Private email server for a growing business
When standard shared hosting mailboxes start to feel tight, a private email server is the natural next step. Noiz provides fully managed, dedicated mail servers — available as flexible cloud virtual machines or as custom dedicated hardware. With scalable storage, advanced security, and predictable costs, private servers give your business the space and control it needs to grow.
Back to email hosting solutions · Shared hosting (entry-level) · Why choose a private email server?
What you get
- Dedicated resources: your own VM or dedicated physical server, tuned for Postfix, Dovecot, and rspamd.
- Scalable storage: VM volumes on fast SSDs, expandable up to 10 TB; or large dedicated HDD arrays on physical hardware.
- Fast system performance: NVMe system disk for OS and control panel responsiveness.
- Security by design: TLS, modern ciphers, DKIM, SPF, DMARC, fail2ban, and hardened services.
- Fine-tuned firewall: mail servers are deployed behind a dedicated firewall with rules tailored to your IP ranges and ports.
- VPN access: optionally restrict administrative or user access via VPN for maximum security.
- Backups included: daily off-site backups with configurable retention.
- Open-source stack: ISPConfig 3, Postfix, Dovecot, rspamd — no per-mailbox licensing.
- Managed support: monitoring, patching, incident response, and guided migrations.
- Dedicated hardware option: for compliance-sensitive organizations, large-scale deployments, or when isolation from virtualized infrastructure is required.
Virtual machines or dedicated hardware
Most businesses benefit from the flexibility and speed of our cloud-based virtual machines. These use SSD storage and can be scaled seamlessly with additional volumes, making them perfect for predictable growth. For organizations with strict compliance requirements, heavy archive needs, or a preference for single-tenant infrastructure, we also provide private email servers on dedicated physical hardware. These servers can be provisioned with multi-terabyte HDD arrays (with optional SSD/NVMe cache) for cost-effective bulk storage.
Cloud VM vs Dedicated hardware: which is right for you?
| Feature | Cloud VM (SSD) | Dedicated hardware (HDD/Hybrid) |
|---|---|---|
| Storage type | SSD volumes, scalable up to 10 TB | Large HDD arrays, optional SSD/NVMe cache |
| Scalability | Expand volumes instantly without migration | Fixed hardware capacity, requires re-provisioning to scale |
| Performance | High I/O speed for active mailboxes | Optimised for bulk storage and long-term archives |
| Cost efficiency | Cost scales with SSD capacity | Lower cost per terabyte for large deployments |
| Best for | Small to medium businesses, predictable growth | Enterprises, compliance-driven organisations, large archives |
Frequently asked questions
How is a private email server different from shared email hosting?
Shared hosting is a great starting point bundled with your website, using fast SSD storage and shared resources. A private email server gives you dedicated resources, scalable storage (SSD volumes on cloud VMs or HDD arrays on dedicated hardware), custom firewall/VPN controls, and predictable performance for larger teams or archives.
When should I choose a cloud VM versus dedicated hardware?
Choose a cloud VM for flexibility and easy scaling with SSD volumes up to 10 TB per volume. Choose dedicated hardware when you need multi-terabyte HDD capacity at a lower cost per TB, strict single-tenant isolation, or custom RAID/storage layouts for compliance.
How much storage can I scale to?
Cloud VMs can grow by extending SSD volumes (e.g., from 1–10 TB per volume, multiple volumes per server). Dedicated hardware can be provisioned with multi-disk HDD arrays for very large archives; we size the array to your retention targets and growth curve.
What security controls do I get (firewall, VPN, authentication)?
All private servers are deployed behind a fine-tuned firewall with IP/port allowlists as required. You can optionally restrict admin and user access via VPN. We configure TLS, modern ciphers, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and fail2ban as standard.
How does migration work and is there downtime?
We use staged IMAP synchronisation to mirror mailboxes before cutover. DNS changes are prepared in advance, so downtime is typically limited to brief propagation intervals. Users can keep working during sync and switch over seamlessly at go-live.
