While budget constraints will not allow them to get everything on their wish list, Cass County’s computer gurus will get the resources they need to ensure local officials remain connected.

The Cass County Board of Commissioners approved a contract with business internet provider XMission, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, to host the county’s email services. The three-year deal will cost $24 a user per year, for a total annual cost of $7,585 (with a 5 percent contingency).

The county has allocated funds for the upgrade in its 2017 budget, under the “Software Maintenance — Email” line item.

The county will transfer its email services to XMission from its current host, Merit, based in Ann Arbor. The company, which installed fiber optic internet access to the county around three years ago, announced last year that it would end its email hosting services in July 2017, prompting the county to seek out a new provider, said Information Systems Department Director Kerry Collins.

“Emailing hosting is not fun business to be in,” Collins said about Merit’s decision to cease its hosting services. “Email is where a lot of infections are introduced into your organization.”

In spite of backing out of the email game, Merit will continue to provide internet services to the county, Collins said.

The director considered two other email providers besides XMission for the transition: Google’s business suite, which not only includes email service but also access to word processing, spreadsheet and other productivity software; and Microsoft’s Office 365 program, which also includes access to online versions of its ubiquitous suite of productivity programs. Of the three choices, Collins favored Microsoft’s the most, he said.

“It would raise the standard of the county, so we would all be on the same version of the software,” he said. “It would also educate employees to the latest technologies, so it would prepare them for other software we will be replacing as part of normal replacement cycles.”

However, the cost of both Microsoft’s and Google’s proved prohibitive for the county’s budget, with annual charges of $47,150 and $27,600 respectively.

Not only will XMission provide hosting for a fraction of the cost of other vendors, but the transition will be easiest for users, as the company will continue to use the Zimbra email and calendar system employed by Merit. The annual cost will come at a slight increase from Merit, which costs the county around $5,700 per year, Collins said.