Choosing the Right Email Hosting Provider: A Decision-Maker’s Checklist
Email hosting plays a pivotal role in the seamless operation of modern-day business. And just as with any other type of technical service, the right provider can make all the difference. A good email hosting provider is reliable, protects your data from cyberthieves, and offers a path of scalability for when your business grows. Let’s take a closer look at some of the items that should be on your checklist if you’re in the market for a good email hosting provider.
Offers Security Features
Security is critical for email hosting, so the right email hosting provider will offer a wealth of security features needed to keep your data safe. There are two components, in particular, that you should focus on. Transport Layer Security (TLS) establishes a secure communication channel between servers that keeps cyberthieves out. And end-to-end encryption adds an extra layer of protection in case of a cyberattack. It essentially turns any emails coming in and out into a coded message, which safeguards the contents of the messages.
In addition to these, keep an eye out for other security features such as spam protection, malware detection, advanced filtering, real-time threat detection, and more. All of these will help keep your email system protected from threats.
Ease of Scalability
Your business needs now will not be the same as they will be in the future. If you’re planning for future growth or you deal with seasonal cycles, ease of scalability of your email hosting will be critical to your success. The right email hosting provider will be capable of adapting their services to your evolving business. It should be able to handle capacity at peak loads and align their resource allocations to your specific requirements. That way, your email system will function as a complement to your business – not a bottleneck.
Ease of Use
The user interface of an email service is easy to overlook. However, it’s important to understand that a great (or a poor) UI will directly impact productivity at your business. So you’ll want to make your decision with this in mind.
Look for features that could streamline administrative tasks or foster collaboration between employees. Some of these features may include shared calendars and contact lists, productivity suites, and/or video conferencing. Remember that your employees will be the end user – if the interface is intuitive and easy to use, it will only mean good things for the productivity of your business as a whole.
Tech Support
Every email system will have issues at some point or another. What sets email hosting providers apart is their commitment to resolving these issues. Investigate the tech support that your provider is offering. Are they committing to 24/7 tech support? Are they available through a variety of communication channels such as live chat, email, and phone? You may also ask for response time metrics which can give a clearer picture of what the provider is capable of. Downtime may not be able to be completely eliminated – but it should be minimized as much as possible.
Contact Thinline Technologies for All Your Email Hosting Needs
At Thinline, we’re focused on making it easier for businesses, schools, and other organizations to identify, deploy, scale, and get the most out of their IT. We go the extra mile to make sure you choose a provider that can help you achieve your goals and safeguard the sensitive data of your customers and employees. Put our expertise to work for your organization. Contact us today to learn more about how our experts can help.