Email Setup: Part 2 — Corporate Email with Providers (Yandex 360, VK WorkSpace)

If you need a full-featured mailbox on your own domain — with sending mail, a calendar, cloud storage, and shared documents — you should turn to the corporate services of major mail providers.

What services are available

In Russia this is primarily Yandex 360 for Business and VK WorkSpace (corporate services of Mail.ru). Both allow you to connect your own domain and use mail, calendar, cloud drive, messenger, and video calls under the company’s addresses. Google Workspace is practically unavailable for Russian companies: since 2022 Google does not accept payments from Russia.

Advantages

• Wide set of tools. In addition to mail — cloud storage, calendars, document editors, messenger, and video communication.
• Reliability and protection. Major providers filter spam and viruses and ensure stable server operation.
• Familiar interface. Employees don’t have to spend much time learning a new system.
• Scalability. New users are easy to add as the company grows.
• Technical support. In complex cases you can contact the provider’s specialists.

Disadvantages

• Cost. Services are paid; the price depends on the number of users and the plan.
• Dependence on the provider. Mail and data are stored by a third-party company. In case of outages or changes to its terms, there is little you can do to influence the situation.
• Limited customization. Non-standard rules and integrations are not always possible to implement.

Free options

The free Yandex 360 for Business plan was discontinued in 2023: now mail on your own domain at Yandex is available only by subscription. VK WorkSpace has a free plan “With Ads” for teams of up to five people, but with limitations: every outgoing message automatically includes a signature with the VK WorkSpace brand, and the organization is allocated 3 GB for all mails and files. Study the terms carefully before choosing a plan.

Required skills and difficulty

• Skills. Ability to manage domain DNS records (MX, SPF, DKIM) and basic skills using the service’s administrative panel.
• Difficulty — medium. The setup consists of several steps, but providers accompany it with detailed instructions. After the initial setup, managing mail is simple.

Corporate mail with a major provider combines broad capabilities, reliability, and ease of management, so it is suitable for most small companies.