Just weeks leading up to my wedding, I indulged one of the most extravagant things I’ve ever done.
No, I didn’t decide to release doves or white words after the ceremony; and I certainly didn’t commission a large intricately carved ice sculpture.
No, I worked my way through a full two of $ 45 lip gloss in just a couple of weeks.
Why did I do that?
Well, besides planning out my wedding, I also run a small business that is continually growing; now with 10 employees instead of just one. What this means for me is that I also have to plan out next year’s future organizational plans.
And that makes me quite nervous. It was that confusion, nervousness and uncertainty in choosing the right software or options for email and contact management that made me waste all that lip gloss. That’s what had me bundled up in knots.
What Was the Issue?
When I first started my business I had only one email account, now I have five and each of my employees have one. This makes keep track of communications with clients, providers and even friends very difficult. I knew I needed a business email system that would help me categorize, automate and perform all of my business email tasks better.
The Research
After some research, I realized that most businesses, small and large use Microsoft exchange to handle their business email. The reasons are many, but primarily it’s because this software works off of Outlook, which is familiar to most users.
The Benefits of Exchange
Let’s just say that exchange allows business users to categorize, track, search and share email, contact information, calendars and “To Do” lists. This was the perfect solution for my business. However, there was just one problem, Microsoft exchange needs a large server to run off, and I certainly didn’t have the budget or the space to purchase and implement a private server.
The Hosted Solution
During my lip gloss fiasco, and a little more research, I found that hosted email server was the solution. This is a service that hosts Microsoft exchange for their business, allowing business owners and team members to securely access their email functioning needs by keeping all data on an external server.
This was my “Aha” moment. That’s when I realized I needed to find a best hosted email service. What makes for a best hosted email server? This type of service will include:
- High email security for all clients.
- Continued maintenance and updates of Microsoft exchange.
- Customer support for glitches or set up needs for new users.
- Facts and training in using exchange hosted services
- Low costs email hosting services. Amazingly, this comes at a cost of about a cup of coffee.
Finding the right email hosting service took a load off my shoulders, and finally let me concentrate on my upcoming wedding. I actually find it very beneficial to be able to access email from any location. It was certainly a convenient feature at my international wedding location.