Free Windows SBS / Exchange Replacement...sort of

[14049752]

Quick Intro: I have a customer that's moving most of his workload into a hosted app solution. In a moment of bad judgement, he called someone else a few years ago, to set up and install a server. The server was SBS2003, running on the cheapest of cheap hardware. I've been telling him for a long time that he needs to get a proper server OR move to hosted everything. In short, he doesn't trust hosted ANYTHING...even this app he's moving to. So, he asked me to quote options. Since it's only the owner and one full time and one part time employee, I wanted to try to get him on hosted apps....

In short, I quoted a proper Windows server. I quoted hosted solutions, despite his concerns. And, I quoted a kind of alternative solution....Linux SBS replacement. He said "Let's try the linux option"....so...we're trying it.

Originally I was going to go with Zentyal. It sounds promising. After playing with it for a while, I quickly realized that it's not at all a finished product. Not something that I'd want to put in place for a customer, not something I'd want to use. Mail handling is a sticking point, because he has external mail. I don't want to dig deep into config files, only to have an update wipe out settings, or something like that. OpenChange, as an exchange replacement, sounds pretty good...but there are limitations....basic things like opening a shared calendar. That's a deal breaker.

SO, for the better part of today, I played around with ClearOS. ClearOS looks and feels MUCH better...it's obvious they worked hard to make it a polished product. This is clearly an OS that can be used in a business, if you set it up well. I was looking into Zarafa as an Exchange replacement, but since it's a paid app, I wanted to try everything else first. I got e-mail setup through imap. I got domain services on. I got roaming profiles set up (although it doesn't redirect...it syncs at login and logoff...oh well....we can work with that). I have file shares, network security, etc, etc...
The sticking point....getting outlook to share the calendar....again. I set up WebDav and was able to publish the calendar, but outlook doesn't do that very well at all. Updates don't seem to happen.
So, what's my answer? More free software, of course. Thunderbird, Lightning and AdressBooks Synchronizer addon synced with WebDav on Apache, is a pretty good replacement for Outlook/Exchange...sort of. As long as you don't have applications that call for Outlook, you'll be fine.

So far, I don't see any major problems. I'm going to have to run all this by my customer, because he was expecting to stick with Outlook... But, as far as I know, he should have no problems switching to Thunderbird. Everything else should be business as usual.



So.... I feel like I sort of rambled on a bit. It's late, I've been at this for a while. Does this sound like another "moment of bad judgement"? Does anyone have any other suggestions regarding Outlook sharing, without exchange?

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

ClearOS is an awesome open source alternative to SBS...I've played with it a few times...but only at my home for myself.

Installing and supporting it for businesses...I haven't done, but I know some peeps here do. ClearOS does have a support program (you pay for it of course). I wouldn't install one without it for a business.

The price of SBS licensing is small compared to the ongoing costs of everything that it does, but the benefits are huge. Amazes me how business owners stumble over that concept....want all the features of a server and workstations, but won't pay for it, or all want all the features of a good accounting software, but won't pay for Quickbooks. There's a price to pay for not going with proper standards. These tools are what you run your business on, why go on the cheap?

 

[TenYardFight]

Most people that have previously used Outlook heavily (not just POPping mail) will not enjoy moving off of it.

 

[14049752]

Most people that have previously used Outlook heavily (not just POPping mail) will not enjoy moving off of it.

Why? To an end user, they just see it as e-mail and calendar and tasks..etc. What does Outlook do that's so special that Thunderbird can't do, with roaming profiles?

 

[14049752]

The price of SBS licensing is small compared to the ongoing costs of everything that it does, but the benefits are huge. Amazes me how business owners stumble over that concept....want all the features of a server and workstations, but won't pay for it, or all want all the features of a good accounting software, but won't pay for Quickbooks. There's a price to pay for not going with proper standards. These tools are what you run your business on, why go on the cheap?

I sort of agree... Except that Microsoft really screwed people over when they stopped selling SBS editions. And for a company of 2.5 employees, I sometimes feel like a server is overkill anyway. In my opinion, this office should go with hosted exchange....it makes more sense financially. But, I know that some people just don't trust having their data on someone else's servers.

It's funny how I have customers with two, three, four people in their office running on Windows Server....and they have me visit far more often than an office with 30+ people using hosted apps.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Had quite a few 2-5 user networks on SBS03 back in the day.

