Microsoft Exchange Server

Microsoft Exchange Server is a collaboration product for companies and organizations - such as schools - that allows you to send, receive, and store email messages. As well as managing message traffic, Exchange Server offers various other collaboration features, such as a calendar, and integration with other Microsoft 365 / Microsoft Office applications. 

In this article, we've compiled the most frequently asked questions and cleared up any doubts about Microsoft's email and collaboration platform.
 

What is Microsoft Exchange Server? 

Microsoft Exchange Server is Microsoft's email, calendar, contacts, scheduling, and collaboration platform. It is implemented in the Windows Server operating system for business use. Microsoft designed Exchange Server to give users access to the messaging platform from mobile devices, computers, and web-based systems. 

Exchange users collaborate by sharing calendars and documents. The platform's storage and security features allow organizations to archive content, perform searches, and perform compliance tasks. 
 

What does Exchange Server do? 

Exchange Server is a business-class collaboration product that sends, receives, and stores email messages. In addition to managing message traffic, Exchange Server provides various collaboration features, such as the creation of calendars and strong integration with other Microsoft Office applications.

Exchange Server is known for its high availability features guarantee continuous service in different interruption scenarios, including single server failures and data center outages.
 

 What is a Microsoft Exchange account?

A Microsoft Exchange account is an email address provided by a school or professional organization. The organization must be running a Microsoft Exchange Server, or be using Microsoft 365 - which uses Exchange Server to supply email.
 

How do Exchange accounts work?

When you use an Exchange account, your messages, contacts, and calendars are stored in your mailbox on the Exchange server. Contacts and calendars are also stored in the same place.

When your company - or school - configures the server, you choose the method your Exchange account uses to access email on the server, determining how your email works. Learn about the possibilities:
 

• Exchange ActiveSync; MAPI/HTTP are methods of accessing your Exchange email, usually from a laptop, phone, or tablet. When you access or read your email, you are not downloading or storing emails on your mobile device, instead, you are reading them from the Exchange Server. Allows you to access your email even when you're not connected to the Internet.
• IMAP, like Exchange ActiveSync, is a method of accessing your email wherever you are, from any device. With IMAP, email in the Inbox, Deleted Items, and Sent Items folders are synchronized between your device and the server. IMP allows limited calendar storage but does not support collaboration on a calendar with other users.
• POP email is transferred from the Exchange Server to your computer. As soon as the email is downloaded to your computer, it is deleted from the server. To access the email after it has been downloaded, you must use the same computer. If you access your email from different computers or devices, it will appear as if some of your previously downloaded messages have been deleted.

 

What is the name of my Exchange server?

Usually, you don't need to know the name of your Exchange server. The Automatic Discovery feature will locate the name of your server and mailbox and will configure Outlook automatically. Only if the automatic discovery fails will you have to contact the person who provided you with the e-mail address. 
 

What are the benefits of Microsoft Exchange?

 

• Adapts to your work

It helps you collaborate on the most important documents and offers an inbox that prioritizes important messages and adapts to your working style so you can be more productive in your work.
 

• Smart inbox

Get access to a more personalized inbox that connects you to modern services and internal business applications, with useful features/supplements and a more organized and intelligent way of viewing and interacting with emails. Search improvements give you more complete results faster.
 

• Advanced calendaring

Organize your time with a calendaring system. Automatically save events from emails and get venue suggestions based on your location.
 

Is Microsoft Exchange the same as Outlook?

Exchange users access and interact with messages via an email application. Microsoft Outlook is the most common application, but no: Microsoft Exchange is not the same as Outlook, although they are complementary.
 

Where can I find Microsoft Exchange details in Outlook?

Users can check their account settings in Outlook to determine whether their account is linked to Microsoft Exchange. First, users should select Account settings from the File menu. Once selected, a summary shows the Outlook accounts configured and those connected to Exchange.

In addition to the desktop-based application, some organizations also use Outlook on the web. It provides a similar experience to the Outlook desktop application allowing readers to send emails, manage the calendar and other tasks from the browser, and view Exchange details in the same Account Settings drop-down menu.


With Microsoft Exchange, work more efficiently with enterprise-level e-mail and calendaring. Want to know more? Contact Hydra iT, we've been a Microsoft partner in Portugal for over 17 years!