So Microsoft creates this awesome feature to help users and administrators get out of "PST Hell". Then - as only Microsoft can do - they completely screw it up with licensing. AGAIN!
Why can the licensing and marketing folks never get out of the way of all the great things the product teams do? This is constantly the downfall of this company. People will use and enjoy your damn products if you don't make it completely impossible to figure out and buy!
So you go and subscribe to Office 365, or buy Exchange 2010/13 for thousands of dollars. They proudly come with the "Online Archive" or "Personal Archive" or "Archive Mailbox" feature - or whatever it's being called this week. It's great - users aren't dealing with the ridiculous old Outlook archiving features, and leaving a trail of forgotten PST files. Plus, offline caches are not getting jammed up with 5 years of mail. Instead, via a couple of admin settings, mail will silently transfer on the server into a new Archive Mailbox which the user can nicely see and search through Outlook. Except THEY CAN'T!
Why? Because Microsoft arbitrarily limits this to the "super mega wonder full extra plus editions" of Office. You know, because only if I work for a Fortune 500 company with enormous licensing power would I want to use a key feature of the product. A feature that is included with my $6 Office 365 subscription, no less.
Of course, to make it even more confusing - as only Microsoft can - they DO show you the Archive Mailbox in Outlook Web App. Because that's logical.
If you have a retail or OEM license of Office 2007, 2010 or 2013 and not a volume license Professional Plus - NO ARCHIVE FOR YOU!
I mean Really Microsoft? Really?
The confusing grid of the day from our friends in Redmond:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-ca/outlook-help/license-requirements-for-personal-archive-and-retention-policies-HA102576659.aspx
What You Should See:
Credit: Exchangeserverpro.com