I started remapping my capslock key to escape over two years ago and never looked back. By my estimation, my pinky will have travelled a bazillion miles less by the time I retire (vim user here) than if I left escape at the top left extent of my keyboard.

My blog has instructions on doing this in Linux, Mac OSX and Windows.

http://blog.jacobelder.com/2008/04/take-back-your-keyboard.html

I am responsible for IT decision making for a similar-sized startup. I have around 15-years of IT-like activities behind me. At my current job, I keep costs low and the organization agile with a few simple rules.

Everyone gets a refurbished MacBook Pro with AppleCare. If it breaks (pretty much never), the user takes it to the Apple Genius Bar. Once the warranties run out, there's an Apple-certified support center near by. We replace computers every 2-3 years and keep a spare around just in case. Everyone gets a $100 USB drive for TimeMachine backups, so a damaged or lost laptop is at worst a few hours of lost productivity. If a user wants to run something other than MacOS X they're welcome to do so on their own.

We have no servers in-house other than a small Linux box which serves as a router. The network is managed with the goal that it be no more complicated than anyone's home network. "Network is down? Reboot the router." Granted, we have a symmetrical 10mbps RF link via TowerStream so it's pretty fast, but still, K.I.S.S.

All email, calendaring, etc are handled by Google Apps. $50 per person per year is ridiculously cheap for what it gets us. Most file server type needs are met by either Google Docs or DropBox.

For phones, we have an old PC running an Asterisk derivative and some VOIP desk phones from craigslist. We also have a GSM booster on the roof, and most people who need phones to work have company-funded iPhones. We're also looking at moving to Google Voice now that it's included in Google Apps.

Seriously reconsider the wisdom in running an authentication server for 20 users. You will spend more time configuring, patching, backing up and fixing that directory server than you would managing a spreadsheet of 20 local admin account passwords.

Run your corporate web server in-house? No effin' way. EC2 or a co-lo, never in house. You cannot cost-effectively match what a decent colocation provider can give you with regard to cooling, power, network capacity, redundancy or room for growth. They's what they do and they almost certainly do it better than you.

Honestly, I think this is genuinely clever. To my knowledge, this is a original idea and the inventor should be able to profit from it. Well played, Jeff. Looking forward to seeing it on Amazon.com.

What's stopping me from getting my own DNA water, and spraying it all over your stuff that I want to steal?

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.