Microsoft's WebBased Email Client
Microsoft's @Mail service gives the power of email to the small business owner. It's a simple to use interface, and allows you to access your email on the go. From a Windows perspective, there is nothing different between this service and Outlook, in terms of user interface, or functionality. As with any email program, you can create email addresses, and attach documents, calendars or even pictures. You can organize all your messages and respond to them as you need to.
For security reasons, Windows email clients do not use encryption as part of the message or attachment process. An attachment or a message that you open directly from your desktop or laptop computer is subject to offline encryption. The encryption you see will be the same as you see on the Internet. This means that if you send an email message to someone overseas, the recipient will receive it encrypted through Windows and will not be able to read it without the proper software. Encryption is a complex operation, which means that it is only performed by the operating system and applications on the computer where the message was actually received. For a small business user, this is not an issue.
Webmail support for the @ Mail service includes Windows Live, Yahoo Groups, Gtalk Messenger, and MSN Messenger. These are the most popular groups of contacts, and Yahoo and Google groups are also useful when used in conjunction with your email client. If you have multiple email clients, each running on a different platform, you can easily configure the interface for each one, and set up individual messages that are sent to individual members of your organization. Web based email solutions are quite convenient, and they allow you to access your messages from any modern-day computer with an internet connection.
