When you only have a handful of employees, the costs involved in deploying a full-scale email system can seem prohibitive. However, as your business continues to grow, the practice of email management can place a strain on several areas including communication, functionality and overall security. Once you have come to the place where you have completely outgrown free email services, you will be left with two choices: You can either manage your email locally, or you can utilize a hosted email provider. Below are some important points to consider when determining which one will be the best step for your thriving business.
Do you have the initial capital to set up an on-site email system?
The setup costs for on-site email systems can be excessive. The capital outlay needed to procure the necessary hardware, security features and licenses for an on-site system can run upwards of INR 1,00,000. Keep in mind that this is only the startup costs; you will also have to factor in routine maintenance and operating expenses such as security patches and software or server upgrades. Your hardware will need to be replaced once every three years on average, and that is not including any additional hardware you may be required to purchase to account for the growth of your business in the meantime. Now contrast the above scenario with a hosted email model. With a hosted email provider, you will have access to an all-inclusive email system within minutes, minus the extravagant capital outlay. You will have administrative access by way of a feature-rich control panel, which will help you manage all of your different mailboxes as well as control the various features of your email accounts. In addition, you can scale or build out at the drop of a hat without having to purchase or deploy additional hardware. Your hosting provider will also ensure that your email system is always up to date with the latest security patches and software upgrades, and can offer a level of security beyond what is available with on-site email systems.
Do have the ability to hire dedicated email systems personnel?
According to Indeed.com, the average salary for a Email Administrator is upwards of INR 5,00,000 per year. This investment in “human capital” will ensure that your email system will be properly managed, but your budget may not currently be able to sustain such an expense. You also have to consider the unpleasant “what-if” scenario of your administrator leaving, and you being stuck with trying to figure out how to “tread water” and manage your email system until you can find a satisfactory replacement. One of the biggest benefits of a hosted business email solution is the fact that the labor expenses for the IT personnel that will be maintaining the system is included in the price. This provides you with a knowledgeable team of subject matter experts that are able to keep tabs on every aspect of your email service. Enterprise email hosting providers understand the mission-critical role that email administrators perform, so they take great pains to ensure that they only employ credentialed, well-versed and properly screened candidates.
Do you have a dedicated area for servers?
Email hosting servers require a secure, dedicated area to run with controlled access and some type of redundant power source. If you desire to manage your own email system, it is recommended that you consider utilizing dedicated server hosting from a data center. If you choose not to do this, you will need to consider where you’re going to store the hardware and how you’re going to keep it secure. The typical hosted email provider will house your email server for you in a large data center with high-level security. Email hosting providers usually offer backup services as well, including archiving options to assist with data loss prevention.
Do you need the ability to access your email remotely?
Integrating remote access and mobile support features such as Active Sync or BES (for Blackberry) into your on-site email solution will greatly increase your expenses as well. Using a mail server hosting provider will enable you to securely access your email server from anywhere in the world by way of your web browser. Mobile capabilities can also be added to your hosted solution for a flat monthly fee, enabling you to avoid costly licensing and startup costs.
If you experience an interruption in service, how quickly would your system be able to recover?
Email servers face constant threats by way of power surges, malicious software attacks, and illegal intrusions via hackers. Any one of these adverse conditions can cause severe delays in internal communications and response times, hindering overall productivity and negatively impacting your bottom line. Choosing to manage your email on-site may put you in a bind if you are not proficient in troubleshooting during high-pressure and time-sensitive situations. Corporate email hosting providers utilize efficient redundancy systems across several different data centers, allowing your email services to continue uninterrupted even during a localized network outage. Make sure to carefully examine a potential email provider’s uptime guarantee. Hosted email providers have the capability to continuously monitor the health and status of your email system, and can quickly deploy resources to diagnose or repair any issues as they arise.
Its best to have your business emails hosted with experts who understand how to manage and secure your valuable communication – our business email hosting provides true 100% uptime SLA, 99.999% spam free inbox and not to mention 25GB mailboxes with enterprise features. A more detailed brief can be viewed at here.
Our business email hosting is in fact even better than google apps and a quick comparison can be seen below. (a downloadable pdf can be found here.)
