Advice request for project

[John French]

I've been interested in Python for a while now but haven't had an 
opportunity to use / learn it.  I'm tasked now with a project at work that 
might be my first opportunity.

 I have to write a ~75 concurrent user document storage app. that allows 
users to scan documents from locally attached scanners and save to a 
database for retrieval.  I also need to be able to call MS Word with 
templates and allow the user to save the file to the database.  I think I 
understand that I can interface MS COM for these, correct?

My interest is in using FreeBSD/Postgresql/Python as a back end and a Python 
GUI app on the XP workstations.  I'm going to end up adding some 
non-database functionality to the project in the future that precludes only 
using odbc to the database.  I'll likely end up with some form of inter-user 
messaging being incorporated before it's over.  Is it better to write one 
server side socket app to handle everything or start via odbc and necessary 
server side apps later?  If anyone can tell me if this project seems 
appropriate to Python and offer suggestions as to an initial architecture, 
I'd appreciate it.  I'm quite interested in the RAD aspect of the language 
but quite lost at the moment.  (I did just sign up for the Tutor mailing 
list).

Thanks in Advance