Microsoft 365 vs Exchange Server for Email: What's the Difference?

As a Microsoft Gold Partner, Fanetech is leading email migrations to Microsoft 365. The question this article aims to answer is: is there still room for an on-premises Exchange server in 2022?

It is very important to choose the right platform. Here we will focus on two main differences, both from an end user and a system administrator point of view.

What is the difference between Exchange and Microsoft 365?

The biggest difference between Microsoft 365 and on-premises Exchange is that MS 365 is a centralized software as a service (SaaS); it is managed and owned by Microsoft, not your IT department.

If MS 365 isn't available to one company, it likely won't be available to everyone in that region, unless the problem was caused by a change your organization made. An example of this type of change is the adjustment of domain names. This means that such software is less likely to fail (Microsoft has high service standards and a reputation to maintain). If there is a problem, Microsoft will immediately begin working on the problem.

Microsoft 365 vs Exchange

For those system administrators, IT managers, office managers and CFOs who currently manage their on-premises Exchange environment; you may well have a good reason to keep your mailboxes and calendar server local.

In some cases, the required level of customization can only be achieved with an on-premises version of the platform, so it may be unavoidable to incur additional licensing costs for an on-premises Exchange server to meet these requirements.

Can I use both options at once?

The good news is that you can run both a local server and MS 365 in a “hybrid” environment, giving you the benefits of both systems. In a hybrid environment, you can choose which elements of your email and calendar reside in MS 365 or on-premises; you can even designate storage locations for specific employee groups or departments. This way, you can have a select group of users who need the on-premise applications they work with without sacrificing the accessibility of MS 365 to the rest of the business.

So, is there still room for on-premises Exchange Server in 2022? The answer is yes, but it's better if you can take advantage of both systems at once.

Find out how Fanetech can help your business migrate from Exchange Server to MS 365, just by contacting us.