Hosting email in a small business26 August 2005
One of the advantages of an always-on broadband Internet connection is the ability for your business to have its own email server.
Small businesses often debate the need for purchasing and maintaining their own email servers. But if you want to manage the set-up of mail accounts and the distribution of email yourself, it may be the right option.
For most Internet users the mail server is managed by an ISP (Internet Service Provider) such as BT and email is stored there until the user downloads it using a program such as Microsoft's Outlook Express. You may also be able to access your email from a secure web page from any internet connected PC.
Hosting your own email server means you have full control and responsibility of all incoming and out-going email. Email, rather than being sent to you ISP and then sent to you, are sent direct to your server. This allows you to manage the setup of mail accounts and the distribution of email yourself.
Why host your own email server?
- Increased performance - Internal messages are delivered instantly and external messages delivered promptly as you are not competing for delivery time on a shared server.
- Common address book - A common address book saves time and mistakes when sending mail internally or other email addresses you choose to manage.
- Flexibility and upgrade options - With an in-house email server there are also many options for add-ons such as anti-spam, virus protection and CRM (customer relationship management).
- Increased security - Security is improved as messages between staff remain in-house compared to a public mail server where they travel over the Internet and reside on a public mail server until they are retrieved by employees.
To host you own email you will need both a static IP address and your own domain name , which can be purchased from your ISP.
However, while there are benefits to hosting your own email server, it is worth also considering the potential pit-falls.
Things that must be considered:
- Cost - You will have to buy the hardware, software and expertise to set-up and run your server. In some situations, this may end up costing more than using a shared service.
- Security - Email servers are highly vunerable to attacks from the internet and must be kept protected at all times. This is a specialised job and requires skilled personnel which can add to the overall cost.
- Disaster recovery - You need to ensure your email is backed up at least daily in order to restore it in the event of a disaster.
- Remote users - If people need to access there email while not in the vicinity (or on the same network) as the email server, you may need to provide an alternative method of access via VPN or dial-up connection to the server.
- Maintenance and support - Like all systems, a level of maintenance is required to ensure it's continued functionality. If things go wrong, you may need support to help you resolve any hardware or software issues.
You can find out more about how to host your own email in our help and support feature.
Watch out for next week's article on the launch of BT's brand new business email service.
