> Developing and managing your own system, like the OP did, takes a lot of time and energy - all of that, when calculated, costs a lot more :)

> costs a lot more

> costs a lot more

> costs a lot more

The point was super clear, and yet you managed to miss it.

@jitbit clearly stated that he and his colleagues evaluated several possibilities, and the decided to set up their own system.

It's literally short-term decision: it's a make-or-buy problem.

The make options surely takes some time, but it is a one-time expense with pretty much low maintenance and super-low operating-cost ($4/month). It also requires some study but hey, that's know-how that is going to stay in the company.

The buy options is a lot more costly, but gives the gift of ignorance: you are not required to know or do anything.

And if you are wondering what the costs are: setting up a basic mail server for a domain takes as little as a couple of hours. A little-more complicated might take a day, and a complex setup not more than a week, for a skilled person.

Considering other options, it might just be cost-effective to hire a consultant to set it up.

Source: i've been running my mailserver for years, and I've done consulting in setting up and troubleshooting mail servers.