5. Research the costs of running SQL Server (or Oracle if you prefer) on a cloud server hosted by a third party. Assume the size of the database is about 50 GB with about 400 GB of network data traffic a month.
Prices are likely to change over time. Probably the easiest sites to
find and obtain prices are Amazon and Microsoft. Microsoft is usually
slightly more expensive: http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/pricing/calculator/
Probably around $300 a month (2013), but it depends on size configuration
and other options. Which might seem expensive but it
covers most operations issues and staffing.