Email Hosting Companies

Email hosting companies provide more advanced email services to businesses that are ready to take the next step beyond basic Yahoo, Google, or Hotmail webmail accounts. These service providers enable companies to communicate with electronic mail addresses that include their own personalized domain name, allowing them to establish a more professional brand for their organization. Plus, outsourcing hosting services free up invaluable and expensive IT time and resources that managing an internal system would consume. Unlike larger companies, who can support a staff and in house communications system, small and medium businesses can benefit greatly from utilizing email hosting services at a lower cost.

Small to medium businesses need all the help they can get. Hosting companies provide consistency by offering multiple email addresses with the same domain name. Customers can purchase as few as 5 or 25 email addresses or as many as 500 or 600 addresses depending on their needs. Since these communication systems usually operate with basic POP3 access, they are easily integrated into Microsoft Outlook or can be opened using web-based applications such as Squirrelmail or Horde. Because these companies specialize in electronic communication software, they keep up with the latest technology and upgrades so smaller businesses don't have to. Email hosting services also maintain current virus and spam protection software that is constantly changing to keep up with the latest threats to computers around the world.

By outsourcing to external companies, customers get more than just personalized accounts. Most email hosting services can store large quantities of data, backing them up frequently on large servers that small or medium businesses simply cannot afford. These providers also offer other useful tools such as search options, contact lists, calendars, and group forwarding features. Some even include other advanced features such as mobile access, instant messaging, Blackberry syncing, and multiple language capabilities. In order to provide all these services in house, smaller business owners would not only have to purchase thousands of dollars in software, but hire a team of experienced technicians to operate and maintain the system so that no precious business hours were lost. The cost would quickly overrun the cost of outsourcing these systems, decreasing not only valuable finances, but time as well. "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10).

But choosing among email hosting companies may not be as easy as it seems. Hundreds of companies offer plans that are various as the number of companies and differ in cost and options. The task for a small business owner may seem daunting, but there are a few key factors to keep in mind before deciding on a plan. Not all businesses are the same, so not all plans will work for all businesses. Sometimes, less is better depending on the needs of the company. Keep in mind this rule of thumb: if it's not needed, don't buy it. Another factor to always look at is customer support. Of course, the best company is one that is reliable, performs well, and has minimal down time, but problems will occur no matter how good the company is. No business can afford to have valuable communication systems down for an extended amount of time. Thus, it is important to ask key questions: Does the service company offer live support with people knowledgeable to fix unforeseen problems? Or do they simply provide a help desk with someone who reads from a pre-determined script? What hours is support provided? Customer support is not helpful if it is not available during hours needed. Many providers offer 24/7 live customer support. Although a business may not need support around the clock, but consider the possibility of communication systems going down during an important after-hours project or during a working weekend. Who will help then?

Cost is usually a crucial deciding factor for small and medium businesses. Today, most email hosting companies are quite affordable -- ranging from less than $5 per month for up to 25 emails to $30-40 per month that include 500 email accounts. Some smaller services limit the number of email addresses or aliases (addresses that automatically forward to active email accounts) available to customers while others offer unlimited storage capabilities with even their lowest cost packages. Several extend monthly as well as yearly plan options to fit a business's individual needs. Most web hosting companies also offer some form of email hosting services for businesses that would rather package the two plans together. However, email hosting companies often will offer more advanced services and don't always include web hosting.

Small and medium businesses will likely have multiple choices of email hosting companies from which to choose. Customers should make a list of needs and cost limitations before shopping among the options. That list will help narrow down the choices and help owners and managers decide the best option for their company. But be careful not to eliminate the importance of research. Get recommendations from other trusted companies or request testimonies from each provider. If possible, talk to their current customers personally to find out the reliability of the company and the accessibility of their customer support. Compare them with other companies to make the best possible decision. And once the best decision has been made, businesses can focus on what they do best - a product or service.

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