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.


Reliability.
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…

Reliability.
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?
 BoogersNastyRides25@gmail.com or
 John@ConwayMotors.com

•
 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.]

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.

Business Class Email Solutions

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