November 3, 2004 -- Fasthosts today announced the launch of LiveMail, a new suite of hosted business email solutions. Powered by Microsoft Exchange, LiveMail is available for completely free, for 30 days to all customers. Unique to Fasthosts, LiveMail offers:
* Integrated hosted standard email, email spam filtering and virus scanning with hosted Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 mail and collaboration tools, such as shared calendars and shared folders
* Three new hosted email accounts with total flexibility and no requirement for customers to move their web hosting or domain name
* Comprehensive range of mobile access options for retrieving mail, including Outlook Mobile Access and ActiveSync
* Desktop functionality comparable with local area networking for business customers using broadband internet
* Online web based administrator control panels and unique mailbox owner control panels for instant email and account management
* 24x7 phone, email and web based technical support for all administrators, extending to individual mailbox owners
* 30 day completely free trial - customers can experience every feature instantly, online.
Stephen Pritchard, in his review for The Independent observed, "One of the greatest benefits of Livemail Pro is that it works in an almost identical fashion to a standard Exchange account. Fasthosts also provides an automatic script that IT managers can use to configure their computers, which makes setting up the system very simple indeed. It is very hard to fault the way Livemail Pro works on a day-to-day basis"
Fasthosts CEO, Andrew Michael commented, "LiveMail gives SOHO workers and
SMEs the opportunity to step up to business class email, previously only available to corporate customers, without the need to invest in server hardware, maintenance or licensing costs. The key benefit of the 30 day free trial is to give these customers the chance to experiment with and experience all the features of Exchange. We're making Exchange accessible to a much wider range of customers."
All Fasthosts customers can now take advantage of any combination of two new
innovative mailbox types:
* Advanced mailboxes are hosted standard mailboxes that include virus scanning, spam filtering, 100 MB of mailbox space, and an individual Mailbox Control Panel
* Hosted Microsoft Exchange 2003 mailboxes include all the functionality and workgroup collaboration of Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Exchange 2003, including calendars, tasks, contacts, notes, shared folders and shared contacts, plus virus scanning and spam filtering. Microsoft Exchange 2003 mailboxes are also accessible via Outlook Web Access (OWA) and mobile devices, such as PDAs and smartphones, with ActiveSync. Each mailbox also comes with a free copy of Outlook 2003.
Unique features of Fasthosts LiveMail:
1. Integration of standard email, spam filtering, virus scanning and Microsoft Exchange 2003 under one online management system. Customers do not have to pay per mailbox for every mailbox.
2. Web based administrator control panel to manage purchasing, mailbox settings and permissions and delegate authority to mailbox owners.
3. Unique mailbox control panel for Advanced and Microsoft Exchange 2003 mailbox owners. End user mailbox owners can change their personal preferences, settings and passwords from their own unique online control panel.
4. 24x7 phone, email and web support. Comprehensive online support resource, including a searchable knowledge base, FAQs and how-to guides. Priority support is available 24x7, as is phone support.
5. For business account holders, LiveMail support extends to end user mailbox support 24x7, with trouble shooting available for simple and complex issues alike.
6. Low cost of ownership with entry level prices from just £14.99 per month + VAT for flexible, secure email.
7. Full range of mobile options including Outlook Mobile Access and ActiveSync.
8. Full flexibility in deployment - no need for customers to move their web hosting or domain name to Fasthosts. Various integration options available.
9. Hosted on multiple, reliable server clusters, with no requirement for customers to bear hardware, maintenance or licensing costs
All LiveMail accounts come with free instant setup and a free trial for 30 days. Customers can choose between using an existing domain name, without
having to move it to Fasthosts; buying a new domain name or using a unique domain automatically and instantly created for by Fasthosts.
Full details of all the features of LiveMail types visit www.fasthosts.co.uk/email
Notes to editors
For more information on Fasthosts please contact Jon Fawcett at Fasthosts on 01452 561 808 or by email at jon.fawcett@fasthosts.co.uk
About Fasthosts
Fasthosts is the UK's largest independent hosting company. Based in the UK, and operating 24/7 from their dedicated data centre, Fasthosts keep over 1 million domains running smoothly and ensures over 4 million emails are delivered safely each day. All Fasthosts services can be self-managed through the award winning Fasthosts web-based control panel, enabling customers to set up and manage new websites, email accounts, databases, and other hosted services online. For more details please visit: www.fasthosts.co.uk
