Hi all,

So I've got my first site up and running on my new Linode server and I've got email routed through Google apps, which is working pretty well.

The problem is I have a few clients whose sites I already host on shared reseller hosting and they're using server addresses like mail.domain.com for their pop and smtp servers in Outlook etc. Where possible I'd prefer that a/ they didn't have to change server details at all in their email clients and b/ if possible, I'd rather not expose the fact I'm using Google.

So what are my options? If I decided to run a mail server myself, is it a lot of work and are there security implications? Will it hammer my disc space?

Cheers,
Terry

Yes and YES.

I moved to out sourcing email a few years back - way less worries and work.

The race for decent spam control has quickly outpaced the little guy's ability to keep up (unless you're a wicked great sysadmin - and that rules me out - Dammit Jim, I'm a Scientist not an Engineer!).

For IMAP/POP3/SMTP server settings, putting in CNAMEs for imap.example.com -> imap.gmail.com, etc, would probably work out OK. However, when they look at the web interface, it'll be unmistakably gmail. There's no real way to hide it, so you might as well embrace it and be proud. Showcase the Docs and Calendar integration.

If you do decide to go down the host-your-own-mail route, a client of mine has had good luck with Postini as a front-end spam filter for $12/user/year. Once you stop needing to deeply scrutinize every single incoming e-mail, the resource requirements plummet.

(Free advice: You will find yourself wanting to punch a guy in a black turtleneck sweater if you use a self-signed SSL certificate.)

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Although you can "brand" it with that domains Logo so they know it's their "own" email page.