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Email: To Serve or
not to Serve?
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As we help
small to medium sized businesses grow through the use of technology,
the question often comes up regarding whether or not a small company
(under 20 people) should have their own email server, or if they should
host their email somewhere else. While the decision criteria is
slightly different for every business, here are some pros and
cons. In order to be somewhat specific here, we have chosen
specific server and hosted solutions. For the email server
product, we will focus on Microsoft Exchange and for the hosted
solution we will use MailTrust.
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Microsoft Exchange
Server
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Pros
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Cons
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Industry
standard email software
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Higher
upfront investment
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Full
control and management
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Ongoing
support fees
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Integrated
with Active Directory
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Minimal
built-in SPAM protection
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Robust
Scheduling\Calendaring feature
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Could
require more staff training
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Centralized
storage for centralized management and backups
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Email
server is single point of potential failure
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Built in
Web-based mail client
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MailTrust Hosted
Email
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Pros
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Cons
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100%
availability guarantee
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No control
over mail policies
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Built-in
virus and SPAM protection
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Monthly
cost per mailbox
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Webmail
availability
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Additional
cost when adding mailboxes
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No
internal resources required for implementation or management
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Mail is
stored locally on computer after download so additional backups must
be performed
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Triple
redundant backups of mail on server
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So which solution is right for you? It depends. You should
evaluate what your anticipated growth in email needs will be over the
next several years and how much control you would like to have over
your email. If you are still not sure, the professionals at
ForeSite can help. Contact Tracy Fox at tlf@foresitetech.com.
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Massachusetts
Identity Theft Compliance
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The deadline
for compliance with the new identity theft data security regulations
has been extended to January 1, 2010. This will leave a little
more time to get your organization into compliance, if you are not
already. If you are questioning whether or not you are in
compliance, please contact Tracy Fox at tlf@foresitetech.com
and she can help. To read the press release from the Office of
Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation click here.
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How healthy is
your business network?
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During difficult economic times, ForeSite works hard to find new ways
to add value for our clients. In doing so, we have created a
process called the Network Health Review. This process is 100%
free and carries no obligation to the client, but provides valuable
information about the health of your business network. We know
how important it is to have your technology working for you - not
against you. We will evaluate your network in the following key
areas:
- Architecture
- Security
- Hardware
Age/Warranty
- Maintenance
Updates
- Data
Backup
- Virus
Protection
- Power
Protection
- Disaster
Recovery
- Technology
Planning
We will help identify any areas of concern for you or give you peace of
mind that things are OK and stable. If you are interested in
hearing more, contact Tracy Fox at (860) 528-1100 x14 or via email at tlf@foresitetech.com.
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Headquartered in East Hartford, CT, ForeSite has been
designing solutions and troubleshooting problems for clients'
computers, networks and web sites, since 1997. We are committed to
providing personalized customer service and practical, yet insightful,
solutions that fit a wide range of business needs. With the opening of
our Worcester office, ForeSite continues to provide premium technology solutions
to the central Connecticut and western Massachusetts regions.
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