You have several choices to make when you’re looking for business website hosting. Depending on the hosting company you choose, you may have a virtual private server or dedicated server. However, when you’re looking for business hosting, you should consider your email needs as well. You may find your best choice with a small or medium-sized business is an Exchange mail server hosting package.

There are some advantages to using Microsoft Exchange for your email. You can be sure that you have a shared calendar between your employees, allowing you to send out reminders for meetings. This can save you or your secretary the time and effort of tracking everyone down for a reminder.

When you’re on the road, you can use the OWA or Outlook Web Access. Your email will look identical to how it looks on your desktop in the office. You can access your calendar and set up appointments without worrying that you’re going to forget something. You can set up the contact information in your OWA, and it’ll show up in your Outlook email interface at the office.

When you use Exchange, you have more security against Spam and Phishing scams. The Exchange software is frequently updated to make the Spam filter stronger. A better filter helps ensure your employees won’t download a virus to cause havoc to your network.

Each of these features helps you to focus on your business. You don’t need to worry as much about viruses, though it’s also best to have anti-virus software installed on your personal computers. You’ll have all of your needed information at your fingertips with Outlook Web Access. You’ll even be able to remotely access your task list, allowing you to sort through what needs to be done immediately and what can wait until you are in the office.

Once you’ve settled on having Exchange for your email, you’ll find that, like web hosting, it’s less expensive to have someone else manage the hosting. You’ll save time and payroll expenses by paying for an Exchange mail server hosting package. You’ll be able to plan on the expense for your Exchange hosting every month instead of having a variable expense.

It may seem like a great idea to consider hosting your own Exchange server. You’ll have total control of the server. Hypothetically you won’t have to worry about other companies using the same bandwidth and slowing down your email. However, it’ll cost more to host your own Exchange server than choose the Exchange mail server hosted by someone else.

When you set up your own Exchange server, you’ll have to purchase the server hardware. Depending on the server type, this can cost anywhere from several hundred dollars to well over a thousand. It can take at least 30 days to set up the Exchange server to start hosting the email.

When you choose an Exchange mail server hosting plan that meets your needs, your work is done. The hosting company will help you set up your emails. You’ll be able to add email addresses as needed. You’ll also get information on how to set up your Outlook Web Access, allowing you to access your email when you’re not in the office.

If instead, you choose to host your own Exchange mail server, you’ll need to have someone who can ensure you get the required updates for the Exchange server. You’ll want to choose someone knowledgeable enough to know whether your email server needs some of the suggested updates. You’ll need someone who can perform other tasks, like backups and anti-virus updates.

Most companies who offer Exchange mail server hosting plans will also offer technical support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you have a problem with your email after hours, you can reach a support technician to help you sort through your problem or fix the problem for you. When you have an in-house technical support person, you might not be able to reach them, or they may not be able to fix your problem until the next day. The delay can mean lost productivity while you’re waiting to be able to access your email, instead of working when you need to.

As web hosting companies, companies offering Exchange mail server hosting work to ensure your email will always be available. These companies frequently back up the servers to ensure that you won’t lose any data if the server goes down. They perform routine maintenance on the servers, updating the Windows software and the Exchange server software. With routine backups and frequent maintenance, you can be assured that your email will be there when you need it.

Hosting companies work to ensure that all of their customers get the bandwidth they need for their web applications, whether it’s a website or email. Their server administrators are knowledgeable about how to balance the load requirements on the computer. When problems occur, they know to find a solution. Choosing an Exchange mail server hosting company can save you from the headache of an email account that doesn’t deliver what you need for your business.