I very much agree with your assessment, Michael. And those exceptions would be where companies are not doing a whole lot with mail. If there is frequent mail updates or integration with internal apps, then external mail is more problematic and/or costly.
-ASB: http://XeeSM.com/AndrewBaker On Wed, Mar 10, 2010 at 9:47 AM, Michael B. Smith <[email protected]>wrote: > I've written a lot on this topic. While there _are_ exceptions, hosted > email works best for the very small and the very large organization. > > See, for example: > > <http://www.slipstick.com/emo/2007/up071213.htm> > < > http://theessentialexchange.com/blogs/michael/archive/2007/12/17/moving-from-in-house-exchange-to-hosted-exchange.aspx > > > > Regards, > > Michael B. Smith > Consultant and Exchange MVP > http://TheEssentialExchange.com > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Ralph Smith [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 9:33 AM > To: NT System Admin Issues > Subject: RE: Cloud Computing (Was: DNS Server service shuts down shortly > after the DC boots) > > > "$50 a year for a mailbox is pretty freaking attractive to a guy that has > to watch every penny" > > This is where I seem to have a conceptual problem - I'm not trying to argue > the point, just gain a better understanding. > > I've been running a single Exchange 2003 STD on the same box for the last 6 > years. > > The cost of the box: $2000 > The cost of Exchange for me (non-profit): $250 CALS @ $3.00 each: $600 > > Total cost for me over 6 years having an in house server: < $3,000. > > > 6 years of $50 * 200 users: $60,000. > > > Labor - I put in maybe an hour a week on the Exchange Server, and I'm > guessing some time would be invested dealing with a hosted Exchange solution > also. I don't feel that having the Exchange server in house adds much to my > day to day work, and my employer would not be paying me any less if email > were outsourced. > > So how am I saving pennies outsourcing exchange - what makes up the other > $57,000? > > Even substituting Exchange 2010 STD retail pricing of $750, and CALs at > about $80 the total would be about $20,000, still a long way from $60,000. > > Again, not trying to argue, I just feel like I must be missing something > major. > > > Ralph Smith > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Martin Blackstone [mailto:[email protected]] > > Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 8:10 AM > > To: NT System Admin Issues > > Subject: RE: Cloud Computing (Was: DNS Server service shuts down > shortly > > after the DC boots) > > > > Cloud is such a dirty word isn't it? But software as a service isn't. > But > > it's almost the same thing right? How many companies have been using > > Salesforce or something similar? Welcome to the cloud. Welcome to > software > > as a service. > > If you look at something like Gmail, they actually have a government > > facility that is much more secured than what we get. For example > that's > > where the LAPD lives. The city of LA gave up their entire email > > infrastructure to Google last year. > > I'm saying get with the cloud before the cloud gets you. Your CFO will > > come to you eventually and tell you to get something in there and you > > better be ready to deal with it. HOW you deal with it may depend on > how > > you and your department survives. $50 a year for a mailbox is pretty > > freaking attractive to a guy that has to watch every penny and that's > the > > bottom line when it comes to the top line. Everyone and I mean > everyone > > says "Our email, our data, our whatever is too sensitive to put in the > > cloud", and I would be 95% of us are wrong, and there are some very > secure > > cloud locations out there. You just have to find them. > > > > You guys better be ready to get with the program. Our jobs depend on > it. > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: John Hornbuckle [mailto:[email protected]] > > Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 4:37 AM > > To: NT System Admin Issues > > Subject: Cloud Computing (Was: DNS Server service shuts down shortly > after > > the DC boots) > > > > For all its flaws, I don't see cloud computing as a passing fad. It's > not > > likely to go away, so the best we can do is to work to improve it. > > > > I can tell you that my own organization is a big fan of it. Why? Well, > > we're a school district. Our core competency isn't the maintenance of > > complex IT system. We don't have the staff with the knowledge to > maintain > > such systems, and we don't have the money to hire that staff. Our > staffing > > levels have actually shrunk due to budget cuts, while the number of > > various systems and applications we're using is continuing to grow. > Every > > new app means more storage space, more backup job complexity, more > > hardware utilization, more support requirements, more time > > troubleshooting, more time