Help me avoid Exchange

[Dan Jenkins]

Paul Lussier wrote:

>  Mark Komarinski <mkomarinski at wayga.org> writes:
>
> > 1) Why use exchange? No really. If all you want is an IMAP
> > server, what is the reason for using Exchange?
>
>  All *engineering* wants is an IMAP server. The business side already
>  has an Exchange server. The basic argument is, "Why can't
>  Engineering just use the Exchange server as an IMAP server?".
>
> > 2) What is the cost/benefit analysis? Exchange isn't free, nor
> > are some of the backup applications you use to back up it's
> > database, nor is the maintenance time required to keep a Windows
> > box up and patched. Assume hardware costs are constant (same box
> > running the IMAP server) and then calculate from there - how much
> > to back up the data, how much maintenance required, how long to
> > create/remove users.
>
>  Ahhh, backup/restores, I hadn't considered that angle. That's a good
>  one. Currently we back up using amanda which is quick and easy to
>  back up to, Exchange isn't that easy :)

Issues with Exchange I can think of, off the top of my head:
a) The aforementioned backups - media usage, time, etc.  If Engineering 
gets lots of large documents, which most business folk typically don't 
get, then the backup window shrinks and media costs & manage costs for 
said backups could skyrocket. (At one client of mine, email disk space 
used for a dozen business users was a 500 MB a year. The three engineer 
accounts added 2 GB a week.)
b) The additional licensing costs for Exchange for the additional 
engineering seats
d) Depending on how they handle support for Exchange, possibly 
additional fees (I know of at least one support organization which 
charges for Exchange support based on the number of users.)
c) Additional load on the Exchange server. Again, if engineering handles 
skads of large attachments, that could kill the Exchange server, if it's 
not capable enough. So factor in Exchange server upgrades, if needed.
d) If Exchange is running antivirus too, there could be additional 
licensing costs. The same load issues as in (c) (Virus scanning a 150 MB 
email attachment can be a bit burdensome. ;-)
e) Same load & licensing issues for antispam measures running on 
Exchange. Ditto for content filtering, compliance enforcement and other 
email services.
f) If the Exchange server is also providing other services, the extra 
load might impact those services. If they are business critical 
services...well...
g) If the load issue is enough to justify a separate Exchange server, 
then add another Windows Server licensing cost.
Of course, if load isn't an issue, then items c through g are moot.
h) Depending on the version of Exchange, the default for converting MAPI 
messages to MIME format is HTML. While this can be changed on a 
user-by-user basis, if your clients don't do HTML, then they won't be 
able to read MAPI messages.
i) I've heard of, though not encountered, about some IMAP client 
incompatibilities with Exchange.
j) Only MAPI email clients are Outlook and OWC, as far as I know. So, 
Outlook or webmail via Internet Explorer. (I have had incompatibilities 
with OWC and non-IE browsers.) This isn't an issue for IMAP-only usage, 
of course, but no calendaring/workflow/etc. in that case.
k) Directory (as in LDAP vs. Active Directory) additional maintenance. 
This raises any authentication issues as well. This may be moot in your 
case.

Hope this helps.
-- 
Dan Jenkins (dan at rastech.com)
Rastech Inc., Bedford, NH, USA --- 1-603-206-9951
*** Technical Support Excellence for over a quarter century