Keen-eyed readers may have already identified that this sounds like the sort of functionality that the original POP3 internet protocols provided where once an email was sent to a device it was synced only with that device.

A simple solution to this problem would be to change the mail protocol to IMAP which allows two-way synchronization.

However, this client also had another issue whereby they had an aging server, which they were looking to replace, that was used for file storage / access and general backups.

Given the client was using their server so minimally it did not make financial or sound IT sense to recommend a replacement.

Instead GroupSupport suggested a hybrid solution whereby the client migrated their emails to Microsoft 365 which allows synchronisation across multiple devices and also provided easier access to users working from home.

Instead of a new server a NAS was deployed to store local copies of 365 backups while an offsite cloud-based backup completed the Disaster Mitigation strategy. The NAS is also designed to store larger local files at a fraction of the cost of a server.

Microsoft 365 also then supported the client to utilise SharePoint to store and collaborate on documents with easy access for working from home when necessary.

Suddenly what had always been a frustration and even more so throughout the last few years with forced work from home were now non-existent problems entirely!

The new solution requires less maintenance than the old solution, will likely have a longer life cycle and required less upfront outlay than the previous older server-based solution.

Even better, past frustrations have become distant memories for those staff who needed to work out of the office (from home or on the road).

The client is ecstatic with the results and only wishes they had made the decision to modernise their IT solution far earlier.