[t312227]

yes ... i thought this is included in the expression "as a service" :)

it doesn't matter how you slice & dice it, the "service" is to have someone - be it business or be it a person - who is responsible for running this service ... you get an SLA and according to the conditions you are able to work with the entity which provides the service ...

[graemep]

If the person you pay is an employee you do not get the external guarantee, nor would you if you pay someone to maintain a server that is yours.

The big email providers do not really provide a worthwhile SLA to most customers AFAIK. Do they cover the cost of business interruption if your business is heavily dependent on email, for example?