To be easier on the wallet and easier to manage... I have my smaller clients using e-mail through their registered domain service...Such as GoDaddy has where you can have your e-mail through them as well as your domain registration. You can then have your e-mail be
[email protected].
Best part about it is that its cheap and no management is needed. All e-mail exchanges are handled by the registered domain service like godaddy. at
www.godaddy.comExchange 2003 is complicated to set up. I havent installed one by myself yet. I have hired these tasks out to MCSE's, but its expensive. Once its up and running, with a good backup routine and parachutes its easy running.
But for companies with less than 25 mailboxes I leave it up to a cheap monthly service. Its also easy to point your outlook express or MS Outlook (any version) to the mailboxes at say Godaddy.
The last one I set up was $25 a month for the domain registration plus mailboxes, which works out to $300 a year. In comparision to the setup, maintenance, and expense of MS Exchange. Its WAY cheaper to have an outside service handle it.
BTW: Setting up a Server 2003 box is a smart idea. Be sure to enable Shadow Copying, it protects from accidental deletion/ corruption of files.
I am still using Server 2000 and now upgrading as my clients wallets permit to Server 2003 for the Shadow Copy feature as well as all the other benefits over 2000.
Also...some options to keep the price down for Mail Exchanges are to go the route of Linux is you are familiar with Linux, to use one of the many Free Mail Exchanges. They all have pros and cons, the cons usually being limitations, the pros being bells and whistles that one may have over the other.
Good Luck...
Dave
IT/POS Support Specialist & Administrator
