Linux server advice

I'm in a bit of a pickle. We run a mainly windows environment here at work, but have a consultant who we have worked with for 9 or 10 years that maintains a redhat server for us which is our firewall & email server. He owns the box, and we pay him a small monthly fee to keep it running & secure. I do all of the user adds-deletes, DNS updates. The problem is that he has fallen off the face of the earth and I need some help.

I want (need) to move our server into a newer rack-mount device ahead of an office move and add in some virus scanning software, spam filtering, etc.... while we are at it. Being the reasonable guy I am, I offered to buy the hardware of his choice, have him install it and then continue paying him his monthly fee just to help maintain it when needed. He started getting the info to me and making some recommendations, but I had to hold off until I finished a 2003 server rollout and an accounting system upgrade. That was at least 4 months ago, and now I can't even get him to return an email or phone call. He's not mad at me or anything like that, I know he's just incredibly busy with his "real" job and doesn't need the money (FYI he hasn't sent us a bill in 11 months). But I'm getting exactly what I'm paying for right now... nothing. I think he's just lost interest.

The way I see it is I essentially have two options buttuming our relationship is now over.

Option 1: Find and hire a new linux consultant (since I only know enough to be dangerous) to take over the project, buy-install the new hardware& roll it out. Then box up the old server and mail it back to my former consultant (after all, it is his box). No hard feelings. Crap I just remembered our Internet site is hosted on a diofferent box of his.

Option 2: Go with an out of the box firewall solution (I know a SonicWall vendor-consultant locally), and install a windows email server that I can fully administer myself.

Depending on someone else isn't something I like, but I know my limitations when it comes to Linux and I'm just not comfortable that I can secure a network like a pro can. And me becoming a linux guru just isn't gonna happen as I have too many other duties that require my attention. I've taken a basic Suse linux clbutt in college, have a few big RedHat books, and do basic admin but there's just too much I don't know to trust myself with our firewall security.

I don't honestly expect anyone on a linux newsgroup to push going with something along the lines of option 2, but honestly both have some upside. Either way I need to purchase some hardware. I would surely save on software costs by sticking with linux, but pay that money back out when it came to paying someone to set it up right. I think my boss seems to think that everything would be right with the world if we brought in a Exchange server or some other windows based email server, but I can't see spending that kind of money on software when I can likely get almost all of the functionality out of a MUCH cheaper linux box. I guess mainly I'm having a hard time pushing continued reliance on an outside consultant to my bosses. Thoughts? Suggestions on where to start looking for qualified consultants to submit proposals?