Why would a small or medium business use the services of DNA Mail?
https://www.dnamail.com/
Is DNA Mail simply a hosted exchange provider that also offers the Google Apps suite?
Is the only advantage to the monthly fee over Google's free services full calendar sync'ing with Outlook?
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M$2 Answers
The advantage over Google's free services are mostly services and support from a company that is intimately familiar with both Microsoft's Product line, the needs of SME AND in delivering hosted software solutions.
From their website:
For all of our DNAmail accounts we offer complete Technical Support for all issues, not just critical ones. Whether you need to talk to someone on the phone, by email or via our Live Chat we've got you covered. At DNAmail we care about you getting the most out of your Service and help you along the way one-to-one when you need it.
This is a very valuable service for a non-technical company looking to use such services.
www.dnamail.com
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M$It all comes down to what the company really needs. Is e-mail really necessary for everybody? Is there no need for such electronic communications? Bakeries, auto shops, and the like would be places where such might not be needed at all.
For projects I try to work on, I am eventually going to need something like Notes. Within the netcast network that I am interim coordinator of, I use Fastmail while two producers use Gmail and one uses Yahoo! Mail. We may have to go to Citadel/UX due to the eventual need to transfer large wave files between producers but we're not not there yet.
Sleep I have lost thinking about how to hold the network together.
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M$
You might be right. This might be the only reason that DNA Mail is valuable.
However, in my experience, setting up Google Mail is a 1 time event.
Would it be more reasonable for DNA Mail to charge a 1 time setup fee, training fee, and change fees if required?
I think that that the support that DNA Mail may provide is an advantage, but not a compelling reason to use the service.
Why wouldn't a small or medium business use google's free services?
Anyway, I marked this question with no best answer because support alone doesn't seem to explain DNA Mail's advantage.
But, I've sent you a tip for your contribution. Thank-you!
Hmmmm, you need to deal with more hapless small companies.
They won't use the free services because they can't figure them out and make them work they way the want them to. Or they can't afford a full time IT staffer.
Many small IT consulting shops make their money doing very simple things
such as installing windows, configuring exchange, setting up brochure websites, or getting internet working at the office.
Support is very compelling to the same people that are willing to pay $50 an hour to have some one reinstall windows on a languishing PC.
Thanks for the answer, Ensorceled.
I realize that this comes down to workflow within an organization and that's unique to each one. SharePoint, Dynamics and even Exchange can improve workflow if used effectively.
However, I'm still left wondering about the value.
I have shared documents, calendaring, contacts, email, etc free with Google.
I still don't see the real advantage... is there one?
I'm not sure why you think support is not an advantage or valuable?