General

GWDG operates an Exchange server for mailing and groupware functions:

• Webmail access

GWDG offers both Microsoft Exchange and Open-Xchange as comprehensive communication solutions for organizations. Microsoft Exchange provides a leading server solution for email, calendars, and contacts, offering advanced security features, easy administration, and seamless integration across all your devices. At the same time, GWDG provides Open-Xchange as a flexible open-source alternative that offers robust email and groupware functionality. This solution is ideal for organizations that want their communication services to be hosted by a research computing center rather than relying on major cloud providers. Whether you choose Microsoft Exchange or Open-Xchange, GWDG ensures that your communication needs are met efficiently and reliably.

Microsoft Exchange Server is an email and groupware server solution developed by Microsoft. It is primarily used by organizations to centrally manage and provide email, calendars, contacts, and tasks. Exchange Server enables secure and efficient communication within organizations. Users can access their mailboxes through various clients, such as Microsoft Outlook, a web browser via Outlook on the web, or mobile devices.

One of the core functions of Exchange Server is mailbox management and email transport. The server handles the sending, receiving, and storage of messages within an organization, as well as communication with external email systems via standard protocols such as SMTP. Exchange also offers features for calendar sharing, meeting scheduling, contact management, and collaboration.

GWDG offers Open-Xchange as an open-source alternative to Microsoft Exchange, providing email and groupware functionality on a future-proof on-premises platform. The service includes a user-friendly web interface and standard interfaces for email clients, making everyday work with emails, contacts, and calendars easier.

Open-Xchange is particularly attractive to institutions that want their email services to be hosted by a research-focused computing center while maintaining digital sovereignty.

Open-Xchange is available through Academic Cloud. Academic Cloud is GWDG’s approach to providing a unified central platform for digital services in science and research. It is aimed at public institutions in the science and research sectors, such as universities, higher education institutions, and research institutes.

Academic Cloud brings together numerous GWDG services with the aim of making them as easy and efficient to use as possible. A unified contract and service ordering system enables institutions to manage their subscribed services centrally and transparently.

The services offered are largely based on open-source technologies and are operated in GWDG’s data centers. This ensures a high level of security, control, and digital sovereignty.

Requests regarding the use of Open-Xchange through Academic Cloud can be sent to anfrage@academiccloud.de