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Re: [LUG] CRM hosting, Drupal, VPS and web hosts [OT?]

 

thanks for that Matthew.  I've looked at sugar again and it's GPL3 so I can't really see what's wrong with it.  Chock full of advertising for paid services/prof. eds but that can be ignored.

I understand it integrates with Joomla but I prefer Drupal and I don't think that integration is so good, if it exists at all.  Still, it may not matter if we keep our crm and our websites distinct, it may even be an advantage.

I've gone for semi-managed which allows limited ssh access but they manage the mailserver and o/s which is just fine by me.

Matthew.

Matthew Macdonald-Wallace wrote:
Hi Matthew,

Quoting Matthew <matthew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
  
So does anyone know of
a) good, genuinely (e.g. not SugarCRM or forks) open source
CRM/mailshot software that we can install on the webserver and that
will play with drupal (if not integrate seamlessly with it) and allow
us to track opens, clickthroughs and bounces [but not CiviCRM; that's
a nightmare and far too complex for its own good: I did use it to send
out a substantial email to our database and it failed dramatically];
    

Any reason why not sugar? It works, it's solid and it's v. flexible,  
not to mention that most of the things you need to do (such as  
integration with Joomla etc.) have already been written.

  
b) inexpensive VPS hosting for a mailserver; this bit does not need
to be so powerful as its main purpose will be to handle smtp requests
and send responses to appropriate places based on the return traffic.
    

http://www.cheapvps.co.uk/ - I work for a major Hosting supplier but  
our VPS's are far more than that and it seems like cost is an issue.   
Do bear in mind that you get what you pay for.  I use one of the above  
as a development server.  There are no SLAs, no guarantees of up-time  
or stability and you have to do everything apart from install the  
Base-O/S yourself.  If you want the OS and software installed/SLAs  
etc, you need to spend money.  Doing things on the cheap always comes  
back to bite you on the ar*e in my experience.

  
As y'all can probably tell, I don't know too much about this subject
but it surely does not need to cost a mint to host a website and
mailserver that can handle bounces via VERP??
    

Having said all of the above, I'd offer the advice that you're  
probably best off using one of the following two options:

1) Co-Location of your own hardware - you own the hardware, you host  
it where you want and you maintain it.  If it goes wrong, it's _your_  
fault.

2) Managed Virtual/Dedicated Server - you login via a control panel  
such as PLESK.  If you want software installed, you ask the managing  
company to install it.  You _DO NOT_ have shell access.  If it fails,  
it is often _their_ fault.

The two above options are not cheap, but they will provide your  
business with far more options in the future.

Hope that is of some help,

Matt.
  


-- 
Matthew Fairtlough
Old Seymour Lodge
Bridgetown, Totnes, TQ9 5BA, UK
mobile: 0771 767 2481 land: 01803 840453
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