Kerio Mail Server is a great Exchange alternative for businesses running Macs.

*Kerio Mail Server has been renamed Kerio Connect. Many new features have been added since the time this entry was written.

One of the few drawbacks to using a Mac in a business environment has been the lack of a solid, business class groupware email, calendar, and contacts solution.  With the release of Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6), Apple has introduced built in support for Exchange, but for small businesses who are concerned about cost of deployment, and maintaining the solution once it has been deployed, Exchange is not always the best choice.  Why should an all Mac office deploy a Windows server just for email?

Two years ago, when I left Apple to become an Apple Consultant, I was introduced to Kerio Mail Server by the new company that I was working for.  I was impressed that my email, contacts, and calendars could easily be synced between my Mac, and any other computer that I wanted to configure with my Kerio account.  In the Summer of 2008, Kerio added full iPhone support which allowed my contacts, and calendars to stay synced with my Mac.  If I ever found myself without access to my Mac, or my iPhone, Kerio Mail Server’s webmail feature had everything that I needed.  All of my contacts, calendars, and email were there.

Although I have worked with a lot of customers who run all Mac offices, most have been a mix and Mac and Windows PCs.  Mac OS X Server provides a really great email solution, but it doesn’t have a true cross platform groupware features.  That’s where Kerio Mail Server comes in.  For small businesses who need cross platform groupware features, Kerio Mail Server (KMS) is a great solution.  Kerio Mail Server runs on Mac OS X Server, Windows Server, and on Linux.  It has full support for Open Directory, and Active Directory, and it allows businesses to run LDAP services on one kind of server (Mac or Windows), and Kerio Mail Server on another server.  One deployment that I worked on involved setting up Mac OS X Server with KMS, but the user accounts were stored in Active Directory on a Windows Server.  This enabled the customer to easily integrate Mac OS X Server into their network without having to make major changes to their existing server/network configuration.

The cost of deployment is always a major concern for small businesses. [Comparison Chart]  This is another reason why Kerio Mail Server is a great choice.  For 50 users, the minimum licensing cost for Kerio Mail Server is $1299.  The same amount of users in Exchange 2007 will cost your business over $5000.  Depending upon your server and workstation configurations, you could also be facing additional client access license (CAL) costs which is a problem that does not exist with Mac OS X Server.  Mac OS X Server includes licensing for unlimited users.

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For years, Mac users in business have languished without a good, business class email solution.  Exchange compatibility in some form has existed on the Mac for quite sometime.  However, I.T. departments often don’t know how to get Exchange to work properly with Macs, or they are unwilling to make changes to accommodate Mac users.  Entourage, which is part of Microsoft Office for the Mac, includes Exchange compatibility, but it requires more configuration than Outlook.  Most of the time, the I.T. staff has no idea how to properly configure Entourage to take full advantage of Exchange, and all of its groupware features.  Even when Entourage is configured with all of the necessary LDAP information, there are often features missing from the product due to a company’s unique security requirements, or server configuration .  Access to Kerio Mail Server can be configured on numerous email clients on the Mac.  Apple’s own Mail app that is included in Mac OS X works very well with Kerio Mail Server, as does Microsoft Entourage.  Apple’s Address Book app, and iCal work very well with KMS.  There is no complicated setup process, and Kerio Mail Server includes auto configuration scripts for Entourage, and iCal.  For contacts syncing, Kerio Mail Server provides the Kerio Sync Connector to ensure that contacts stay synced between your Mac, smartphone, webmail, and other computers that you choose to setup.  Kerio Mail Server (soon to be renamed Kerio Connect) will support CardDav, which was recently introduced  into Mac OS X.  Kerio Mail Server supports iPhone, Blackberry, Windows Mobile, and Palm smartphones to allow access to email, contacts, and calendars from anywhere.  Let’s not forget Windows, of course.  Kerio Mail Server works great with Microsoft Outlook.

For administrators, KMS offers easy installation and updating, as well as easy management, and maintenance.  The installation process for KMS averages about 2 minutes, and updates can be performed while the server is actively serving clients.  If you need to migrate from Exchange to KMS, Kerio provides an Exchange migration tool which will move all of your users from Exchange to Kerio Mail Server, including all of their email, contacts, and calendars.  Kerio also provides a tool to migrate users from IMAP email systems.  KMS includes built in backup and archiving, and can be bundled with anti-virus software built in.  Administrators will have some great anti-spam tools at their disposal.  KMS can be administrated remotely using a web interface, or by using the Kerio admin console that can be downloaded from Kerio’s website.  The admin console is included in every KMS install.  If you need support, Kerio offers some of the best phone support that I have ever received.  Their techs are extremely knowledgeable, and they are always willing to give advice on how to find the best configuration for your needs.  There is also a growing number of Kerio resellers, and support providers throughout the U.S.  who can setup your new Kerio Mail Server, and offer onsite support when you need help.

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions about Kerio Mail Server.