Remote working access

Helping the company grow

[CromeYellow]

Hi all

After a recent question on online diaries: [webmasterworld.com...] where I received a lot of useful tips, it has led me to thinking about setting up our systems so we can more easily hire remote workers to handle email, and so on.

As business increases, I find our small team is increasingly dealing with admin and less with the business of making money.

One of the solutions proposed in the thread above (norada) centralises all your email and scheduling, which is great, but the email function is web-based and so a little slow and under-featured for our needs (no standard template email replies for one).

I know very very little about this, so I am wondering if anyone knows any other way to achieve the same thing, for staff potentially based worldwide. We need:

- Central email handling multiple accounts with private/public folders, accessible via the internet

- Shared and combined diaries (calendars), again accessible from anywhere

- Any other groovy functions that make farming out admin tasks easy

I don't mind investing in new hardware and software to make this work (although the cheaper the better of course ;) ), I just wanted the opinion of some people who have experience, if you would be so kind to share :)

Thanks in advance

Cy

[Receptional]

We use phprojekt on our intranet, but it could quite happily be on and extranet. We also use vpop to send emails around the world and internally very happily.

Even so, we are looking at a VPN so we can share all files - can recommend a good, secure option for this?

[jpjones]

A couple of years ago I set up a VPN between two offices, connected over ADSL. The main office was running MS Small Business Server, with Exchange for email, and the remote office just had two desktop PCs which connected through the VPN. The server had virus checking software installed, which checked each email before it was placed into the inbox. The remote machines could surf the 'net, access Outlook for Email, Shared folders & Diary functionality, and use files located on the remote server. Basically all functionality experienced in the main office could be achieved from the remove office.

The VPN was created connecting two Linux gateway machines using vpnd. These machines also acted as the Firewalls. Access was restricted by IP address, and it worked superbly, if just a little slow (was on a basic ADSL link then).

To create new user/pass on the VPN is just a matter of adding new details to a control file. Not much different to setting up a new user on the Small Business Server.

So the above is one suggestion;

Another way you could go is to use an IMAP server purely for email, where all mail is held on the email server, and several accounts can be created to allow for private / public folders.

You'd then need to set up a web-based package for the diary functionality.

Hope thats of some help,
JP

[CromeYellow]

Thanks folks. VPN=Virtual Private Network right? (Looked it up ;) )

Seeing as some of our people will be dialing in via modems and are seriously non-techie, and we will be changing people fairly regularly, it needs to be an easy setup for new people.

The Outlook solution sounds good. All I need now is a techie to set it all up. Anyone live in Brighton UK? ;)

Thanks again

Cy

[Receptional]

You can ask in [webmasterworld.com...]

I'm at the other end of Thameslink and frankly - I wouldn't have a clue with the Outlook thing and I shouldn't be trusted in that department anyway.

Dixon.

[bcolflesh]

Best VPN solution for sub-500 folks:

checkpoint.com/products/express/index.html

[divaone]

hmm i still say outlook has all the features you've mentioned including sharing of *everything*. i share particular folders and sections with someone halfway across the country. may i ask why it needs to be web-based (as in via a browser only)?

Central email handling multiple accounts with private/public folders, accessible via the internet

check.

Shared and combined diaries (calendars), again accessible from anywhere

check. tasks, requested tasks, journals, calendars, some - none - or all mail folders, office docs, distribution lists, contacts (can be grouped or lumped), meeting requests, appts, fax messages, etc.

Any other groovy functions that make farming out admin tasks easy

check. assign sharers as authors, editors or viewers. etc etc.

[CromeYellow]

Hi divaone

It looks as if this is going to be the way to go, and of course you are right - there is no need for it to be browser based.

I'm off to find an Outlook manual - sounds like exciting Xmas reading.

Best

Cy