Microsoft Exchange Online
Hosted Exchange email, moved and managed for you
Hosted Exchange means your business email, calendars and contacts run on Microsoft's servers instead of yours. Today that service is Exchange Online. We move businesses onto it from old Exchange servers and third party hosts, lock it down and support your team from Subiaco.
- 2025The year Exchange Server 2016 and 2019 support ended
- 50GBMailbox on Exchange Online Plan 1, with an archive on top
- 300+Businesses supported by our team
- ISO27001 and 9001 certified ourselves
Trusted by businesses across WA
01Time to move
Signs your email is ready to move
Most businesses move their email when one of these four things happens. If one sounds familiar, it is worth planning the move before something forces it.
Your Exchange server is 2016 or 2019
Microsoft stopped releasing security fixes for both versions on 14 October 2025. Exchange servers face the internet, which makes an unpatched one an easy target.
FixMove your mailboxes to Exchange Online. If you need to keep a server for a real reason, the supported path is Exchange Server Subscription Edition, and we will tell you which suits you.
Your email host is winding down
Hosted Exchange platforms built on older Exchange versions face the same end of support, and many providers have closed them or moved customers on. Others only offer basic email with no shared calendars or mailboxes.
FixMove straight to Microsoft's own platform, with your domain, mailboxes and mail history brought across.
Mailboxes keep filling up
Older platforms often cap mailboxes at a few gigabytes, so staff spend time deleting mail or keep local PST archive files that nobody backs up.
FixA 50 GB mailbox on Plan 1 or 100 GB on Plan 2, each with an archive, and the old PST files imported so they are protected.
Printers and apps send email with a password
Scanners, printers and older apps often send or read email using basic sign in. Microsoft is switching off Exchange Web Services from October 2026 and disables basic authentication for SMTP AUTH by default at the end of December 2026.
FixWe list everything that sends or reads email before the move, then switch each device or app to modern authentication or a secure relay.
02What hosted Exchange means now
Three ways to run Exchange email
Hosted Exchange used to mean renting space on a provider's Exchange server. Today most businesses run on Exchange Online, Microsoft's own hosted Exchange, with a partner looking after it. This is how the options compare.
| Who handles | Exchange OnlineManaged by Austin Technology | Hosted ExchangeFrom a third party host | Exchange serverIn your office or data centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who runs the servers | Microsoft, with mailbox content kept in Australia for Australian tenants | The host, on its own servers | You |
| Security updates | Applied by Microsoft, continuously | Depends on the host and the Exchange version it runs | You, and none for 2016 or 2019 since October 2025 |
| Mailbox size | 50 GB or 100 GB, plus an archive | Set by the host, often smaller | Limited by your own storage |
| Spam, malware and phishing filtering | Built in, with stronger protection on Microsoft 365 Business Premium | Varies by host | A separate product you buy and maintain |
| Backup of your mailboxes | Added by us with Veeam, kept outside Microsoft | Varies, often not included | You |
| Teams and Microsoft 365 apps | Built in | Limited or not available | Needs extra configuration |
| When something goes wrong | Our Perth engineers, who already know your setup | The host's helpdesk | Whoever looks after the server |
| How you pay | Per user per month, no hardware | Per user per month | Hardware and licences, then an upgrade every few years |
Swipe the table sideways to compare all three.
03Choosing a plan
Which Exchange Online plan fits
You can buy Exchange Online on its own or as part of Microsoft 365. Most businesses end up with a mix, so each person has the licence they need and nothing more.
Exchange Online Plan 1
Business email, calendars and contacts for staff who work in Outlook on the web and on their phone. Desktop Office apps are not included.
- 50 GB mailbox plus an archive
- Outlook on the web and mobile
- Shared mailboxes and calendars
- Spam and malware filtering
Exchange Online Plan 2
For mailboxes that hold years of history or need to meet legal and compliance requests.
- 100 GB mailbox
- Archive of up to 1.5 TB
- Data loss prevention
- Litigation hold and eDiscovery
Microsoft 365 Business plans
Exchange Online email plus Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint, with the desktop apps and device security on the higher plans.
- Business Basic: email, Teams and web apps
- Business Standard: adds desktop Office apps
- Business Premium: adds Intune and Defender
- One licence per person to manage
Licences are billed per user per month and quoted with your move.
Managed Microsoft 365
Not sure which plan fits your team?
