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MS Exchange (Office 365) VS iCloud
Posted on 2016-08-01
Hi - i know this is a common question that pops up but i don't seem to find comprehensive answers that satisfy my query.
I resell and manage a number of Exchange Online mailboxes via Office365 for my clients. I have always been a fan of Exchange for well over a decade. More recently with the introduction of Icloud, i find some iphone users asking me why they cant do the same on that. I know iCloud syncs mail/contacts/calendars but how it works in the background exactly has always baffled me - Does it use IMAP? I am loath to have to set people up on iCloud when i feel that Exchange is a superior service but i am not equipped with the necessary pros and cons of the service to make a valid comparison.
Thanks
D
I resell and manage a number of Exchange Online mailboxes via Office365 for my clients. I have always been a fan of Exchange for well over a decade. More recently with the introduction of Icloud, i find some iphone users asking me why they cant do the same on that. I know iCloud syncs mail/contacts/calendars but how it works in the background exactly has always baffled me - Does it use IMAP? I am loath to have to set people up on iCloud when i feel that Exchange is a superior service but i am not equipped with the necessary pros and cons of the service to make a valid comparison.
Thanks
D
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7 Comments
Active today
From a business standpoint, I don't think it compares (AT ALL). Exchange Online/Office 365 = full control over domain names, mailboxes, distribution list, access rights/sharing, rules, etc etc etc et cet ctec etc etc etcet c etc
iCloud is fixed. Apple controls everything.
It doesn't even matter now if the iCloud push/protocol works flawlessly or not. There's no other functionality for the business.
Did I even had to mention Outlook, the most used client?
iCloud is fixed. Apple controls everything.
It doesn't even matter now if the iCloud push/protocol works flawlessly or not. There's no other functionality for the business.
Did I even had to mention Outlook, the most used client?
Active today
You are comparing an Apple to Orange.
Apple iCloud is a closed ecosystem for syncing the contact, mail, bookmarks, calendar, tasks info on iDevices to computer whereas Exchange Online (Office 365) is also a closed ecosystem for sync of mail, contacts, calendar and tasks info among devices running multiple OS platforms.
The emphasis of iCloud is iDevices whereas Office 365 emphasis on SaaS services of Exchange Online subscription.
Of course, their objectives are different also. iCloud wants on users to buy and have an iDevices, no matter it is iPhone, iPad, Mac or install iCloud Panel on Windows PC whereas Office 365 wants all users to subscribe to their service and get MS a stable income revenue.
Apple iCloud is a closed ecosystem for syncing the contact, mail, bookmarks, calendar, tasks info on iDevices to computer whereas Exchange Online (Office 365) is also a closed ecosystem for sync of mail, contacts, calendar and tasks info among devices running multiple OS platforms.
The emphasis of iCloud is iDevices whereas Office 365 emphasis on SaaS services of Exchange Online subscription.
Of course, their objectives are different also. iCloud wants on users to buy and have an iDevices, no matter it is iPhone, iPad, Mac or install iCloud Panel on Windows PC whereas Office 365 wants all users to subscribe to their service and get MS a stable income revenue.
Active today
After all, it is all above money and business models between Apple and MS.
Apple's competitive edge is its huge installed base of users having an iDevices and MS' competitive edge is its huge installed base of user having computers running Windows OS and / or MS Office applications.
In order to keep its user happy, iCloud is essentially a free service for iDevice user and about one third of users do not pay a cent.
http://www.asymco.com/2014/11/15/how-big-is-icloud/
Alternatively, MS wants to reshape its business model to SaaS and push both OS and Office as a subscription in order to fight piracy and prevent its competitors to steal its market share at a lower price.
Apple's competitive edge is its huge installed base of users having an iDevices and MS' competitive edge is its huge installed base of user having computers running Windows OS and / or MS Office applications.
In order to keep its user happy, iCloud is essentially a free service for iDevice user and about one third of users do not pay a cent.
http://www.asymco.com/2014/11/15/how-big-is-icloud/
Alternatively, MS wants to reshape its business model to SaaS and push both OS and Office as a subscription in order to fight piracy and prevent its competitors to steal its market share at a lower price.
Active 6 days ago
Hi - That clarifies some of the philosophy behind it, of which i was aware of to some extent - thanks - I wanted to work whether a user in an all mac ecosystem would still benefit from having Exchange over Icloud. In most circumstances they just want to find their contacts/mail/calendars synced across all devices , including a mac. Historically i always recommended the marginally better Outlook on the mac over Mac mail but both are so inferior to Outlook on the PC. With Outlook you see all the info in one app , wheres with Mail , Apple separates it into different apps (address book/calendar) which i find more convoluted to support if its not working right. Also , i can never work out whether you always need an icloud mail account to benefit from the service or whether you can use your own personal email/domain and have it all synced. Maybe having grown up and supported only Windows based systems since the mid-nineties has made me to MS hardwired because i find iCloud all over the place.
Active today
MS Exchange is a better solution if you want all info in one place.
iCloud is just trying to create it to be the center of everything. For example, if you sync iCloud contacts in MS Outlook, iCloud contacts is just a separate contacts folder which does not and will not sync with third party service or exchange service.
In short, Apple only thinks you shall own an iDevice and nothing more. If you want to sync iDevices with Android or Windows smartphone, forget about it.
iCloud is just trying to create it to be the center of everything. For example, if you sync iCloud contacts in MS Outlook, iCloud contacts is just a separate contacts folder which does not and will not sync with third party service or exchange service.
In short, Apple only thinks you shall own an iDevice and nothing more. If you want to sync iDevices with Android or Windows smartphone, forget about it.
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