Microsoft Exchange: What are the al­ter­na­tives?

Companies can use Microsoft Exchange to manage all of their emails, ap­point­ments, and documents in one place, making it possible for large groups of employees to share access and work si­mul­ta­ne­ous­ly on projects. At a time when mobility and flex­i­bil­i­ty are becoming in­creas­ing­ly important to the working world, programs like Exchange make it possible to col­lab­o­rate easily and ef­fi­cient­ly.

The software works with Windows in­fra­struc­ture, in par­tic­u­lar with Outlook, and is among the most widely used groupware solutions. But that doesn’t mean that there are no al­ter­na­tives to Microsoft Exchange. Depending on the structure and flex­i­bil­i­ty of your IT in­fra­struc­ture, there might be products from other providers that are better suited to your needs. However, before deciding on an Exchange al­ter­na­tive, you should fa­mil­iar­ize yourself with the pros and cons of the various software solutions.

Microsoft Exchange Server is most ad­van­ta­geous for small and medium-sized companies, since the servers can be rented ex­ter­nal­ly, which elim­i­nates the need for costly in-house IT in­fra­struc­ture. Al­ter­na­tive­ly, your company can decide on an on-site solution for more control over their data, but will then have to take care of the servers itself (including cu­mu­la­tive updates, data ad­min­is­tra­tion, etc.). This is normally out of the question for smaller companies.

Using Microsoft products tends to be easy for most employees, thanks to Microsoft’s wide reach — Outlook is probably one of the best-known email clients worldwide. However, not every ad­min­is­tra­tor finds main­tain­ing the Exchange server ideal, which is why many IT experts look for al­ter­na­tives to Exchange. This also has to do with the fact that Microsoft products come with licensing fees, and small busi­ness­es prefer to use free mail servers.

There’s a reason Exchange is so popular. The software offers a variety of useful features and com­pre­hen­sive ad­min­is­tra­tive options. Yet for some users and ad­min­is­tra­tors, it’s still not quite the right solution. Many users prefer, for example, open-source exchange servers or are looking for specific features.

The OX App Suite (also called Open-Xchange) is an open-source groupware solution that’s well suited to mid-sized and large companies. It provides every­thing you need for col­lab­o­ra­tion, including email servers and other office programs. Word proces­sors, spread­sheet software, and pre­sen­ta­tion software is available online, making it perfect for col­lab­o­rat­ing on projects. Address books and calendars can also be shared.

Companies can also take advantage of shared file storage. In­di­vid­ual team members each have their own folders, which can easily be shared with other users. The OX App Suite can be im­ple­ment­ed in a variety of ways: You can use the service in the cloud or as a SaaS or host it on your own server. You can even use cloud storage and the email service in mobile apps. Every­thing else can be accessed using a browser.

Open-source with high security standards: The software Kolab is free and, if you have enough technical know-how, can be adapted to your specific needs. It was orig­i­nal­ly developed for the German Federal Office for In­for­ma­tion Security, so it will come as no surprise that this Microsoft Exchange al­ter­na­tive places a premium on safety and data pro­tec­tion.

Anti-spam and anti-virus solutions are also included in the software. As with many of its other features, Kolab uses well-es­tab­lished open-source modules for these solutions, which are also im­ple­ment­ed in other projects. Con­nec­tions with other col­lab­o­ra­tion solutions such as OwnCloud also set Kolab apart.

Since Kolab is open-source, it can easily be installed in Linux. However, if you don’t want to install and configure this groupware solution on your own, it’s also possible to take advantage of the services of the company Kolab En­ter­prise. Then you’ll be able to access all its features in a hosted cloud.

Zimbra is also an open-source and free Exchange al­ter­na­tive. It boasts a strong email service, which the whole company can use to com­mu­ni­cate. Users can access their inbox using the browser. Zimbra has all the features that you need for managing emails, calendars, contacts, and notes. In addition to the free version, users can choose to upgrade to a paid version. This is useful if you’d like to syn­chro­nize Zimbra accounts with email clients like Outlook.

However, even if you stick with the open-source version, you can take advantage of support for Ac­tiveSync. This Microsoft app makes it possible to syn­chro­nize data on multiple devices.

Zimbra can be installed on various Linux dis­tri­b­u­tions.

Kerio Tech­nolo­gies develops software solutions for companies and offers an Exchange al­ter­na­tive called Connect. Connect is a mail server that runs on Windows and MacOS as well as Linux, and can be im­ple­ment­ed on-site or on a cloud. Another advantage of this software is its easy setup: Kerio claims that within just 20 minutes employees can start working with it.

The software’s instant messaging service sets it apart. Employees can use this feature to quickly exchange in­for­ma­tion with each other without having to write entire emails. Since the service runs with XMPP, software from other producers can also be used for the chat function. That’s also true of the email service: You can use different clients to access your emails or just use Kerio’s web app. In addition, Kerio Connect uses Microsoft Ac­tiveSync to send messages to mobile devices.

Another strong Microsoft Exchange al­ter­na­tive: Com­mu­ni­Gate Pro provides all the features needed for com­mu­ni­ca­tion within a company. In addition to the email service, you can also share notes, calendars, and tasks with coworkers. Various client programs can be used to access the server’s functions, including Outlook, Thun­der­bird and Apple Mail. In addition, Com­mu­ni­Gate Pro offers its own web app, which includes various layouts and can easily be accessed in your browser.

Companies using Com­mu­ni­Gate Pro can also take advantage of VoIP and instant messaging. Small or­ga­ni­za­tions can use the software for free. However, if you have a team of more than five people, you’ll need to buy a license.

Google also offers an Exchange al­ter­na­tive. In Google Workspace, you’ll find all the tools you need for day-to-day office work. Many users are already familiar with Gmail and Google Docs. Google Hangouts is also included in the product suite, which allows teams to com­mu­ni­cate even more ef­fec­tive­ly. Google Workspace brings is a paid-for service that bumps these features to a pro­fes­sion­al level. For example, it allows you to use your own email domain. Ad­min­is­tra­tors are also given more options — they can manage access to certain functions, put together groups, and keep security re­stric­tions up to date.

Google Workspace is designed to work with Google’s cloud. The advantage to this is that every­thing is set up perfectly and employees can work from anywhere and still have access to files. However, it’s not yet possible to run the program on your own server.

Whether you’re looking for an open-source or free Exchange al­ter­na­tive or want to buy all the necessary hardware right away, you’re sure to find the right solution for your team among our list of Exchange al­ter­na­tives. The following table sum­ma­rizes the most important char­ac­ter­is­tics of these groupware providers.