What is Email Hosting, and Why Do I need It?

Our world is growing more and more dependent on email as a dominant form of communication in both personal and business settings.  And why not? - email is inexpensive, easily accessible and instantaneous, when you're working with the right company for your email hosting needs. 

Unless you are using your own in-house email server, (see here for a cost-benefit analysis of outsourcing your hosting) your email is delivered to your computer / email client (Outlook, etc.) by an email host, usually the same company that hosts your website.  They own the hardware necessary to communicate with other email servers on the internet and retrieve your email for you.  For a larger office or one that requires mobile access, often an Exchange Server is needed to store messages and keep them accessible from any internet-ready location.

Here we present three scenarios - does one sound familiar to you?

1. I have a website and email host, but my email is always going down.
   
   A frustrating situation indeed, and one that frequently prompts calls to us.  Your email host and web host are most likely the same company, and most likely hard to get a hold of when you have a support issue.  We provide both email hosting and web hosting for your business. 
   
   You need First Place Web Host because our service is reliable.  With servers located in the Mid-West, we rarely face the severe weather that can ravage other areas of the United States, and if something happens, we have redundant back-up power & redundant connections to the rest of the Internet.
    

2. Email communication is essential for my company's operations, but when we have a problem our hosting company is nowhere to be found.
   
   You might have 3 employees or 300 employees, but when even one person's email is down, it can cripple your operations.  You need someone who is as interested in making your company successful as you are.
   
   You need First Place Web Host because we're always available, day or night, live via the phone.  The main difference between hosting companies is customer service.  We aren't doing our job unless our customers are able to do theirs.  We understand that our services are essential to all of our email and web hosting clients, so we make ourselves available via an emergency phone number, every day and every night of the year.  And when you have a problem, chances are we're already in the datacenter working on it when you call.  We have multiple notification systems that let us know when there is a problem so we can work on it and know when a router, switch, or your server needs our attention. 
    

3. We just opened an office at our third location, and it's getting complicated trying to access emails while moving between offices, much less schedule meetings!
   
   When businesses grow, they often need to share calendars and contacts among co-workers.  The ability to access "old" emails when you're on the road is also essential.  Luckily, using a Microsoft Exchange Server, all of that is possible.
   
   You need First Place Web Host because we can grow with you.  When you're ready to take that next step to Microsoft Exchange Server, we're ready too.  No hardware or software purchases necessary, no need to call in an IT firm to help you hook everything up - we're full service!  We can provide the server, software licenses, help you get everything setup and configured to meet your needs, provide security so your information is protected, and most of all be here down the road when you need help.

Ready to hear about our email hosting services?  Give us a call or visit our contact information today!