business class email solutions - cotton rohrscheib

Business Class Email Solutions


Cotton Rohrscheib

Few people try the last name…

Partner / Co-Founder of Pleth, LLC

Award Winning Web Development & Interactive Agency

Offices in Batesville, Jonesboro, and Conway

Our core products include:

Managed Web Hosting

Web Design & Application Development

Graphic Design, Print Production

Business Class Email & Groupware Solutions

Social Media Consulting

Host of ‘The Cotton Club’ Podcast & Blog

Rackspace Consumer Board of Advisors (NASDAQ: RAX)

Have been in the IT industry over 10+ years.

Businesses Class Email Solutions


• What We Will Discuss…

The importance of Email to your Business

Why Free Email Accounts are Bad for Business.

Microsoft Exchange

Alternatives to Microsoft Exchange

Email and Your Industry (Regulations, etc.)

Businesses use different tools to communicate today than they did 20 years ago…


Today’s Business Communication Tools…

Cellular Phones and Text Messages

VOIP (Vonage)

Instant Messaging (MSN, Skype)

Social Media (Facebook, Twitter)

Email is still most widely used & accepted...


The Importance of Email to Your Business

It’s assumed that you have email.

Interact with Employees or Team Members

Transmission of Sales, Product Information, etc.

Fastest Method to Transmit Information Globally

Interact with Vendors / Strategic Partners

Interact with Consumers / Customers

Technical Support, Troubleshooting

Pre-Sale Questions

No one sends Letters Anymore

Fax Machines are Dinosaurs…

The Times Have Changed


• Wireless Devices

Being able to respond to Emails from your

wireless phone allows you the freedom to

move around in other areas of your

business rather than being chained to

your desk.

After hours situations happen more

frequently than you might think, being

able to address those instantly with your

wireless device has tremendous value.

Most business class email solutions come

bundled with synchronization tools that

interact with your desktop machine,

keeping your contacts and calendars

synchronized.

Free Email Solutions are Bad for Business. Period.


• Free Emails for Business??

Reliability. Free email solutions from Yahoo, Microsoft Hotmail, and Gmail are great for

personal email accounts where missing an important message isn’t going to

cost you money.





cost you money.

Security.Free email solutions are often supported by advertisements. This doesn’t

usually generate enough revenue for providers to justify the costs of added

security.


• Yes, This Does Happen…





cost you money.

Security.Free email solutions are often supported by advertisements. This doesn’t

usually generate enough income for providers to justify the costs of added

security.

Perception. Your email address says more about you and your business than you might

think. Let’s ask ourselves some questions…


It’s About Perception…

What does your email address say about your credibility?

What does your email address say about the credibility of your company?

How does your email address look on business cards & marketing material?

Which of the following email addresses would you buy a car from?

[email protected] or

[email protected]

Microsoft Exchange


The most popular and widely used business class email solution on the market.

Combines support for e-mail, calendars, tasks, notes, and contacts

Supports collaboration between co-workers with shared calendars, shared

contacts, assigned tasks, etc.

Requires hardware purchase, lease, etc.

Requires software licensing, renewals, etc.

Requires dedicated IT Person or Service Contract to run in-house.

Most Exchange users in our area have Exchange in-house.

There are options to in-house Exchange that knock the entry costs and

maintenance fees down dramatically.


• Microsoft Exchange Costs

Corporate Account / Small Business w/ 30 Users

Hardware Costs & Equipment - $8000.00

Entry Level Software Licensing - $2500.00

Periodic Software Licensing Renewals - $500.00

Spam, Antivirus, and Backup Solutions - $3000.00

The Average Business w/ In-House Exchange has about $12-$15k invested.

Important to Remember…

The stability of your entire email platform is dependent on the consistency of

your internet service provider. If your internet goes down frequently, your

emails could be held delayed dramatically.

The Cloud Brings Alternatives…

There are several service providers today offering cloud or hosted Exchange

Solutions for small businesses that only require a small monthly fee per seat, or

account.

Alternatives to Microsoft Exchange Server…


• Microsoft Exchange in the Cloud

Same Exact Functionality as In-House Exchange

No Investment in Hardware Needed

No Software Licensing Required

Reduced Headaches for your IT Staff

Flexible Storage Scalability

Inexpensive Point of Entry, Affordable Monthly Fees


• Choosing Alternatives to Exchange

There are several other comparable products on the market similar to Microsoft

Exchange. Have your IT staff research all of the available options and make a

recommendation based on the individual needs of your organization.

When deciding an alternative for Exchange, keep in mind the need for future

scalability as well as support for wireless devices issued throughout your

organization.

Many of the solutions on the market today come with contractual commitments,

be weary of entering into long-term licensing contracts. It’s very easy to find

service providers who offer Business Class Email Solutions on a month to month

basis.

[Disclosure: My company offers an Exchange alternative called Plethware that

has all of the same features of Exchange at a fraction of the cost. We can also

deploy hybrid solutions where you have users on Exchange and other users on

Plethware.]

Spam & Antivirus

Email Archiving & Data Retention Regulations for Your Industry


• Email Archiving & Data Retention

Open Meeting Laws - Intended to promote transparency & access to

government records

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) - Gives greater access to government

records, updated in 1996 to encompass electronic records

Healthcare Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPPA) - Wraps

stiff penalties around violations of electronic data retention and privacy

regulations

21 CFR Part 11 - Imposes FDA-mandated policies for electronic records

management on pharmaceutical companies

SEC 17A-4 - Places stiff SEC-enforced rules around retention and access to

records related to securities transactions

Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) - Addresses auditing and reporting for corporations to

combat corporate accounting fraud

Gramm-Leach Bliley Act (GLBA) - Enacts regulations around data security in

the financial sector

FRCP - Sets limits around electronically produced and saved documents that

are required as part of legal compliance


• Healthcare Industry


• Healthcare Industry Regulations

Healthcare Industry

Hipaa

Sarbanes-Oxley Act

Freedom of Information Act

Consequences for Regulatory Non-Compliance:

Inability to secure certifications

(relationships w/ vendors, patients, & insurers)

Civil Penalties & Fines

Criminal Penalties Including Jail Time

Legal Fees Defending Non-Compliance

Questions?1-888-276-0848

Email Accounts Starting at $4.95 monthly.

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