Cloud Email: Features, Benefits, and Choosing the Right Service

Publication Date: 2024.05.17

With an increasing focus on business continuity planning, many companies are exploring the migration of their email systems to cloud-based solutions. This article delves into the core functionalities of cloud email services, contrasts them with conventional on-premises systems, and analyzes the benefits and drawbacks of adopting a cloud-centric approach.

What is Cloud Email?

Cloud email is a service that allows you to access an email server in the cloud to send and receive emails. Popular cloud email services include Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, and iCloud Mail. With the cloud type, the service provider company manages the email server. However, the company must purchase and manage the email server hardware and software on-premises.

Let’s look at the main differences between these two in the table below:

➤Cloud Email vs On-premises

There are two types of email services: cloud-based and on-premises. And they operate in different ways.

By subscribing to a cloud-type, after the cloud service provider has completed the setup, they will guide you onboard and run the maintenance regularly. They are here to assist when you need technical support. You can access your inbox anytime and anywhere with an internet connection.

With an on-premises email system, your company is responsible for setting up the entire environment. It includes installing servers, handling ongoing maintenance, implementing security measures, and managing everything related to the system. You’ll need to hire a few IT experts to build it, which will create additional costs. Additionally, the upfront costs of the initial setup can be extremely high, potentially amounting to millions of yen.

Previously, the mainstream model was on-premises, where companies operated their servers and networks in-house. However, individuals and businesses are increasingly moving to the cloud, where email is stored.

The Individual and the Business

The individual is the free edition granted by Google for personal usage. It comes with 15GB of Google Drive storage out of the box. The business edition, on the other hand, is a paid subscription service geared towards companies. It provides essential office tools that enable team productivity and collaboration. Shared drives enable team members to access and store files collaboratively, while shared calendars facilitate coordinating schedules and activities. Let’s compare both versions side-by-side:

Additionally, business cloud email services typically provide more robust features than individual editions, such as advanced spam filtering to keep all that junk out of your inbox and the ability to straight-up block any sketchy emails before they even hit your domain. Furthermore, creating your custom business domain is a nice perk that adds tons of credibility. The same goes for building better brand recognition for the company with a professional email address tied to your brand name.

The business cloud email service enables the administrator to oversee all employee accounts. If someone loses their company device, the admin can remotely lock the device to prevent any risk of leaking confidential information. Business cloud email also hooks you up with productivity features and support options tailored specifically for companies.

Reference: Risks of Free Gmail for Business Use & Why Custom Domains Are Safer

How Cloud Email Works

On-premises email is the traditional method that downloads all the email to the device. The software acts as a bridge which links the sender and receiver together. The email is accessible with the device with the software installed.

On the other hand, cloud email does not require any software installation. You can access your email from any device with an internet connection by logging into the webmail server through a web browser interface. It allows you to check your email anytime and anywhere.

The Advantages of Cloud Email

Here is why you should adopt cloud email instead of on-premises email.

#1 Access Email Anytime From Different Devices

Cloud email allows you to access your email anytime, anywhere, using any device. It is the ideal solution for today’s modern remote work environments. The ability to access and manage emails from any device, be it a laptop, tablet, or smartphone, meets the needs of remote workers. Cloud email makes it much more convenient for employees to work remotely.

#2 The Security

The cloud email service provides additional features such as anti-spam, virus protection, and email encryption to prevent information leaks. The security measures can be implemented quickly, and they will be kept up to date to enhance the detection capabilities.

Most business cloud email services offer robust security features to reduce risks like data leakage. Features include spam filtering, virus scanning, email encryption to prevent misdirection, and more. Security is easily implemented right after adoption.

#3 Larger Capacity Storage

The storage capacity for on-premises email is lower than that of business cloud email. However, you can purchase additional storage anytime, enabling you to enjoy a larger mailbox capacity and store more emails without frequently deleting them.

#4 The Flexible in Scalability

If you need to update any details or settings for your on-premise email, you will have to change or install additional equipment or software that is compatible with your current server.

On the other hand, cloud email offers greater scalability, allowing users to access more storage and add users at any time. The settings can be easily modified with assistance from the cloud services provider.

#5 Safe From Physical Damage

On-premises email requires manual backups, while cloud email automatically syncs emails regularly. If there are any incidents at the business premises, operations can still be conducted remotely, minimizing the risk of data loss.

The Disadvantages of Cloud Email

#1 Variable monthly fees

The cost of using cloud email increases as the number of users increases. Big companies with many email users must deal with the increasing costs of having more users.

#2 High dependence

Since the cloud service provider hosts the email server, all the data and information stored in the cloud storage might be lost once the cloud service provider terminates its services to the company.

Key Points When Choosing a Cloud Email Service

When picking a cloud email provider, please focus on the features you need now and in the future, check the security measures they have in place, and ensure they offer good support through phone or email. Choosing a service with the right features, strong security, and dependable support is essential to meet your business needs.

Reference: Google Workspace Security Policies: A Detailed Explanation and FAQs

Gmail with Google Workspace is recommended

Google Workspace is a cloud service suite for businesses provided by Google. Gmail for businesses through Google Workspace offers many useful features for businesses.

Main features of Gmail

Gmail has helpful features like scheduling emails to send later and snoozing emails to remind you about them later. With Google Workspace, you can use other apps like Google Calendar and Google Drive and get customer support all the time. It’s also very safe and reliable.

Using Google Workspace can help your company communicate and work together better, making switching to cloud-based email easier. Send in your inquiry today to TS Cloud Sdn. Bhd., we are ready to help you understand more and guide you onboard with Google Workspace.