Are backups included and can you restore individual mailboxes?
Yes. Daily off-site backups are included with configurable retention. We can restore full servers or granular data such as specific mailboxes or folders, depending on your backup policy.
Which email clients and devices are supported?
Any modern IMAP/SMTP client is supported, including Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird, iOS and Android mail apps. Webmail can be added on request.
Why choose a private email server instead of shared hosting?
Shared hosting is an excellent starting point — especially for websites — using fast SSD storage to keep pages and email responsive. As storage requirements grow, a private server offers more flexibility: SSD-based volumes in the cloud for easy scaling, or dedicated HDD storage for large-capacity mail archives at lower cost per terabyte.
Private servers are also less restrictive. Not only do they provide more resources, they allow advanced customisation: firewalls with fine-grained access rules, optional VPN requirements, and the choice between cloud VMs and dedicated hardware deployments.
Who this is for
- Businesses outgrowing shared mailbox quotas or facing rising storage costs
- Teams needing terabytes of storage for compliance, archives, or attachments
- Organizations that require dedicated firewall and VPN access control
- Enterprises or compliance-driven sectors preferring dedicated hardware
How it works
- Plan selection: choose a tier based on users, storage, and support level.
- Provisioning: we deploy the VM or dedicated hardware, harden services, configure firewall rules, and set up monitoring.
- Migration: staged IMAP sync, DNS readiness checks, and mailbox cutover.
- Go-live: final verification, deliver admin access, and begin managed care.
Private email server plans and pricing (per month)
| Plan | Price (EUR) | Resources | Backups & support | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter managed | €149 | 2 vCPU / 2 GB RAM · 500 GB SSD volume | Weekly backups · basic monitoring | Up to ~100 users, light usage |
| Business managed | €199 | 3 vCPU / 4 GB RAM · 1 TB SSD volume | Daily backups · email support | Up to ~200 users |
| Pro managed | €249 | 3 vCPU / 4 GB RAM · 2 TB SSD volume | Daily off-site · monitoring · 1h SLA | 200–300 users, growing archives |
| Enterprise managed | €299 | 3 vCPU / 4 GB RAM · 2 TB expandable SSD volume | Off-site + snapshots · priority · 2h SLA | 300–500 users, predictable scale |
| Enterprise plus | €349 | 4 vCPU / 8 GB RAM · 4 TB SSD volume | Extended retention · advanced filtering · 3h SLA | 500–800 users, heavy retention |
| Custom / high-volume | €399+ | Custom CPU/RAM · 4–10 TB SSD volume | Geo-redundant backups · tailored SLA | Large orgs, flexible growth |
| Dedicated hardware | €549+ | Custom physical server · multi-TB HDD arrays with RAID | Enterprise backups · firewall · VPN · full SLA | Enterprises, compliance-driven, single-tenant |
What’s included in management
- Server hardening, OS and package updates
- Service monitoring (SMTP, IMAP, control panel)
- DNS guidance (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
- Backup configuration and restore testing
- ISPConfig updates and best-practice tuning
- Firewall policy management (fine-grained rules for IP/ports)
- Optional VPN setup to restrict access to administrative services
- VM or dedicated hardware deployment and ongoing management
Technical specifics
- Mail: Postfix (SMTP), Dovecot (IMAP/POP3), rspamd (filtering)
- Auth: dovecot-pw, optional submission with modern TLS
- Storage: VMs with SSD volumes; dedicated hardware with HDD or hybrid arrays
- Backups: daily off-site, configurable retention
- Compliance: DKIM, SPF, DMARC configuration assistance
- Firewall & VPN: fine-tuned access rules with optional VPN tunnel
- Deployment models: cloud VM (scalable SSD) or dedicated physical hardware (custom HDD/RAID)
Ready to plan your migration to a private email server?
We’ll size the server, define retention and backup policies, and agree a staged cutover with minimal disruption.