Some of my friends live by the theory that if it ain't broke, it just doesn't have enough features yet. I prefer not to mess with things unless they are broken, hence my use of older technology but optimized for cost-efficient use in the office.

In the past year or so, I've been considering implementing some form of Microsoft Backoffice to improve functionality. Mainly, I've been researching Windows Small Business Server which basically provides some of the functionality of Windows Server and Microsoft Exchange for small offices. The big features that I've been interested in are the fax server, push email, remote desktop, calendar syncing, and SharePoint tools.

My only issue with this system is the cost of implementing it. Ignoring the $1,000+ for hardware and licensing fees, I need to upgrade my Internet service to a $100/month service rather than the existing high speed service we use that is about a quarter of the price. That is a fairly high price to pay when there are usually no more than 5 users accessing our network at a time who do not need to access all of these services on a regular basis.

I've also thought about outsourcing the service to other hosting companies, but I'd still be paying $30+ per month, which is substantially more than I am currently paying for very serviceable hosting that I am using right now. It also lacks the flexibility of having the server kept in house and as business grows, it may end up being more costly to outsource than keep a server around.

Hence, my dilemma.

I think that in the end, I think I will not perform the hardware upgrade and instead will purchase outsourced solutions from hosting companies unless my office experiences some massive growth, which will likely not occur for a few more years. Hopefully by then the Internet service will come down in price.

If anybody wants to make recommendations, I'd be glad to hear it.

        

 

What did you think of this article?

Liked
Disliked
No Opinion