Not
always. For one, Quest isn’t free, nor are any of the other third-party
solutions. We highlight Quest because it has long been the master of
Exchange migrations among professionals in the field. However, there
are several factors to consider.
If
you can perform the transition or migration with native tools and you
are provided with all that you need, why seek a third-party solution?
If
the third-party solution offers you something you cannot obtain through
the tools Microsoft natively supplies and these are features you need,
it might be worth your consideration.
For
example, with Novell GroupWise migrations, the Migration Wizard
compares with Quest pretty evenly with users email, folders and
subfolders, attachments, calendars, and tasks. However, Quest can pull
over address books and contacts (the Migration Wizard cannot). It can
also pull over shared folder permissions and archives and GroupWise
distribution lists and memberships (again, the Migration Wizard cannot).
So,
the key is to investigate your options and evaluate your needs before
you stray from the native tools Microsoft provides. Count the cost, so
to speak.
