Is it time for a new email address?
Now I know that most of you will immediately balk at this idea, but I'm going to set out a case for change, for anyone using a free email account hosted by their ISP (Internet Service Provider, such as Spark, Slingshot etc). The most common example we see are email addresses ending in xtra.co.nz. They are likely either using POP3 or IMAP and this technology has been superseded.
We recommend upgrading to a new Outlook.com account, here's why:
Reliability – ISP Hosted mail servers suffer from outages and failures at a higher rate than larger scale international providers such as Microsoft’s Outlook.com service.
Ease of Setup – Most ISP email accounts require specific server settings and manual configuration to get them working with a local email application, Outlook.com email addresses typically just require the address and password to set up in most applications. It also works great on iPhone and Android with the free Outlook app.
Secure Web Access - Outlook.com can be used entirely via the secure website, eliminating the complexity and security concerns of having to use a locally installed email application.
Compatibility – Outlook.com email accounts are also Microsoft accounts, which are designed to work with Microsoft’s products, such as Windows 10/11 and MS365, so things such as calendars, contacts etc will sync up nicely.
Spam - it is annoying to change your email address, but spam is also annoying, and a brand-new email address will provide a clean slate in that regard. You also benefit from the commercial grade spam protection provided by Microsoft.
Long Term Support – Many ISPs are struggling to maintain their free email services, and some have discontinued them altogether, e.g. Vodafone
If you're keen to transition to an Outlook.com email address and you would like some help with opening it, I can sit down with you and work through the process for a flat rate of $45. We can discuss using the outlook.com website to access your new email address.
If you would like to access your new outlook.com email address with an email application, we can help you with that as well at our standard rates.