Oh, and desktop support is usually cheaper than web designers' fees

[rabiakhatun785]

Well, Google Apps is currently free for up to 50 users with 7GB storage space (this will undoubtedly change). Organisations such as Microsoft stand to lose a significant revenue stream so there will probably be a charge based on either a subscription or data/bandwidth used.

So, we still haven't answered my initial question of "Where do we draw the line?".

For us it is a matter of doing what you do well. This may seem a bit rough however the real answer can be seen in the following cost analysis.

Your web designer e-mails you the config info and you spend 45minutes trying to set up an IMAP or POP connection it doesn't work. You call your web designer and together spend the next 30minutes raster to vector conversion service going through settings to find that you left off a dot or missed a setting (not your fault - you're not a computer person). So far we have a total of 105minutes of resources spent. Then something else occurs, a folder isn't there anymore or a rule stops working, call the designer...

Now consider this scenario.
Your web designer sets up the email server and emails you and your desktop support person the config info. You file it away and your desktop support person initiates an online support session (if they can't "dial-in" look for new support). You go make a coffee and by the time you are back the job is done and tested. Total time spent: your time = 10minutes, web designer = 0minutes and desktop support = 10-20minutes.


If you are still feeling as though the web designer should do the whole thing, consider a new house; the power company provides electricity to the meter box (try calling them to walk you through installing power points) and you need an electrician to install the power points.