I am currently looking into the possibility of using a hosted email environment.  AppTheory has used an internal Exchange server for mail since the company started. At that time it was a business advantage to maintain your own Exchange server. With the introduction of infrastructure and software as a service the advantage for smaller companies and a companies with a small IT staff seems to have disappeared.  The time I have spent on maintaining and updating exchange has been extensive. Maintaining a mail server has turned into a chore that takes away from performing other important tasks. At this time email should just be available, a utility like electricity.

I have been looking at two different options for a hosted solution, Microsoft Services and Google Apps.  I am currently testing both solutions.  Here is a quick tally of my Pros and Cons: