Basic Remote Network

[My Lovely Horse]

Hi all
I need some advice on setting up my office.
I run a small business that includes setting up quotations and proposals.
The business has two directors and 1 member of staff. We have a small office in the south of the UK, midway between the two director’s homes. (One travels from the South and the other from the North).
We want to set up a system, so that we can keep all of our documents and proposals on a server in the office, which we can work from.
We want to store all the information in one central location that can be updated by all of us, that can be accessed remotely, from home and in Central Europe.
Currently we are e-mailing each other updated documents, which is both time consuming and creates lots of old documents that are incorrect and out of date.
This is how I see the system working.
1. My partner gets a request for a product, she is based in London.
2. The proposal is created on the system for me to access and amend as necessary, from my laptop, while I am in Germany.
3. The proposal is then sent to the client, with the document staying on the “server” in our office.
Personally it feels like I need a simple remote software programme and a system to access and file the proposals. Although I am not sure if that is everything that we need.
1. Could we set the laptops up so that we can access the server, without our partner reading our personal info on our machine?
2. Can we set up a generic database with our customer and supplier details as well as system to collect e-mails when away?
3. The system automatically backs up all the machines in the night – and records a log of amendments?
Currently we have:
1 Computer based in the office, as a server.
2 Laptops, 1 each that we work from.
Permanent Internet connections at our homes and Office – we also have a dongle each for when we are on the road.
Later I would like to upgrade to an Apple Laptop as I have had my fill of PCs, could this be achieved.
Could we auto- archive the information to 4th remote computer, for safe keeping?
So many questions and so little knowledge on my part!
Thanks for any help that may be forthcoming.
Regards
MLH

[Saab Dastard]

I would suggest a VPN concentrator at the office, with all other PCs / laptops having VPN client software installed.

Wherever you are, connect securely to the office LAN and access services on the server as if you were directly attached to the office network.

Given the list of requirements (network connectivity, database, email, backup, Mac support) and your admitted lack of IT knowledge, you would be well advised to consult with an IT specialist to come up with some alternatives & associated costs and then implement the chosen solution.

SD

[MacBoero]

I agree with SD, this is easily do-able, but not something you shoudl attempt on your own without professional help. Windows Server is pretty easy to setup, but you will leave numerous security holes if not extremely careful. Setting up Windows Server from scratch without any experience is not for the faint of heart!:\

[Muffin Themule]

Have you considered Google Docs? Create your documents on a massive server (farm), share between you and your co-director during development of the proposal and mail to the client when satisfied.

Available worldwide and no specialist knowledge required.

[Saab Dastard]

Muffin, that's a good idea - especially as it would take care of backups (one hopes).

However, if a database is also being considered it might not cover all the requirements. Depends on the complexity of the database - is it just a contact list (for which a spreadsheet or table might suffice) or a more powerful CRM
tool?

SD

ps - I find it quite touching that Muffin the Mule is advising My Lovely Horse.

[bnt]

Another low-maintenance option is Dropbox (https://www.getdropbox.com/referrals/NTg1MjYxOQ), which is basically real-time file replication and backup. All files saved under a specified directory are replicated to all machines signed on to the same Dropbox account, the second they are saved (when the machine is on the internet). It works with their servers, so you don't need to add a server to the account unless you want to. The servers keep backups of old and deleted versions of files too, accessible through a web interface.

PS: the link above is a referral link - offers me a little more disk space when people sign up through it.

[mixture]

My Lovely Horse,

First, as others have mentioned, the advice you are requesting here is well beyond what could be considered "reasonable" for PPRuNe. You would be well advised to find a trustworthy IT consultancy*, otherwise you will only end up throwing money down the drain if you try to do things on the cheap by relying on advice Joe Bloggs on some forum gave you.

As for cloud/online/whatever you want to call it services like Google Docs/whatever. You need to come to your own conclusion on this one. Do not be swayed by the marketing hype and client testimonials. For example you need to consider exit routes ..... some services may make your life difficult when trying to get all your data off in bulk. But there's far more to consider than exit routes and it's not something I'm going to be writing up here for free. :ok:


*= When looking for an IT consultancy DO NOT be swayed by lists of fancy sounding accrediations (e.g. Microsoft Gold) .... all this means is that they've got good sales reps on team. The IT industry is all sell, sell, sell when it comes to manufacturer accreditations. So you would be best advised to use more traditional means to find a good consultancy (e.g. word of mouth).

[Mike-Bracknell]

My Lovely Horse....I'll send you a private message about your requirements.

Cheers,
Mike.