If your company’s email quota is too small, or your organisation has limits or restrictions to server, storage and email space, don’t worry. If you’ve always wanted to meld gmail’s virtually unlimited (7301.822580MB as i pen this article) email quota, its accessibility and reliability with your organisation’s email front, fear not. Want IMAP? Want a single web-based email (a lot of people shuffle between multiple emails)? Emails bouncing because you’ve no more space?

Or in my case – a nonprofit with limited funding that could use more email space.

One way would be to sign up for the google apps package or this.

But that doesn’t work if you’re not really interested in Google’s whole apps package. Honestly, i’ve never bought into google’s design and layout, or basic functionality. But i’m happy with their storage and reliability. There could be a better webmail provider, but so far, gmail’s still the way to go.

So if you want not just yourname@yourdomain.com but gmail’s huge hinterland as well, here’s

A Guide on Integrating Horde and Gmail – Free Extra Email Space

Gmail

Sign up for a gmail account.

Choose a user name and password.

Remember the user name and password.

Company’s Email Platform/Horde

Establish an email forwarder to your new gmail email.

• In horde,  click on the ‘Forwards’ button on your top toolbar above your inbox.

Decide if you want to keep a copy of messages in your inbox (you will have to clear it periodically since you already don’t have sufficient space)

Integration

In gmail (settings>Accounts), establish a new account (‘Add another email address of your own’).

In the popup window, key in the name you want to use (that’s what people see in their inbox, from message you sent), and your original company email.

‘Specify a different reply-to address’ if need be.

Click ‘next step’. A verification email will be sent.

Return to your original email, and verify that for gmail.

Go back to settings>Accounts. Select your company’s email address as the default account.

Unless your needs dictate otherwise, ensure ‘Always reply from default address (currently ____@_____.com)’ is selected

Test by sending emails between both accounts.

Essentially,

all emails –> company email –> gmail

all messages sent –> gmail (but with your original email)

You and your correspondents will avoid the hassle of switching between your various emails. Emails can still be sent to your gmail shell account (newemail@gmail.com).

And we’re done :)

For IMAP access (iPhone, smartphone, mobile, laptop, etc…)

Login to gmail.

Go to ‘settings>Forwarding and POP/IMAP’

Select ‘enable IMAP’.

Ensure  green ‘IMAP is enabled’ is displayed.

Follow on screen configuration instructions for your email client if need be (2. Configure your email client (e.g. Outlook, Thunderbird, iPhone) Configuration instructions)

Hope this guide’s useful.

If you’ve any questions/suggestions/comments, do give a shout below! :)

(and sorry, the long, unwieldy titles and keywords are for SEO purposes)

Tags: GTD, web integration, web stuff