Small Business OS: Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003

Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 presents the most intuitive interface by far among the products in this story. Small-business end users, consultants, in-house IT experts, and VARs responsible for installing and maintaining systems will all appreciate how easy it is to navigate this OS. We also found the Web-based e-mail client Outlook Web Access unparalleled in the number and quality of features offered. And SBS 2003's integration and synchronization features for mobile devices were both impressive and unique.

Using Microsoft's remote-access feature, we felt as if we were sitting at our workplace desktop; there was simply no learning process needed. Such features are handy both for in-house IT managers working from their own workstations within a company and for administrators or VARs that manage systems remotely.

The IT-oriented set will be pleased with the many configuration wizards, which make even the most complex server installation and configuration tasks straightforward. Many server hardware manufacturers are offering the system preinstalled—a benefit for VARs, which can just perform minimal customization at their customers' sites.

SBS 2003 is the first server OS that transparently integrates Exchange, without requiring a separate purchase and dedicated configuration. With this product, Microsoft has set the standard for small business server operating systems.

Net Integration Technologies NITIX Autonomic Linux Server OS earns an honorable mention as an extremely integrated solution that is innovative and secure. This is a good choice for small businesses that want to deploy a comparatively simple infrastructure without ongoing reliance on VARs or highly qualified IT staff for maintenance and management.

Source:http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1436660,00.asp

Microsoft updates SMB server line

Microsoft Corp. has updated its all-in-one server for small businesses, and added an additional product to its server line for mid-sized businesses with up to 300 users.

Windows Small Business Server accommodates up to 75 users, while larger businesses now have the option of Windows Essential Business Server 2008, according to Constanza Zalba, product manager for SMB servers for Microsoft Canada.

“Canada is primarily a small and mid-size country,” Zalba said. And Canadian SMBs tend to view IT differently from their American counterparts; while only 30 per cent of U.S. SMBs have an internal IT staff, 60 per cent of Canadia SMBs do, she said.

“Technology takes on a much more strategic importance in the company (in Canada),” she said.

Steve Tong, manager of information systems for Toronto Grace Hospital, said the hospital had been running the 2003 version of Small Business Server. The central management window for SQL, Exchange and SharePoint servers “made the difference” in the decision to go to EBS.

“It almost gives me a dashboard view in the morning” of the status of the network, Tong said. Using the single server package means a 30 to 40 per cent savings, and a reduction from seven servers to three.

Grace’s IT staff of three – supporting 275 users on about 100 machines -- had only a week to migrate the system onto the new platform, but since it has a similar look and feel to SBS 2003, they were confident they’d be able to go live on time, Tong said. The migration took place in 10 to 12 hours over a weekend.

An included migration tool checks for active directory and DNS issues and the like, then graphically designs the new network, saving the design as an XML file.

The server was deployed on an Intel Modular 5000 server with an integrated storage area network donated by Intel Corp.

Via:itworldcanada.com/a/Daily-News/6eaf3a92-63af-4191-98f9-b26ca224a050.html

Microsoft exec touts technology for rural business

The chief research and strategy officer of Microsoft Corp. sat in a conference room of the company's Fargo campus and talked about technology that could help small business in rural states.

Mundie has spent 15 years leading Microsoft's campaign to improve wireless broadband capacity in the United States and around the world. For the last several years, he's been working with government regulators on the possibility of using the unused spectrum between television channels to deliver broadband access.

The so-called "white spaces proposition" could help rural states like North Dakota, where companies don't find it economical to build cell towers because of the small population.

"To me, the power of this white spaces is that if you want to build a community alternative, where you could at least have the equivalent of a cell phone walkie-talkie capability just to make local calls in Fargo, that would probably make a lot of people happy," Mundie said. "It at least creates an alternative."

Once the broadband problem is solved, Mundie expects people in rural areas to demand technology that will allow remote working capability. That means communication systems will have to be linked, he said.

"My belief is that the cost of these technologies can be driven down and novel ways of programming them from a software usage point of view will allow them to become more integrated," he said.

Mundie was in North Dakota to speak at a technology conference and visit the Fargo division, which handles software for businesses and other operations, including customer support, payroll and information technology. He cited his relationship with Doug Burgum, the former head of Microsoft's Fargo operation, and Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.

"I think the two of them conspired to decide to ask me to come and talk (at the conference)," Mundie said. "And I wanted to visit the Microsoft Fargo campus, so it was sort of a 'twofer' at that point."

Mundie joined Microsoft in 1992 to create and run the company's consumer platforms division and eventually became a chief technical officer. He was promoted to his current post after Bill Gates announced he was giving up day-to-day duties of running the company.

Mundie, who reports directly to CEO Steve Ballmer, currently oversees technology and research projects and works with government and business leaders around the world on technology policy and regulation.

"It's startling how often somebody would come up to me or Bill Gates and say, 'Well, this software thing, I guess we've kind of seen it all,'" Mundie said. "It's just hilarious because we're just at the tip of the beginning of this thing. We haven't seen it all."

Source: seattlepi.nwsource.com

IBM Seeks To Push Blade Servers To Small Businesses

International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) will seek to push its blade servers to small and medium-sized businesses with the release of a package of multiple storage devices on a single blade-based box.

Blades, which IBM has manufactured for some time, have become increasingly attractive because they are considered relatively cost and energy efficient.

"We already had a blade chassis for small to medium-sized businesses, but what we've added is the ability to share the storage between all the blades," Alex Yost, vice president for IBM BladeCenter, said.

IBM, along with other hardware manufacturers, is banking on the growth of the blade market. It has already created blade.org, a program aimed at providing development help to start-ups which target this space. Yost said the market for selling blades to small businesses was largely untapped.

IBM was the world's largest server vendor globally in the second quarter of 2008, according to data from IDC, which tracks market share data, although Palo Alto, Calif.-based, Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) was the world's largest blade server vendor, with 53.3% market share compared with IBM's 24.8%.

Source:money.cnn.com