Selecting the Best Exchange Server 2003 Offering for Your Organization: In-House vs. Hosted

Published: May 7, 2005

Exchange Server 2003 is Microsoft's messaging and collaboration server for e-mail, scheduling, and contact and task management. Exchange Server 2003 enables you to check your e-mail, calendar, contacts, and tasks from a mobile device or any Internet browser.

You can add these powerful capabilities to your organization though an in-house or hosted solution:

•	In-house. Depending on the needs of your organization, your internal IT staff or external consultants can deploy and administer Exchange Server 2003 or Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003. Windows Small Business Server 2003 includes Exchange Server 2003.
•	Hosted. Purchase Exchange Server 2003 as a hosted service from a Microsoft-certified partner.

How do you know which solution is best for you? Take this short quiz to find out.

Select Your IT Infrastructure

The number of computers and whether or not they are running Active Directory directory service are important considerations.

How many computers are in your organization? 1–4 5–24 25–49 50 or more If you have a server in your organization, do you run Active Directory directory service? My organization does have a server and runs Active Directory My organization does have a server but does not run Active Directory My organization does not have a server on the premises In the final steps of this short quiz, describe your organization's messaging requirements and IT support capabilities. Your answers will help determine whether an in-house deployment of Exchange Server 2003 or Microsoft Windows Small Business Server, or a hosted service is best for your organization. Describe Your Messaging Requirements Select the answer that best describes your organization. Your answers will be tallied at the end to help you determine which solution is right for you.

How many computers are in your organization?

1–4

5–24

25–49

50 or more

If you have a server in your organization, do you run Active Directory directory service?

My organization does have a server and runs Active Directory

My organization does have a server but does not run Active Directory

My organization does not have a server on the premises

In the final steps of this short quiz, describe your organization's messaging requirements and IT support capabilities. Your answers will help determine whether an in-house deployment of Exchange Server 2003 or Microsoft Windows Small Business Server, or a hosted service is best for your organization.

Describe Your Messaging Requirements

Select the answer that best describes your organization. Your answers will be tallied at the end to help you determine which solution is right for you.

Does your organization have IT skills and resources available for managing a server in-house?	Yes, in-house or through a partner	No
Does your organization need its e-mail data to reside on premise for business reasons?	Yes	No, so long as it is secure
Is e-mail support at all hours and a guaranteed Service Level Agreement (SLA) critical?	No, this is not critical	Yes, this is critical
How distributed is your organization's work force?	We have a central office	We do not have a central office
How much does your employee base fluctuate?	Minimal fluctuation	Some fluctuation
Can your organization take on a capital expense to acquire a messaging solution?	Yes, we can pay up front or finance a messaging solution	No, we cannot
Does your organization need to be able to quickly add new e-mail services such as access to e-mail from mobile devices or anti-spam services?	Yes, through in-house IT staff or consultants	Adding new e-mail services without headaches is important

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