Email continuity service · Oman, UAE and Qatar
Email continuity:keep working when your email is down
When Outlook, Exchange Online or Gmail stops, your key people keep reading and answering email. Choose dual delivery to a standby mailbox, or Mimecast Continuity for every user, designed, tested and supported from Dubai, Muscat and Doha.
Why plan email continuity with Gulf Infotech
Both sides of the mail routeMicrosoft Solutions Partner for Modern Work, Google Cloud Premier Partner and Zoho Authorized Partner, so we set up the main mailbox and the standby every day.
1,500+ active cloud customersand 350,000+ users migrated since 2007, across the Middle East.
Mimecast partnershipWe deploy and support Mimecast email security, and set up Mimecast Continuity on it.
A fair recommendationDual delivery, Mimecast or both, chosen on your risk and budget; we also tell you when what you have is enough.
Local officesin Dubai, Muscat and Doha, with support in English and Arabic.
Mail route health
Status of each part during an outage
- Inbound mail routeHealthySlowDownOn standby
- Main mailbox (Microsoft 365)HealthySlowDownOn standby
- Standby mailbox (Zoho or Google)HealthySlowDownOn standby
- Key usersHealthySlowDownOn standby
Latest messages
- orders@customer.comCopied to standby
- accounts@supplier.comWaiting for main
- “CEO” <ceo.office@freemail.com>Verify by phone
- tenders@client.govCopied to standby
- hr@yourcompany.comWaiting for main
Email continuity keeps your company sending and receiving email while your main email service is down. In Oman, the UAE and Qatar, Gulf Infotech offers two options: dual delivery, which gives key users a copy of every message in a standby mailbox on Zoho Workplace or Google Workspace, and Mimecast Continuity, which keeps every mailbox available in Outlook, on the web and on phones.
What is email continuity, and why does email go down?
Email continuity is the plan and the service that keep email working when your main email platform cannot. It is part of business continuity and disaster recovery, but it is not the same as email backup: a backup brings back old mail after a loss, while continuity lets people keep working during the outage.
Outages happen at every provider, large or small, and they are rarely anyone's fault inside your company. Email usually stops for one of four reasons:
Provider outage
The mail, chat or identity service of your cloud provider is down or slow in your region, as Microsoft 365 users across Oman, the UAE and Qatar saw from 12 November 2026.
Internet, DNS or domain
Your office internet link, your DNS host or an expired domain stops mail from reaching you or your people from reaching it.
Misconfiguration
A changed MX or SPF record, a broken connector, an expired certificate or a licence change stops mail flow.
Cyber attack
A taken-over account, ransomware or an attack on your DNS forces you to shut mail down while it is cleaned up.
The cost of an email outage is rarely the email itself. Orders and quotations wait, approvals stall, customers get no reply, invoices and payment confirmations go unread, and password-reset and one-time codes never arrive. For a company that works on Fridays or at month end, a few hours can mean lost business.
How does dual delivery keep key users working?
Dual delivery is our quick-fix disaster recovery for email. It is cost-optimised: it adds a standby mailbox only for the people who must keep working, such as management, sales, finance and customer service.
Senders
- Main mailbox
- Key-user copy
- Copy first
- Outage switch
- SPF and DKIM
- Back to main
Every message reaches your main mailbox
Your team keeps working in Outlook or Gmail exactly as today. Nothing changes for them.
Key users also get a copy on standby
The mail route delivers a copy of each message for your key users to a standby mailbox on Zoho Workplace or Google Workspace. Google and Zoho both document this as dual delivery.
The copy is made before the main service
That is why it keeps arriving while the main service is unavailable. A copy rule inside any mail service pauses when that service does, so we set the route up in front of the main service, for your domain and DNS, and test it.
During an outage, key users switch
They sign in to the standby mailbox on the web or the phone app, where their recent mail is already waiting, and reply from the same company address.
Replies reach the inbox, not spam
We add the standby platform to your SPF and DKIM and keep DMARC aligned, so mail sent from the standby is trusted by your customers' servers.
Back to normal when the main service recovers
Mail waiting for the main mailbox is delivered to it, and key users go back to Outlook. Replies they sent stay in the standby's Sent folder. Nothing else runs on the standby.
Why do we use dual delivery and not split delivery?
