To put it another way, Microsoft Exchange is in charge of sending and receiving emails from and to client computers. Exchange service implies a specialized network resource management application that communicates with email clients using transmission control protocols including IMAP, SMTP, and POP. Microsoft Exchange is a mailing and calendaring server that enables digital communication and collaboration within a business. Outlook as it is Exchange and Outlook What Is Microsoft Exchange? Let’s look at the fundamental distinctions between the two services and explain why it’s not so much Microsoft Exchange vs. Microsoft Exchange and Outlook are complementary services that operate best when used together, despite the fact that they’re commonly presented as either/or options. It’s easy to see why people are confused - after all, they both offer comparable services like calendaring and email hosting - yet they’re utterly different to the trained eye. At first sight, there may appear to be no significant difference between Microsoft’s primary email systems, Exchange and Outlook.