Your Guide to Horde Webmail and Its Advantages

When you're a business owner, it's important that the email client you choose meets your needs. Otherwise, it could impair your ability to communicate with customers as well as your team, making it harder to fulfill day-to-day tasks.

With that in mind, you may find a solution in Horde Webmail. It's an application that offers a full suite of features – including productivity tools and an intuitive interface – for both individual and enterprise-level users.

In this article, we'll first introduce you to Horde Webmail. Then we'll look at four specific advantages that come with using it as your primary communication solution. Let's get started!

An Introduction to Horde Webmail

Generally speaking, webmail is a form of email, but with a twist. It's a browser-based application, rather than a desktop app you might install on your computer. This means that you can access it anywhere as long as you have an internet connection.

Horde is a webmail provider, and its email application is free to use. Like many other similar platforms, it's sometimes bundled as a part of a web hosting plan:

Horde comes with three-pane and three-column layouts for viewing and managing your inboxes. It markets itself as an enterprise-ready solution, and has IMP, POP3, and MIMP options. IMP is its web-based email client, while MIMP is optimized for smaller screens and those with limited HTML capacity.

Moreover, through Horde Groupware, Horde webmail can be further enhanced with a range of applications produced by the Horde Project for extended functionality. This includes Ingo and Sork, which provide filters, the ability to forward email, a vacation setting for automated responses, and more.

4 Advantages of Using Horde Webmail for Your Business

Of course, you don't have to take our word for how effective Horde webmail can be. Let's take a closer look at four advantages that come with using it!

1. It Provides Mobile-Friendly Support for On-the-Go Communication

One feature just about everyone needs for their webmail client is mobile support. You likely already know the importance of prompt communication. There is always the potential that you might have to deal with a customer query or complaint, or organize tasks for your staff in a hurry.

If you're away from your computer or office, then you could quickly find yourself out of the loop. That's why it can be prudent to consider webmail clients that offer comprehensive mobile functionality.

Fortunately for businesses, Horde Webmail provides a fully-developed mobile User Interface (UI). If you expect to use email on the go, then this feature alone can be vital.

Thanks to Horde, if you encounter a customer snag when you're not at your desk, you won't have to wait to reply and risk losing their business. Instead, you can respond from anywhere, at any time.

2. Horde Webmail Has an Intuitive Interface

One of the most important aspects of a quality webmail application is how simple it is to navigate. If logging in or creating and sending emails is difficult, there's little point in using the platform.

Indeed, having an intuitive interface can make accessing, organizing, and utilizing your email less of a hassle. This can be particularly important for businesses that have to deal with a large volume of messages. It can also make on-boarding new team members simpler.

As we previously mentioned, Horde has a three-pane layout, which provides a customizable dashboard. You can therefore enjoy quick access to your inbox, outbox, and other folders, as well as individual emails and other features (such as local weather reports):

Furthermore, there is a drop-down menu system for Horde's various features, such as a calendar, address book, tasks list, and notes. Again, this emphasizes ease-of-access and navigation, letting you smoothly transition between different features without having to jump through hoops.

In addition, there's a conveniently located search bar that enables you to comb through your messages. After all, nothing is worse than having to endlessly scroll to find a single email in a full inbox.

3. You’ll Gain Access to a Suite of Productivity Tools

While the primary focus of any webmail application is the email system itself, having extras is often advantageous. Horde Webmail is no exception.

Given the common uses of webmail for website owners and businesses, it's only natural that you may be looking for various productivity tools. In fact, these features can make all the difference when choosing between two similar services.

With Horde, you gain a number of features to help with productivity. These include assets such as a calendar (known as 'Kronolith') and scheduling, which can aid your business' organization and help your team stay in the loop. You can even set alarms and event reminders to keep track of important dates:

Additionally, Horde comes with the ability to take notes (using an application titled 'Mnemo'), and create a task list (designated 'Nag'). With these tools, you're less likely to lose track of your thoughts while managing various communications from customers and team members:

Lastly, there is a spellchecker that accommodates multiple languages. This feature could streamline the composition of your emails, and help ensure they are of professional quality. All combined, Horde's productivity tools can support your short and long-term goals.

4. Users Have Extensive Organizational Functionality

We've discussed the importance of a search function in any quality webmail application. However, there are other organizational attributes that most businesses can profit from, and Horde has these in spades.

For example, another benefit of using Horde is the option to manipulate folders, with typical functionality such as 'empty' or 'mark all as read'. This way, if you need to mass-delete or move emails between folders, you can:

Furthermore, Horde enables you to view conversations in a thread format. You can therefore fully process and contextualize emails you receive and send without having to forage through your inbox to find previous messages:

When it comes to email protections, you have even more filter features. These include blacklist and whitelist options, and the ability to flag individual messages:

If you're looking for a webmail app that gives you choices, bonus features, and the ability to organize your content, Horde is a solid choice. As you can see, it provides many more options than just sending and receiving emails.

Conclusion

There are many different email clients you may be considering. Each certainly has its own advantages, and it's important for you to find the platform that has the functionality you need to help your business flourish.

Let's take another look at the four benefits of Horde Webmail we discussed in this article: