With the advent of cloud storage and computing, hosted email services are becoming more commonplace than ever. Unlike traditional methods of managing email systems, hosted email services allow small law firms to reduce costs and increase flexibility. Hosted email services entail having the email server maintained and hosted by another company, rather than being run in-house. Two of the major players in this market are Microsoft, with its Hosted Exchange services, and Google Apps, which includes a full suite of business productivity software. The main benefit drawn from using hosted email services is the flexibility it offers.
Instead of having to hire an IT professional to setup and maintain your email and productivity suite, you are instead giving the job to a larger organization. These organizations, such as Google, have years of experience managing data and can ensure that your data is kept secure and backed up. If small law firms choose to host their own email servers, there is also a risk of outages and resulting productivity losses. With a hosted email service, these outages are nearly eliminated because of redundant systems put into place to ensure that your business always has access to its email and other documents.
In addition to increased data reliability, choosing a hosted email service such as a hosted Exchange server or Google Apps affords small law firms great flexibility when accessing email. For instance, hosted solutions generally provide methods for accessing email on mobile devices such as smartphones. Additionally, small law firms can better collaborate with hosted email services. Because of the connected nature of these hosted services, employees can access email and adjust documents anywhere an internet connection is available. In small law firms, it is imperative that all employees are kept up to date on events — a requirement that hosted email excels at.
Hosted email provides the greatest value, protection, and reliability for small law firms. Because of their versatility, hosted services are the best choice for small law firms looking to boost productivity and communication within the workplace. Whether a small law firm goes with a hosted Exchange server or a full suite of Google apps, the benefits reaped from making the switch to hosted email make the choice an easy one.