Microsoft Exchange Server

[d000hg]

Where I work is a small company, currently without a decent mail setup. We decided we want to do it properly using MS Exchange server. We don't have a dedicated IT guy. I have struggled to find people specialising in hosting/configuring/maintaining a mail server but I'm not sure if I looked in the wrong place, or if it is really not that common an option. Of course, we have to have 100% trust if we do that since as a hi-tech company we cannot function without email!

I figure there must be people here with a lot of experience in this kind of thing, either looking after a mail server or out-sourcing one?

[petard]

An exchange server will most likely require you to run a domain controller as well. You might be able to host the two services on the same server. Other alternatives are to run a Linux/UNIX/mac server dedicated to running mail.

It would be in our best interest to train someone in maintaining an Exchange Server and have that part of their job description. Plus you should have a backup administrator.

[phishhead]

administrating an exchange server is a full-time position in our company with 4 exchange admins. might be a good idea to contract an IT outsourcing company that will maintain and configure it for your company.

[d000hg]

That's our preferred option. The thing is we require a seamless transition to the new server - using one of these web companies we have no idea what they'd do. Fidning a small local company who we can trust would be an advantage but I don't know what to search for - "exchange server hosting" finds the big online companies.
We'd love to do it ourself, and it would be fine except when it goes wrong.

[rik]

Just be ready for the expense of hardware of a system to run it and software. Then there is having someone to administer that...

[Curio]

Exchange is a robust and very reliable mail server, in a small userbase environment it does not require large amounts of IT staff monitoring just a bit of setup and backup. I would host myself.

[cash_site]

Depending on the size of your company, you could look at the Small Business Server edition, it has Server 2003, Exchange, SQL all built in, and comes with many wizards to simply and easily get you up and running!