Switch email service providers from current host - terminology

Question

I posted this question on webmasters.stackexchange.com but no reply, so I thought I'd try here. I have a feeling it's not appropriate for this site but I'd like some answers :)

---

I've got hosting services provided by FatCow. They use SquirrelMail for their email handler, which has an abysmal frontend, has a low mailbox storage limit, and apparently Fatcow doesn't allow remote access to change a password.

As a result, the webmaster has to change passwords explicitly for the user - ridiculous. Anyway, enough complaining.

What I'd like to do is use the same domain with a different provider, but I don't know the words to begin my search. Provider? Hosting? Client? How do I get started here?

I'd also accept a good recommendation for a provider (or whatever the word is) that solves the above problem description.

Answer 1

You are looking for an email provider. This provider needs to offer services for custom domains (i.e. not limited to their own @hotmail.com or whatever it happens to be). You need to sign up with them, configure that you would like them to handle email for your example.com domain, then change the DNS configuration for example.com and point the MX record at your new email provider. That means you need to have the authority/permission/possibility to change your DNS records. If you bought the domain through your host, they may not allow you to do that, in which case you may have to look into a domain transfer or into hosting your DNS elsewhere.

Google Apps for Business is a decent example of an email provider and is free for "small businesses". They offer the Gmail interface customized for your domain, among other things.

Answer 2

You don't have to do your email through your domain server. So just google 'email hosting.' For example, check out google business email. Google does all the heavy lifting and you create email addresses for whatever domain you own.