Service links Gmail and Outlook, bypassing Exchange

If you like Microsoft's Outlook e-mail client software but hate the expense of licensing and running Exchange Server, Cemaphore Systems has a proposition for you: a subscription service that effectively lets people dump Exchange in favor of Google's cloud-computing infrastructure.

The product, called Mailshadow for Google Apps, or MailShadow G, is being made available in a beta test version on Wednesday, according to the company. Cemaphore says the product ultimately will be licensed via a monthly subscription fee.

Cemaphore says the service "instantaneously synchronizes e-mail, calendars, and contacts between Outlook, Exchange, and Gmail." Translation: If you want to get rid of Exchange and run your e-mail back end on Google, this is the product for you.

Much has been made of Google's challenge to Microsoft's desktop application hegemony. One of the key reasons for Microsoft's dominance is e-mail and Exchange, its e-mail and communications server. Once installed in companies, Exchange and Outlook form the backbone of a vital application that's difficult to migrate away from or replace.

In many instances, companies must license, install, and maintain multiple copies of Exchange in order to keep their e-mail infrastructure working. For smaller companies, the overhead can be substantial.

A cost-efficient way to eliminate internal management of e-mail infrastructure in favor of a cloud-based service, linked to Google's popular Gmail service, will likely appeal to many companies, large and small. Microsoft has in recent years worked with outside providers to offer hosted versions of Exchange.

Cemaphore Systems, founded in 2002, specializes in e-mail backup and caching systems that link to Exchange. The company says MailShadow will eventually work with other online e-mail services.

[anderkas]

Don't Get It

I have a small company and have out-sourced my Exchange infrastructure at reasonable price point. Don't see what Google-Outlook solution offers me? Is it cheaper? Is it something else that I am missing?

[Marante]

Fairly cheap with no headache

That depends on what your "reasonable price point" is. A Google Apps account is $50 per user per year so if your company is under 100 users then the cost is looking to be less than $500/year. Not sure what the MailshadowG will cost but even if they raised the price to $100/user/year for the whole solution then you're still looking at $1000/year. That could very easily be cheaper than something you've seen or it may not be. If not then stick with your hosted exchange.

Apart from that there's not much else for you to be missing. It's a hosted solution with Exchange functionality that gives you a Web Access into your email and puts it in the (hopefully secure and stable) Google cloud so you don't have to worry about it.

[jonnie savell]

I believe that some might disagree

Several companies I have consulted for wanted desperately to
remove Exchange.

Exchange is not an inferior product. It is simply felt to be too
expensive.

I imagine that these companies could have found the reasonable
outsourcing option that you have found. Still, I would prefer to
move entirely outside of the Exchange revenue stream.

It's like buying gas. I don't like where the money goes.

[WJeansonne]

Interesting, but not complete.

Integration with SharePoint and of course Outlook Web Access will be missing. OWA was one of the first true Web 2.0 style apps (launched in the late 90's), so Cemaphore has a long way to catch up.

[Marante]

Should work just fine with OWA

Since OWA is just a web view into Exchange MailshadowG will work just fine if it's running. It keeps Exchange and Google Apps in sync so whatever email/calendar/contacts you are getting into either one will be sent to the other and when you open OWA you will see that content that either originated in exchange or went to Google and got sent there.

[jessiethe3rd]

Interesting...

But not quite yet. While Google and friends are hurrying up to roll a hosted solution out Microsoft has their own program together which will also allow you to get rid of the Exchange CAL.

[zingerhill]

You can use IMAP and Calendar Sync

Right now if you are using Google Apps you can use IMAP to get most of your Exchange E-mail functionality. You can also download a tool that syncs your Outlook calendar with Google Calendar. I personally do this. I'm not really sure what else is missing from running an Exchange server.

[Marante]

IMAP + Calendar Sync won't replace exchange for anyone unfortunately

First of all Getting your email from IMAP is fine if all you do is get email, read it and send it out. However there are a LOT of people who have been using Outlook/Exchange to do really stupid stuff like edit email messages that they have received. They also do things like get and send meeting requests, contact cards and countless other things in their email which they just want to work. IMAP unfortunately doesn't really handle a lot of this functionality on its own.

As far as the Google Calendar Sync... well it's fine for what it is but it has sever limitations. Once again if you are an Outlook power user then you want things like Free/Busy data, resource scheduling, calendar being updated in real time (Google's Calendar Sync is limited to sync every 10 minutes).

On top of that there are other things missing from your solution that Exchange provides. Sending email on behalf of someone or just acting as a Proxy for any number of things. People also want Global address lists, shared distribution lists, etc.

Like I said if you are a single user who uses email at home and just uses it to read and send email then most of this stuff won't matter, but don't fool yourself into thinking that Exchange offers nothing over IMAP and that there isn't a market trying to get exchange functionality out of something like Google Apps.

[jessiethe3rd]

Unified Messaging / Unified Communication

Two name a couple will nots...

[gefitz]

I guess...

...unified messaging and the like are outside the realm of possibility, and usefulness, of the vast majority of the business market (small-medium business).

The vast majority of the business market doesn't use Outlook+Exchange to its fullest extent, much less throwing in Sharepoint integration. The price point for these products is out of reach for a lot of the market, anyway. Seems like this product is catering to that sector...and depending on price may be attractive.

[movvbuzz.com]

Go one step better!

Use Thunderbird instead of Outlook. Thunderbird is much better at IMAP than Outlook. I have converted several heavy Outlook users to Thunderbird who now say they wont go back.

[gh2man]

Gh2man