AWS unveils cloud email service

Amazon Web Services has unveiled a new cloud-based managed business email and calendar service with built-in security functionality.

Amazon WorkMail uses the AWS cloud to provide hosted mailboxes to business customers. Pricing will be on a monthly, per-mailbox basis.

The service is compatible with existing email clients including Microsoft Outlook, web applications and native iOS and Android email apps.

Security controls include in-built SSL encryption and the ability to choose the region where email is stored.

Administrators will be able to specify policies including requiring device encryption and minimum password strength, and wipe devices remotely using a management console.

“Customers have repeatedly asked us for a business email and calendaring service that is more cost effective and simpler to manage than their on-premises solution, more secure than the cloud-based offerings available today and that is backed by [AWS infrastructure],” AWS Compute Services VP Peter De Santis said.

“We built Amazon WorkMail to address these requests and to help businesses achieve agility and cost savings by letting AWS manage the non-differentiated heavy lifting involved in corporate email and calendaring.”

Amazon reportedly plans to price the service at $4 per month for a 50 GB mailbox. Amazon WorkMail will debut next quarter, but the company is offering a preview for potential customers.

Image courtesy of RaHuL Rodriguez under CC