better ease of use, greater flexibility, and often at a lower price point. Features like shared calendars, contact management, collaboration tools, and mobile access are available across multiple platforms, meaning businesses have little reason to stick with a traditional Exchange server unless they are deeply embedded in the Microsoft ecosystem. 

If you're sticking with MS Exchange, Understand your employees' usage and if all the modules and add-ons are needed. Consider allocating different tools and systems to different users, which will also serve as a redundancy factor.

Conclusion

Microsoft Exchange has been a dominant force in corporate email for decades. It is an incredible service which fits many businesses adequately.  These businesses have, however, the obligation to carefully decide on options and alternatives regarding MS Exchange which can replace or circumvent Exchange's security limitations.