In short: Hornetsecurity Email Continuity Service keeps email working when your mail server or Microsoft 365 is unavailable. It activates automatically, synchronises mail data and gives users a webmail interface and an Outlook plug-in to read, search and send email until service returns. It is licensed per user and included from 365 Total Protection Plan 2.
What the Email Continuity Service is
When your mail server goes down, whether it is an on-premises Exchange server or a Microsoft 365 service incident, email stops: customers' messages queue up and staff cannot reply. The Email Continuity Service gives your users somewhere else to work until normal service is restored.
Because Hornetsecurity already sits in your mail flow for filtering, the continuity service activates automatically within seconds when your mail server fails. Users keep receiving new mail and can reply from a webmail interface, and mail sent and received during the outage is kept.
The service is included in 365 Total Protection Plan 2 and above, or can be added to Spam and Malware Protection.
What is included
| Feature | What it gives users |
|---|---|
| Webmailer | Read and send email in a browser during the outage |
| Display of delivered mail | Mail already delivered is available as well as new messages |
| Automatic synchronisation | Mail data is synchronised so it is searchable during an outage |
| Extensive search | Find messages quickly while working in continuity mode |
| Outlook plug-in | Access saved email from Outlook |
| POP3 mailbox | Collect continuity mail with a standard mail client |
| Storage of mail traffic | Mail sent and received during the outage is kept |
| Selectable service provisioning | Choose how the service is made available to users |
How it is licensed
The Email Continuity Service is licensed per user. It comes with 365 Total Protection Plan 2 and above, alongside Advanced Threat Protection and Email Archiving, or can be added to Spam and Malware Protection on its own.
| Option | Includes continuity |
|---|---|
| Continuity Service added to Spam and Malware Protection | Yes |
| 365 Total Protection Plan 1 | No |
| 365 Total Protection Plans 2, 3 and 4 | Yes |
Even without continuity, Hornetsecurity's filtering holds incoming mail for up to seven days if your server is unavailable. Continuity adds the ability for users to read and send mail in the meantime.
Requirements and planning
Mail must flow through Hornetsecurity's gateway (MX or Hybrid mode) for continuity to work; API-only mode does not provide continuity during outages. Before you need it, tell staff how they will reach the webmailer during an outage and test the process, ideally as part of your wider business continuity plan. We can include this in onboarding and in a Microsoft 365 security assessment.
Who it suits and how we help
Continuity suits organisations where email is how customers reach you: sales teams, customer service, professional services and public-facing bodies, plus anyone still running an on-premises mail server. It is the part of the service that matters on the day your mail server is unavailable.
We confirm your mail routing supports continuity, choose how it is provisioned to users and give you short instructions to circulate to staff. Ask us for a quote.
How Forever Systems supplies your software licences
Forever Systems Ltd supplies business software subscriptions to UK organisations from one account, with one monthly invoice and a UK team who know the products.
- The right edition first time: we check what you need before you buy, so you are not paying for features you will never use
- Monthly or annual terms where the vendor offers them, and help timing renewals and commitments
- Licence changes handled for you: add or remove users, upgrade editions and true-up without starting a new contract
- Deployment and support from engineers who run these products every day, not just a reseller account
- Consolidated billing and renewal reminders so nothing lapses unexpectedly
We work with businesses, schools, charities and public sector organisations of all sizes.
Need a licence quote or a second opinion on your renewal?
Tell Forever Systems what you need and we will come back to you by email with options, not a hard sell.
Contact usFrequently asked questions
Does the Email Continuity Service work if Microsoft 365 is down?
It is designed for the moment your normal mail service is unavailable, including a Microsoft 365 outage, provided your mail routes through Hornetsecurity's gateway. Users can then read and send email through the webmailer until service returns.
Do users need to do anything when it activates?
Activation is automatic. Users open the webmailer or use the Outlook plug-in to keep working, so it helps to tell them in advance how to reach it.
Which 365 Total Protection plans include continuity?
Plans 2, 3 and 4. It can also be added to Spam and Malware Protection on its own.