Technology seems to be evolving every day, introducing us to newer modes of communication. From text messaging, to video chats and even holographic communication—name it and it’s either here or in the making as you read this.
One line of communication that continues to maintain its sweet spot is email. It continues to be the most preferred mode of communication for small and large businesses alike—take it from the 98.64 percent of respondents, who said email is still core their day to day business activities.
But, let’s admit, the more options we have the harder it is to choose. Don’t think so? You are probably not considering the timeless, exhausting struggle you put up with to decide where to eat last night.
Even that is easy, compared to choosing an email hosting service provider. When it comes to it, you need to put in a lot of effort to mitigate the risks of making the wrong decision, and considering the following might help:
Security Is Paramount
While it is important to implement tough digital security parameters within the organization, it should be as important to protect all sorts of email correspondences from hacks. Let’s not forget how Sony fell victim to the email hacks in 2014, and ended up losing more than $100 million.
Even though for small business owners, the average loss due to email hacks amounts up to $8,700, the risks are never worth it.
Look for email hosting service providers who ensure implementation of advanced tools like data loss prevention, anti-spam and anti-malware. Ensure that the service provider offers data backups across multiple server locations, and offers 24/7 customer support.
Only As Good As It Is Flexible
The email hosting service provider should offer enterprise level integration with web applications and mobile technologies. Regardless of the size of your company in terms of employees, you still want to have the ability to collaborate using calendars, tasks and address lists, wherever you are.
At the same time, the service provider should be able to give you options to decide the services you need and exclude the ones you can go without. This flexibility comes in handy particularly for small business owners who are looking for more affordable options to start with, ones that are scalable with business growth.
It Needs To Be There 24/7
Since we live in a world that’s practically, always on—any sort of downtime, when it comes to email servers can translate into thousands of dollars worth of loss and in some cases, irreparable reputational damage. In fact, a 2014 research study concluded that 80 percent of small business owners lost at least $20k every hour their network was down.
Since email is critical to business operations, it is important to find a hosting service provider who ensures uptime, all the time.
As a leading Austin based managed service provider, at Rete Consulting, we strive to help small to medium business owners keep their IT infrastructures updated according to the latest standards and requirements.
If you are looking to explore different types of cloud computing options and upgrade to a cloud mailbox, we can help. Get in touch and find out how we can help you stay ahead of competition.