We are in the process of moving away from POP3 email to an exchange server solution. One of the main reason is to make it easier to manage a company wide contact list.
I've done some reading around and found that contact lists can either be managed in AD and then appear in the GAL or we could set up a Public Folder for a 'shared contact list'
What I haven't found a clear guide to is the benefits/pitfalls of each approach.
Can anybody here provide some advice so that I can make a more informed decision.
Regards
Best Answer
Using the GAL requires creating contact objects in Active Directory for each contact; this can't normally be done by standard users without custom delegations, and it requires special tools (ADUC, EMC). The main benefit is full integration with Outlook address book(s): if something is in the GAL, you automatically can see it in Outlook.
With a public folder, you can easily allow users to create/edit/delete contacts; this is definitely better if this address list is not centrally managed. But you need to explicitly open the folder in Outlook, it doesn't behave as a "standard" address list.