Microsoft is undeniably one of the best choices when it comes to your small business’ office automation. Over the years, Microsoft Office has managed to win the hearts of the majority of people looking for word processing and spreadsheet applications.

Every new desktop version of the software that has come out has been accepted wholeheartedly by millions of users across the globe. But then, the software giant took it one step further and decided it would give us an online hosted version: Office 365.

This suite has since 2010 also become the application of choice for email communication. Small businesses looking to take their technology to a new level have adopted it and are happy with their choice.

And so, the question becomes which version (Office 365 Exchange or hosted Microsoft Exchange) should you implement in your small business?

Well, let us see the advantages you get with Office 365 Exchange:

• With Office 365 you get a 50 GB mailbox per user. If your business handles a lot of email, that will come as a blessing because not many hosted Exchange providers will be so generous – at least not unless you pay good money for it.
• Office 365 is hosted on Microsoft’s own servers. This means you are guaranteed the best security you could ever have. Compare this to the fact that although most big hosting providers ensure that their servers are as well-protected as they can manage, nothing can compare to the coverage you will get from the world’s biggest software company.
• If you want to enhance the security that is provided with hosted Exchange – something that the providers have no plans of implementing – for example, you will be asked to pay for it and even implement it yourself (if you are administering your own server). With Microsoft, there is no such thing. They will do everything that is required to keep their product (and hence, their users) protected – for their own sake.
• Come support time, you won’t have to run around looking for Exchange experts to handle any issues or problems. Microsoft provides its own support and this same expertise is available to you directly. You get the best in the business working for you courtesy of the product’s own manufacturer.
• One of the reasons mail servers get hacked or emails are hijacked is because the hackers find ways to access the servers and accounts. This, in turn, is almost always because Exchange hosting providers do not update (patch) their servers as required. Once hackers have found a way around a security issue, they go around searching for vulnerable servers that have not been updated. This never happens at Microsoft – once they realize there is a threat, they set about patching up all the holes one their servers in the shortest amount of time possible.
• As a small business, the cost of everything involved will always be at the top of your concerns. You will always want to have the best service at the lowest possible price. When it comes to direct cost (price of application and server space, for example) nothing beats Office 365. With the hosted Exchange all costs will be determined by them alone and no one can hold them responsible should they choose to jack the price up once your initial contract is up (or even in the middle of it, using various excuses).

Indirectly, you won’t be forced to lose money getting people to fix/administer your server for you. You will also have less to lose due to downtime – it is very rare, if at all, that Microsoft servers have gone offline for a considerable amount of time.

• Although all Exchange hosts will guarantee that their servers are accessible from any place in the world, nothing can compare to the access that Microsoft will be able to give you. Should any rogue websites share the same IP address as the Exchange server (with your application on it) you could be banned along with them. With Office 365, you can rest assured that no such mistake will occur.
• With Office 365 you get all the extra goodies: Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Your Exchange hosting provider, on the other hand might opt to have you pay for the additional ‘privileges.’ Also, in Microsoft’s case, you get the added advantages of hosted SharePoint and Lync services – both essential tools in enhancing your business’ communication and collaboration capabilities. As Microsoft enhances its application you will get all the extras immediately – no need to wait until your hosting provider decides you deserve an upgrade.

And so, there you have it: your business can not lose when it comes to Office 365. Whether you are already a hosted Exchange user, or are planning to implement a new email application, you now know which will be your best option.

Give it a try and let us see what you have to say about your experience – share it with us.