>I have run both Exchange and now FirstClass (ver9) and there are some
>issues with both:
>
>1. If you're running FirstClass, you don't need to have a per client Anti
>Virus license running on the server. Although you can run an AV engine in
>the core of the server, FC reccomends that you don't. Exchange, on the
>other hand, is a must. I know this because the server I was running had a
>virus in the core and required the AV software to remove it. At approx
>$13 per seat and 1000 users, this can be an expensive issue.
>
>Note: this has nothing to do with the AV clients you must run on each
>workstation. This is a special Symantec AV Engine for the email store in
>Exchange.
>
>2. On the cost of email clients for each system, this, for us is a wash,
>since we purchase the Microsoft School Desktop contract through MISBO, we
>get exchange clients with that. The cost of the Exchange Server licence
>was not expensive. I forget the exact amount but in the couple of hundred
>dollar range. I suppose if we did away with FirstClass, we could save a
>few thousand each year. But then to replace the collaborative components,
>we'd spend at least that.
>
>From what I can tell, the nearest Microsoft product to replace the
>collaboration is Groove. I haven't explored the details completely, but
>it looks like we'd have to but together a Groove Server.
>
>3. On PDA's; Last summer, FC did NOT have thier act together and did not
>really support PDA's very well. So we did fire up the Exchange server and
>put about 5 people on it specifically for thier PDA's (Treo's). It works
>fine for that. However, over the last few months, FC finally got thier
>act together and made a decent FCSync application that works reliably
>enough for me to reccomend using it to our Admins. It requires the
>purchase of a third party vendor, syncje for Blackberries and syncme? for
>PDA's using Microsoft. The cost for the software was around $40. That
>allows syncing the calendar, tasks and contacts. It does NOT, however,
>sync email. To do that you need to use the PDA vendor's POP tools to do
>that. I used AT&T and it handled the email almost prefectly. The problem
>was that all the emails it redirected to the PDA showed up as read in FC,
>so you never knew what was new.
>
>For now we're staying with FC, although the push from the business people
>to switch to Exchange is strong. As long as FC keeps its product
>functioning well, we probably will continue with it.
>
>
>
>George Cohen
>Chief Information Officer
>The Walker School
>700 Cobb Parkway North
>Marietta, GA 30062
>office 678-581-6913
>cell 305-297-5543
>
>A forum for independent school educators <ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU> writes:
>Hi,
>
>I 'inherited' FirstClass 3 years ago when I joined my School. MICDS
>migrated from Exchange to FirstClass shortly before my arrival.
>From my experience, FirstClass is VERY difficult to manage from an
>integration perspective and it lags behind other systems when comparing
>basic email, calendaring, and contacts features and functions. We are a
>large School with multiple systems that require messaging integration with
>FirstClass. . . It's always a challenge. We're still trying to get a
>stable PDA calendar synchronization service from FirstClass.
>With that said, I think FirstClass has some nice collaboration tools for
>schools IF you're really committed to investing the time and energy into
>really developing and integrating them into your environment.
>
>Dave
>MICDS
>Director of Technology
>314-995-7478
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