Installation: on-site (faster)
  • OS: Windows 2000 SP4 Server edition with xampplite windows version 32-1.6.6a (was recommended at that moment) this is a distribution that inlcudes MySQL 5.0.51a, PHP 5.2.5 and Apache 2.2.8 all configured in single install (works well)
  • Sugar Suite 5.1
  • Webserver & mail server: Exteranlly hosted on Apache with excellent spam & virus protection and 99.9% online

Notes: please note that this discussion is not about release versions and recommendations thereof, keep that part away from this thread, this discussion is for higher level email setup and configuration to find the larger picture and what is possible when having an exteranally hosted domain and email while installing a local hosted SugarCRM system.

The SugarCRM was fairly easy to setup and install but what I didn't realize that you need to do much more planning on the email side then just setting it up. SugarCRM appears to have a full inbox system with individual and glogal accounts. Something you do not realize as admin while doing the install and setup. But once logged in as user it hit me.

The installation and user manuals do not fully cover this aspect so I am trying to see if we can share pieces to learn about it.

I am using an ISP to host our mail boxes (running on an Apache server offsite). Simple and effective and has served us well for more then five years already. We have general and individual mail boxes but we are heavily leaning on MS Outlook 2003 at this moment to retrieve the emails. We must still be able to retain emails and export them in original format because they are legal accepted proof in the Netherlands. When setting up this system this is something important to keep in mind because the system does not seem to care about this aspect but we need to be able to export/retrieve emails back in their original form.

We will use most aspects of the system. Customer support, email campaigns, customer service, sales and leads etceteras.

What is the right strategy, planning and setup in such environment? We want to keep the emails as said and still intent to use the system as much as possible.

My first impression is that we use an general account like office@mydomain.com This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it over SMTP. This goes into the general inbox. We create a customer service account like cs@mydomain.com This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . We create a technical support account like ts@mydomain.com This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . And sales@mydomain.com This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it of course. Those are for the CRM system to use and retain and where users can pickup the emails in the main shared email .

Then the individual email accounts are as usual with or without named address. Like Gert@mydomain.com This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with my own SMTP account that I use in Outlook. And others in cs, ts and sales also have their individual email addresses. All hosted at myhost.nl for mydomain.com.

But how does or should this fit together? I like the CRM interface but also appreciate the spell checker that I need because my English is not perfect. And to securely archive the emails of course. A large safe email system would be ideal but we are hosting the CRM on a Windows 2000 server box for practical reasons. So there are limitations. We do not use MS Exchange, and do not intent to either for practical reasons that I do not wish to discuss here.

How should fit this together? The documentation is not specific enough to understand the dynamics and setup ideas behind info@hand CRM and emails. It is simple to do a single account but for the company it is different.

Advanced configuration and usage:
  • Genaral mailbox structure and how to use it to the full extend
  • Individual mailbox structure and how to use it to the full extend
  • Setup of that structure or plan
  • Usage by the users of such setup (how they should use the system and not overload their CRM inbox for example, but still retain email as proof)
  • Backup and retrieval of emails in their original format


Kind Regards, Gert