Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Specialty Hosting and Markets : Hosting My Web Site's E-Mail Only

[devisetech]

I'm not totally sure I'm posting in the correct forum, so please move this thread elsewhere if needed.

My web site is hosted on a VPS where I'm running my own mail server software. I'm fed up with it and would like to pay someone ~$20/month to take it over.

Here are my requirements:

• Nice Webmail interface over SSL (only)
• Encrypted, authenticated access to SMTP, IMAP, POP3 (Essentially, I don't want to send any passwords in the clear. Ever.)
• Every technique and protocol to prove my SMTP is legit: SPF, DKIM, Reverse DNS, Sender ID (if it doesn't conflict with SPF)
• Anti-spam features, including blocking the two bad SMTP commands (can't remember what they are right now).
• <10 users now, but scalable to thousands later

I'm not a bulk mailer. My e-mail system is used for interaction with my visitors and doing business related to the web site.

My server is already set up more or less as described above. It was an absolute pain to set up and continues to be a pain to maintain. It's an unneeded distraction and eats up precious memory on my VPS.

Does anyone offer e-mail-only hosting who is also flexible enough to integrate with my web site and block insecure methods of access.

[servertechs]

Which control panel you are using

[devisetech]

I'm using Virtuozzo.

I have access to my DNS Zone records. The guys at FluidHosting are always accommodating in setting up anything else that Virtuozzo doesn't expose (like RDNS).

[servertechs]

Originally Posted by devisetech

I'm using Virtuozzo.

This for managing the vps, do you use any control panel to mange the os E.g cpanel, Direct admin

[devisetech]

It came with VZ Power Panel but one of the first things I did was uninstall it. I didn't see much benefit in it and, again, it was using up my precious RAM.

It did come with MailEnable. I ended up purchasing the full version and installing it outside of VZ Power Panel.

I have since come to loathe MailEnable. It's buggy, support is expensive and the developers seem to make security their last priority. (Security is among my first, just under reliability.)

If I was going to do it all over again, I would go with SmarterMail. But, of course, I don't want to do it all over again.

[devisetech]

I just realized you we're probably talking about the external control panel (not the one running inside the VPS).

FluidHosting runs:
Parallels Business Automation

I appreciate the help.

[servertechs]

I would suggest that you go plesk control panel and it is secured. I believe you have a windows vps and please ensure that you have anti virus installed and if you are unable to manage it, please PM me

[FHDave]

I am confused. Are you our current client? If so, both VZPP and PBAS control panels are not hosted inside your VPS, but on a separate management node. They take away no resources from your VPS at all.

[devisetech]

Hi Dave,

Yes, I'm your client. Good to see you at WHT!

We're getting way off track here talking about Control Panels. What I want to do is have someone take over hosting my e-mail. I'm not sure how the CP is relevant here.

What I'm looking to do is clearly (I hope) outlined in the first post of this thread. I'm running my own mail server within my VPS. I would like to outsource this.

The reason I'm posting in "Specialty Hosting" is because I have very specific requirements relating to security, being seen as legit and anti-spam. Again, this is all delineated in the first post.

I would love to "keep it in the family" by hosting it at FH. My main concern is getting things like RDNS and DKIM in place (something that wasn't when I had a FH shared hosting account).

[devisetech]

This thread died out pretty quickly. Just wondering why.

Because:

1. My budget is too small for what I'm trying to do?
2. This is not the right forum for finding ESPs?
3. My requirements are too stringent even for ESPs?
4. Other?

Any guidance is much appreciated.

Thanks,
Jeff

[iamtheweb]

So you want some one to manage your email basically?

[devisetech]

Precisely, with the caveat that the ESP is an expert in deliverability and flexible enough to block all clear password access.

When I've used shared (web) hosting and when I initially set up my own e-mail server, Yahoo! would often relegate my mail to the spam box. I've got it under control now but it's a distraction from running the rest of my web site.

Thanks.

[polarisie]

Originally Posted by devisetech

Precisely, with the caveat that the ESP is an expert in deliverability and flexible enough to block all clear password access.

When I've used shared (web) hosting and when I initially set up my own e-mail server, Yahoo! would often relegate my mail to the spam box. I've got it under control now but it's a distraction from running the rest of my web site.

Thanks.

Have you considered hosting your email with Google Mail?

Cheers

[devisetech]

Thanks. I wrote off GMail way back when but I think I will explore further. Combined with Google Apps, most of my requirements can be met:

• GMail only allows secure access to POP, SMTP
• At Premier level ($50/user/year) I can enforce SSL log in to GMil
• Presumably Google has a PTR record for their SMTP server
• SPF is done on my side, so no worries there.

Plus several bonuses:

• Free (until I need a higher level of administrative control)
• Mobile access
• Single sign-on option (Premier)
• Provisioning API (Premier)

What I'm missing is DKIM, which, I believe, was instrumental in getting Yahoo! to trust me.

I'll try Google Apps out on my test domain and see if it works for me. Thanks for advice.

[lockbull]

I believe MailTrust (formerly Webmail.us) fits all of your criteria; they are one of the largest email hosting providers and were recently acquired by Rackspace. Depending on the storage space required for your mailboxes, they're around $1 - $2 per month per account IIRC.