Intellectual Ammunition

[JD Runyan]

At the center that I work they have done the same thing, and I have had
them forward my mail to another account.  Most companies go to exchange
because it looks like a nice neat easy to use package, but it is not.  I
have managed a few of my own.  They don't want to have to manage a
seperate directory server, and email server.  I would recommend showing
off the IPlanet software.  They have all of the functionality of
exchange using open standards.  Sometime in the future the folks
developing Horde will have a total solution that is web based, but they
are a little ways off from that for now.

The argument I would use would be one of standards.  Exchange
inherently(sp?) does not support Internet Standards.  It does support
IMAP POP SMTP if you turn in on, and they are supposed to be adding vCAL
in the next release.  This would make it so you do not have to use their
client to access the server. I think you will see as Mac regains
desktops, and linux gains desktops that MS will start supporting more of
these standards on thier server platforms, so that they don't start
loosing market share in the server market.  They have used thier desktop
to leverage the server platform where the real money is to be made.
They will do whatever it takes to get more of ther server market, and if
that means putting a pretty face on the same products that we use in the
UN*X world, then that is precisely what they will do.

>   Here's what I have off the top of my head:
> 
>     1.  Exchange + Outlook (our standard email client) = Worm Meat.
> Arbitrary code in attached files are executed without any user action
> whatsoever.  A single worm that gets to one of our people will propagate to
> their address book (mine looks like it has every one in the company as
> individuals, not to mention overlapping lists)
> 
>    2.  Exchange requires MS clients to talk to it.  POP runs on anything,
> including our own favorite OS (which runs at least some of our intranet
> servers)
> 
>    3. Exchange requires MS OSes to run it on, with all of the security and
> performance issues that implies.
> 
>    4. Exchange is a huge security hole.
> 
>    5.  I understand that we will be keeping our mail on the server - moving
> mail to the local HD is a tedious process that won't be done IRL  That means
> that every time I want to read a piece of mail, it will require bandwidth to
> the server. And when our T-1 line to South Bend goes down, we won't be able
> to look at "saved" mail at all.
> 
>   6.  Did I mention that Exchange is a horrible security risk?
> 
>   7.  We recommend to our customers that they purchase a Unix server for our
> program - it seems as if we don't take our own advice.
> 
>   What I'm hoping for is to get them to agree to leave POP up in parallel
> with Exchange indefinitely, and leave it to individual users' needs.  And
> when (not if) a worm gets in and propagates at light speed among
> Exchange-enabled Outlook clients, I can say "I told you so."  And recommend
> moving the mail servers to NSA Linux boxen....