SharePoint-like Document Management with Exchange Server Alternative

All right, where are all those people who have been complaining about what a headache Microsoft Exchange Server has become to run? You know, all those server roles to figure out; expensive, 64-bit hardware; unfathomable licensing terms. And the cloud just isn't secure or reliable enough for you to trust with something as important as your company's messaging system, right? So have you investigated the host of Exchange alternatives that are out there?

Well, here's one that's definitely worth a look: Gordano Messaging Suite. GMS is a full-featured mail server with a much lower price point than Exchange Server—and with the release this week of GMS 17, the company adds integrated document management to the mix, which might effectively remove any need for you to deploy and manage SharePoint.

The document management feature has drag-and-drop integration with email through the web mail interface. It includes the ability to store, edit, and share documents. You can also easily set permissions and change notifications, and track revision history. And all these new capabilities are being added to GMS at no additional charge—this isn't a module or add-on; it's part of the standard product.

Gordano has tried to make GMS as easy to install and manage as possible. Each version has had an in-place upgrade to the next—something noticeably lacking from recent Exchange updates. Also, GMS runs on 32-bit hardware. As John Stannners, managing director for Gordano, said, "64-bit is something we have on our roadmap, but we're not seeing any customer pressure to move to 64-bit at this point in time, so we've decided to just leave things the way they are for now. Microsoft got a lot of grief by forcing people to 64-bit." You got that right!

GMS is a multi-platform mail server (runs on Windows, Linux, Solaris, and AIX). Gordano provides a web mail interface, and GMS integrates easily with most desktop mail clients, including Microsoft Office Outlook, of course. I've written about GMS previously; check out this article for more details about the product. Or you can visit Gordano's website.

Related Reading: