If your domain is using Google Apps for your Domain, which acts as the email server system, it receives all your mail (inbound and outbound) and processes it for spam, viruses, and phishing. This is done by pointing certain parts of your domain name (CNAME and MX records) to Google’s services. If you are an admin with Google’s services, you can also add/remove features as well as add/remove users and email addresses.

You can use either IMAP, POP3, or web-based access for your email – or a combination of all 3. If you use POP3, then inbound mail is delivered to Thunderbird, Outlook, or Outlook Express (or your email program) every-time it is requested – usually every 3 minutes. A copy of all inbound mail is also kept on the Google email servers. Outbound mail from your email program is first sent to Google’s email servers for processing. Then a copy is forwarded on to the recipient. A copy of all outbound mail is also kept on the Google email servers. This provides a backup source for your email and gives you web-based access to your mail from any location.

Web-Based Access (like going directly to the post office)

example: http://mail.yourwebsite.com

Most email is sent over the Internet in plain text and can potentially be easily sniffed right off a network. A good example is a hotel with Internet access. Someone with free network sniffing software can actually pull your information right off the “network” at the hotel – unless you use an encrypted SSL session, which Google does by default. Checking your email through this link allows you to securely communicate from your computer to Google’s servers. Of course, from that point out, security depends on the recipients email system.

*Note: Thunderbird and other email programs (Outlook, Outlook Express, etc) use an encrypted session with Google’s email servers – so you are protected when using them at least from your computer to Google’s email servers.

Checking other Email Accounts

Your email address can be configured to check other POP3 enabled email systems. This gives you one “central point” to check all of your email. For instance, if you have an email address of yourname@comcast.net, you can have yourname@yourwebsite.com automatically pull in your comcast email.

Quick Tour:

http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/admins/apps_video.html

Comprehensive Overview:

https://services.google.com/apps/site/overview/index.html

http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/admins/online_seminars/apps_overview/premium_seminar.html

Product Overview – How to Use Your Email, Calendar, Start Page, and Docs

http://services.google.com/apps/resources/overviews_breeze/Mail/index.html

http://services.google.com/apps/resources/overviews_breeze/Calendar/index.html

http://services.google.com/apps/resources/overviews_breeze/StartPage/index.html

http://services.google.com/apps/resources/overviews_breeze/DocsSpreadsheets/index.html

http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/users/talk.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRqUE6IHTEA

Google Apps Help Center – Users

http://google.com/support/a/users/?hl=en

Google Apps for Administrators

http://www.google.com/support/a/

Gmail Getting Started Guide

https://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=90877&topic=12925

POP Settings:

https://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&ctx=mail&answer=12103

Outgoing Server tab

Advanced tab

Other Email Helpful Links:

Anything that references “Gmail” also applies to your email account.

Gmail Search

http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=6593&hl=en

Using advanced search

http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=7190

Hack Attack: Become a Gmail master

http://lifehacker.com/software/gmail/hack-attack-become-a-gmail-master-161399.php

http://lifehacker.com/software/gmail/

Supercharge your Gmail filters

http://lifehacker.com/software/gmail/supercharge-your-gmail-filters-204781.php

A Feed for Unread Gmail Messages

http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2008/03/feed-for-unread-gmail-messages.html

As most of you know, I’m a big fan of Google Apps. When Google Mobile Sync was launched, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me to switch to the iPhone. Having the ability to seamlessly synchronize my contacts, calendar, and email is a huge plus to my efficiency.

Now, arguably I run around like a chicken with my head cut off much of the time. If it weren’t for the Google Mobile Sync and my iPhone, it would be much worse. Of course, you don’t have to have an iPhone – the sync works with several different smart phones.

One other added benefit now is that you can sync multiple calendars. For instance, my business schedule calendar is shared online to Genia via her email address through Google Apps for your Domain. That means she can check my schedule against things she might want to plan for the family. In reverse, her calendar is shared to me so I can check for school meetings, birthday events, etc. It works out great.

As most of you know, I’m very much into backups. For my local information, I use and recommend JungleDisk. What do you do about “cloud” information though? What if Facebook lost your account? Think that can’t happen? Right.

I put a lot of trust in services such as Google; however, ultimately I’m into personal responsibility. That means that you and you alone are responsible for you data so I like to watch the watchers.

Ok – here is what I do:

• For Google email (Gmail, etc) – Gmail Backup. Easy. Simple.
• For Google Docs – choose all your docs…more actions…export.
• For JungleDisk – I also backup to an encrypted USB drive.
• For Picasa Web, I have local copies that are backed up to JungleDisk and USB drives.

For services such as Twitter and Facebook and any others, I don’t put any information in them that I don’t have somewhere else. Simple enough.

However, there are a lot of people that put a ton of information into cloud services and don’t have a copy of that data elsewhere. How do you back it up?

Backupify is a service that connects to your various cloud services, pulls in your data, and stores it securely with Amazon’s S3 cloud service – cloud to cloud backup. Now, they admit that recovering data back to some services (Facebook) is currently impossible. However, at least you would have your raw data should a disaster happen with Facebook.

I’m sure it was prompted by the recent Chinese situation, but more kudos to Google for making SSL the default setting for Gmail and Google Apps. Most people don’t realize that your email typically flies around the hotel room, Starbucks, or your work  in an encrypted form. That’s right – it can be easily sniffed by people like me.

With Gmail you’ve been able to turn on SSL (https) for quite some time, but most people didn’t know about that. Actually, some don’t care, but that’s not the point. Your communications should be protected at least from point A to point B.

Now here is the flip-side. If you send an email with Gmail, then it is encrypted from your browser to Google’s servers. However, from there out to Aunt Sally’s AOHell account – it’s the wild west again!

Well, Google has finally launched its service. For several years, we have waited for what has been called “GDrive”, and Google is about to roll it out. Here are the quick specs:

• 1GB storage free (more available for purchase)
• Files up to 250MB in size
• Shared folders (already launched in Google Docs)
• ability for 3rd parties to develop software

While there are a lot of services out there – DropBox, etc – Google is really ramping up the pressure on Microsoft’s SkyDrive and others. This creates competition and forces more innovation. It’s also cheap for additional storage. I currently have 80GB for $20/year that allows me a lot of storage for Picasa pictures and now files.

As most of you know, I’m a huge fan of Google Apps and most of Google’s services like Google Voice. I hope they keep up the good work – and make the Nexus One cheaper!

As many of you know, I made the decision several months ago to switch to a totally web-based email system. Of course my preference was Google’s Gmail so naturally I went with Google Apps for my domain.

6 months later – I don’t regret it at all.

There are just too many advantages to name them all, but let me list a few:

• All my email – everywhere. I have migrated email dating back to 2004 up to Google’s servers. This means I can search my archives anywhere I have a connection.
• Searching using the power of Google – Lets just say that searching with other email systems is silly compared to Google’s. I can find anything I need quickly and efficiently.
• Labels – only when needed. Rather than put 1 email in 1 folder (traditional way), you can put multiple labels on the same email. Efficient and just works.
• Unbelievably powerful filtering for dealing with email.
• SPAM filtering that is top-notch.
• Integrated calendar, RTM Tasks, Chat w/ SMS, Google Docs – shall I go on?
• Ability to easily backup my email using a local client (Thunderbird) or one of several apps such as Gmail Backup.
• Easily export or import contacts.
• IMAP and POP support if needed (for backup, etc).
• Persistent SSL connections now.

So far these are the only disadvantages I’ve found.

• No offline email unless I have a current backup in Thunderbird. Not really a big deal though.
• Attachments are 1 at a time. That can be a pain – but I can always use Thunderbird with IMAP for multiple attachments if needed.

Once you start using Google (Gmail or Google Apps), there is really no turning back. Yes, the interface is simple looking – but that is part of its beauty.

What if Google fails or has an issue?
I periodically backup my email locally and those are backed up online. There have only been a few times that Google has had problems. Compared to previous issues with ISP’s, etc, Google comes out a winner again.

Note: This was just before I shifted to Google Apps web based email only.

I am constantly asked about the differences in webmail vs an email program.

Webmail Examples: Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL

Webmail Advantages

• Can access from any computer connected to the Internet (Win, Mac, Linux)
• If your computer has a catastrophic crash, the email is stored on servers in the cloud that are typically very redundant.
• Your email contacts are available anywhere.

Webmail Disadvantages

• If our servers crash, your email may be potentially lost – we do perform backups.
• You must be connected to the internet to view any of  your email – including old email.
• If you are typing up an email and your Internet connection hiccups, you may lose what you typed.
• You have a finite amount of webspace – for instance Bellsouth provides a max of 250MB while GMail (google) provides ~2GB.
• Moving email from one provider to another can be a pain.
• Most webmail clients don’t a robust way to import/export addresses
• Many webmail clients are surrounded by advertising (Hotmail, Yahoo, etc)
• Some webmail clients don’t work well in all browsers – many have IE only functions.
• If the webserver has a catastrophic failure you are dependent on the providers backup system.
• Most webmail clients are not as robust on features – such as spam rules, formatting, SSL, etc.

Local Email Client – Outlook Express, Outlook, Thunderbird Advantages

• Your email is retrieved and stored locally – to your pc – so that you can backup your own email / addresses.
• Your address book and contacts are easily moveable to other pcs or platforms.
• Message formatting is much more robust.
• Most have more robust features - spam rules, formatting, SSL, etc.
• You limits to email storage are generally only limited to your hard drive storage (or until the software crashes).
• Stability is dependent only on your pc.
• You can chose from many different free or non-free email clients.
• Most email clients offer other features such as newsreaders, calendars, etc.
• If your hard drive is encrypted, then your email is more protected.
• Harder to exploit an email client vs browser exploits for webmail.
• Downloaded email is available offline.

Local Email Client – Disadvantages

• You are dependent on your backup system. If you hard drive crashes then you may lose email that has not been backed up.
• Your email is not typically available “anywhere”.
• Your contacts are not available “anywhere”.

Hybrid Email Solutions
If you want the best of both worlds, then using Gmail or Google Apps is probably your best bet. Both support POP and IMAP. With POP Google keeps a copy of sent mail also which is unusual (but useful) for an email provider. Google’s implementation of IMAP is also pretty good.

As taken from a recent email conversation with a customer:

There are several issues that can cause internet connectivity issues. If Verizon says that their service is running smoothly, then typically they are correct – although I have seen cases where the ISP states that nothing is wrong with their service and there really is an issue.

As I’m sure you are aware, any downtime in your ability to use the Internet leads to productivity loss and costs you money. It would be well worth your time to contract with me to straighten out your network. For instance, when we first met you were having issues with Outlook Express – and the problem was that you had well over 13,000 emails in your inbox causing OE to choke.

One other very important point to remember is that you really should have a backup system in place. If your pc’s go down, you risk losing your data which is far more important than the hardware itself.

http://www.smartergeek.com/blog/2008/07/importance-of-backups.asp

Here are some possible things causing your issue:

SPAMMers don’t have warehouses full of computers. They use exploited PC’s – zombies – to send out the spam. That is part of why it is so profitable.

Problem: Zombies are uploading/downloading on your network consuming your bandwidth and causing you to think your Internet service is down.

Resolution: All pc’s on your network should be thoroughly checked out, possibly re-imaged, and practices put in place to avoid the problem in the future.

——————
Email and Spam
——————

This issue is closely related to “Zombies”. Your users receive an inordinate amount of email and much of it is spam. This consumes bandwidth and can cause what appear to be “temporary outages” in your Internet connection.

Problem: Too much inbound spam.

Resolution: Migrate to Google’s email service as recommended several times.

—————–
Users abusing Network
—————–

This happens much more frequently now. Users tend to want to view MySpace.com or Youtube.com on company time and using up company resources. Video and audio consumes a lot of bandwidth, which can cripple your legitimate traffic.

Resolution: Setup a system to restrict certain domains and websites plus enforce a company policy that prohibits such usage.

——————–
Hardware Issues
——————–

Hardware can begin to intermittently fail. There is always a possibility that your router or modem is occasionally having an issue.

Resolution: Replace faulty hardware.

————-
Additional Resources
————-

http://www.smartergeek.com/blog/2008/07/why-did-i-get-infected-in-first-place.asp

http://www.smartergeek.com/blog/2008/03/layered-security-basics.asp

http://www.smartergeek.com/blog/2008/02/spam-and-phising-example.asp

http://www.smartergeek.com/blog/2008/06/backing-up-your-system.asp

http://www.smartergeek.com/blog/2008/01/simple-rules-for-your-computing.asp

http://www.smartergeek.com/blog/2008/01/virus-lessons-101-revisted.asp

http://www.smartergeek.com/blog/2008/01/smartergeek-newsletter-1-5-2008.asp