I'm frequently asked questions that go something like this:
I'm a long-time Outlook user but with all the places I am looking at email (Laptop PC, Android Tablet, Android Smartphone) email management is starting to become an issue. Would an Exchange subscription help me?
Yes, it would help you. You would have excellent sync capabilities with your devices. Mail, Calendar, and Contacts sync to the devices using ActiveSync. Some apps also supports Tasks (aka Reminders in the Apple ecosystem.) If you use multiple computers, Outlook would be identical on each computer and everything (including Tasks, Notes, Rules, Categories, and Views) would sync between the computers.
I'm not 100% sure I know exactly how it works although I did work in a corporate world many aeons ago where we had Exchange email. My assumption is that everything resides on the server. So when I read my email, I am not really reading it on my local device so when I delete an email it is gone from all my devices. Is that right?
Yes, you are correct. Everything in an Exchange mailbox is stored on the server. When you read a message or edit a contact on one client, it is updated on all. When you delete something on one computer or device, it's moved to the Deleted Items folder on all devices.
But what about all my hundreds of folders and Archive files I already have on my laptop? Would I still have those there or do they get re-created on the server.
Folders currently in a pst can be moved or imported into the exchange mailbox if you need to access them everywhere or they can be left on the local computer. Some hosted exchange plans have 25 GB mailboxes, others are smaller, and this can be a factor in deciding what to upload to the server.
Then there is the question of my Android devices. What email client would I use to read my email. Is there an Exchange compatible one? Also, there is an outside chance that my next smartphone will be an iPhone. Any issues there? I believe it will also synchronize contacts and calendar? Could I get away from Google applications?
Yes, you can get away from Google, to the extent you can when you use an Android device. Calendar and Contacts sync to the default Apple and Android apps. Tasks (and Notes) aren't supported by the default apps on all devices. However, if you need Tasks or Notes on your device, there are third party apps that do sync Tasks and Notes.
OneNote apps are available for all devices, if you want to switch from Outlook Notes.
Office 365 Exchange Online is $5 - 8 a month per mailbox. This includes Exchange ActiveSync at no additional charge, SharePoint, OneDrive for Business, and Skype for Business. The Small Business plans are generally the best for someone moving from POP3/IMAP, while the Enterprise plan is good for businesses who may need to sync Active Directory and use other Enterprise-level features.
Some hosted Exchange providers charge extra for EAS; it should be a free service as it is built into Exchange and does not cost extra to license. Only BlackBerry is justified for extra fees, but even so, Office 365 uses Blackberry Cloud service, which is free.
