The Benefits of Cloud Email For Your Business
Cloud email refers to a specific subset of cloud computing which regards the hosting and operation of email servers. Most of the time, email hosting is catered for small to medium-sized businesses and allows businesses to set up their own email domain name for their employees and services. Well-known examples of such email servers are Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail, and Outlook.com.
The key feature of any cloud-based email, or webmail, is that it is accessible anywhere, anytime using a standard web browser. And with the advent of mobile devices, that range has extended even further.
Previously, you needed to have email client software set up on your device with the correct network connection, which usually operated via a proxy, to access your emails. There are some companies that still operate like this, believing that it is safer for their data and ultimately, their bottom line to protect their digital assets in this way. Although this may be true for a fraction of small to medium-sized businesses – the truth of the matter is, the protocols which cloud-based email hosts follow are based on standard cloud computing security measures. These measures are quite stringent since the email hosts understand that their platforms are being used by businesses throughout the world. It would be bad for their business and reputation if their cloud security was anything but tight.
Our Approach To Cloud-Based Email
HSC Systems has a unique approach to cloud-based email in that we currently focus on the Microsoft Office 365 Hosted Email Exchange. The Exchange platform is a market leader in exchange services and comes with a financially backed 99.9% SLA. The platform runs exclusively on the Windows Server operating system (with Windows OS itself being used by 77% of desktop and laptop users globally). This makes integration with existing systems quite seamless and fast.
Without getting too technical, the Exchange platform uses RPC protocol to allow it to be used by Microsoft Outlook, Evolution, and Hiri as clients. We are able to base your cloud email on any of these clients as and when the case dictates.
Reasons To Move Away From Desktop-Only Email Clients
With desktop-only email, the highest threat you face is a human one. Either your employees making a mistake that could compromise your data or not having the correct protocols in place to protect that data. There are also other disadvantages such as:
- Downtime
- Minimal cloud backup
- Ongoing requirements for security and spam filtering
- Little or no data protection
- Support issues
Meanwhile, the Office 365 email system offers the following benefits:
- 99.9% Financially backed uptime guarantee
- Complete cloud replication and integration on 5 devices
- Premier malware and spam filtering
- Full continuity and backups
- Centralised and dedicated support
The Office 365 Exchange platform is cost-effective at just R100 per user, per month, offering each user 50 GB of data, access anywhere, background updates, and high scalability and security. On top of that, you also get HSC Systems’ 30 years of experience in working within the IT support and cloud computing sphere. Our technicians are highly equipped to help any business that requires migration from desktop-only email to cloud-based email. The benefits highlighted above are but a few and we are able to provide more detailed advantages upon request.