Managing IMAP

Why Use a Web-Based IMAP Client?

Web-based IMAP clients offer many advantages that are not found in traditional IMAP clients. Let’s take a look at what makes web-based IMAP clients so advantageous.

End-User Platform Independence

Suddenly, site managers who support heterogeneous environments of PCs, Macs, Linux, and other platforms no longer have to worry about the support issues involved in supporting mail clients on all those platforms. All machines with access to the Web now run the same mail client. Such platform independence is becoming essential as the work in the network moves from the desktop back to the server.

Global Access

As Internet access becomes more and more of a commodity, the mistaken message that “Web = Internet” is propagating at an unprecedented rate. The fallout of this trend is that nearly every computer on the Internet is bound to have a web browser, regardless of whether it’s at an Internet caf\x8e in Scotland or at an Internet kiosk in the airport. Webmail gateways leverage this reality to deliver universal access to email, regardless of location.

Integration with Existing IMAP Server

Of course, if the only client you’d ever used to access your email were a webmail gateway, it wouldn’t matter a hoot what was used on the backend to access your mailstore. In the real world, though, web-based IMAP clients are likely to remain a poor relation of dedicated IMAP MUAs for some time to come. Dedicated clients have a great deal more flexibility and room ...