5 Benefits of Hosting Your Own Email on a VPS – And Bonus Tips for DDoS Attack Prevention

Email can often represent one of the weakest links in any business when it comes to data protection. Most speculative phishing attacks arrive via email and many companies never dig deep enough into their security protocols to identify that there might be a problem. The biggest issue often comes down to a lack of control. Companies that may handle thousands or even millions of dollars via email transactions trust their hosting provider to keep things moving. However, if you’re hosting your website on a VPS, it might be well worth hosting your email in the same way too.

Catching Up on VPS Hosting

We recently covered VPS hosting on the blog and mentioned how it’s a far more secure option than conventional shared hosting. Yes, your hosting environment is technically shared, but it’s locked down and never interacts with anything else on the server. So, if you decide to host your email in this way, you’ll benefit from the same security protocols.

Why You Should Host Your Email on a VPS

Security is one issue as we’ll discuss below. However, there are plenty of compelling reasons to take your email security out of the hands of your hosting provider and to bring it in-house – in conjunction with your VPS.

1. A Better Guarantee of Privacy

When you host your own emails, you’re in control. If you use Gmail, Hotmail, or anything else of the sort, you already know your email accounts can become a target. Even if you use a bespoke plan from a hosting provider, you’re still leaving the security of the information contained in those emails up to chance. Host them yourself and, outside of a complete server breach, you’re in charge of who can see what and when.

2. Reduced Downtime

Email provision often relies on dedicated email servers, potentially wholly unrelated to your primary hosting. While your web provider might guarantee 99.9% uptime or more, the same can’t always be said of email. However, if you host your company email on a VPS, you’ll benefit from the same service levels as the website itself, meaning you never miss an important message.

3. Full Control Over Functionality

There are hundreds of different email tools out there. Some claim to fight SPAM, while others claim to help you avoid someone’s junk box. With self-hosted email on a VPS, you can decide which services make sense for you. There are no worries around compatibility, as you’re free to install anything your addon of choice needs to work. If support stops, you can pick it up if it’s business-critical and continue to use the tool in your own environment.

4. Space Management

A VPS typically comes with plenty of storage space – more than most websites would ever need. Conversely, dedicated email plans often restrict inbox space, often to around 2 GB. That’s enough for a throwaway or catchall inbox but might not be ideal for a professional email account. Suppose you host your email on a VPS. In that case, all the available storage can potentially be allocated to email accounts, making transferring large files and organizing them through your email client of choice a breeze.

5. An Opportunity to Brand Your Emails

Most businesses won’t be using Yahoo or Hotmail for their professional communications. Indeed, you’ve probably already got an email address that matches up to your domain name. However, it’s worth reiterating that a VPS puts you in control. You’re the only person with access to the server, so you’ve got a clean slate when it comes to getting into inboxes. Many instances of bounced emails are due to a server having a poor reputation, and it’s widespread on shared hosting. However, if you follow email etiquette correctly, you can position yourself as a trusted sender – and never have to ask people to check their junk when they haven’t heard from you!

Bonus Tips – Preventing DDoS Attacks on Your Business

DDoS attacks can take down websites, email, and any other form of online communication. They’re usually deliberately targeted, although if you opt for shared hosting, there’s always a chance that you’re simply caught in the crossfire. No matter how they happen, they mean unwelcome news. An offline website makes no sales, and compromised emails might mean missing something important. Unfortunately, these attacks are relatively common. Fortunately, they’re not impossible to defend against.

1. Create a Plan to Handle DDoS Attacks

The first thing any business concerned about DDoS attacks should do is create a plan to handle them if they happen. This might mean switching servers, disabling a content delivery network, or increasing server capacity to cope with the increased traffic. No matter what you do, it makes sense to know how to tackle the event as it happens, rather than waiting for an attack and panicking about it after the fact.

2. Implement Multi-Layered Network Security

Some DDoS attacks are designed to disable services. Others are used as a distraction to potentially enter and compromise a network. By implementing multiple security layers, businesses can ensure they stay safe, even if it means their site is offline for a while. Firewalls, VPNs, backup servers, and CDNs can all contribute to ensuring that no matter what someone throws at your network, they remain on the outside.

3. Consider Using a Third Party

Larger businesses can use internal IT teams to ensure that DDoS attacks don’t cause any problems. It’s more difficult for smaller firms to defend networks, and it may be worth working with a specialist. These third parties provide cloud-based solutions that offer more bandwidth and are designed to evenly distribute traffic, so a single attack stands less chance of knocking something offline.

4. Understand the Warning Signs of an Attack

Some businesses don’t realize they’re under attack until it’s too late. It’s essential to have someone on board to monitor the website and spot the tell-tale signs that things might be going wrong. If your network starts to work more slowly than usual, or your website becomes intermittently unreachable, there’s cause for further investigation. The earlier you can spot an intrusion, the quicker you can shut the network down and avoid any lasting damage. Having question? Contact us to find out how you can benefit our premier hosting and cloud service offerings. We are here to help!