[gtlondon]

I've run my own email for about 4 years now -- I'm fairly tech savvy, but don't know much about email -- so was pleased that my "quick" solution has worked well.

I use Apple Server to host the email via SSL on a dedicated server, really easy to configure.

The key thing is deliverability - initially I had some problems with my email going into junk folders.

To get around this I send all email via a service called PostMarkApp (http://www.postmarkapp.com) which allows you to setup SPF and DKIM records on your domain and therefore ensure emails are authenticated.

I get pretty close to 100% deliverability.

PostMarkApp also shows you open / browser stats, so it's quite useful when I wonder if someone has read a particular email.

Not sure if this would be secure enough, but has worked well for me with almost zero maintenance after setup.