Tell us how you run IT today. A technical consultant will scope it with you and send a fixed quote.
04Dates to know
Dates that affect your email
Three Microsoft changes decide how long older email setups keep working. Check where you stand against each one.
- 0114 October 2025. Exchange Server 2016 and 2019 reached end of support. There are no more security fixes, bug fixes or time zone updates for either version.
- 02October 2026. Microsoft starts switching off Exchange Web Services in Exchange Online and turns it off completely in April 2027. Older apps and add ins that read mail this way need updating.
- 03End of December 2026. Basic authentication for SMTP AUTH is disabled by default in Exchange Online. Printers, scanners and apps that send mail with a username and password stop sending until they are updated or an administrator turns it back on. Microsoft will announce the final removal date in the second half of 2027.
We can check your server or host and everything that sends email in one short review.
05How we move you
From the old server to Exchange Online
You get a plan and a fixed price in writing before anything moves, and the switch happens after hours.
- Review
Check what you have
We go through your mailboxes, shared mailboxes and permissions, then your domains, DNS and everything that sends or reads email, including printers, scanners and apps.
- Plan
Pick the method
Smaller offices usually move in one cutover. Larger ones, or those that manage accounts through Exchange, move in stages with a hybrid setup. We agree the method and the date with you.
- Move
Copy, then switch
Mail, calendars and contacts are copied across ahead of time. On the night we switch your mail records, run a final sync and check item counts before anyone logs on.
- Look after
Supported from day one
Security, backup and monitoring are in place from the first morning. Staff get short instructions for Outlook and phones, and our service desk handles anything that comes up.
06Security and backup
Locked down from day one
Email is still the most common way into a business. This is how we protect the mailboxes we look after.
Multi factor authentication
Every account signs in with a second factor, with Conditional Access on Microsoft 365 Business Premium to block risky sign ins.
Phishing and spam filtering
Microsoft's filtering on every mailbox, with Defender for Office 365 on Business Premium checking links and attachments before staff open them.
SPF, DKIM and DMARC
Your domain set up so other mail servers can tell your real email from fakes, which also helps your mail reach inboxes.
Mailbox backup
Veeam backup of every mailbox, stored outside Microsoft and billed per user. Exchange Online only keeps deleted items for 14 days by default.
Encrypted email
Sensitive messages sent encrypted with Microsoft Purview Message Encryption on eligible plans, with no extra add in for staff to learn.
ISO 27001 certified
Our own information security management is independently audited. For 24/7 detection and response across email, devices and accounts, add SecureShield.
07Is it a fit
Is Exchange Online right for you
For most businesses it is. For a few it is not, and we would rather say so before you move.
A strong fit Exchange Online
- +An Exchange 2016 or 2019 server, or a host still running one
- +Email that sits with your web host, with no shared calendars or mailboxes
- +Staff who only need email, alongside others on full Microsoft 365
- +Client or patient information that needs encrypted email and a clear record
- +Several domains or businesses that should share one email system
Probably another option We will say so
- ×A firm requirement to keep mail on servers you control, where Exchange Server Subscription Edition is the supported path
- ×Software that only works with an on premises Exchange server
- ×A business already settled on Google Workspace, where moving is not worth the disruption
08Recognised and certified
A top 50 MSP in Australia, three years running
Cloudtango named Austin Technology in its top 50 managed service providers in Australia in 2024, 2025 and 2026. We are also certified to ISO 27001 and ISO 9001, so the way we protect your data and run your service is checked by an independent auditor every year.
ISO 27001
Information securityOur information security management system covers how we handle client data, credentials and access to your systems, certified by Compass Assurance Services and audited every year.
How we protect your dataISO 9001
Quality managementSupport tickets, projects and onboarding follow documented processes, so you get the same standard of work whichever engineer picks up your job. Ask us for our certificates when you run a supplier review or tender.
09Questions
Hosted Exchange questions
What business owners and IT managers ask before moving their email. Anything else, call 1300 787 429.
01What is hosted Exchange?
Hosted Exchange is Microsoft Exchange email run on someone else's servers instead of a server in your office. Microsoft's own version is Exchange Online, the email service inside Microsoft 365, and it is what most businesses mean by hosted Exchange today.
Some providers still run their own Exchange platforms, but most have moved their customers to Exchange Online.
