It’s no secret that desktop email clients are gradually losing steam in favor of web and mobile apps. The trend is undeniable, with more people preferring to use their smartphones and tablets to access their emails. This begs the question: what does the future hold for desktop email clients? Will they lose support altogether, or will they find a new niche to occupy? In this article, we will take a look at the current state of desktop email clients and try to answer these questions.
First, let’s take a brief look at the history of desktop email clients.
Before the advent of Office 365 or Google Workspace, email servers were run on local server hardware. Thusly, your PCs had to run local email clients to connect to said local email servers to send and receive email. Then, your local email server would send email messages out and you’d have to prepare your local network to be able to receive emails from outside sources.
As cloud services matured, local email servers became antiquated. Why house an expensive email server onsite that also required lots of network maintenance for security’s sake when I could outsource my email to experts in the cloud? Then, I can get my email from anywhere!
Is there a place for desktop email clients today?
That depends! There are some desktop email clients that do more than just manage email. Some clients can also help you manage tasks and even act as RSS readers, allowing you to pull in updates from your favorite websites automatically.
One of the major cons to using a desktop email client is that it’s just another piece of software that has to be updated and maintained. Orgs and individuals that write malicious software frequently target desktop email clients as they know so many people use them.
There are a few key benefits of using a web client or app for email.
First, you can access your email from anywhere. This is obviously a big advantage if you travel frequently or have to check your work email from home.
Second, web clients are usually much simpler and easier to use than their desktop counterparts. This makes them ideal for people who are not particularly tech-savvy or who want a minimalist email experience.
Third, more and more web email clients are integrating features of desktop clients, such as multi-account support. Gone are the days of leaning on a bulky desktop email client to manage multiple email accounts.
Finally, web clients tend to be more secure than desktop clients. This is because they are updated more frequently and often have better security features built-in.
Are you still using a desktop email client? Maybe it’s time you switch to a web client? Not sure what to do? No problem, we’re here to help. Simply enter your name and email address below and we’ll touch base to figure out the right course of action for you!
