What Features to Look for in an Email Hosting Service

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Email has been the primary way of communication from the very beginning of the Internet.

Nowadays, despite the evolution in technology, email still remains as the most professional way to communicate, given that it’s the essential mode of communication for any type of business. According to Windows IT Pro, around 96% of their survey participants said that they use email every day. This means that no matter which industry the business is in, email stays as the core tool for communication and collaboration.

However, due to the many email hosting services available on the market, how will you decide which one is the best for your business? While some email hosting services offer only the basic features, there are others that provide tools such as shared contacts and calendars for your company. In this article, we’ll explain all of the necessary features that a third-party email hosting service should provide your company with.

1. Security

The first feature you should look for in an email hosting service is safety and security. If the email hosting service offers you security, the content and data from your email will be protected and safe from potential attacks. The service you choose should offer you some advanced tools such as: anti-spam filtering, anti-malware, and other data loss prevention features.

Make sure that the hosting service follows certain regulations and has certificates that add up to the security you’ll have. If you choose a host with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) or Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) compliance, it means that their service is allowed in the health and government sectors.

Backup is also included in this category. If your email hosting service offers regular backups, your data can be easily retrieved if an attack suddenly happens. This feature is available through hosting services that have globally redundant servers, and a team of experts who handles this issue. So, make sure you choose an email hosting service that offers you this option.

2. Support and Simplicity

A reliable email hosting service should offer you the chance to be in control of your email settings. It should also be simple to use, as well as offer you support whenever you need it. So, make sure that the email host you choose provides you with full 24/7 support that can be reached via live chat, call and email. This type of assistance is a must regardless of how big or small your business is.

Once you choose a host that offers you a simple-to-use email service and full support, you should definitely go for it! We encourage you to check the great services that Domain Name Sanity offers for an affordable price.

3. Flexibility

The email hosting service should also offer you flexibility and compatibility with all devices, and syncing with web and mobile apps. No matter how big or small your business is, accessing your email, tasks, lists, shared contacts, and calendars is a perk you shouldn’t disregard. However, since some small businesses won’t need all of the features that the email hosting service offers, they should have the opportunity to choose what they’d like and what would be unnecessary for their business. This type of flexibility isn’t what every email host would offer you and that’s why you should pay close attention to all the features included and review them in detail.

4. Storage

Most of the time, emails aren’t used just for communication, but also as a storage and collaboration space. Email hosting services that offer plenty of storage space should be your choice. The average storage space you should get is 2GB per user. So, instead of having a cluttered mailbox, there are providers that give you the opportunity to archive important mails. This way, your inbox will have only the current conversations, while the important mails will be stored in the archive box.

Look for a host option where you can have all the data in one place, and an option to move the old messages into the archive automatically. The archived emails should be backed up regularly by your host in order to stay safe and not lose any data.

5. Availability and Uptime

Nowadays you can’t really afford to experience a downtime because your customers, clients, and employees expect everything to always be running. According to research by Acronis, 80% of businesses lose $20,000 per hour for the downtime they experience. Clearly, experiencing downtime has a high impact on your business, so it isn’t something you can afford to happen.

Since we have mentioned how important email is to your business, you should choose an email host that will guarantee you at least 99.9% of uptime. Select an email hosting service that will be available for you anytime and will provide you with a significant percentage of uptime. This will even help you save money, which would otherwise be lost by experiencing downtime. So always choose quality first!

Whenever you have to choose an email hosting service, bear in mind that, sometimes, you don’t need all the features, but just a few that are essential. Make sure to choose quality instead of quantity. Remember, there are many affordable options you can pick from so choose wisely.

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