Split delivery sends each message to one system or the other, depending on the recipient. That suits a migration, but not disaster recovery: anyone whose mail is moved to the second system stops receiving it in the main mailbox, and has to be moved back after the outage. Dual delivery keeps your main mailbox complete:
- every user keeps receiving every message in the main mailbox
- the standby only adds a copy for key users, ready before an outage, not built during one
- there is nothing to move back afterwards and no gap in anyone's mailbox
- you can test it on any normal working day without disturbing anyone
Synchronised back when the main service returns
How does Mimecast Continuity keep every mailbox available?
Mimecast Continuity (Mimecast calls it Mailbox Continuity) is the most reliable option: every user keeps sending and receiving email while the main service is down. It is part of a Mimecast email security deployment in which your mail is routed through Mimecast; see Mimecast Continuity for how it works. Mimecast customers such as Grant Thornton, which Mimecast says chose continuity to keep its people working during a Microsoft outage, and Al Abbar Group in Dubai use Mimecast to protect their email.
Mail keeps flowing through Mimecast
Because Mimecast already receives your mail, it can keep accepting and sending it when the main service cannot.
People work where they already work
Mimecast lists Outlook for Windows, its Mac app, its mobile app and its web portal for access during an outage.
Calendars, not only mail
Mimecast says users can also reach their calendars during an outage.
Switched on when needed
An administrator starts a continuity event in the Mimecast console, and Mimecast for Outlook can switch over when it detects the outage.
Security stays on
Mimecast keeps applying its email security checks during the outage.
Back in sync afterwards
When the main service recovers, Mimecast synchronises the mail sent and received during the outage back to the mailboxes.
Does email continuity work with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and Zoho?
Yes. Dual delivery works with any main mailbox, as long as the standby is on a different platform; Mimecast Continuity works where your mail is routed through Mimecast.
- Microsoft 365
- Google Workspace
- Zoho Workplace
- Exchange Server (on-premise)
| Main mailbox | Dual delivery standby | Mimecast Continuity |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 | Zoho Workplace or Google Workspace | Yes, with mail routed through Mimecast |
| Google Workspace | Zoho Workplace | Ask us |
| Zoho Workplace | Google Workspace | Ask us |
| Exchange Server (on-premise) | Zoho Workplace or Google Workspace | Yes, with mail routed through Mimecast |
Takeaway: keep the standby on a different provider from your main mailbox, so one provider's outage cannot stop both.
Dual delivery or Mimecast Continuity: which fits?
The table uses what Mimecast, Google and Zoho publish; we confirm the details for your setup in the continuity check.
| Feature | Dual delivery (quick-fix DR) | Mimecast Continuity |
|---|---|---|
| Who keeps working | The key users you choose | Every user on Mimecast |
| Where they work in an outage | A standby mailbox on Zoho Workplace or Google Workspace, on the web or phone app | Outlook for Windows, Mimecast's Mac and mobile apps, and its web portal |
| Calendars | Not copied; the standby is for mail | Available, Mimecast says |
| How the switch happens | Key users sign in to the standby | An administrator starts a continuity event; Mimecast for Outlook switches over |
| After the outage | Waiting mail reaches the main mailbox; replies stay in the standby | Mimecast synchronises mail back |
| Also included | Nothing else; the standby only receives copies | Mimecast email security |
| Price | Cost-optimised; ask us for a price | On request |
| Best for | Fast, low-cost cover for the people who must keep working | Companies where no one can stop using email |
Takeaway: start with dual delivery for key users if budget matters most; choose Mimecast Continuity when every user must keep working in Outlook.
What should you do during an email outage today?
When email or Teams is down, the work moves to other channels. Agree them before you need them, and tell staff where to look first:
- Check the provider's status page and your own internet and DNS before changing anything; many "outages" are local
- Use another chat and meeting tool: Google Chat and Google Meet in Google Workspace, or Zoom Workplace. We supply both, and a few licences kept ready cost less than a lost day
- Use WhatsApp Business for customer messages, from a company account, not staff's personal numbers
- Keep an offline contact list of key customers, suppliers and staff, with phone numbers
- Tell customers once, on known channels: your website and the numbers they already have
- Hold changes to MX, DNS and passwords unless your IT team or provider asks for them
Read our note on the November 2026 Microsoft 365 outage for what happened and what we advised customers.
How do you stay safe from phishing during an outage?
