Exchange Hosting

Mikey · 27 Jul 2009 at 09:30

Can anyone recommend any Exchange hosting companies. I'm currently with cobweb, but think they're expensive at £15 a month..

1 account with circa 1/2GB mailbox. Benefit from Cobweb is that message labs filtering is included in the package.

Looking at http://www.simplymailsolutions.com/ at the mo.

Not touching 1and1 after they trashed my mailbox last time and couldn't restore etc. after a botched Exchange upgrade.

Banzai_Joe · 27 Jul 2009 at 09:47

considering how much it would cost to install a server and exchange environment yourself, you really think £15/month is expensive?
TBH mate, unless you're 'unhappy' with the service, i'd stay where you are.
BUT, why the need for hosted exchange. Whats wrong with having a standard popmail and regularly backing it up yourself?
Cost = next to nothing, maybe £20/year to a web-hosting company with a mail-starter package.

Mikey · 27 Jul 2009 at 09:52

k.Jacko said:
considering how much it would cost to install a server and exchange environment yourself, you really think £15/month is expensive?
TBH mate, unless you're 'unhappy' with the service, i'd stay where you are.
BUT, why the need for hosted exchange. Whats wrong with having a standard popmail and regularly backing it up yourself?
Cost = next to nothing, maybe £20/year to a web-hosting company with a mail-starter package.

Yeah I know how much it costs.

I just like to have access to my mail from anywhere with features such as OWA / RPC over HTTPS etc etc. Had Exchange email for about 5 years now and much prefer it...

The only change coming is I've got rid of my Palm Treo Pro and I'm getting a 32GB iPhone 3GS or failing that a 16GB version

It's a case of checking value for money... I did run a SBS 2003 at home for a while, but with the cost of power and Sky not allowing me to have a static IP address etc. I couldn't be bothered

Sin_Chase · 27 Jul 2009 at 09:52

£15/month with message labs seems pretty reasonable to me.

daz · 27 Jul 2009 at 09:54

Hosted Exchange licensing per user costs ~£5 per month

Mikey · 27 Jul 2009 at 09:55

daz said:
Hosted Exchange licensing per user costs ~£5 per month

More than 10 users etc. go and get a SBS server and filter the email through Google's spam product - Postini

Banzai_Joe · 27 Jul 2009 at 10:09

Mikey said:
Yeah I know how much it costs.

I just like to have access to my mail from anywhere with features such as OWA / RPC over HTTPS etc etc. Had Exchange email for about 5 years now and much prefer it...

The only change coming is I've got rid of my Palm Treo Pro and I'm getting a 32GB iPhone 3GS or failing that a 16GB version

It's a case of checking value for money... I did run a SBS 2003 at home for a while, but with the cost of power and Sky not allowing me to have a static IP address etc. I couldn't be bothered

But Mikey, why would you need those? OWA is the same as just checking your popmail in a browser anyway, albeit you set it up to keep mail on the server for so long to enable your desktop to receive it too. And just about any popmail account can be configured on a mobile phone or blackberry or palm. You can't do that with exchange.
I use xcalibre and they have just launched an IMAP server tariff this month, so that may be something to interest you. I still use the pop accounts as its been fine tbh. They have spam and virus filters on their servers as well. It costs me £9.99/pa for domain parking and £20/pa for the web/mail package.
That's just an example of what i have, i'm sure there are others around that could easily cater for your requirements.

daz · 27 Jul 2009 at 10:32

Mikey said:
More than 10 users etc. go and get a SBS server and filter the email through Google's spam product - Postini

You can't sell SBS server as a hosted solution... you have to use SPLA licensing

Mikey · 27 Jul 2009 at 10:40

daz said:
You can't sell SBS server as a hosted solution... you have to use SPLA licensing

Sorry I was on about a physical install as you'll get other benefits too..

I know it's expensive initially....

daz · 27 Jul 2009 at 10:44

I'm just saying from a hosting provider's perspective, Exchange is expensive - that's why you'll find the prices largely very similar.

Jordanis3r · 28 Jul 2009 at 11:44

Try 1to1.co.uk or even further afield intermedia - I heard a rumour they are offering Exchange 2010 beta hosting

Mikey · 28 Jul 2009 at 11:52

Jordanis3r said:
Try 1to1.co.uk or even further afield intermedia - I heard a rumour they are offering Exchange 2010 beta hosting

Not touching 1and1 cowboys..

Intermedia, haven't heard of them.. Would like to know what spam / AV products they are using.

York · 28 Jul 2009 at 11:57

I use sherweb.com for my personal exchange hosting needs. Been using them for about two years now and it's been pretty good

Think it's around $9/mo so pretty cheap - their support is good as well. They had some DNS issues yesterday which lead to delayed email. Logged a support call and I had a response back within 10 minutes apologising and explaining the problems

Only issue I've had in the time I've been with them.

Mikey · 28 Jul 2009 at 11:59

York said:
I use sherweb.com for my personal exchange hosting needs. Been using them for about two years now and it's been pretty good

Think it's around $9/mo so pretty cheap - their support is good as well. They had some DNS issues yesterday which lead to delayed email. Logged a support call and I had a response back within 10 minutes apologising and explaining the problems Only issue I've had in the time I've been with them.

What do they use for Spam/AV?

mmm they use barracuda.. configured a few of these a few years back.. Only problem with the set-up for SME is that the content still hits the network all be it on the boundary.

York · 28 Jul 2009 at 12:06

Mikey said:
What do they use for Spam/AV?

mmm they use barracuda.. configure a few of these a few years back.. Only problem with the set-up for SME is that the content still hits the network all be it on the boundary.

Yep they use barracuda. Think they've just upgraded to the latest versions as well from the planned maintenance notification I got a couple of weeks ago. Seems to work pretty well for me. I certainly don't get any spam

Sin_Chase · 28 Jul 2009 at 12:06

Your requirements seem mighty stringent when shopping on a shoestring

Mikey · 28 Jul 2009 at 12:10

Sin_Chase said:
Your requirements seem mighty stringent when shopping on a shoestring

No just a case of knowing what is out there.

I've asked Cobweb to confirm my renewal costs and what deal they can do. At the mo it's £14/15 a month, but on the website it refers to £6/9

The one mentioned above seems to tick a few more positive boxes, plus a bonus of a 3GB mailbox, not that I'd let it get that big.

Jordanis3r · 28 Jul 2009 at 13:36

I know 1and1 haven't got the greatest rep but I have been with them for over 3 yrs without too many issues!

Mikey · 28 Jul 2009 at 13:40

Jordanis3r said:
I know 1and1 haven't got the greatest rep but I have been with them for over 3 yrs without too many issues!

I had issues too, but when they toasted the mailbox and didn't have a backup and told them to stuff it and the bill.. They backed down in the end and I moved to Cobweb. Thankfully I'd done a pst export a few days before as I wasn't convinced with their Exchange migration

Jordanis3r · 28 Jul 2009 at 13:42

hmm didn't realise they didn't backup stuff - got most of it in OST's at home ... hmmmm

Intermedia hosting - incl white label hosting too

http://www.intermedia.co.uk/exchange-hosting/exchange-hosting.asp