Public folders are still a problem for administrators as more companies consider moving from Exchange Server. Microsoft supports public folders with its latest Exchange Server 2019 and Exchange Online.

However, it is encouraging companies to use some of its more recent options such as Office 365 groups and Microsoft Teams. If an organization is looking for best public folder replacement, there will not be an easy replacement.

Many organizations have used Exchange Public Folders for years to manage important emails. However, it may be time to phase it out. Here are some reasons:

1: Microsoft claims they are out of date

Microsoft has been telling users that public folders would eventually be removed from Exchange 2007 since before its release. However, this has not happened yet. Exchange 2010 still supports public folders. Exchange 2010 supports public folders, but they won’t be available in the next Exchange version.

2: Full text indexing (public folder stores) can be resource-intensive

Your Exchange Server can be harmed by public folders. You may be able increase the performance of your Exchange server by offloading public folder data. Many public folders are misused. Microsoft states that public folders were not intended for the purpose of archiving data. You would be better using a journaling mailbox to archive Exchange data than public folders.

3: Cannot be used for document sharing or collaboration

Microsoft claims that public folders are not intended for collaboration and document sharing, but many organizations use them for this purpose. Microsoft Office SharePoint Server has a better platform for collaboration and document sharing than any public folders.

These are some of the reasons why you should phase out public folders.