Attackers read outage news too. When people switch to unfamiliar channels, they expect messages such as "our email is down, use this address" or "send the payment to this new account". Before acting on any request that arrives during an outage:
- Call back on a number you already have, from your records, never the one in the message
- Never change bank details or pay urgently on a message alone, even if it appears to come from your CEO or a supplier
- Agree your backup channels in advance and share the list, so a new address or number stands out
- Protect the standby mailboxes with multi-factor authentication and the platform's own filtering
- Report anything odd to your IT team or to us
See email security and anti-phishing and phishing simulation to prepare your team.
How do we set up email continuity?
Setup is as fast as your requirements allow: dual delivery for a few key users is quicker than Mimecast for the whole company.
Free continuity check
Your mail platform, domains and DNS, who must keep working, and what an hour without email costs you.
Choose the option
Dual delivery, Mimecast Continuity, or both, with a quote in OMR, AED, QAR or USD.
Set up the standby or Mimecast
Standby mailboxes on Zoho Workplace or Google Workspace, or Mimecast with your mail routed through it.
Design the mail route
The copy made before the main service, and SPF, DKIM and DMARC aligned for mail sent from the standby. See DMARC setup.
Test with your key users
They read and reply from the standby or Mimecast while the main mailbox keeps receiving everything.
Write the outage runbook
Who declares an outage, how people switch, how customers are told and how requests are verified; then review it with you every quarter.
Email continuity in Oman, the UAE and Qatar
- Cybersecurity in OmanSet up from our Muscat head office for Sunday-to-Thursday teams; standby on Zoho Workplace or Google Workspace, billed in OMR. Call +968 2200 6677.
- Cybersecurity in the UAEMany UAE companies work on Friday, so an outage that starts on Thursday night costs a working day. Supported from Dubai, billed in AED. Call +971 4 447 5814.
- Cybersecurity in QatarSupported from our Doha office, billed in QAR, with Mimecast email security also available. Call +974 7471 2837.
Frequently asked questions
What is email continuity?
Email continuity keeps your company sending and receiving email while your main email service is down, whether the cause is a provider outage, an internet or DNS problem, a misconfiguration or a cyber attack. It is different from email backup, which restores old mail after a loss. We offer two options: dual delivery to a standby mailbox for key users, and Mimecast Continuity for every user.
What is the difference between dual delivery and split delivery?
Dual delivery sends every message to your main mailbox and also a copy to a second system. Split delivery sends each message to one system or the other. For disaster recovery we use dual delivery only: with split delivery, anyone moved to the second system stops receiving mail in the main mailbox. With dual delivery the main mailbox stays complete, and key users simply have a copy waiting on the standby.
Does email continuity work with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace?
Yes. With Microsoft 365 as your main mailbox, the standby for dual delivery runs on Zoho Workplace or Google Workspace; with Google Workspace, on Zoho Workplace. The copy is made before the main service, so it keeps arriving during that service's outage. Mimecast Continuity works with Microsoft 365 and Exchange when your mail is routed through Mimecast; ask us about other platforms.
How fast can email continuity be set up?
As fast as your requirements allow. Dual delivery for a few key users is the quicker option: we create the standby mailboxes, set up the mail route and SPF and DKIM, and test with your users. Mimecast Continuity takes longer because your mail is first routed through Mimecast. The timing depends on your domains, user count and access to your DNS.
What is Mimecast Continuity?
Mimecast Continuity, which Mimecast calls Mailbox Continuity, lets users keep sending and receiving email while the main service is down, in Outlook for Windows, Mimecast's Mac and mobile apps and its web portal, with calendars too. An administrator starts a continuity event, and mail is synchronised back when service returns. It needs your mail routed through Mimecast. The price is on request.
What should we do during an email outage today?
Check the provider's status page and your own internet and DNS first. Move urgent conversations to agreed channels such as Google Chat, Meet, Zoom or a company WhatsApp Business account, and tell customers once on channels they know. Do not change MX, DNS or bank details in a hurry, and verify any "use this new address" message by calling a number you already have. Then call us.
How much does email continuity cost?
Dual delivery is cost-optimised: you pay for standby mailboxes only for the key users who need them, plus setup. Mimecast Continuity is priced on request, as part of a Mimecast subscription. Tell us your user count and platform and we will quote in OMR, AED, QAR or USD.
Get a free email continuity check
Tell us your mail platform, your user count and who must keep working during an outage. We will recommend dual delivery, Mimecast Continuity or both, or tell you if what you have is enough. Call Dubai +971 4 447 5814, Muscat +968 2200 6677 or Doha +974 7471 2837.