What people don't realize...their data really isn't "secure" in their own hands either. All it takes is 1x malware download on a workstation at the office, and that servers data is potentially compromised. How many small biz's and home setups have their network audited and checked for malware (and patched) on a daily basis? Not many. It's actually more secure in a cloud data center, which is always patched/monitored/secured quite well.

 

[altrenda]

Why? To an end user, they just see it as e-mail and calendar and tasks..etc. What does Outlook do that's so special that Thunderbird can't do, with roaming profiles?

Because people who are used to the way Outlook does Mail, Contacts, and Calendar together usually aren't happy with the way other programs handle them. It doesn't matter if it's better or worse, people used to Outlook want to work that way. No amount of wrangling Thunderbird, Lightning, Post box, or anything else will change that.
Most of my younger users, raised on Gmail instead of Exchange, get frustrated by Outlook, but if the client is an Outlook user, it is just easier to stick with Exchange of some type.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Why? What does Outlook do that's so special that

Integrate nicely into other Office apps, and many line of business apps.

 

[14049752]

I guess. I honestly don't see many people using Outlook for more than an e-mail and calendar program. The only person I ever had complain about changing from Outlook was someone that I moved to Google Apps....and he's never once looked back once he got used to it.

As far as integrating with other business apps....Yeah, I know that. But in this case, everything he does is going to be online now. I guess I'll see what he says, when I run it by him.

 

[ohio_grad_06]

Once you get into a larger office, you'll find people use outlook quite a bit. Especially when you add public folders or shared mailboxes to it, plus calendar functions, plus shared contact lists etc. There's where you start utilizing it more.

 

[14049752]

Once you get into a larger office, you'll find people use outlook quite a bit. Especially when you add public folders or shared mailboxes to it, plus calendar functions, plus shared contact lists etc. There's where you start utilizing it more.

Right....and what I'm setting up can do that.

 

[altrenda]

Right....and what I'm setting up can do that.

I think some people confuse Outlook with Exchange. Exchange or in your case ClearOs does all the heavy lifting of the mail, Contacts, calendar and tasks sharing. Outlook is just the client side for Exchange, and it does a good job. It's when you try to use Outlook with other systems, like Google Apps, is when it runs into problems. I have never used it with ClearOs so I don't know how well it works.

 

[14049752]

I think some people confuse Outlook with Exchange. Exchange or in your case ClearOs does all the heavy lifting of the mail, Contacts, calendar and tasks sharing. Outlook is just the client side for Exchange, and it does a good job. It's when you try to use Outlook with other systems, like Google Apps, is when it runs into problems. I have never used it with ClearOs so I don't know how well it works.

Outlook with ClearOS...doesn't work well. Unless you get the Zerafa Pro license and use their mapi client. Right now I have it set up working flawlessly with Thunderbird.

I talked to the client, and he's reluctant to switch from Outlook. No particular reason. So, I basically told him that the linux option isn't what he should do...and mentioned the hosted exchange option again.

 

[altrenda]

I talked to the client, and he's reluctant to switch from Outlook. No particular reason. So, I basically told him that the linux option isn't what he should do...and mentioned the hosted exchange option again.

That's what I run into all the time. Now my first question is "Do you use Outlook?" If they use Outlook, really use all the functions, not just as a mail client, then I tell them that their only real solutions are Exchange or O365. And here are the costs.

If they are a gmail or other type of webmail user, then they have many other options. Just not Outlook.

 

[14049752]

With Thunderbird, and a few add-ons, I have it set up to do everything outlook does...with the exception of third party integration. I'm not sure that's his reason. Maybe it's just wanting familiarity. I'm not sure.


If I had someone looking at this, side by side, with no previous experience with any system, they'd have a hard time telling the difference. It IS a viable alternative, it's just that the people that want an SBS replacement don't really want an SBS replacement...they want SBS.

Moving forward on this, I'm not sure what I'm going to offer him if he doesn't go with hosted apps. He's a long time customer, but I think he just has unreasonable expectations on the cost of a server, as well as unreasonable expectations as to what I can do to make it cost nothing.



I'm not really disappointed on way or another about this particular job. Playing with Zentyal and ClearOS was fun.....and getting ClearOS set up to match most capabilities of SBS/Exchange was useful. I may have a case to use it in the future, but if not I enjoy projects like this