Welcome to Android Forums, Oldprofessor. By the user name, is it fair to infer that your employer is an institution of higher learning? In any case, large organizations with complex IT demands often have arbitrary and draconian rules. Being in IT, but for a smaller organization with more flexibility, I can sympathize with the problem allowing non-sanctioned devices on a network. That said, if accessing your mail/messages from a mobile device is essential to your position, and they won't permit sync'ing to personal devices, they should provide one to you.
While we do permit access to our mail server by personal devices, our VP of operations has chosen to set a permanent rule to copy every incoming email to his gmail account. This will push to his mobile devices. The calendar/contact sync is a bit trickier. There are workarounds that don't access the exchange server directly. For example, you can use google sync to sync your calendar from your Outlook client, but it would require installation on the company PC. It's something you should discuss with your IT department to make sure it's permitted.
I don't recommend trying to circumvent and policy. One, because for many companies/organizations, it could be grounds for disciplinary action or dismissal, and two, it's a nightmare for the IT department.
While we do permit access to our mail server by personal devices, our VP of operations has chosen to set a permanent rule to copy every incoming email to his gmail account. This will push to his mobile devices. The calendar/contact sync is a bit trickier. There are workarounds that don't access the exchange server directly. For example, you can use google sync to sync your calendar from your Outlook client, but it would require installation on the company PC. It's something you should discuss with your IT department to make sure it's permitted.
I don't recommend trying to circumvent and policy. One, because for many companies/organizations, it could be grounds for disciplinary action or dismissal, and two, it's a nightmare for the IT department.