Best Setup

garv221

What do you guys think the best setup is for a 5 person office who need email with there own domain. Exchange server, OUtlook SMTP to an outside exchange server...Just curious.

Webmaster

IMO, anything but Exchange server. I used to use 10 as a minimum to justify a dedicated Exchange server, and only when money wasn't a real issue. I'd choose between a Linux/Sendmail server or an external hosted service. An advantage of the latter is you outsource support and maintanence as well.

QUIX0TIC

There is always MS SBS that can give you the domain and local exchange if you really need the local exchange. Otherwise I would vendor it out also. (For that small of a group.) POP3 does wonders for a small group in email.

You can even go as far as to create a Citrix server so you can remote into the Citrix server, take care of the DC through the Citrix server, and allow them to have external access. They would think you are the shyot fot that!

garv221

Thank you both for the reply. Money really is not an issue at all. These people are moving out of our office and into a new one. I just want something that will work, with very little attention from me. Currently they have email and domains setup with us. I was thinking about just leaving their accounts on my exchange server and setting up their email to pull from that. Then I will only need a file server. Its almost harder considering what I want to do with a small workgroup than it is with a massive network with servers! I can't make up my mind.

RussS

I would go for SBS myself and have their ISP or some other domain hosting company host their mail.
SInce it appears that you will be required to administer this setup SBS will give you good bang for the bucks and most stuff you can do remotely.
I would say *nix for the server, but I have found that in smaller operations like that I can administer a MS one a whole lot faster.