Intermedia.NET, a provider of Microsoft Exchange and web hosting solutions for SMBs, recently announced that it will provide assistance to organizations whose e-mail systems were affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Intermedia.NET claims that all setup fees will be waived, and there will be no further obligation after this period. In addition to free hosting, it is also offering a free fax service. New York area code numbers which automatically forward incoming faxes to recipients as email attachments.

These three offers will help businesses to resume and continue operations, claims the company. The offer applies to either shared or dedicated servers running Microsoft Exchange, the business e-mail server used most often by businesses in the US.

Additionally, Intermedia.NET will also offer free dedicated or shared web hosting for any company that needs it, as well as its fax-to-e-mail service, again without charge. The company says that any transferred systems will be set up by its technicians and hosted free of charge at Intermedia.NET's data center in California.

"This is a tragedy of immense proportions and we at Intermedia.NET wanted to use our hosting expertise to do something to help. In addition to human relief efforts, it is important that businesses can continue to operate. Being able to communicate electronically is essential for many companies' day-to-day operations," said Michael Choupak, President and CEO of Intermedia.NET.