02Is hosted Exchange the same as Microsoft 365?
Exchange Online is the email part of Microsoft 365. You can buy it on its own, as Exchange Online Plan 1 or Plan 2, or as part of a Microsoft 365 Business plan that adds Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint and, on the higher plans, the desktop apps and device security. See managed Microsoft 365.
03Our Exchange 2016 or 2019 server still works. Do we have to move?
It will keep running, but Microsoft stopped releasing security fixes for both versions on 14 October 2025, and Exchange servers are a common target because they face the internet.
There are two supported options: move to Exchange Online, or upgrade to Exchange Server Subscription Edition, which Exchange 2019 can do in place. For most small and medium businesses, Exchange Online is the simpler choice because there is no server left to patch or replace.
04Will we lose any email when we move?
No. We copy mail, calendars, contacts and shared mailboxes before the switch, run a final sync on the night and check item counts before we hand over. Old mail stays in each person's mailbox, and local PST archive files can be imported so they are backed up too.
05How long does the move take?
For a small or medium business, usually two to three weeks from review to cutover. Most of that is planning and copying mail in the background. The switch itself happens after hours, so staff finish the day on the old system and start the next morning on the new one.
06Will our printers and scanners still send email?
They can. Many send email with a username and password using basic authentication, which Microsoft disables by default in Exchange Online at the end of December 2026. During the move we check every device and set it up with modern authentication, a Microsoft 365 connector or a secure relay, so scan to email keeps working.
07Where is our email stored?
If your Microsoft 365 was set up in Australia, Microsoft stores your Exchange Online mailbox content in Australia: message bodies, calendar entries and attachments. We check your tenant's data location as part of the review.
08Do we still need backup if Microsoft hosts our email?
Yes. Microsoft keeps the service running, but deleted items are only kept for 14 days by default, and 30 at most. If someone deletes the wrong folder, or an attacker gets into a mailbox, you need your own copy. We back up mailboxes with Veeam, stored outside Microsoft. See cloud backup.
What our clients say
1,800+ reviews from the people who call our Perth service desk every day.
1,800+
25
60+
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“Turns every IT problem into a non-issue”
Arthur turns every IT problem into a non-issue and does it with real patience and professionalism. He explains things in a way that makes the process easy and always leaves us feeling supported. We appreciate the way he handles every request.
Bronte J.Indian Ocean Hotel
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“Patient, capable and a genuine listener”
The support was outstanding. Patient, capable and a genuine listener, which is rare in support calls. He took the time to understand the issue and work through it with care. You are fortunate to have him on your team and the level of service was impressive.
Peter MidgleyPowertech
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“Steady, thoughtful and stress free”
Jamie put in a great deal of effort to resolve the problem and it showed in the result. His approach was steady and thoughtful and the support was appreciated. It made the whole experience smooth and stress free.
Jason CavallaroCallidus Process Solutions
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“Resolved the issue within minutes”
The consultant knew exactly what to do and resolved the issue within minutes. He talked through each step so I understood what was happening and made the process simple. The clear communication and fast resolution made a real difference.
Kirk LentonPilbara Construction
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“The extra guidance made it more valuable”
Brady tracked down an email I could not locate and took the time to show us how to search more effectively in the future. The extra guidance was helpful and made the experience more valuable. His support was straightforward and appreciated.
Tony YoungOptimus Real Estate
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“Resolved quickly, with none of my work lost”
They resolved my issue quickly and efficiently, which meant I didn’t lose any of the work I had done today. The support was clear and straightforward, and the outcome made a real difference to my day. Thank you.
Warner PriestInterContinental Energy
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“Calm, patient and always willing to help”
Dev Sandhu is outstanding in his knowledge and support. He has a calm and patient way of working through any IT issue and is always willing to help at short notice. His positive attitude makes the whole experience easier and more reassuring. Thank you to Dev and the team at Austin for the consistent support.
Peter AlexanderKoch Solutions
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“Refreshing after two unreliable IT providers”
After dealing with two unreliable IT providers in recent years, it has been refreshing to place my trust in Greg and the team at Austin. They have been professional and highly competent, even under pressure. Their support has made a real difference. Thank you, and keep it up.
Mark HutchisonLifewood
10Get started
Move your email
off the old server.
Tell us where your email lives now. A technical consultant will scope the move with you and send a plan and a fixed price.