Seven mail servers tested


Contents
Introduction
 Basic Mail Server Security
 IBM Domino
 Ipswitch iMail Server
 Kerio MailServer
 Microsoft Exchange
 Novell Groupwise
 Sendmail
 SuSE Linux OpenExchange
 Specifications
 What to look for
 Sample scenarios
 Editor's choice
 About RMIT
What to look for in a mail server

  • Security. Ensure that the chosen vendor/developer is pro-active in publishing security patches and version updates to any known exploits. Some may say that the more patches out there means the more holes in the code to start with, and therefore the weaker the product. Really this is a furphy it could mean either their users and developers are more active in finding bugs/issues or they have a larger installed user base and have more exposure and can therefore identify more potentially harmful code.


  • Scalability. Don't underestimate the number of users and domains you may need to support with your mail server application.


  • Futureproofing. History has shown that mail server applications while critical to the enterprise are perhaps not replaced/changed as much as other enterprise applications therefore it may be worthwhile picking a robust, reliable one with a proven track history that is likely to be
    around and supported for a while.


  • Features. If you or your bosses suddenly decide that they want the latest mobile device to integrate with the mail server or that tomorrow they need Instant Messaging across the company then ensure the mail server chosen has a record of supporting the majority of the latest gadgets and gizmos available. Naturally if you are likely to never need any of this fluff then go for a bare roots mail server and save the potential headaches and extra cost.

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    Talkback 4 comments

    1. Interesting review, however, it misses in a nunber of areas. 1) At the low end of the market, the appropriate Microsoft product would be SBS2003. It is quite difficult to price the e-mail component as a number of products are bundled, however, I Anonymous -- 30/03/05

      Interesting review, however, it misses in a nunber of areas.

      1) At the low end of the market, the appropriate Microsoft product would be SBS2003. It is quite difficult to price the e-mail component as a number of products are bundled, however, I suspect the SBS2003 is a more appropriate product when compared with some of the lower end e-mail systems you have reviewed. Are you comparing apples with apples? or apples to oranges?

      2) The the high-end of the market where clustering / high availability and a large number of users is concerned most of the reviewed packages couldn't deliver. Where is the indication of where these products sit in terms of number of users?

      3) The most important criteria for purchasing an e-mail system has not even been considered, i.e. user understanding and productivity. Given the article asks the question about alternatives to Exchange, surely there needs to be some indication as to why customers continually purchase this product. And the answer is they understand how to use the client interface, i.e. Outlook, and individuals are productive. My feedback from people is they hate Notes (especially after using Outlook / Exchange) and they love the functionality and integration that Outlook / Exchange provides. An e-mail system is provided to enhance user/worker productivity and, essentially, they don't give a stuff about the e-mail server. They want functionality they can easily use on their client device and this is what IT Managers respond to.

      4) I would suggest you have under-estimated Notes and Exchange for their back-end automation. Notes is a powerful database / workflow solution that provides much more than e-mail, so if you have such a requirement the other e-mail solutions look very ordinary. Likewise with Exchange, there is a huge amount automation / programming that can be achieved and an organisation with such requirements would seek a single solution rather than 2 separate systems.

      Regards,
      Russell Sumich

    2. What happened to mail servers like CommuniGate from Stalker and Scalix? Anonymous -- 31/03/05

      What happened to mail servers like CommuniGate from Stalker and Scalix?

    3. The review is a little simplistic. If an organisation is JUST looking at an e-mail solution then the scenarios are appropriate. However several of the packages offer much more. If an organisation is looking for that little bit mor Anonymous -- 12/07/05

      The review is a little simplistic.

      If an organisation is JUST looking at an e-mail solution then the scenarios are appropriate.
      However several of the packages offer much more.

      If an organisation is looking for that little bit more e.g. collaboration / workflow or the like then the conclusions will change substantially

    4. Mercury/Pegasus Anonymous -- 16/04/08

      I have seen my business grow from small to medium. If you are looking for free solutions to act as mail servers... nothing beats Mercury Mail Server on windows platforms.

      On linux, I found communigate to be much easier to manage/setup as compared to sendmail and it has worked very well for several years. With communigate free version, every outgoing messsage contains a 1 line message about the product.

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