Choosing a business email platform and plan isn’t a light decision. The right email solution can help with everything from data security to employee productivity and customer acquisition.
On the other hand, if you don’t use the best email solution for your needs, your organization might have security vulnerabilities that could cost your business a lot of money – according to IBM’s latest Cost of a Data Breach report, email phishing is still the most common form of cyberattack, costing some businesses millions of dollars.
Or, your users might not have the storage space or features they require to do their jobs.
If you’re looking for the best business email platform for your company but aren’t sure where to start, read on. In this article, we cover what you need to consider when deciding on an email platform for your business.
Why a Good Email Platform Matters
Email continues to play a vital role in business communications. By 2026, there will be nearly 400 billion emails sent and received each day. It’s used by nine out of every 10 marketers to distribute content organically, and 80 percent of small businesses are still using it for customer retention.
It’s also still used for a significant chunk of internal communications. A 2024 survey found that email remains the primary communication tool for 68.6% of employees.
That same report found that many people believe email can be a productivity drain because it’s hard to find the information they need in their inboxes.
So, what can businesses do to ensure this communications channel is offering a great experience for employees and supporting productivity without risking data loss?
5 Things Your Business Email Platform Should Provide
Here’s what you should expect from a business email service provider.
1. Adequate Cloud Storage Space
Employees might want to store emails containing important files and conversations. That way, they’ll have an easily accessible record. You’ll want to include enough cloud storage space for your employees so they don’t run out of room if they have a lot of emails with attachments – at least 50 GB per user.
2. Email Archiving that Helps Your Business Maintain Compliance
Because the content of your business emails might be data you don’t want to lose – whether it’s vendor invoices, official client requests, or internal conversations – you also need to have an archiving solution.
With email archiving, your business can recover emails if they’re ever lost due to accidental deletion, a cyberattack, or a natural disaster.
A standard email platform might not be enough to help your business meet compliance regulations. When choosing an archiving solution, make sure it makes compliance easy – it should live up to the compliance regulations in your industry and help you maintain your company’s intellectual property for good.
3. Integration with Everyday Business Applications
Email is a core part of business communications, so it needs to connect with your everyday business productivity and collaboration apps.
This is why business email platforms like Microsoft 365 are popular. Microsoft 365 integrates email with a suite of productivity applications, including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Teams, ensuring that communication and efficiency are streamlined.
You can also choose an email platform that integrates with your communications tools to make productivity and collaboration even more seamless. That way, users can send emails from the same dashboard they use to send and receive team chat, voice communications, and video.
4. Built-in Protection Against Data Breaches
In today’s world, businesses of all sizes have to worry about email data breaches. One of the best ways to prevent an attack is to encrypt emails in transit and in rest. Encryption is also essential for heavily regulated industries such as healthcare and finance.
With a modern email encryption solution, emails are automatically scanned in the background to identify confidential information and ensure it’s not being sent without adequate security, and users can easily encrypt attachments, messages, or both.
In addition to email encryption, it’s also important to have a tool in place that stops users from accessing webpages with malicious code or known phishing sites and blocks spam emails. Email protection gives you multiple layers of security to help minimize email threats.
5. The Ability to Scale with Your Business
Another consideration is scaling. A standard business email platform that comes with your web hosting service might work right now. But as your team grows and your business needs become more complex, you’ll need a more robust platform that offers comprehensive security and features that enhance productivity.
That’s where starting with an industry-leading email service provider and having the flexibility to deploy advanced options can help you optimize your business email.
Get the Most Out of Your Business Email Communications with Microsoft 365
Cloud-based Microsoft 365 is one of the world’s leading business productivity solutions. You get a 99.999% uptime guarantee, productivity tools, and features that ensure security and compliance with HIPAA and other regulations.
Even more importantly, when you choose Microsoft 365 through Intermedia, you can count on 24/7 support and free migration services.
But even with one of the best business email platforms, you still have to decide what plan will best suit your business. That’s where the experts at Intermedia can help. We’ll design the ideal solution for your business, helping you get the features you need while staying within your budget.
We can help you combine Microsoft 365 with email solutions such as Email Archiving, Backup for Microsoft 365, Email Encryption, and Email Protection to ensure that your business communications remain secure. By leveraging Microsoft 365, you can simplify your communications and foster better collaboration. Contact us today to learn more!
Kirsten Barta
Kirsten Barta is Sr Marketing Communications Manager at Intermedia
July 19, 2024
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