In a way, this reference below could have nothing to do with healthcare. It could be about a bank or software company or real estate agency as much as a hospital, but I think folks need to see their peers in action for it to hit home. Bottom line: every business ought to take its head out of the sand and consider using the various opensource solutions. Note that the benefits are more than just the money. I've written about this before more than once.

So, my excerpt straight from Computerworld. Or read the entire thing.

Hospital dumps Microsoft Exchange for Linux-based clone

In the end, it all came down to the price

...After conducting an evaluation of alternatives, the hospital decided not to upgrade to a newer version of Exchange. Instead, it went with a Linux-based Exchange clone that it felt could meet the needs of its 700 users without forcing them and IT to learn a whole new system...

..."We have estimated that PostPath saved us 50% over the cost of Exchange," Fallo said, not counting what Microsoft Corp. would have charged for maintenance and support...

...The hospital also went from three staffers managing e-mail to one...

...one client difference that has worked in Fallo's favor is the AJAX-powered Zimbra Web mail client that PostPath uses. The hospital likes it better than the Outlook Web Access client of Exchange 5.5...

... Fallo said that PostPath also has solved message store issues that led to some painful management in Exchange...

...n addition, the hospital has been able to give e-mail to 105 employees who never had the service because of Exchange's storage limitations.

Message recovery also is easier...

There was one enormous benefit in there that didn't get enough attention: the hospital's exchange server needed three people to administer email for only 700 users! That's crazy! What are the savings there, alone? Ay yi yi.

Enjoy.