Office365/Exchange - and the old' .pst file

Hello fellow ATS'rs.

So - I'm a developer and try and avoid anything end-user related. However, I've a friend who operates a company that's been advised to move the entire company to a hosted Exchange platform.

They currently use Google Apps for Business - which works great and has done so for some time now. However, one person had an issue with their Outlook's .pst file which became corrupt.

The third party that looks after their IT has said the problem he had was with Google, and it's best they migrate over to their hosted Exchange service (so $$$ for them). It took them 4 days (!) to solve the problem - which I suspect was just simply rebuilding the data file and resyncing (given they're using IMAP, so hardly a massive chore)

Now, if it was the pst file their argument it's 'Google's fault is obviously complete crap - and moving to a different host will make no difference whatsoever. So my question is, given my unfamiliarity with anything beyond Office 2010 - does Office 365 'Outlook' also use the same type of datafile for storing the emails 'offline' - and if so am I correct in my assumption that it sounds like this third party company are just trying to move them over to their platform for the money.

Just need a bit of reassurance as a little uncertain.

Sheesh - give me a coding challenge any day :/

Thanks all!

a reply to: youcanttellthepeople

Delete System 32 and you should be all set








....


....


JK DO NOT DO THAT lol

sorry, I'm not an expert at this sort of thing. Hopefully someone else can help. Good luck fellow ATSr

a reply to: FamCore

I tried rm -r * from root but the PC just died. Oops sorry wrong OS

Office 365 no longer users a .pst file. Everything is in the cloud.


edit: I may have misunderstood what you are asking. But to my knowledge they do not have anything similar to that.

originally posted by: HawkeyeNation
Office 365 no longer users a .pst file. Everything is in the cloud.


edit: I may have misunderstood what you are asking. But to my knowledge they do not have anything similar to that.

Ta. Basically he wants the emails synced to his desktop PC so he has actual copies "offline" - so even though it's imap he can use outlook desktop to look back at old emails, even if he's disconnected.

If the new Outlook does the same thing I'm curious if the corrupt pst issue is a thing of the past.

Thanks again!

Hosted exchange uses a .ost if it is setup as "Cached Exchange Mode"
IMAP and exchange are different ways to sync. IMAP is basically just "live email" and exchange is live email plus synced calendar, contacts, tasks, etc....

IMAP will always be delivered to a pst using outlook.

IMAP will not sync sent mail across devices. --- big issue to some.

Basically he wants the emails synced to his desktop PC so he has actual copies "offline" - so even though it's imap he can use outlook desktop to look back at old emails, even if he's disconnected.

He had that ability with google apps and should have that ability with any IMAP server or hosted/on premises exchange. Not sure why one could not previous it is how it has been done since Office 2003.
Of course files may still get corrupt. Probably will happen to the exec who has 6 gigs of deleted email still in his box. The host won't make a difference. How the host deals with problems is the issue. Who would you rather work with, Google with their infrastructure in place or the 3rd party IT shop who takes 4 days to fix email while trying to steal business?

It sounds like the third party is trying to get a piece of google's pie.

The sad user sounds like he was setup using POP3 if had complaints about sync issues.

There are two types of Outlook Data Files used by Outlook. An Outlook Data File (.pst) is used for most accounts. If you are using a Microsoft Exchange account, your items are usually delivered to and saved on the mail server. To allow you to work with your messages even when you can’t connect to the mail server, a second type of data file that is named an offline Outlook Data File (.ost) is kept on your computer.

The primary differences between the two types of Outlook data files are as follows:

Outlook Data Files (.pst) are used for POP3, IMAP, and web-based mail accounts. When you want to create archives or back up your Outlook folders and items on your computer, such as Exchange accounts, you must create and use additional .pst files.

Outlook Data Files (.ost) are used when you have an Exchange account and want to work offline or use or use the default Cached Exchange Mode. This type of data file is also used for accounts that you set up with the Outlook Connector for Outlook.com (formerly Hotmail). Outlook Data Files (.ost) are always copies of items that are saved on a mail server and don’t have to be backed up like Outlook Data Files (.pst).

a reply to: youcanttellthepeople

I use Office365 and the MS Outlook app to access the work emails. The app allows for all emails to be read when offline and the 365 obviously requires being online.

The app is a free download on Android phones whereas it has to be paid for in the MS Office bundle for laptops/PCs. I generally find the phone app version to be barely adequate. It's fine for accessing emails and the push is instant through settings. It's a bit of a problem when a deeper search is needed. For example, older emails might not show in the search results or a keyword sometimes evades the search altogether.