Ever want to check a co-worker's calendar to see if they're available for a meeting? That's pretty hard to do with a Web-based e-mail service like Microsoft Hotmail or standard e-mail service provided by an Internet Service Provider.
However, for a small business using Exchange Server 2003, such advanced messaging and information sharing capabilities are well within reach. Exchange is an e-mail server program that comes with Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2. Both can run on the same computer, so there's no extra hardware costs involved.
6 Reasons to Run an E-mail Server
The idea of running your own e-mail server may intimidate you. But if you're already planning to implement Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2, seriously consider using the Exchange feature, too. Here are six reasons why.
1. Enhanced Calendaring Capabilities. Exchange provides enhanced e-mail functions that, in turn, can enhance business productivity, especially in the area of collaboration. For instance, you can display side-by-side views of co-worker's calendars, seeing co-worker's free and busy information in order to plan meetings.
2. Internet Access to Your E-mail. Exchange provides users with access over the Internet to e-mail, scheduling and contacts through Outlook Web Access (OWA), an e-mail program that comes with Exchange and runs in your browser. OWA is similar in concept to the popular Hotmail service, but has the look, feel and many of the features of Outlook 2003. Using OWA, a mobile user can log on to your Exchange server with a user name and password at anytime from anywhere, using portable devices such as a laptop and cell phone.
3. Easy Setup and Security. Setting up Exchange is made easy with the Configure E-mail and Internet Connection Wizard that is built into Windows Small Business Server. The wizard can set up Windows Small Business Server so that Internet users can access Outlook Web Access and your company's internal website. Support for secure sockets layer (SSL) to help protect these connections from hackers is also available. The wizard also sets up the firewall services you need to thwart hackers and other intruders.
4. Company-wide Junk Mail Control. Using Exchange enables you to filter out spam before it gets to your employees. Exchange lets you filter e-mail based on block lists, which are verified lists of spam sources. You can also ward off viruses and worms carried in e-mail attachments. You simply set filters to screen incoming mail for certain types of attachments. This type of screening helps provides company-wide protection for your PCs.
5. Share Information with Public Folders. Exchange enables calendar sharing with both Outlook 2003 and Outlook Web Access (OWA). But, when you use Exchange, you have additional sharing options when working with OWA. OWA lets you create Public Folders, a place for storing mail messages, documents or other types of files. You can post information there that you want everyone in your organisation to be able to view and work with
6. Built-In Data Protection. One concern when running your own e-mail server is protecting the e-mail messages and other files that are stored on the server. You need to be able to recover these files in the event of a server failure or disaster. That's where the Small Business Server Backup Wizard comes in. The Backup Wizard is designed to help you back up your servers more easily and successfully and to guide you through the restore process. Additional data protection is possible if you use Outlook 2003 with Exchange. Outlook lets you and your employees copy e-mail messages from your Exchange server to your PCs. This is possible with an Outlook feature that automatically synchronises Exchange and local PC files so that employees have a current copy of all their e-mail on their personal machines.
Sure, running your own e-mail server using Exchange Server 2003 may sound scary. But the Windows Small Business Server wizards can ease you through the process. And missing out on the potential communication, productivity and business operation gains may prove a worse fate.
Find Companies who specialist in Email Server solutions in your local area.