Re: And so it begins...

["Tom Jedrzejewicz" <tomjedrz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Jan 21, 2008 7:28 AM, Joe Pluta <joepluta@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> If anybody is interested, I'm in the process of changing my email
> infrastructure.  I've read a lot over the years about the weaknesses of
> Outlook and the joys of a "real" email client (many of those statements from
> someone who shall remain nameless but whose name rhymes with Avid Ibbs
> <grin>).

It sounds like you had several related decisions ... platform, server
program, and the client.  ANY ONE can incite holy wars, as we have
already seen.

A radical thought ... how about Google Mail (aka gmail) for your
domain? It is very cheap, and as for dealing with mail alone (tasks
and contacts aside) it blows away the contenders. And it supports POP
and IMAP clients, so you can download your messages if you choose.

As to the server, is there any reason you did not consider using a
hosting service?  Cost may or may not be an issue; there was a long
discussion about a hosting service and it's "ROI" calculation earlier
this month.  As a business owner, do you really have time to deal with
this issue? It certainly doesn't contribute to revenue, does it?
--> We are Exchange and Outlook here, but if I had to do it again I
would host in a heartbeat.

As to the client, I hated Outlook until I purchased the ClearContext
"information management system" that sits on top of Outlook.  Now I
love it. It does automatic prioritization very well, manages threading
reasonably well, and really does allow me to use Outlook as a "PIM"
instead of an email reader.