How our Hosted Exchange compares to Microsoft Office 365 and Google Apps
We know that choosing a Cloud Service provider is an important decision. Understanding the facts about your provider is essential to setting expectations on reliability, support, and services offered to help make your business successful. It is important that you understand why VRB Network Consulting’s industry leading Cloud Service offerings are the solutions of choice.
- We offer an unmatched, financially backed Service Level Agreement (SLA) of 99.999% to ensure you are consistently up and running.
- Our highly skilled support and migration staff ensures that your transition to The Cloud is as smooth as possible. We’ll handle the entire migration process for you – Microsoft and Google lack this type of hands-on support.
- Our robust portfolio of Cloud Services expands beyond Microsoft and Google products – including VoIP phone services, Outlook and PC Backup, Fax via Email, and more.
- We enable full administrative control over all of our Cloud Services through an easy-to-use web-based control panel.
Given how critical email and other communication/collaboration services are to your business, reliability is always a crucial aspect of the cloud service provider selection process. Uptime and data replication are only as good as a provider’s infrastructure and experience – as well as the capabilities of the service itself. Our state-of-the-art infrastructure, proven industry experience, and unmatched 99.999% Service Level Agreement (SLA) are unbeatable.
Before you decide on a Cloud Service provider, make sure you know the facts.
Below you will find detailed information on how our Cloud Service offerings compare to Microsoft Office 365 and Google Apps:
| Item | VRB Network Consulting | Microsoft Office 365 | Google Apps |
| SUPPORT | |||
| Migration Support | VRB Network Consulting offers complete migration of your current mailboxes and data for all plans. | Online migration toolkit, discussion forum and 24/7 phone support (select plans only). | Online migration toolkit and discussion forum support. |
| Tech Support | VRB Network Consulting offers you personalized 24x7x365 Technical Support via Phone and Remote Access.
Technical Help is always just a phone call away and is included in the monthly ‘per-user’ service fees. Online Knowledge Base. |
24×7 email and phone support (select plans only).
Built in support ticketing system in control panel for billing related issues. Online forum. |
24×7 phone support not available except for escalated issues; email support Mon-Fri, 24 hours a day.
Built in support ticketing system in control panel. Online forum. |
| CONTROL | |||
| Management Control Panel | Customer’s choice: VRB Network Consulting provides full or partial management of all Hosted Exchange Services
- or- Customers are able to provision users and manage settings for proprietary services as well as Microsoft-based and third-party services. |
Customers able to provision users and manage settings for Microsoft services only. | Supports all browsers. |
| End-user Controls | Customer’s choice: VRB Network Consulting provides full or partial management of all Hosted Exchange Services
- or- The ‘My Services’ web-based portal is available to change common settings for users’ services and update passwords, reducing administration load. Granular set of permissions controlled by the administrator; ability to manage all services enabled and request additional ones. |
Controls available through Outlook Web App interface.
Functions are only Exchange-oriented and do NOT include BlackBerry. |
Limited permissions and functionality. |
| RELIABILITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE | |||
| Security | Policy-based Encryption add-on available; includes templates for HIPAA compliance.
Wipe ActiveSync and BlackBerry mobile devices in case of lost or theft; supports multiple BlackBerry and ActiveSync policies. |
Policy-based Encryption add-on available; not preconfigured for compliance needs.
Wipe ActiveSync devices and Blackberry devices (through a separate RIM control panel). |
Google Message Encryption service available.
Wipe ActiveSync devices; BlackBerry device wipe requires BES. |
| Operations: SLA and Location of Data | 7 datacenters (6 U.S. based, 1 U.K based) using only premium Dell, EMC and Cisco equipment.
SaS 70 Type II Audited. 99.999% uptime SLA |
Uses several independent datacenters located in different parts of the world; exact locations and equipment manufacturers are not disclosed.
99.9% uptime SLA |
Does not reveal which of its Global Datacenters are used.
99.9% uptime SLA |
| SERVICES OFFERED | |||
| Mobility Support | Support for full range of smartphones and tablets, including ActiveSync (iPhone, iPad, Android, & Windows 7&8) and BlackBerry.
Fax via email so you can receive your faxes from anywhere. |
Support for ActiveSync devices; BlackBerry support through separate service by RIM (separate control panel & user management, separate support). | Support for ActiveSync devices; BlackBerry support requires BES or downloadable apps from Google. |
| Supported Mail Platforms | Unlimited storage.
Message size limit 50 MB. No message recipient limit. Enterprise version of Exchange 2013 (latest version). Outlook 2013 available on all plans. |
Storage max 25 GB.
Message size limit 25 MB. Message recipient limit of 1,500 unique email addresses / Mailbox / 24 hours. Hosted version of Exchange 2010 (latest version). Outlook 2010 available only on top-tier plans. |
Storage max 25 GB.
Message size limit 25 MB. Gmail connects with basic Pop or IMAP connection for mobile and Outlook. Gmail Business Plans are based off the same free Gmail service. |
| Public Folders | Public folders available. | Public folders not available. | Public folders supported via Google Groups. |
| Support for Outlook | Exchange 2013 enables full support of Microsoft Outlook® 2013 features such as improved calendaring and conversation view.
Outlook Web App (enhanced web access available with Exchange 2013, supports all browsers). Microsoft Outlook® 2011 for MAC available for download. |
Exchange 2010 enables full support of Microsoft Outlook® 2010 features such as improved calendaring and conversation view.Outlook Web App (enhanced web access available with Exchange 2010, supports all browsers).
Microsoft Outlook® 2011 for MAC but not available for download with Office 365 plans. |
Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook® is a plug-in for Outlook 2003, 2007, or 2010; however, there are limitations and synchronization issues between the two.
Outlook Web App Not available; users access Google Apps’ web interface. |
| Outlook Licenses | Available with any plan. | Only available with top-tier plans. | Not available. |
| Collaboration and File Management | Lync 2013 Enterprise Secure Instant Messaging,
SharePoint 2013. |
Lync 2010 Enterprise Secure Instant Messaging,
SharePoint 2010. |
Google IM, Docs and Cloud Connect services. |
| Archiving | Archiving available; supports all third party cloud archiving providers. | Archiving available;
No support for third party providers. |
Archiving available. |
| Cloud Voice Offering | Hosted PBX VoIP-based phone service. Conference Bridges – an audio business-grade conferencing service. | No cloud voice. | Google Voice, a consumer-oriented service. |
| Active Directory Synchronization | Proprietary AD Sync solution with advanced management capabilities. | Simple sync tool with limited management capabilities. | Not available. |