WHAT IS EXCHANGE ONLINE?
Exchange Online is Microsoft's hosted version of its Exchange Server email software. Exchange Server was launched about 20 years ago and has become a staple of business communications worldwide.
Exchange Online was launched in 2011 and offers some interesting advantages for businesses. One of them is that it eliminates the need for ongoing investment in server administration and maintenance.
Microsoft hosts Exchange Online in its data centers, ensuring its security and availability. Exchange Online is, of course, compatible with Outlook and offers some web-based features and applications not available with Exchange 2016. Therefore, Microsoft offers Exchange Online as part of Office 365 plans and as a standalone email option.
Individuals connect to Exchange Online through their Microsoft Outlook desktop user account to access email and collaboration features, including shared calendars, global address lists, and conference rooms. Businesses can obtain Exchange Online as a standalone service or through an Office 365 subscription.
Exchange Online management options
Administrators can use different tools to manage Exchange Online.
The Exchange admin center is a centralized management console used to adjust Exchange Online features, including permissions, compliance management, security, and configuring mobile device access.
Microsoft offers Exchange Online in its other Office 365 offerings, including Office 365 Business Essentials, Office 365 Business, Office 365 Enterprise E1, Office 365 Enterprise E3, Office 365 Enterprise E5, Office 365 Enterprise F1, Office 365 Education, and Office 365 Education E5.
Organizations can use Exchange Online in a hybrid deployment where some mailboxes remain in the data center while others are hosted in the Microsoft cloud. A hybrid deployment allows an organization to maintain some control and use some of its on-premises features. Organizations can also use cloud-only deployments that place all mailboxes in a Microsoft data center.
The benefits of Exchange Online
Exchange Online is presented as a way to reduce the workload of IT staff. Maintaining an on-premises version of Exchange to ensure that email, calendars, and other messaging features work as expected requires time and effort.
With Exchange Online, Microsoft runs the service in its data centers and performs updates without downtime or involving a company's IT department. Exchange Online can alleviate some hardware issues, and Microsoft promotes the stability of its service.
