Insights
What self-hosting your email really costs.
Running your own mail server can look cheaper than paying for each mailbox. The software is only part of the cost, though. Delivery, security, backups, and support still need someone to manage them.
Put time on the same bill as hosting
For an illustrative comparison, suppose a server and backup cost $40 a month, administration takes three hours at an internal cost of $75 an hour, and setup takes eight hours. That is $265 a month plus $600 of setup time: $3,780 in the first year. These are example assumptions, not provider prices or a Beach Intelligence quote.
Replace every assumption with your own. Add the cost of an outage, migration support, and cover when the usual administrator is unavailable. Then compare that total with the hosted plans that actually meet your needs.
Budget for delivery and maintenance
A mail server needs monitoring, updates, spam filtering, and correctly configured email authentication. Sending reputation also matters. A working server does not guarantee that every message will reach an inbox.
Decide who will support it
Someone needs to handle storage, certificates, account access, recovery, and outages. Include that time in the comparison with a hosted service, along with the cost of cover when that person is unavailable.
Plan the move for your team
Check the mail apps, calendars, contacts, and shared mailboxes people use today. Test a small migration first and allow time for setup and support.
Review the current bill first
Unused licenses and duplicate subscriptions are worth checking before replacing the whole system. Your current provider may already offer a plan that fits better.
We would usually start with a review of your accounts, requirements, and costs. Self-hosting can suit specific needs, but it should come with a clear maintenance and recovery plan.
Further reading: CISA's guidance on backups, maintenance, and managed services.