What is Exchange?  Exchange is Microsoft's entry into the email/groupware server space.  It makes it easy for users to communicate and collaborate over the Internet and/or Intranet using a variety of clients on various desktop operating systems.   What is Email Hosting? TucanEmail's Exchange Hosting is available to small and mid-sized businesses that have a need for the features available from Microsoft Exchange, but do not have the facilities and/or expertise required to host the system themselves.  With TucanEmail you can take advantage of all of the benefits of Exchange, without the additional hassle that is involved in maintaining such a system.   Who needs Exchange Hosting?  Organizations with a need for robust email and collaboration can benefit greatly by using for using the features of Microsoft Exchange within their business.  Smaller companies that do not have the IT staff, or the facilities to create and maintain an Exchange network are perfect candidates for working with TucanEmail.   Is there a need to have my own dedicated Exchange Server?  That would depend on the your particular usage of the server. Normally, TucanEmail wouldset up several Exchange accounts for several companies on the same box, similar to shared web hosting.  Customers with higher volume requirements, or who wish to be segregated from the other customers can opt for a dedicated Exchange server.  This is much more expensive than shared Exchange hosting, but does have its obvious advantages.  A dedicated Exchange server is usually suggested for any TucanEmail  account that exceeds 100 users.   What features are available to me when I use TucanEmail's Email Hosting?  All of the functionality of Microsoft Outlook is immediately shared between your users.  Calendars, Files, Folders, Tasks, Contact Lists and Address Books all become integrated and sharable among all users of Exchange.  Advanced features such as Virus Scanning and Instant Message may be obtained at an additional cost.   What requirements do I need to meet for TucanEmail's Exchange Hosting?  In order to be a candidate for TucanEmail, you need to have Internet connection(s) capable of supporting the required traffic, and the appropriate client software (Microsoft Outlook) and licenses for all users who will be using the services of the Exchange server.   What type of Internet connection is needed to support hosted Exchange?  Your connection to the Internet is critical for TucanEmail's Exchange service. The reason for this is that your collaboration client (Microsoft Outlook) connects and shares your information with the Exchange server, as well as retrieve updates in regards to all other users who also use the server.  In essence, the more users your firm has using outlook, the more Internet bandwidth that is required to use it efficiently.  One of the keys is the available upload bandwidth available. For example, many cable and telephone company DSL lines only offer 128K upload speeds.  The chart below shows recommended line speeds.   Network Requirements     V. Small Small Medium Large   Line Speed 1 to 5 Users 1 to 10 Users 10 to 100 Users 100-1000 Users Dial-up 56kbps Marginal Not OK Not OK Not OK Sym-DSL 128kbps OK Marginal Not OK Not OK Sym-DSL 384kbps OK OK Not OK Not OK Sym-DSL 512kbps OK OK Marginal Not OK T-1 1.5Mbps OK OK OK Not OK 4 x T-1 6Mbps OK OK OK Marginal 6 x T-1 9Mbps OK OK OK Ok   Will Exchange automatically scan for viruses?  Virus scanning is available for all messages running through Microsoft Exchange, as an add-on product.  Due to the additional expense, TucanEmail will charge an additional fee for providing this service to the mailboxes on your account.  Some anti-virus add-ons also have facilities for automatic SPAM recognition and filtering.