Know Your Costs and Your UsersĬost is probably the most popular driver for businesses moving email to the cloud. While these advantages hold true for most organizations, there are not only exceptions but also hidden 'gotchas' you should look for before selecting a cloud-hosted email provider.

The advantages include per-person cost averages, cutting-edge security, cheap email storage, and simple ease of connectivity and deployment. The ability to manage the number of users, access the latest security protocols, and enjoy ease of connectivity and deployment of hosted solutions makes it a viable and competitive option.Įven businesses with dedicated on-site IT staff have seen the wisdom of moving their email service. A third-party hosted email service matches many of the advantages of in-house email without the expensive initial investment. But they require specialized on-site IT staff as well as the need to manually manage and support both hardware and software. Running in-house email servers does provide more control and wider customization as well as tracking and compliance for small to midsize businesses (SMB). Businesses of all sizes have realized the wisdom of going with a scalable and secure hosted Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution with guaranteed uptime that breaks down pricing into flexible, per-user charges. Businesses are veering away from costly onsite email servers running products such as Microsoft Small Business Server and looking instead to the cloud with hosted email solutions. How companies host, store, and distribute their email-that's the area that has undergone a massive transformation. Despite a rise in adoption of collaboration-based communication platforms such as Microsoft Teams or Slack, 86 percent of professionals prefer to use email (Opens in a new window) for business purposes. Read our editorial mission (Opens in a new window) & see how we test (Opens in a new window).Įmail isn't going away any time soon.

Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions.

How to Set Up Two-Factor Authentication.

How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.

How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.

How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.

How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.

How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.

Best email clients for business