Unless you work in the IT field or you're a hardcore geek, not many people realize that Google also offers a free version of Google Apps. This version offers some of the cool features of Google Apps for Business like Gmail, Google Docs, Googla Calendar, Google Sites and many more. The one thing I love most about Google Apps is that I can create up to 10 free Gmail-based emails using my domain name, for example admin@afifstore.com, help@afifplc.com and so on. All you need to have is your very own registered domain name and to sign up at Google Apps free page. To begin just click the big Get started button.
First step enter you registered domain name.
You can choose between Express and Custom setup. For beginners I would recommend the Express setup since it's much faster and less complicated.
Now you will have to prove that your actually own the entered domain. There's several ways to do this but most of them requires you to have a domain name plus a web hosting service. If you don't have any web hosting plans or a server of your own, you'll have to verify your domain by adding a TXT record to your domain's configuration.
After copying the DNS TXT record provided previously, login to your DNS Management control panel like the one provided by Exabytes above. Add a new SPF (txt) record and paste the TXT record generated by Google apps in the address field.
After that Google Apps should automatically verify your domain name.
Next you'll need to setup your Google Apps.
This is the boring part but the good news is you can just click next until you're done.
Finally click on the Organization & users tab to create your Google Apps username and personalized email address. Now you're done. The cool thing is you can login to your Google App email address at your regular Gmail login page and set them up for access using email clients like Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird or your smartphones. Plus you also get the standard 7GB + infinity email space just like any other Gmail users.
Google Apps, especially the free one is a great if you like to have a free but powerful messaging and collaboration tools for your family or small business. You get 10 free email address and some worthy alternative to expensive collaboration software like Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft Office all for the price of one domain name. Reliability-wise, you can't get a more reliable email provider besides Google with a proven 99% uptime rate.I bought my .com domain for just 15 ringgit earlier this year during a promotion from Exabytes and the average market rate for domain renewal in Malaysia is around RM68.00 a year.
I would really recommend Google Apps for everyone especially if you need to have a personalized .com email. Standard market price for email hosting is quite expensive so for 68 ringgit a year it's a bargain.Sign up for Google Apps now here. Also check out Exabytes should you need to register a new domain today.
