The major benefits of Exchange are that it allows a business to enhance the availability and performance of their workforce. Understandably the improvements in availability delivered through a reliable platform can considerably increase uptime across the entire company; according to some users, Exchange can reduce the time spent on administrative functions by around half.
Another benefit of using a Microsoft product is that it easily integrates into the workforce’s existing knowledge. As a large number of businesses use Outlook and other Office software, the change to using Exchange is simple, the result being minimal training before workers can become competent.
In terms of usability, hosted Exchange services are based around five core features, each selected with the ultimate purpose of reducing downtime and increasing productivity.
• Each user is allotted an online mailbox of twenty five gigabytes. This storage combined with the capability to send attachments of up to thirty megabytes in size creates a highly functional and practical email solution.
• Virus protection and anti spam is included as part of Exchange packages as standard. The advanced techniques used to filter and scan incoming messages help to reduce the amount of downtime caused by spam emails, phishing scams and viruses.
• As previously mentioned web access is a major feature in Exchange packages. More than purely allowing users to access their mail from anywhere in the world however, it is the effective browser-based Outlook style experience that makes the service highly valuable.
• As mobile internet becomes commonplace with the host of smart phones currently available on the market, the ability to grant access across a range of different mobile devices is undoubtedly a key feature.
• Finally, shared contacts and calendar functionality allows users to schedule meetings simply and easily. The benefit of this is clear; smoother, more efficient administration and collaboration across the workforce.
By using Microsoft Exchange it is possible to greatly enhance the productivity of any business, as a highly flexible solution it is suitable for use in a range of different environments.