DON'T IGNORE—important Info
Welcome to another Spitfire Websites newsletter.
Over the past few months, we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to improve the reliability, security, and overall experience of the services we provide to you. In this edition, we’re excited to share some important updates, including a major step forward in how we handle business email and IT support.
A NEW CHAPTER – MICROSOFT 365
We’re excited to officially announce the start of our partnership with Microsoft 365.
This is a big move for us and for our clients. While cPanel email has always been a cost-effective solution, it comes with limitations—especially when it comes to long-term reliability, security, and proper backup of business-critical emails.
Microsoft 365 changes that completely.
For R350 per user per month, you now have access to a full business-grade email environment. This includes a 50GB mailbox, 1TB of cloud storage configured by our team, advanced mail security, and full IT support on Outlook, Windows, and Office. On top of that, your DNS and domain hosting are managed correctly, your domain is secured through Cloudflare, and you receive access to Microsoft Office applications like Outlook, Word, and Excel at no additional cost.
Most importantly, your email is no longer just “hosted”—it’s properly managed, backed up, and supported.
HOW TO GET STARTED
Getting started with Microsoft 365 is simple.
You can either sign up yourself by choosing Microsoft 365 Business Basic on a monthly plan and following the registration process, or you can let us handle everything for you.
If you’d prefer us to take care of the setup, simply send a WhatsApp message with the words “SET UP MS365”, and one of our technicians will configure your entire environment, including domain setup, mailbox creation, and migration. The full process typically takes less than an hour.
BACKUPS & WHY THIS MATTERS
We want to be clear and transparent about how backups currently work.
All hosting accounts are backed up daily, usually late at night. These backups are designed for disaster recovery and allow us to restore your account to a previous state if something goes wrong. However, there is always a delay between the last backup and the time of a restore.
This means that any emails received after the last backup may not be recoverable. In some cases, even though most data returns, there can still be some loss during the restore window.
It’s important to understand that email backup is an IT function. While we provide server-level backups, we do not manage long-term email retention for clients on standard hosting. This responsibility ultimately lies with the client or their IT provider.
If your business relies heavily on email, remaining on standard hosting without proper backup introduces risk. This is one of the key reasons we are strongly recommending Microsoft 365.
SUPPORT—WHAT WE DO (AND DON’T DO)
As a hosting provider, our primary responsibility is to ensure that your website and email services are online, stable, and performing.
We assist with hosting, server management, and website-related changes where applicable. However, issues related to Outlook, Windows, and Microsoft Office fall outside the scope of hosting and are classified as IT support.
For clients who require this level of support, we offer it through Microsoft 365 or dedicated IT support subscriptions available on our website.
WINDOWS 11 & SECURITY
Another important point to address is operating system security.
If you are still running older versions of Windows, your machine is no longer receiving the latest security updates. This places your system, your data, and even your email environment at risk.
We strongly recommend upgrading to Windows 11 and ensuring that all security updates are installed at all times. We also recommend installing Bitdefender for additional protection.
We offer a Windows 11 upgrade service at R750 including VAT. To book this, simply send a WhatsApp message with “INSTALL WINDOWS 11”, and a technician will assist you.
GROWING OUR FOOTPRINT
We’re also proud to welcome Linda and Marius to our growing international footprint in Australia.
This marks an exciting step forward as we continue to expand our reach and support clients beyond South Africa.
PAYMENTS & ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT
A quick but important reminder about payments.
All payments must be made through the client area. We’ve made this process simple, fast, and accessible across all devices.
Invoices are issued in advance, and we kindly ask clients to settle their accounts on time. We truly appreciate those who pay as soon as invoices are received—you make operations smooth and efficient, and we notice it.
Now, for the moaners (just a little spice):
Payments not made by the 25th will begin receiving reminders. If payment is still not made and no communication has been received, a late penalty fee will be applied. This is non-negotiable.
If you can’t make payment on time, a quick WhatsApp takes less than a minute—just communicate.
In reality, you have a generous window of around 10 days to complete a payment that takes less than a minute. Most of our clients handle this quickly and without issue, which shows the process works.
If you’re not using the app or client area yet—now is the time. The majority of clients are already using it daily, and it makes managing your services easy.
We take pride in the level of communication we provide. Invoices and reminders are sent via WhatsApp and email, and everything is available in your client area. You are given clear notice and sufficient time to settle accounts.
If information is still being missed, it is not due to a lack of communication on our side.
We want to be clear but fair: staying informed is part of managing your services. We communicate across multiple channels, and our Terms of Service are always available in your client area and hosting footer.
A simple rule: if you communicate, we will assist—every time.
Information is readily available, and a quick message will always get you the answer you need.
On the other hand, “I didn’t know” or “I was too busy” does not hold up when multiple reminders and channels have been used. Everyone is busy—but responsibilities still need to be handled.
So keep it simple: pay on time or communicate early.
On a serious note, if there is ever a valid issue, please reach out in advance. We are always willing to assist where there is transparency.
