We are planning a brand-new Sesame system. From reading the documentation and forum, I'm thinking in terms of a Linux box (Probably OpenSUSE with an SSD) running Sesame and functioning as a web server to provide Sesame and other intranet functions to our employees as well as allowing our clients access to client-specific reports (order status, etc.).

I'm looking for comments and further suggestions to provide a great startup, thus impressing my managers and fellow employees with Sesame's brilliance.

At least 8 gig. If you are running a 64 bit OS, get as much as you can afford and the box can support. Sesame 2 is available only as 32-bit program and can therefore up to 4 gig. But, since it won't be the only program running, having plenty of RAM beyond 4 gig, will help performance and reduce swapping.