In most enterprise environments the mail server used most often is Microsoft Exchange. This has been the de facto standard for many years. Corporations like it a lot because not only does it do mail but a ton of collaborative features as well. When connected via the Microsoft Outlook client, it is truly a powerhouse setup.

Wondering if there was any Linux messaging platform that would fit the bill as well as Exchange (or at least put up a good fight), I searched around and did in fact find something on the Linux side that’s not too shabby:

Scalix.

There are a few things I like about Scalix up front.

The enterprise version is not free (although the Community Edition is). I appreciate the fact that Scalix has a paid enterprise version because the fact of the matter is that enterprise cannot run solely on community supported stuff. Enterprise is a business after all, and where there’s money to be made, money has to be spent. Paying for an enterprise-class messaging platform is worth the money.

This is truly enterprise-class messaging we’re talking about. This is not some haphazard badly-designed mish-mosh of code. Rather it’s something that took a lot of time and effort to put together.

The fact Scalix works with Evolution, iCal, Thunderbird, MS Outlook and more is a huge plus.

I seriously dig the fact Scalix explains (even if in basic terms) that the TCO is worth checking out – particularly the last paragraph titled "Transition Seamlessly." The biggest gripe about switching over to anything in enterprise is the migration process. It is never easy, but at least Scalix went thru the effort to ensure the migration will be as headache-free as possible.

It’s the migration notes that really caught my eye here. Most Linux advocates are usually of the opinion "You’re just used to Microsoft, just switch and figure it out", which as anyone with a brain realizes is a stupid maneuver. Migrations have to be planned carefully and timed just right. Scalix even went so far as to say (more or less) "Hey, if you’re using Exchange right now, don’t worry – we’ve got tools to migrate you over."

I wish (oh do I ever) that Linux distribution OSes were more like this, as in the kind that give you a sense of confidence if you want to make the jump.

Remember the Community Edition listed above. If you’re interested in running your own enterprise-class mail server, it’s free for download if you want to check it out. Granted, you don’t get the perks of the enterprise edition, but hey, enterprise-class only a download away? Not bad if you asked me.