1. Lower per user cost
Up to 25 users of Softalk Share Server is less than half the price of Microsoft Small Business Server and less than a third of the cost of Exchange Server. Beyond 25 users, its even cheaper! At 100 users, for instance, Exchange Server costs around $7000. Compare this to Softalk Share Server, which costs just $2695 for 100 users. Prices for Softalk Share Server start at just $275 for 5 users.
2. A dedicated server computer is not required
Both Exchange and Small Business Server require a Windows Server computer. This means additional hardware costs and server operating system license costs.
Softalk Share Server can run on a workstation, saving both hardware and platform server license costs. If you're looking for a solution for a small number of users, the additional hardware and software requirements of Exchange/SBS are very significant.
3. Exchange 2007 only runs on 64-bit computers
To run Exchange 2007 you MUST purchase a 64-bit computer on which to run it. This is not the case with Softalk Share Server,
which will run on any 32-bit or 64-bit Windows computer, including workstations.
4. Outlook may be run on the same computer as Softalk Share Server
If your company or department wants to minimize the number of computers it needs, then you should consider Softalk Share Server because you can run Softalk Share Server on any client computer that is used by an Outlook user. You can't do this with Exchange Server or Small Business Server.
5. Easier to use
Softalk Share Server does not require you to hold a degree in IT administration. It has been designed for the non IT expert. For instance, a public folder may be shared in four clicks in Softalk Share Server. You need to be an IT expert to do the same thing in Exchange Server or Small Business Server. This is because Exchange was originally designed for large corporate companies and has been shoe-horned to fit the needs of smaller companies under the guise of Small Business Server.
6. Backup and restore of data is easy
When you install Softalk Share Server, it is configured to automatically run full and subsequent incremental backups of your data. If you accidentally delete a folder, or items within that folder, you can restore the folder from backup in a matter of seconds. The same cannot be said of Exchange Server. With Exchange, you must restore the entire store in order to recover your data. This can sometimes take days!
7. A lot less complex than Exchange Server
If your organization or department runs a simple peer to peer network, this will have to change if you install Exchange or Small Business Server. Both Exchange and Small Business Server require you to have an Active Directory domain running under a Windows server operating system.
Softalk Share Server doesn't require you to do this. It will fit straight into your simple peer to peer network. So why make things more complex than they need to be?
8. Softalk Share Server provides a full Outlook client migration from Personal Folder (PST) stores
If your organization uses Outlook each running against an individual Personal Folders (PST) store and you install Softalk Share Server, all the data from each PST store will be nicely migrated into the Softalk Share Server store, ready for folder sharing.
Exchange Server, strangely enough, cannot do the same thing. If you roll out Exchange, each person starts with a blank set of folders and it
is up to them to manually copy the data from their PST store to the Exchange Store.
9. No complex migration required above 75 users
If you have less than 75 users running Small Business Server and you want to license a few more users,
taking you over the 75 user count, you just need to buy a few more Small Business Server licenses, right?
Wrong! 75 users is the maximum number of Small Business Server licenses you can have.
If you want more, you have to move from Exchange Server. And it's not straight forward.
Unlike Small Business Server, which MUST be installed on the Active Directory computer, Microsoft
recommend that Exchange Server be installed on any Windows server computer OTHER THAN the Active Directory computer, so an Active Directory migration is necessary. Good luck!
10. Softalk Share Server may be used in conjunction with any mail server
If your organization already has a mail server that you are happy with, why change it? Softalk Share Server can be introduced along side it, with no problems whatsoever. Mail will continue to be downloaded from your mail server into Outlook, only now the mail will be stored in the Softalk Share Server store, ready to be shared, if necessary. If you install Exchange, it replaces your mail server with something that is most likely a lot less functional than what you are using already.
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