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Thread: Using gmail as a backup email solution

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    Funking Prink! Raz316's Avatar
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    Using gmail as a backup email solution

    Something has exploded at our email providers data centre and so for the rest of today we will be without email.

    We don't have a backup solution in place so it got me thinking. Am I breaking any rules if I was to create a gmail based email account for a few staff members to use when our main provider fails?

    I've had a look around on the google ( http://mail.google.com/mail/help/terms.html ) but can't see anything regarding 'commercial use'.

    I know google do a paid for service called google apps, but I think it's beyond what Im (currently) trying to achieve.

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    Re: Using gmail as a backup email solution

    im sure commercial can use it its just that googles paid service offers even more storage space and more commercial centric options

    if the basic email service they offer serves your need go for it



    why not just use gmail exclusively , google aint going nowhere and their service keeps getting better and better

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    Re: Using gmail as a backup email solution

    There's no rules against it that I'm aware of from Google's perspective. I'd imagine they'd love to have you use it however I'd strongly consider whether there would be any privacy issues with allowing your company email on Google's servers.

    I'm not trying to alarm you - I run my own personal email using Google Apps, but if it were corporate data rather than personal I'd probably have to think long and hard before making that call.

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    Re: Using gmail as a backup email solution

    The Data Protection Act may have issues if any identifiable data is stored offshore. Depends on usage.
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    Re: Using gmail as a backup email solution

    I have to say if I received a business email from a Gmail address I'd be distinctly unimpressed - it looks unprofessional, and also conveys the impression (rightly or wrongly) that the company concerned has a rather lax attitude to data confidentiality.

    Nearly all email providers (including Google themselves) will have blips from time to time, but if your current provider is regularly letting you down to the point where you need a backup on permanent standby, perhaps you need to tackle the problem at source and look for a more reliable alternative.

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    Re: Using gmail as a backup email solution

    is that using the Postini mail spooler?

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    Re: Using gmail as a backup email solution

    Quote Originally Posted by Raz316 View Post
    Something has exploded at our email providers data centre and so for the rest of today we will be without email.

    We don't have a backup solution in place so it got me thinking. Am I breaking any rules if I was to create a gmail based email account for a few staff members to use when our main provider fails?

    I've had a look around on the google ( http://mail.google.com/mail/help/terms.html ) but can't see anything regarding 'commercial use'.

    I know google do a paid for service called google apps, but I think it's beyond what Im (currently) trying to achieve.

    Ta
    -Chris

    Depends on your company's IT policy regarding storing e-mail on public accounts. The last company I worked for was seriously against that and usually wrote up or fired anyone caught forwarding e-mails to a home account (such as Gmail).

    Hard to believe that a company wouldn't have some sort of backup solution in place for e-mail. What about legal ramifications? How would the company protect themselves? Bad idea.

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    Re: Using gmail as a backup email solution

    Wow cheers everyone.

    We do deal with sensitive data so I was thinking this could be used as a way of notifying people that we are having email issues and to make it clear not to send any sensitive information to the gmail addresses. Thinking about it more though, I have a horrible feeling that people might ignore whatever signature message we include.

    Thanks again everyone

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