Is free email worth the price?

With tough economic times still swirling around us, there is nothing more appealing than free or low-cost email. However, many companies, especially small businesses, are discovering a down side to web-based email services from providers such as Google's email, Microsoft's Hotmail and Yahoo! And just because it's a bargain doesn't mean it's any good.

If email is crucial for your business, and it probably is, then it's too important to use a free web-mail service, according to Business Week magazine. You could be faced with some gaps in service if you do. Service can fail for hours, messages can be delayed or lost entirely. Often, there's little or no recourse for the customer who loses data or productivity.

But if you choose to use free email, you should be asking some questions about what happens if there is an outage? Make sure you read your terms-of-service agreement before you sign up for the account and ask about a disaster recovery plan. And once you are signed up for the service, back up your email and local information on a local hard drive and at least two other places, according to the magazine.

Shop around before you sign up for a free service because plenty of web-based email services have sprung up and new deals may be out there The lifeblood of your company may be its email service, so be careful what you choose. And remember, just because it's free doesn't mean it's great.

For more on the perils of free email:
- see this Business Week article

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