Server installation and configuration
Servers can be set up with any services that are needed, like Email, File Sharing, Web Sharing with PHP and MySQL support. The servers can be set up with Microsoft Windows server software, but if this is too expensive then a unix based server consisting of free software can be installed instead. The unix based servers also have a lot more software available for them that can be installed for free and they also support OS X Lion so you will have no problems with any Macs that you buy in the future. The servers can be set up with all the features that have been used by large enterprises for years like:
a) VPN access to allow you to connect to your office from anywhere in the world and access all the resources on the network.
b) A shared calendar that can be viewed in the office or over the VPN and because it is web based it can be viewed on any machine.
c) Emails that are stored on the server which can then be accessed on multiple machines and even via a web browser if you are away from the office. Server side rules are also available to sort your incoming emails into any folders that you have set up. You can also access your emails with ease using your mobile phone if it supports an IMAP connection.
d) Multiple disk RAID storage to hold your terabytes of files for data security and easy access from multiple machines. Extra storage can easily be added if you outgrow your current setup.
e) Remote backup without the pain of having to pay a monthly fee. Another server can be setup at a remote location and the data on the main server can be synchronised with the remote server every night to make sure that your data is stored in more than one place.
A web application is also available that can store the address details of clients or potential clients, various groups can also be created and you can have as many custom fields as you want. Once the details have been entered they can then be used to print out address labels or to create a mailing list for emails. Address details can also be imported from a spreadsheet in CSV form or from another database.