Need help in setting up a Microsoft Exchange Server for email

[treysha]

Hi there,
I am currently running an office of about 50 people, all on PCs connected to a Windows Server 2003.
We wholly (really 100% whole-ly) outsource our email administration to a vendor, who runs nothing but Linux. They have an email server running Linux (FC2, if I'm not mistaken) and we are all running IMAP for email. Pardon me but I am really not too sure about the email set-up to provide more details.

Lately, downtime for email has been very frequent, thus forcing me to find an alternative email administrator. Now, I am trying to explore the possibility of getting an Exchange Server and thus hosting and administering our email on our own. Yes, I mean I want to fire our email vendors.

Being VERY VERY green in this (I have never been an email administrator, let alone operated Exchange), I need ALL the advise everyone can offer. Basic issues that I can think of would be hardware set-up and software set-up.
Also if anyone can think of any other issues that you think may be worth mentioning. I appreciate ALL views and advise.
Thank you very much.

[Variable]

Pulling mail in house gives you more control and lets you do some nice things with Outlook.If you are not tecnically savvy I think you are biting off an awful huge chunk here. It would be smarter to hire a professional to come in and set it all up and show you how to administer it while, at the same time, buying an Exchange book and reading it as you need to explore different questions you have. Setting up Exchange is not terribly difficult but the devil is in the details. If you have no idea where to start you really should get somone local to help you if you are going to be resposible for your companies email, shared folders, calenders, anti-spam and AV.

One thing I would do is find out who handles your DNS and how you can change it. This way you can go live with the new exchange on a Friday night and test all weekend and if needed switch DNS back before Monday morning. That way your bosses mail doesn't get hosed.