A custom template would allow pull from multiple multi-drop mailboxes
I hadnt thought about that option too hard. Would you care to give a hint as to which template to start looking at ?
Even though you dont advocate it strongly, It is a viable option and I would be willing to have a crack at coming up with a something useful since if it has been done, it doesnt seem to be in the forums or the wiki.
you should just change DNS and have the mail delivered directly via SMTP to SME server.
I would agree and I was alluding to that in my last sentence. Again, in my part of the world and I gather it may also be the case in parts of the Northern Hemisphere, getting ISP's to play ball can be a challenge. For example, I can get an email domain hosted with appropiate DNS Services and a few mailboxes, including a catchall for $NZ14 a month. To go the route you suggest would require the above DNS service at same price plus the fixed IP. To get the fixed IP I need to pay an additional $NZ25/month and move to a higher tier provider who will charge significantly more / Mb for the traffic. The places I have SME's are NFP/Charity organisations (as are my efforts for them). These additional costs start to rack up significantly for these types of client. Obviously, for profit corporates, its a different ball game.