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.
