Email hosting providers are all over the place, but they don't all offer the same level of functionality and service. When you're looking for an e-mail host, make sure you get the features you need.
Get the Addresses You Need
Some email server hosting providers give you a limited number of e-mail addresses on their domain, while other service providers allow you to use your own domain name in your e-mail addresses. Some email hosts support 5 email addresses, while others offer up to 2,500. Think about how many e-mail addresses you need and whether or not you want to use your domain name or a third-party domain in your addresses. If you're running a Web-based business, remember that it looks more professional to have e-mails that use your own domain name rather than a domain owned by a Web and e-mail hosting service.
Consider Storage Space
Storage space is a big issue when selecting an e-mail host. Do you want to leave files on the server, or do you want to download them to your local computer? Do you need to receive large files?
If you only deal in text e-mails and you download them from the server, you won't need a lot of storage. However, if you sometimes receive large file attachments or you prefer to leave files on the server, you'll want plenty of space. Also consider whether the storage space is shared among all of your e-mail addresses, or whether you have a separate allocation for each mailbox you create. If all of your e-mails are sharing a single, fixed amount of storage, you'll find that it fills up quickly. Watch for data transfer limits if you need to receive large files; some companies won't let you receive files larger than 5MB, for example, which is a problem if people are sending you high-resolution images, lenghty business reports or video files.
Keep the Spam Out
Spam wastes your time and needs to be eliminated. Different companies deal with spam in different ways, but the difference between a good e-mail hosting service and a mediocre one can be the amount of spam that sneaks through. If spam is a serious concern for your organization, look for an e-mail hosting provider with good spam-blocking built in. You can add a spam blocking service after the fact if you love your e-mail host but find too much spam in your Inbox.
Access Considerations
Most e-mail providers will give you Web access to your e-mail account, but that's not helpful if you want to use Microsoft Outlook or your Blackberry to stay on top of e-mail. Think about where and when you need to receive e-mails and compare those needs to the options the host provides.
If you want to download e-mails to your software, look for POP or IMAP support. If you want to use Microsoft Exchange Server but don't want to pay for the software itself, some e-mail providers will host Exchange Server accounts for a higher fee.
Combine Web and E-mail Hosting to Save Time and Money
The easiest option when you're configuring a Web site, domain and e-mail is to host all of them with the same provider. This lets you configure all your needs under a single account, and it typically costs less than buying the services piecemeal.
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Not everyone needs dedicated hosting. However, when you do need dedicated hosting, you want to make sure you get features to support the growth of your Web site. |
Video hosting enables you to share your video content with your target audience, or embed it in your blog or webpage. Not all video hosting services are alike, though, so be selective when you make a decision about which video hosting service to use. |
