Startup business server or saas

StuntMonkeh · 11 Jan 2012 at 22:31

There is a good chance I will start working freelance this year and am looking at how to better manage my workflow and data.

I have previously worked with the usual Microsoft tools with a network share and various folders. In this day and age this seems pretty archaic.

Essentially the work will be project management and design. Files will be documents, photos and CAD files. Ideally I would like some way of linking emails to projects somehow so I wasn't forever searching emails too.

Would I be best with my own small server with offsite backup or paying for saas?

Can anyone recommend some software? I have had a look at 'project open' and a few other open source solutions but would be interested to see other suggestions.

Thanks in advance....

sidethink · 12 Jan 2012 at 12:38

I'd recommend a variety of online SAAS tools for a freelancer collaborating with others:

Basecamp
Dropbox
Google Apps For Domains
teamworkpm.net

I've used a combo of all of these with a variety of freelancers and it generally gets the job done. It allows you to co locate with the people you are freelancing for and work from home, all you really need is a solid internet connection.

I would strongly recommend routinely backing up some or all of the online info to a home based USB hard drive for safekeeping.

NathanE · 12 Jan 2012 at 16:09

I deployed Google Apps recently for a business venture and it is great. I doubt I'll ever willingly use Exchange again. It needs a ridiculous amount of RAM and HDD before even getting out of bed. Takes weeks to deploy (properly) and needs huge amounts of effort to keep it running smoothly. It's not really something a small business should be concerning itself with. That's what makes Google Apps so great. I didn't even know that it was free for up to 10 users until a few weeks ago. Where on earth has this thing been hiding?!

madman045 · 12 Jan 2012 at 19:09

I would check what's important to you, yes Google Apps is free for up to 10 users, but perhaps what Google Apps for Business has to offer is more what your after, such as SLA, 24/7 support, Groups etc, which it's price is comparable to Microsoft's Office 365 service

http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/group/index.html

StuntMonkeh · 13 Jan 2012 at 00:01

Thanks for you input. I want to make the right choice early on rather than go down a route and get stuck with something that would be hard to migrate from.

There is a vast array of SAAS tools out there. Just had a look at Teamworkpm and that looks pretty good. Maybe I should trial a few to see how they fair but they all seem to support the same things.

The geek in me wants a server to play with but I know at some point it would fail and I would then spend an insurmountable time fixing it when I would be better off generating revenue....

sidethink · 13 Jan 2012 at 11:08

StuntMonkeh said:
Just had a look at Teamworkpm and that looks pretty good. Maybe I should trial a few to see how they fair but they all seem to support the same things.

While Basecamp and its cohorts are the fashionable products in this space, Teamwork is awesome and engineered in Ireland (so support etc is swift for Europeans). I can heartily recommend it, and I'm pretty sure they have a trial offering.