BlueTie - A threat to Microsoft Exchange server?

Microsoft Exchange server has pretty much been the defacto standard when it comes to e-mail, calendering and contact management in today's work place. But, it's really difficult to justify spending the money and maintaining Exchange server for Small Businesses (SMBs). So, many SMBs turn to Hosted Exchange where they avoid the big maintenance costs. But even Hosted Exchange is a costly option - can range from $4.95 per user to $575/month for 50+ users.

BlueTie, a new player on the block, poses a serious threat to Exchange server with its service including everything you would normally find on Exchange. You can check out a demo of their AJAX interface at their homepage

Their free version is pretty comprehensive (20 users/account and 5GB storage). And their Pro version is priced at $4.99/user/month.

I'm not sure yet if BlueTie can climb upto Microsoft Exchange, but SMBs are sure to benefit. Let's wait and see...