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Email Hosting

Business email combines mailboxes, domain DNS, authentication, security, retention and user administration. The right provider is the one the business can operate and recover — not merely the cheapest way to display its…

2 published guides0 subtopicsUpdated 21 July 2026

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The main guide for this topic

Comparison

Email Forwarding versus a Full Mailbox

Forwarding can redirect messages sent to a business address, while a full mailbox stores mail and provides an authenticated account for sending, receiving and administration. They are not equivalent b…

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Published guides

Articles in this section

Comparison6 August 2026

Email Forwarding versus a Full Mailbox

Forwarding can redirect messages sent to a business address, while a full mailbox stores mail and provides an authenticated accoun…

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Step-by-step21 July 2026

How to Create a Business Email Address

Creating [email protected] requires more than adding text to a control panel. The safe process establishes domain control, …

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About this section

What an email service must provide

Email-hosting requirements
Capability	Business question
Mailboxes and aliases	Does each person have an accountable individual account?
Administration	Can the business add, suspend and recover users?
Authentication	Are SPF, DKIM and DMARC supported and monitored?
Security	Are MFA, audit logs and anti-phishing controls available?
Retention and export	Can the business meet its operational and legal needs?
Support and recovery	Can access be restored without the former supplier?

Keep email separate in your planning

Email may share the domain and DNS with the website, but it should not depend on the web server. Moving hosting should not require moving mailboxes. Before any DNS or nameserver change, copy MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, autodiscover and verification records.

Choose accounts, not shared passwords

Give each user an individual mailbox or identity.
Use aliases or groups for role addresses such as accounts@.
Avoid several people signing into one shared mailbox with the same password.
Enable MFA and retain break-glass recovery under strict control.
Remove departed users through a documented leaver process.

Authenticate every sending service

List all systems that send as the domain: staff mailboxes, website forms, CRM, invoicing, support and newsletters. Configure SPF and DKIM for legitimate sources, then introduce DMARC in a monitored sequence. Unknown senders should not remain authorised indefinitely.

Test before launch

Send and receive with several external providers, inspect authentication results, test aliases and replies, verify password recovery and confirm website forms do not silently use an unauthenticated local server.

Questions for a provider

Can the business export mailboxes and administrator records?
Which MFA and recovery methods are supported?
How are shared mailboxes, aliases and groups licensed?
Which retention, archive and legal-hold capabilities are included?
How are SPF, DKIM and DMARC configured?
What support is available during a domain or mailbox migration?
What happens to data after cancellation?

Compare the cost of the required configuration, not the headline price for one mailbox. Security, archive, support and migration features may sit on different plans.

Final publication check

All sending systems are inventoried.
Users have individual identities and MFA.
SPF, DKIM and DMARC are monitored.
Mailbox export, retention, recovery and supplier exit have been tested.

Sources and date checked

Technical and policy information was checked on 21 July 2026. Recheck provider-specific procedures before making a live change.