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Top Shared Providers
- 1 - SherWeb
- 2 - 123Together.com
- 3 - asp-one.com
Top Dedicated Providers
- 1 - 123Together.com
- 2 - Intermedia.NET
- 3 - LanLogic.com
Latest Reviews
Intermedia.NET
By: Scott
We were big fans of Intermeida until the pricing went extremely high and support and uptime fell though the floor. We just recovered from no inbound email service for 4 days. It took 2 days before the Russiun support team to acknolege a problem and then 2 days to think about it. The previous outage we were down for 3 days and they had to restore from tape (So much for EMC relablity) Pricing for sharepoint is over $400 per month and so slow you can watch paint dry. We are looking for a new providor and hopefully get off this mess asap.
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Exchange Hosting Reviews
Step-by-Step Guide to Increasing the Exchange 2003 Private Mail Store Size on SBS 2003
- Is the Exchange Hosting provider using a Microsoft validated, tested, approved, platform?
Since Exchange is a Microsoft product, and one of their most technically challenging one, it is important to understand what kind of relationship the Hosted Exchange provider has with Microsoft and how technically competent they are. If they are at the level you want and need, it should be like working directly with Microsoft when it comes to expertise of the product. - What kind of uptime guarantee can you expect for Dedicated Servers?
When using a shared server option there are a variety of reason Exchange Hosting providers can’t offer a 100% uptime guarantee. These reasons exist with dedicated servers as well but what changes are your expectations of them. A dedicated server option usually means that you will be paying a set amount every month regardless of the number of users you may have. Make sure that you are getting more for going the dedicated route and the best place to start that conversation is with uptime guarantees. - How many layers of redundancy are across their infrastructure?
There are no perfect products in the world. The reality is that sometimes in even the most successful Hosted Exchange shops that even they will run across problems. The question of redundancy in the infrastructure becomes very important if you are even remotely concerned about downtime. Obviously, the more redundancy the less likely you are to feel any pains from systems going down. - Does the Exchange Hosting provider solely focus on Exchange Hosting and nothing else?
We have found that a single-minded focus on Exchange Hosting is a better solution for the end-user. Exchange Server is a complicated system and often needs a great deal of attention to remain stable. If the company also sells other services, chances are Exchange may not get the attention it needs to continue to be reliable. - s the backup MX Server in a “safe” location?
Basically, you will want to know where your data is being saved. If the data is in a location that is prone to hurricanes, tornadoes, or earthquakes does the company plan for potential catastrophes? And if so, how? Or, does your data reside in a more stable area less prone to these types of events? - How much bandwidth will you get?
Some Exchange Hosting providers will charge you if you go above a set bandwidth amount. Regardless of how much bandwidth you think you will use, you should ask the question about how much you get and what the overage charges, if any, are. - What kind of provisioning system is being used?
This question goes to the core of how much work has been put into the system. Many companies will go with a third party solution. These can work well to get the service up and running quickly but in being able to trouble-shoot and react to customer feedback can be very slow. - How many users will you have?
Dedicated servers can use policies/roles to manage mailboxes. Will you have hundreds of users? Be sure that your Hosted Exchange provider allows you to create your own Policies and Roles and group your users to change settings as easily and quickly as possible. - Where is the support located?
In these days of outsourcing, many companies are beginning to outsource their support services as well. Often times the different time zones can result in spotty technical support. Make sure that you will be getting the level of support that you desire. - What is their Microsoft Partner level?
Tangible proof that a Hosted Exchange provider is able to live up to their technical requirements to continually maintain Exchanger server is the certification level they have achieved with Microsoft. Microsoft has two levels of certification: Certified Partner and Gold Certified Partner. The Gold Certified Partner level is very challenging technically to attain. If your Hosted Exchange provider is Gold Certified, you know you’re in good hands.
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