Russian Developers Are Working On Microsoft Exchange Server’s Alternative

The Russian Astra Group wants to bring an alternative for Microsoft Exchange onto the market. The product is to take over the server functions completely and will be released in the next quarter. This would mean that many Russian corporations would no longer be dependent on Microsoft.

Astra is an association of independent Russian software developers. Last year a developer founded the Astra Group as an amalgamation of several companies. The developers plan to replace software from Microsoft and Apple with alternatives. Some time ago, Astra Linux was made available, a distribution that meets many of the requirements of the Russian authorities and secret services.

The aim of the Astra Group is to be able to offer its own software stack for Russian customers. In addition to the operating system itself, products such as Microsoft Active Directory, Outlook, OneDrive, Hyper-V, Teams, and Exchange are to be replaced. While the Active Directory will be superseded by a software called “ALD Pro” from December onwards, there have not yet been any plans for an Exchange replacement. As CNews.ru writes, Exchange will be replaced by “RuPost Corporate Mail” from the end of the first quarter of the new year.

Tools For Migrating Exchange Data

The Russian version should provide all the features of the Microsoft product. In addition to mailboxes and calendars, contacts and an address book search are also supported. In addition, the Astra Mail client is to be equipped with tools for migrating Exchange data in order to make the switch easier for Russian corporations.