Yes mad_jock, I am aware of that style of cheap component architecture, the sort Google use in certain areas of their operations.
Trouble is, I doubt you have the resources or operational experience that Google have. I can tell you for a start that Google most certainly do not use USB sticks, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Which is why I have been humbly suggesting that you will be fighting a loosing battle with your plans, and that a more traditional setup would serve you much better (I don't care if you run a Windows or Linux based system on it).
I'm telling you. You need to realistically consider the full lifecycle cost. What may appear to be an "expensive" third party managed service may not necessarily be as expensive as you think.... and I've doubts about your definition of expensive too.... getting hosted email can be done relatively cheaply yet robustly these days. Your solution may appear cheaper than anything out there... but that's only because you're seriously devaluing other lifecycle elements.
Last edited by mixture; 28th Apr 2013 at 22:32.