upgrading--the list goes on and on. > > > > So what can we do? Outsource the maintenance of as many systems as > > possible to companies who specialize in that type of work (so they can > > almost always do it better than us) and who gain economies of scale > (so > > they can almost always do it cheaper than us). Put the app in the > cloud, > > and let someone else worry about things like backups, upgrades, and > > support. And having it web-based has the added benefit of there being > no > > client-side software for us to have to worry about. > > > > Reliability hasn't been a factor for us with our cloud-based apps. Our > > Internet connection is pretty reliable. If it goes down, we have > alternate > > means of connecting to our most critical apps. Security? Well, the > best we > > can do there is to have a good contract stipulating our requirements > and > > the consequences of security breaches. I'm the most advanced tech in > our > > organization, but I'm not a security expert--I'm a technology > generalist, > > not a specialist. That means these companies can handle security AT > LEAST > > as well as we can, and often better. > > > > It's not right for every organization and every application. But for > us, > > cloud computing offers significant benefits. We're leaning more and > more > > on it all the time. > > > > > > > > John Hornbuckle > > MIS Department > > Taylor County School District > > www.taylor.k12.fl.us > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Kurt Buff [mailto:[email protected]] > > Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2010 11:36 PM > > To: NT System Admin Issues > > Subject: Re: DNS Server service shuts down shortly after the DC boots > > > > Oh, yeah. > > > > Somehow, though, it seems to me as if 'the cloud' violates the CIA > > triangle of security. > > > > At the very least, > > > > a) availability is compromised (if you don't have Internet > connectivity, > > among other things), > > > > b) integrity is compromised (new ways of breaking out of VMs to the > > underlying host, and you don't know who you're sharing a physical host > > with, not to mention issues with network traffic from the various VMs > on a > > physical host being sniffed.) > > > > Color me deeply skeptical. > > > > On Tue, Mar 9, 2010 at 17:34, Carl Houseman <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > Seems the 'cloud' is the new buzzword for how we're going to > increase > > > profits next quarter. The cloud will save us! The cloud will > reduce > > > our expensive fixed costs! Has Dilbert done something on the cloud > > > yet? If > > > > > > not, it's just a matter of time. > > > > > > > > > > > > From: David Lum [mailto:[email protected]] > > > Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2010 5:00 PM > > > To: NT System Admin Issues > > > Subject: RE: DNS Server service shuts down shortly after the DC > boots > > > > > > > > > > > > True, but I'll use OpenDNS way before using Google or MS DNS > servers... > > > > > > > > > > > > The cloud the cloud...everything is cloud around my office with > exec's > > > ..."SharePoint's broke and we have no expertise here...move it to > the cloud! > > > Exchange, Live Communications Server, ship -'em all out!" > > > > > > > > > > > > From: Carl Houseman [mailto:[email protected]] > > > Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2010 1:26 PM > > > To: NT System Admin Issues > > > Subject: RE: DNS Server service shuts down shortly after the DC > boots > > > > > > > > > > > > Not everyone wants to depend on DNS services 'in the cloud' even if > > > they're free... > > > > > > > > NOTICE: Florida has a broad public records law. Most written > > communications to or from this entity are public records that will be > > disclosed to the public and the media upon request. E-mail > communications > > may be subject to public disclosure. > > > > > > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ > > <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ > > > > > > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ > > <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ > > Confidentiality Notice: > > ---------------------------------- > > > > This communication, including any attachments, may contain confidential > information and is intended only for the individual or entity to whom it is > addressed. Any review, dissemination, or copying of this communication by > anyone other than the intended recipient is strictly prohibited. If you are > not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email, delete > and destroy all copies of the original message. > > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ < > http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ > > > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ > ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ > > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~
