Stop Using the Free POP/IMAP Email from Your Web Host & Switch to Microsoft 365

81% ofsmall businesses use email as their primary customer acquisition tool and 80% rely on email for customer retention. Companies that begin by using a free email account with their web host often end up migrating email to a hosted Exchange Online plan through Microsoft 365 for more features and better security.

What’s Wrong With Using Free Email from a Web Host? Some of the problems with using the free email accounts that you get when you sign up for web hosting include the lack of support, less security, and the fact that you’re basically on your own if downtime or problems occur. If you suffer data loss from an email account, have a problem with an account hack, or any other mail problem, you have to handle it, which means you’re being taken away from business activities to put out email fires. You will typically have a bare bones interface as well when it comes to features. You may have a spam filter that you can use for security, but that is typically it. So, for one of your most important business processes, you’ll be lacking the resources you would have by using Microsoft 365 for hosted email instead.

Benefits of Hosting Your Email Through Your Microsoft 365 Account When you migrate your business email accounts to Microsoft 365 and Exchange Online, you gain multiple features that can enhance your business and keep your accounts better protected from phishing, malware, and other threats.

Advanced Security Features You gain more advanced security features when you host your email accounts through Microsoft 365. This includes anti-malware and anti-spam filtering protection, as well as data loss prevention safeguards that help prevent users from accidentally sending sensitive information to the wrong person.

Get the Help You Need Exchange Online users have access to IT-level phone support 24/7. This means you’re not left on your own if you have any type of email issue and can get the expert assistance you need fast.

Device Security Another important security feature you get when using Microsoft 365 hosted email is the ability to use mobile device policies with your email. This helps secure communications and keeps them from being downloaded on unauthorized devices. Using device security features, you can:

1. Create approved mobile device lists

2. Enforce PIN lock

3. Remove confidential company data from lost/stolen phones

eDiscovery If you’re using the eDiscovery Center in Microsoft 365 to find important files and messages, you can more easily locate the email messages you need when you’re using hosted email. You can run in-place eDiscovery across Exchange, SharePoint, and Skype for Business from a single place.

99.9% Guaranteed Uptime If you’re using the free email accounts from your web host, if you suffer an outage, it can mean hours on the phone trying to work through a problem with your host. All the while, your company can be missing important email messages. You have an uptime safety net when you host your email through Microsoft 365, which includes a guaranteed 99.9% uptime, financially-backed service level agreement.  This means that you can always count on your business email to be up and running.

Stay in Control With Easy Admin Panel You maintain complete control over your email administration through the Exchange admin center. This web-based interface is designed to be easy to use and allows you to tweak security settings, mail flow policies, and more.

Automated Maintenance You won’t have to worry about time-consuming administrative tasks when it comes to your business emails. Hosted email includes automatic patching to keep the system safe and updated at all times.

Access Your Email from Anywhere Users can access their business email, calendar, and contacts from any device. Email can be used in Outlook or another mail program or through any browser via a web interface. This ensures that users can easily get their mail when they need it and changes made on one device will be synced across others, so their inbox is always current.

Migrate Your Email Accounts With Help from Texas I.T. Pros Is your Denton or Wise County business looking for a better email solution but afraid that a migration will be time-consuming and messy? No worries! Just come to us, and we’ll get all your accounts expertly migrated to Microsoft 365 and help you customize its features to fit your needs. Contact us today to learn more! Call 940-239-6500 or reach out online.