Exchange - First time install - Calendar only - DO I NEED EXCHANGE?

[My8088isFAST]

Hello Guys,

Hopefully somebody here can help me out. I have read installation guides, walkthroughs, and tutorials; however nothing seems to address what I am trying to accomplish.

First off, a little background information about the business I am implementing a server in. This is a company using old technology, slow internet, and simply sharing files off a regular pc. I brought them up to speed with all new desktops and a new Intel server. They are a law firm with less than 10 employees who all need to share a calendar, documents, printer. Calendar needs to be shared to each computer and some smartphones. Their email is a POP3 hosted by a company that hosts their website and handles all their sales leads. They do not want to change anything with this company, it's been setup for years, and it will remain this way.

I have installed the server running SBS2011, containing Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft Exchange 2010, and SharePoint Foundation. Currently it is installed as a simple file and print server, replacing the windows XP pc they had before running their backup system. It backs up to the cloud every day and does an archive of all their data, including all their emails. They also do hard backups as well, storing one off site and one onsite. Each backup contains all their emails. Their emails are also fully accessible from all their phones already.

So what I don't have working for everybody is the calendar. I need everyone to be able to see a shared calendar, and have access to it from phones or web. This is the only function I need exchange for. How can I go about installing exchange simply for this purpose, and completely leaving out all mail purposes.

If this is not possible, how can I implement exchange and have it still integrate with their current mail server and hosting? In everything I read, I never actually saw anything that tells me exactly what exchange does. I found how to install it, but don't have a clear idea exactly what it does and how it works. Does exchange take over completely as the mail server, becoming the new POP3 & SMTP host, or does it simply connect to the current mail server and act as a mailbox for the entire office, being a passthrough from each computer to the mail server?

What would you do in this situation, where the only thing that really needs to change is the calendar? We have officecalendar.com, it's not efficient and very clunky to use. Already have the server and software paid for... HELP

Thanks guys, sorry for the long post.

 

[Zelandakh]

Exchange IS the email server. It does everything. POP3 is 10 years out of date and really bad especially with smart phones.

If you want a single shared calendar, how does anyone update it as the definitive entry? How do you see the wood for the trees if everyone has meetings at different times?

If they agreed the spend without knowing what it does, they need educating on wasting money. If they want to remain the same way for ever then let them. Plenty of other companies will want your expertise.

 

[My8088isFAST]

Right now they have a shared calendar they can all put entries on through their Outlook, using the service officecalendar.com. It has no web access and no mobile access, also it displays the organizers name on the header which is an annoyance. This really is the only thing we're trying to overcome.

 

[Zelandakh]

Looks like Exchange isn't for you then. It is a fully featured email solution with calendars, contacts, tasks, collaboration, meetings, rooms...scalable to 1 million users (so far).

If I was picking up the job here with SBS, I'd create a single shared mailbox and give everyone full access to it. Then calendar items can be done but it won't be pretty. Plus you'd have your own mailbox.