Email is one of the best methods of communicating with your clients and users. It helps you in increasing your business to new clients, increase sales and increase the revenue generated from your business. Email marketing is being used by businesses of every size and industry. Bulk email communication is the backbone of any business.
Bulk emails carry huge amounts of personal and sensitive information, which needs to be secure at all times. This sensitive information is about the business, individual information and personal data. So to ensure that there is no data breach, a business invests in an email server. These servers are specifically designed to keep email data safe and secure and prevent data breach and cyber attacks.
The Basics of Email Servers
An email server is just like any other server, with the minor changes which make it perfect to handle all the bulk incoming and outgoing emails. It is a server which is dedicated to handling the emails. Just like any other server, softwares and applications are installed on it which ease the process of handling the load of sending and receiving bulk emails. These softwares and applications help in the smooth functioning of the server.
Benefits of Email Servers
A dedicated email server provides a lot of benefits. Some of the benefits of a dedicated server are discussed below.
- They give you the option of having an email inbox with your domain name. This helps in increasing your brand reputation and credibility. If you have a VPS, you can avail extra security, with the help of a dedicated IP address.
- Organising and scheduling becomes so much easier. Custom tailored email functionality like webmail, auto-responsive emails and many more are also some of the benefits. These help in increasing the functionality of the email server.
Difference Between Mail Clients and Mail Servers
Mail server and mail client are the two parts of the email sending and receiving process. But, they perform different roles. Mail client is an application which provides you the ability to manage, format and send email messages.
Mail hosts are any software programs which use protocols, to improve the transmission between the mail clients. It is a support software.
More accurately put, when a mail is composed and sent to the appropriate recipient, the email is accepted by the host and transfers it to the correct inbox.
Understanding Email Servers
For any computer system to be functioning as a server, server software must be installed on the system. These softwares will help the admin in creating and managing the accounts.
There are two types of e-message servers available. These are:
- Incoming Email Servers
Incoming email servers are used to store messages and forward them to the user or recipient inbox. Two main types of email server are:
- POP3 or Post Office Protocol 3: These are used to download and store all the incoming emails on a single physical device. They are deleted from the server once the recipient opens and downloads the email. Most of the users prefer the POP3 protocol because of its simplicity. Another important reason for its wide appreciation is that it allows you to read the emails while offline, resulting in increased efficiency.
- IMAP or Internet Message Access Protocol: This helps you in previewing, organising and managing your emails before they get transferred to multiple physical devices. IMAP hosts keep copies of all the emails, until they are deleted by the user.
- Outgoing Email Servers
Unlike incoming email servers, outgoing email servers only use SMTP or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. It helps in managing the delivery process and sending emails. SMTP works in tandem with other mail hosts to give the user a very seamless experience of sending emails.
What to Look For in an Email Server?
Deciding on an email server is a daunting task. You must keep in mind these features, as these will help in deciding which email server to choose. Some of the features are listed below:
- Types of Supported Emails
Accommodating all the types of communication services, like webmail.
- Security
Built-in firewalls which protect sensitive and personal information from being breached. These firewall softwares will provide protection against cyber attacks, data loss prevention, etc.
- Mobile-Friendliness
Ability to send emails from your mobile device and receive emails on the same, when the server is used.
- Sharing with other applications
Sharing capabilities with other web and mobile based applications like calendars and contact list.
- Domains
Ability to include multiple domains.
Email servers are designed keeping one thing in mind, providing a more secure environment for your communication.This secure environment is more reliable, and offers uninterrupted service, enhancing the user experience.
Choosing the appropriate service for your business will be decided by the factors listed below. You will need a service which provides support for all the communications channels, security, domain services, and webmail, etc.
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